1st Plan Fails for the Attack Bird

Thursday December 3 and                                                    Most Recent Post:
Friday December 4, 2015                                                      Key West: What a Drag, The Ingham and Mallory Square
Curry Hammock State Park
Marathon Florida

Every effort I've made to transfer this  post written in Live Writer to blogger for posting has failed so I have totally rewritten the post and brought the pictures in one at a time so they will appear in the right places and not float all over the page.  The sizesI've used  are large and extra large (too big) and not the way I would like to see them but I've written these posts and I want them published.  I am unable to download the new Open Live Writer because it will not take my blogger login and password apparently for the same reason none of us can use blogger.  IF you have a blogger account and were able to use that login and password to download the new Open Live Writer please let me know.

THURSDAY

As I mentioned in a previous post we've been dodging the rains and high winds for the past 5 weeks we have been in the Keys.  The weather folks are little to no help.  They predict and Mother Nature laughs and does what she wants.

Today they predict rain - how very unusual - and it does rain but luckily there are 4 hours in the morning when it doesn't rain.

It's actually a glorious morning.  I get out for an amazing dawn, possibly the most beautiful I have ever seen.


The colors in the sky lighten as sunrise nears.  This picture is taken looking east.  It is taken about 5 minutes after the one above also taken looking east.

This one is taken 5 minutes later than the above and looking west.  Everywhere I look the colors are fantastic.

Two minutes later and looking east again, I know the sun is about to rise as the colors are becoming more and more muted.

One of the things I most enjoy about a Curry Hammock sunrise recently is the presence of the reddish egret.  He's not all that common so it is a thrill to see him nearly every morning.  That is him in the 3rd picture above and in the sunrise picture below.

Sure enough, here comes the sun, just a hint  at the horizon before rising behind the purple clouds.
I love the way the sky colors reflect in the foreground of the water and the farther water nearest the horizon glistens almost silver.

And then things darken as the sun moves up the sky, clouds or not.  The night heron here is also present most mornings.  No wonder I'm out at dawn.

In the east a group of a dozen Great Egrets must have gathered because of something good to eat.  They look wonderful in the reflection in the water of the pink clouds

As they walk up the shore and I turn my camera to the west, they are now walking through, not pink but golden water.

I have to put a picture of the golden road to the sun as the final entry in this magnificent dawn and sunrise.  Being here to witness this makes the problems of rain, wind and bugs seem worth it just now.

It's just after 7:00 when I return to Winnona in a joyful mood ready for breakfast.  The rain starts shortly.  

Over night the winds have rearranged the black plastic plan for foiling the Crazed Catbird leaving two small openings.  David says it will probably still work as a CC deterrent.  I just know he will find them and resume his pecking.  The rain ends about 10:30.  

In no time at all CC has returned.  I bang on the window.  He moves off into the bushes.  I know he'll come right back.  I take up a position in front of the larger opening and don't have to wait very long.

There he is peering in the window at me.  Now I am a bird lover of the first order but I'd like to either knock some sense into his bird brain or wring his little neck.  He is not listening when I tell him there is no threat here and the window trim is not good for him.

David goes back out and fixes the plastic covering AGAIN but I fear with the constant rain and winds, it is clearly time for plan #2.   

We've had several suggestions, thank you all very much.

I have a second plan in mind but I'll need some equipment to implement it.

With the rain stopped, I don't want to go shopping for a bird deterrent supplies,  I want to be outside.  Laurel and I take a walk back on the shore where we encounter not only the Reddish Egret, slightly damp from this recent rain, but also Nancy the Parrot and her staff Joanne and Don.

Laurel is still cheery in spite of the weather.

The Reddish Egret either tires of our picture taking or has some other business to attend to.

Now here's a nice bird that won't peck at your windows and is pretty unique to find in a state park.

Rain isn't deterring this little crab in the detritus or the Great Egret traveling the shore.

But in short order it sends Laurel and I back inside.  She to prepare for a visit to her uncle.

I guess I'll go get the supplies so that IF it stops raining we can try plan two.

FRIDAY

It rains all night long, heavy pounding rains.  It rains all day today too.  I mean seriously all day.  It never stops.  So what to do on a rainy day.  Well cook, eat, and shop right?

It rains and we make chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.

Last night it rained so hard that it woke us both up out of a dead sleep pounding on the roof.  This morning we see some water on the dashboard.  David has resealed this windshield once already.  Looks like this side is going to need more.  But not until it stops raining - if it ever does.  And if it does,  we'll be so excited, we'll forget about this until the next time it rains.

We decide to run errands.  We stop at Publix for groceries and the Dollar Tree for bird supplies and some holiday stocking stuffers. 

Still raining.  I'm making soup for lunch.  Even if it isn't cold, somehow being trapped inside makes me think of soup.

I'm going stir crazy inside so I put on my raincoat and venture out to see what's going on.  Site 27 has turned into a lake.  Now that's particularly amazing since on these coral islands the rain usually just drains right through.  Clearly the draining can't keep up.

Sun is setting,  It's STILL raining.  I can see from the front window that the path to the bathroom is under water.

The weather we have had in the Florida Keys for the month of November and now December is simply the worst I could have imagined short of a hurricane.  It really is time for us to get a few days break here.