"I ahve to say you ladies are REALLY good, maybe we should skip to the first fall warblers???? " Ladies, we are in trouble. Check your Peterson guide on confusing fall warblers to bone up for the challenge! Actually the guide is pretty good by putting them in sub-sections by field marks and color. You can then proceed by process of elimination until you get down to the correct bird. Then check the Cornell's site for other photographs for further positive ID markers. Local variations and light in the photos make if tougher too but if you find most of key ID points it is probably that bird. According to my SMAS group the Blue Jay is considered partially leucistic, not albino, and is exhibiting other feather abnormalities related to genetics. In another communication, Arlene Ripley commented that she has seen many albino birds but none have exhibited the fur-like structures of this Jay's feathers. I did some of my own research on fur-like feathers and every site pointed to something called proto-feathers which were exhibited by some early dinosaurs before true feathers emerged. It's exciting to imagine this bird may be exhibiting an ancient genetic throwback to prehistoric times which upholds the common belief that birds evolved from dinosaurs as they first took flight. There has been a call to ask everyone on the local site if there is a scientic name for this feather anomaly and this call comes from a man that works for the Smithsonian Institute and really knows birds. So far, no reponse, so the local bird community here may be stumped. There was sentiment regarding hope the bird survives. Jean, has this bird been a regular at your feeder for any length of time in which one could make the assumption it has survived nature with this variance? Arlene suggested the photo be posted on websites dedicated to leucistic and albino birds and see if more information could be obtained from readers. PapaSmurf is a rare Blue Jay indeed. CT

Sadly, eating disgusting material isn't limited to dachshunds, by any means, thankfully. (I say thankfully, because if they were the only dogs doing it, I would have to question my decision to own them instead of breeds with better habits!) I read that dogs eat manure (of various kinds) because their noses are so much better than ours that they can smell the food content in spite of the more obvious odor of the droppings. But it isn't healthy for them, so I do my best to make sure they can't reach the sandbox, and to clean up after them in the yard daily with my pooper scooper. If they can't find it, they can't eat it. I really don't have any trouble with gas from my dogs though. I think gas issues are often related to diet, and sometimes you have to find the food your animals can digest the easiest. There are many different approaches you can research and if your dog is eating what agrees with them, the gas should decline. Felix, try brushing the dog's teeth to help with the breath issues. It is good for them, and will keep those pearly whites strong longer. I have to take Maks in soon to get dental surgery done. He never lost his baby canine teeth and they are causing a problem with the permanent ones. Two sets of teeth in the space where only one should be, and the food gets jammed between them, which is going to cause decay. *sigh* Who'd-a thunk of such a thing? Marcia...enjoying a day off from killer yard work due to the RAIN we are getting! Yes...RAIN. As in wet stuff falling from the sky in apparent abundance! Woohoooooo.

Pixie Lou, I love those pond shots. You get such a range of critters visiting, and the green heron is especially nice. It has finally warmed up enough that Jane's least favorite critters are emerging in my garden, the snakes. I found a small (8") red-bellied snake that ended up in some grass clippings I moved to the compost after we hayed the lawn between rain showers. I was surprised to find him in the bottom of the garden cart, and tipped him out before I thought to photograph him. My reading tells me that they don't get much bigger than a big night crawler, so he was full grown. I was cleaning out the bed around the back patio where I so often see garter snakes, and had the company of this guy for a bit until he decided that I was interfering with his basking in the sun and left.

Well, since the Common Raven is considered a songbird (the largest in North America), I guess grackles are small in comparison. Be glad you don't have a raven landing on your feeder. I have another possible take on your crows-with-snake event. The crow broods are fledging now in my neighborhood and they're flying all around with non-stop nasal cawing (I flew to this tree! What do I do now? Where is everybody? I'm hungry, feed me!). Maybe your crow is delivering the snake lecture to the kids - "This long skinny floppy thing is dangerous! Watch out! This is how to deal with it!" Just a thought. Claire