Yep, three eggs now. The site said the third egg was first observed on the 30th so it would seem they don't lay their eggs all at once. I was wondering how long before we see chicks too, so I looked it up & it takes 5-6 weeks of incubation before the eggs hatch. If the first egg arrived around the 23rd of April (according to the Wood's Hole site), we should start looking around May 27th. The eggs will hatch in the order in which they were laid. Dad's helping out too. I think I saw him bring a peice of food back, but it was unidentifiable. I've also seen them switch off for sitting on the eggs. They had a peice of paper that they were using as a blanket for awhile. They would place it over the eggs while stretching their legs and then tuck it around their breast while sitting. I see it's gone now, so it must have blown off or something.. Yes, I need a life..:) -Chele Here is a link that might be useful: Wood's Hole Osprey

Thanks-getting a Brown Creeper that close, while actually holding a camera, with sun behind me, has never happened before! I heard it coming and got ready, just had a fraction of second to get it, and had to focus though intervening branches, so it was a serendipity Trail cams could be considered OFF TOPIC, but I frequently get photos of wild turkeys, have also captured photos of owls, hawks, and ducks, etc. I usually put the cam on top of the mountain behind our house near a pond. From Game cam pics From Game cam pics 2-27-09, Farm pond trail, Eastern Screech Owl making a catch, 12:22 a.m. From Game cam pics 4-25-09, Our pond, American Crow, 2:44 p.m. From Game cam pics 5-4-09, Our pond, male Wood Duck, 11:10 a.m. From Game cam pics 4-27-09, juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk nailing frog (?) 6:33 a.m. From Game cam pics I bought the Non-typical Cuddeback Capture game cam last Feb. It uses a regular flash and is fast, clear, works perfectly, but animals quickly learn to avoid the flash, so I kept trying to buy an infra-red cam, but in vain. Even though I bought one IR cam after another they had to be returned because NONE OF THEM WORKED; in all of them the sensors were too slow to capture passing animals unless they hung around in front of the cam, the cams all had blurry low-quality images, and two had malfunctioning software. Fortunately, the companies supplied shipping labels for returns. These are the cams I bought March 26- HCO ScoutGuard SG550 5MP Infrared Hunting Game & Scouting Trail Camera May 18-Stealth Cam Rogue IDVR with 36 Infrared Emitters June 1-Timber Eye 5 megapixel game camera from the Sportman's guide. Finally, June 30, I bought a 2009 Cuddeback Capture IR 5.0MP Digital Game Camera on Amazon, thinking this would solve my problem, since the first Cuddeback works so well. At first the new cam sort of worked, although the images were blurry even in daylight, it was very slow-often completely missing us when we walked back and forth in front of the cam each day to test it. After a month the cam suddenly stopped working altogether and I returned it. I've read really good reviews on Amazon on the Leaf River IR trail cams. Here's one model on Amazon, but there's no review for this one http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Flash-5Mp-View-Mots/dp/B001F0MERG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1264032284&sr=1-2 There's a more expensive model that also has audio http://www.amazon.com/Digital-7Mp-2-4-View-Mots/dp/B001F0O5NC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1264032284&sr=1-1

Here's ours, which still is not used as a desk, although we're getting closer now that the construction tools aren't here as much. I never thought it should be desk height, but DH did and he won. We have the swiveling t.v. over it so if HE wanted to, he could look at it from chair I think. We still have to decide on an appropriate chair. Currently we have a wastebasket and dog bowls under it. Cute, yes? Items jump from that lower surface to the upper one constantly. I had hoped that it would be a barrier, but it's not. In my thinking, we might as well have had entire surface flat. Cork board between cabinet and desk is now used less decoratively. It's a working message center. That's where calendar hangs, thank-you notes and such are posted and oddball coupons get put. Although there's a "pencil drawer" we keep a pencil mug on the desk. Cabinet above desk is 16 inches deep--allows notebooks for financial statements, phone books, etc. Top shelf is unrelated storage of party gear. A permanently mounted power strip at front of bottom shelf of this cab allows DH to put chargers in here and let cord dangle down so that the device is seen and not forgotten once it is charged. He can turn off power to all chargers with one switch. Lobby is to left of desk. I'm trying to put "things going elsewhere" into the shelves in the closet in lobby instead of on desk--lib. books, stuff for Mom's sr. residence, things going to friends, etc. Otherwise, they accumulate on desk. But that's fine with me--better there than in the rest of the kitchen where they used to cluster, esp on top of refrig. because that was by front door. Because the peninsula is right there next to the desk, I would rather spread out on that to do any work with pencil and paper, but then, I'm a person who needs special glasses to focus on arm's length stuff, so I suppose that little desk just looks like too much work--easier to stand and write at peninsula with my multifocus lenses and squint. I clear pencils and paper and calendar and address book off the peninsula at least twice a day and plunk them back on HIS desk. Computer will never be used at desk, I'm sure. (It moves between peninsula and dining table all the time.) Telephone holder lives on desk, at least for now. I'm hoping to get it wired into a place on wall closer to dining room, but until then, it's here. This cordless phone is another thing that hides throughout the kitchen and has to be put away on desk when I spy it. One benefit of this space: For parties, we can clean off the desk and bulletin board, put up a sign or something decorative like this framed piece, then put beverages here. Keeps traffic out of kitchen. Remember--this is Formica, so it's not going to mind.

Two other options you might want to consider. One is plyboo-- bamboo plywood. Most people who use it leave the edge exposed because it is really pretty. It isn't cheap stuff, but relatively straightforward to work with. Also you could consider a zinc countertop. Rotometals use to be limited in their lengths, but they can now cut at any length. You could get two pieces, solder the joint together, and buff the whole thing out. We did a small zinc counter in our laundry room and it was quite easy. Rotometals has tutorials on youtube for DYIers. My only recommendation is to take the sheets to a sheet metal or roofing shop and they can use a sheet metal break to put a really nice uniform hemmed edge on the counter. Here is a link that might be useful: Rotometals