The package is in the mail on it's way to Lisa via priority mail. Delivery Confirmation# 03061070000579009258 I took out 23 seed packets and added 47 more of all different kinds! I also added a few small gifts. Thanks for a great Robin Deb... I added all the extra seeds to try to make sure that you had a nice variety once it returned to you! Thanks everyone for a fun time, enjoy winter sowing!!! -Elizabeth (zabecc)

WYnative, I have you down as received on 12/20/05. If you read back thru the posts, you'll find your post. If I am not mistaken, everyone has received their package!!! If someone hasn't please let me know ASAP and we'll get one out to you :-) Ok, here is the list of who sent to who: Hummingbirddaisy sending to GardenFeverGirl sending to Cassiet sending to Gardeningmomof3 sending to Rosebud 2050 sending to Dancingmoons sending to FLYONAWALL sending to FAINTHEART sending to SWEETKITTEN51 sending to WYnative sending to SNBOYKEN sending to DEBBYA sending to MOMCAT sending to BOJO96 sending to AMYBABYBOY3 sending to GARDENHITS sending to DJM906 sending to Hummingbirddaisy WYnative, when you get everything straightened out, please let us know who you got your secret package from!!! I want to thank all you lovely ladies for joining in on my Secret Santa RR. This is by far the FUNNEST swap I have ever been in, and it is all because of you all. FLY and Faint are hilarious! You all are caring, wonderful women and I am very proud to have met all of you and had you in my swap. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Big Hug's to each of you Tina

konrad: Thanks. I've noticed quite a few red-tails sitting in trees on the side of Route 1 in Chester County, PA (Route 1 is a 4-lane lightly used road here). The hawks stare into the grass median, and when they see something, they are quite focused on their prey. In fact, I had to slow down to miss one that was flying into the median. Claire: I remember reading a post here about bluebirds going to a window to ask for food. That was when I first started watching the birds. Well, I thought it was someone's imagination--until I realized it wasn't. There was a time when a mother mockingbird kept screaming at me until I chased a cat from near her nest. When I was feeding the birds regularly, the white-throats, upon seeing me, would jump up from the brush, land in the bushes, and sing to me. Probably the most amusing was when the male and female red-bellied woodpeckers--whom I always call red and rosie--landed in a tree on the side of the house and started shouting at me. I looked at the feeder with mixed nuts and saw it was empty. Once I filled it with their mixed nuts (they like the white ones and always search for them), they left me alone and ate their nuts. Here is something you may wish to try with mockingbirds. While in the yard, I may discover a mockingbird nest by observing the parents repeatedly going towards the same general area. The parents will first land on a nearby branch and look at me. This is where I must obey their rule. When the parent looks at me, I must turn away from the parent. I usually turn my back to them. Then, the parent heads for the nest and I hear the happy chirp of the chicks being fed. I don't know if this is a learned mockingbird trait or if it is instinct. However, the parent will fly away unless I look away while they go to the nest. I've been obeying their rule for years now.

Congrats on adding more blue to the sky! Hopefully, you will see many more fledgings. Sometimes they fly out so quickly, you blink and miss it. Other times, the parents tease them for hours, call them, and hover in front of them with food to coax them out. The funniest one I ever saw (wish I had a picture of this) one fledgling changed his mind in mid-fledge; one wing and one foot out, and one wing and foot still in the box. He must have stayed there a good 20 minutes trying to figure out what to do next. He eventually made it just fine, heaven knows how. Sometimes they are super flyers, popping out and turning in mid air to head right up to the tallest trees. Landing is another matter. I've seen one grab a bunch of leaves and hang upside down for a while, holding on for dear life until he gathered the nerve to fly up higher. They can climb very well, too. It always amazes me how the parents will guide them from one place to the next, and then gather them all up for the night, all snuggled together in a row. I used to think they always fledged first thing in the morning, but I've seen them fledge all times of the day, just before a major thunderstorm, even once at dusk. The most important thing though, is NOT to scare them when fledging time is close. The last thing you want is for them to fledge out of fear before they are really ready. Always keep good notes on your calendar so you know when the age of the nestlings, and do not open the nestbox after day 13 (remember unlucky 13). BlueBars Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sialis.org/premature.htm