Tag: Osric Owl

Another Snake, Linda! Proceed With Caution

Timothy Price55 Comments

Dawn

WARNING! Snake Photos at the end of this post!

Hey! Paparazzo! Looki. See? We need more juggin’ water! ¿Sí?

Silver: “You’re fast, Loki! I’m outta here!”

Our guard Hummingbird. He sits at the top of the Chitalpa, and if any suspicious-looking characters come around, he attacks them.

Owl Newz

Nora on the left. Hungry Willa and Walter in the middle. Osric on the right

Nora was on her branch giving sweet, higher pitched hoots to Osric, who was about 100 feet from her at the top of a tree. We figured she was giving him a grocery list.

Osric gave Nora a gopher. Hmmm! Could be a song!

When Osric brought Nora the critters, it was after dusk, so I only got a few halfway clear shots that I lightened up in post processing so we can see what the owls were up to.

Osric flew off and came back with a packrat.

My what big claws you have, Nora!

After Nora flew over to the nest, Osric flew in, dropped off the packrat in the nest and flew off. Apparently, Nora’s grocery list was for gopher and packrat.

Progression of the sunset tonight.

WARNING! WARNING! Snake photos below!

Me with Blue Boa

Many of you thought that bullsnake was huge. Now Blue is what I would call a huge snake.

I don’t believe I have ever posted a photo of myself with Blue Boa. I don’t handle her much because of my compromised immune system. The results of a recent blood test showed my white counts and absolute nuetrofils are low again. Reptiles carry salmonella, so people with compromised immune systems s should not handle them much.

Laurie took the photos. Blue Boa was squirming around a lot.

Spunk thinks he much better looking than that stinking snake.

The Great Migration

Timothy Price47 Comments

No roses under the Pink Moon for me today. I wasn’t going to post today, but I decided to simply complain.

I have almost finished migrating 14 new Silicon Mac Minis with M2 processors from 14 three-year-old Silicone Mac Minis with M1 processors. Apple’s Migration Assistant is flawless, so as far as users who think they won’t get fooled again are concerned, the new Mac Mini the same as the old Mac Mini, just a whole lot faster. One staff member was surprised to learn she had a new computer almost a week after I changed out her computers.

Of course, when you migrate to a new computer, you have to log back into all the applications that require authentication. I had no problem with Adobe apps. I had to upgrade to AutoCAD 2025 because AutoCAD 2024 isn’t compatible with the M2 processor. But then there’s Microsoft Office 365…

Microsft taunting me with a Windows reflecting on the wall.

I have Microsoft Office 365 Business for the office. When I set up the M1 Mac Minis three years ago, with the help of a Microsoft tech, I turned off the requirement to use the Microsoft Authenticator app in my Office 365 dashboard because Authenticator app didn’t work. It’s useless. Three years later, I discovered they snuck it back in. When I tried to log into Office 365, it required me to scan a QR code that took me to a scam page on the QR reader that wanted a credit card number. Grrrr! I had no option to choose “Text me a code!” for example. I was livid, to say the least. I found where some of the Authenticator settings had been turned back on in the Office 365 dashboard, probably by updates. But I still didn’t have it turned off.

I had a Microsft tech call me. When I answered, he asked how I was doing. I told him I was really pissed, frustrated, super cranky, fed up with dealing with stupid Microsoft products, and never wanted to be asked to authenticate anything with Microsoft Authenticator ever again! He got me straight to the hidden pages that allowed me to delete MS Authenticator and use “Text me a code.” for authentication instead.

Enough complaining. Now for some owl news:

Walter and Willa watching for Nora Owl, waiting to be fed.

Osric Owl was hooting up a storm nearby. We went to investigate. It was a distraction tactic…

Osric’s tatic worked. While we were looking for him, Nora brought Walter and Willa dinner. It was dark and hard to focus, so we never saw what she brought them.

In the first two photos she tearing up dinner for the owlets. In the third photo she is giving us a stren look. She was probably thinking about how Osric’s tactic was no longer working, since he had moved to the top of the tree north of us, and was still hooting up a storm, but there we were gawking at her.

Osric kept hooting and hooting until Nora finished feeding the kids. Then they both flew off.

Walter and Willa happy to have full tummies.

The sunset was coluding with Orsic to distract us so Nora could go in for the feed.

Flowers & Cats. Oh! Yeah! And Owls!

Timothy Price43 Comments

Wisteria

Tulips

Glenda

Loki: “Oh Lord, I beseech you to make the stupid Paparazzo put his camera down and clean the stinking cobwebs! Amen!”

Loki: “I’m waiting for the bolt of lightning!”

Spunk hammocking

Silver

Marble and Glenda are Cow Cats grazing on grass.

Sasha

Loki

Gwendolyn

Mama, in the morning

Osric Owl snoozing in the morning.

Walter and Willa

Nora Owl in the evening

Willa and Walter

Sunset

Eye Of Owlet

Timothy Price40 Comments

Sunrise

Whoot are you?

Owlet peeking out at the paparazzi. There was another photographer checking on the owlets.

Osric Owl’s ear tufts blowing in the wind.

Osric Owl watching a couple wth three dogs walking under his perch. He was only 10 feet above them.

The moon the day before yesterday and today.

Sunset

OO NO B

Timothy Price49 Comments

Sandias @ Sunset

Osric Owl would not open his eyes for me at first. He finally woke with a hoot and gave me a “Stupid Paparazzo! And spell my name right!” look.

Nora Owl was looking sleepy also. That’s an indication the owlets might have hatched.

Beaver @ sunset

A tree with no name @ sunset

Drama at Duskfall

Timothy Price45 Comments

Redwing Blackbirds

Willa-Cat-Her pussyfootin’ across our property.

Wile E. Coyote left Wile Etta Coyote behind.

What is Osric Owl looking at?

A pesky Cooper’s Hawk chattering at him like a monkey.

Nora Owl peers out from her nest.

Osric Owl keeping an eye out and hooting a status report.

Once In A Lifetime

Timothy Price62 Comments

Once in a lifetime
Pulled over for the photo
Owls cute as always

Osric Owl’s outlook

Nora Owl and the youngest owlet.

Nora Owl looking at the sunset. The owlets looking at the pesky paparazzo.

The sunset Nora Owl was looking at.

A Noble Beast

Timothy Price45 Comments

I was out visiting with Osric and Nora Owls (the owlets pretty much ignored me) when I saw two coyotes on the top of the levee and six or more on the lower part of the levee on the other side of the ditches running at top speed. I was trying to catch the action through the trees when this coyote stopped like, “Whoa! Paparazzo on the prowl. I better look my best!” She stopped and gave me her best noble beast look. Then I saw a couple on the top of the levee and yelled over to them and asked if they had seen the coyotes. They said one coyote ran out of the clearwater ditch, and then eight coyotes started chasing it like they were trying to kill it. I thought the coyote that was in the ditch might have caught something, and the others wanted to take it from him. Ms. Noble Beast doesn’t look like she’s been missing many meals.

Osric Owl snoozed behind a tangle and then enjoyed the sunset.

Nora Owl gave me a squint like Clint! “Is that Bazooka going to make me look fat?”

Eye of Owlet

Psst! Don’t look now, but there’s that stupid paparazzo on the ditch bank again.

As I was heading home, I heard my name being called. One of the Alpacas had its head stuck in the fence. I walked back, and sure enough, there was one of the Alpacas with its head through one of the wire squares in the fence, looking very stuck and rather sad. We tried to help the Alpaca get his head back through the fence, and as we pushed back, he pushed forward. He was stubborn. Meanwhile, two coyotes were on the top of the levee watching our goings-on with great interest. After we stretched the wire apart as much as possible, we gave up, stood back on the ditch bank, and watched the Alpaca. After a few minutes of not getting any more attention, it pulled its head back through the wire. I think it was acting stuck to get attention.

While we were talking, Osric flew over into the bosque, and I grabbed this shot of him.

By the time I got back to our property after all the ditch bank drama, it was dark. I got a shot of Venus and The Pleiades with my 70-200mm zoom lens. Venus and The Pleiades are too far apart to get them in the frame with the Bazooka.