Goldfinches Galore

This past month we have been seeing lots and lots of Goldfinches here in Seattle. They first emptied all of the black oil sunflower seeds out of out feeder al over the deck. We have now put up a feeder full of Niger seeds, and they seem to be much happier. Shot this morning.

We’ve also been getting nearly over-run with hummingbirds. We heard from a neighbor who also set up a feeder that there are at least 5 birds in the area. This one from yesterday is just finishing off the last of the nectar that was just put out a few days before.

Today the temperatures around here are a pleasant 65-70 or a little higher, where as yesterday we reached nearly 90. It was 84 on the second floor of our townhouse when the temps outside finally started dropping. Happy for the cooler day today while working from home.

Western Washington Winter Wildlife

The last few days it's been getting colder and colder around here. Recently the mercury has been dropping into the range of freezing overnight frequently. This weekend, the Northwest is getting it's first major winter storm of the year, with snow in the higher elevations. Even here in West Seattle there are rumors that we may see some snow tonight, and possibly tomorrow as well. With all the changes that go along with colder weather, the birds have been behaving a bit differently as well.

More and more of them have been visiting our deck feeders, and spending more time sitting around nearby. We've had Chickadees for quite a while, and I previously posted about the Red-Shafted Northern Flicker that's been paying us a few visits. Now, with the extra cold winter we are also getting a flock of Oregon Junco that have been hanging around. They like to eat off the ground more than the feeder, so they spend a lot of time in and around the pots, getting seeds that get dropped by the chickadees.

We have also been seeing a lot of a little tiny thing that likes to come and perch in the bamboo or on the feeder hanger, a Hummingbird. I can't tell if it's an Anna's Hummingbird or a Rufous Hummingbird, but it sure is a cute little thing. It comes and parks a few minutes making sure the coast is clear of other birds for a moment, then buzzes down to the feeder for a little nectar before going back to perch for a few minutes more. It's been a lot of fun watching it today while catching up on a little TV, getting a few series programs out of the way on a lazy Saturday.

But, enough with the chatter, here's a couple pictures of the little flyers at rest:

 

OK, looking at the picture again, it's looking more like an Anna's Hummingbird by the dark wings and the light eye bands... I'm going to be trying to get pictures of this little beauty buzzing about the feeder as well, so stay tuned for more.

What I did last Sunday...

Wendy & I claimed our new Townhouse Friday, so Saturday I started masking and prepping to change the interior colors from the drab off-whites used in the construction in between appointments with consultants.

Sunday, we went shopping for a new grill and for pots to move Wendy's garden to the deck. After that, I put the first coat of paint on the garage walls.

I forgot to take initial pictures, but remembered as I was finishing up the first wall, so here's the transformation. Later this week I'll put on a second coat before the garage people come out to estimate coating the floor.

Drywall, and a little blue tape...



It begins to turn white:








The next wall is done:





Starting to look much cleaner now.





First coat complete.











It's amazing, but I'd forgotten how much I hated painting ceilings...





Would have much preferred to be at the BMW Concours, or even a quick visit to the All British Field Meet, but am happy that the Missus has authorized (even suggested!) the upgrades to the garage before we really move in.

It's Happening, although slowly...

It's been a while since I posted anything. Been busy in most things, slow in others. Thought I would write a little about what's been going on.

So, here it is.

Last weekend, a friend & I did some maintenance on my BMW. We started out by pulling the exhaust off, then dropped out the transmission. Then we got to the heart of the issue... a worn out release bearing (also known as a throw-out bearing). It had started squealing extremely loud the last day I drove it... when we pulled it out, it was easy to tell that something was wrong with it. One race (bearing surface) was off center, and the whole assembly was fused together. A couple of firm taps on the concrete broke the fused surfaces apart, and it popped into pieces. Some of the balls popped out and tried to roll away.

Removing the clutch was next. The pressure plate came off as expected, along with the clutch plate. On inspection, it was easy to tell that this was the original clutch for the vehicle (a good thing) and that it was definitely due for replacement (the clutch plate was worn to the point of rivets cutting grooves in the pressure plate.

After that, we pulled off the flywheel. Rather than have it resurfaced, I had purchased a replacement flywheel ahead of time. One that saved about 20 pounds of weight where it will really make a difference... :) Before beginning to put everything back together we broke for lunch and a trip to the carwash to clean up the transmission.

Reassembly started after UPS dropped off the new clutch plate (there was a minor bubble in the initial order.) Reassembly went without issue, and the car was on the ground and running at about 9:00pm.

Other items of interest: today is the building inspection on our townhouse. This Friday is the Warranty Walkthrough of the same. Wendy's cell phone/PDA is dying. I've upgraded from a 4GB iPod Mini to a 30GB Video iPod... schweet!

:)

When the Swallows come back to...

Image from Wikipedia

The other day I went up to our townhouse (more here and here on Wendy's page) to take some measurments. I wanted to know what the rough dimensions of the various spaces was going to be, so I took a copy of the floorplan and a tape measure and went to town...

When I got to the kitchen, I startled a swallow that had gotten trapped in the room. It was a pretty little Tree Swallow that I think came in through the hole in the patio door where there will eventually be a doorknob. The little guy bumped his nose on the window trying to escape, and then parked on the windowsill. I could tell he was starting to get a little tired, and had probably been in there since the evening before. I approached very carefully, very slowly, and got him to crawl onto my hand for a second, and closer to the door. Then I got the door open and was eventually able to pick him up, carry him onto the patio and let him fly away. He zoomed off towaards the trees down the hill quite quickly. I hope he gets some food soon, and is doing ok.