The New American Digest

Sometime along about 20 or so years ago … Nov 11, 2005 to be exact.

No one put outriggers out. Gravity still works and there’s a point where the machinery loses balance.

The bridge is about 850 ft long and stands about 95 ft above “normal” water level. That level is evident at the marks on the pier and shoreline. At this time, the reservoir had been drained for maintenance during a period of normal low water; the bridge was 160 ft above water level here.

The year before this picture, 90 elk and 25 mulies broke through thin ice while crossing just above this point and drowned. In efforts to prevent this, the local region was evaluated, including this bridge. The results of this evaluation led to upgrading the bridge (and more directly, the construction of a wildlife bridge attempting to redirect the elk migrations)

During repair operations, the crane over-balanced and fell off the bridge. The operator managed to jump off the machine but a nearby construction worker was pinned between the rig and guardrail as the crane went over.

The hummingbirds showed up a week or so ago. We put out the feeders but generally only have one species show up, the “Black-chinned”, and a only a few of those. We don’t have the ruby-throated birds around here.

The first week or so back I suspect is one of exploration; a few visits to the feeder but not much action. After that first week or so, the territory battles begin and I sometimes suspect the males are more interested in fighting than eating.

The chin usually appears black but if the sun hits just right, an iridescent violet color appears. The bird is identified by a white chest, “metallic” green body, and a darker metallic green head … and the black chin.

While I’ve seen swarms of hummers at some feeders, I’ve never seen or than 3 or 4 at our feeders – I suspect our particular environment won’t support more.

The feeder is just off the back porch and only a couple of feet from the outer branches of a large honey locust tree where I suspect they nest. The birds ignore the cats; the cats have figured they can’t catch them so they ignore the birds (the cats concentrate on the doves and quail; the magpies mess with the cats’ heads). For the most part, the hummers ignore us as well; I can stand fairly close to the feeder and it doesn’t seem to hinder their feeding.

Just another pleasant valley Sunday …

Colonial Williamsburg stages little vignettes in the streets on occasion, sometimes with “famous” characters. I don’t recall if either of these actors were playing someone famous, but the student on the left had come up to the master on the right with a question of sword technique. The master walks the student through the move, then acts it out in real time.

Lesson learned, technique practiced, the participants bid each other good day and walked off the stage (or Duke of Gloucester St in this case).