The Eagle Owl has landed.. check out this Slow-Motion video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji_x8RU4zIo&list=UUTMx76hBV3f9ynEnLY686Bg&index=9&feature=plcp

Talking with a Pale-billed Woodpecker

Autumn Picture – Nature Photo - National Geographic Photo of the Day

Autumn Picture – Nature Photo - National Geographic Photo of the Day

Birds of the Mississippi River Delta

How Nature Works: Barrier Island Foraging Strategies

Gary Love Photography

Gary Love Photography: "This Magic Moment" Texas, USA
http://www.garylove.net/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=0&p=0
 *Snow in this part of Texas is not a common occurrence; there is only snowfall about once a year and rarely does it stick around very long. This image came about because I happened to be passing through the morning it snowed for the first and only time it would do so all season. There were so many flowers and trees that you don’t normally get to see with snow resting on them. When I saw this enchanting pathway lined with snow covered crepe myrtles it seemed like I had found the way to some secret garden. Not only was I thrilled to have seen something so rare, but also I came away with an unexpected image that doesn’t just transport the viewer it also captures the imagination.

'Crow from the Coop'

So, I've been inspired to set up a Blog. Currently, I don't have any focused topics I desire to Blog about, but I trust the blogs of family and friend will inspire written reflection from me in the near future. As for now, I'm keeping up with others blogs and cultivating ideas.

Let me define my handle ‘Crow from the Coop’. To those who know me it may seem obvious, but to those who don't, please let me explain.

My last name, Honcoop, means 'Dealer of Chickens'. And Chickens, even free range, live a large portion of their lives in and around a Coop.

I am also intrigued and fascinated by birds. I participate in birdwatching groups and have a hobby of building birdhouse out of stone.

The Crow is an intelligent and curious being, highly developed and adaptable. They are also the stuff of myth and lore. When they speak, they 'crow' [or 'caw' without the 'r'], thus the origin of their name. Crows are everywhere in the world. Hebrews would begin their Sabbath on a cloudy day before the advent of the clock when the crows came to roost at sunset. When you travel toward a goal you move 'straight as the crow flies'.  Eaten as a delicacy in some locals, others don't find the crow palatable. Thus ' Eating Crow' is apt to stick in one throat, and memory.  Crow is even in our Language. Crow bars are designed to pry things lose or turn heavy objects. Crow's feet show on our face, around our eyes, when we worry. Sailors scan the horizon from a crow's nest. The Rook, a kind of Eurasian crow, is from the Old Norse ‘hrokr’, describing a hoarse unlovely voice. And Rook is the only card game we were permitted in the conservative community in which I grew up. 

[Sections taken from ‘100 Birds and How They Got Their Names’ by Diana Wells - Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill 2002]

‘Crow from the Coop’, therefore, seemed a fitting and appropriate handle for the musings I would have on Blogspot.