A Varied Thrush has Become a Welcome Visitor in my Home.

11/17/2013-after being harried to the point of complete exhaustion by the resident crows and gulls in our area; this Varied Thrush (female) then hit one of the windows in our apartment building and was almost dead when I picked her up of the adjacent side walk. 11/19/2013-as you can see, from the photo, she has recovered nicely; but, has, none the less, consented to remain visiting me and my six budgies for a while longer. Shortly before the second photo was taken, I placed her little house, with the door open, on the side walk, near where I first found her. She ventured out about two feet but then  quickly returned. It is my guess that she does not particularly like the cold, wet, or today, windy; weather. Common in the Cascades, Northern Rockies, and Pacific Coast, Varied Thrushes forage for insects in summer and switch to berries and seeds in winter. She is shown here (top photo) consuming her favourite meal (as a visitor in my home) of cranberries, wild blueberries and raw, shelled sunflower seeds. Notice her body position in the photo below; a pose also commonly assumed by Robins. In fact, Varied Thrushes are often called "Winter Robins".

So far, her only  complaints: it is her well considered opinion that both blueberries and cranberries should be cut in half; and sunflower seeds broken or cracked, before being served to a dainty little lady of her stature. Also, the house I provided is not large enough (requires cleaning at least three times a day) but she still prefers it to being outside--for NOW. She has let it be known that for her to truly enjoy living in any bird house it must contain; at least, one small mountain. We will see what happens, tomorrow.

UPDATE: 11/20/2013, 0805-My little Varied visitor has just, reluctantly, returned to Nature, where she belongs.The winds have subsided today. I also took her out toward the back of the yard where there are several juniper and pine trees that she can use for shelter. So, although there were numerous crows and gulls in the area she did finally decide that it was now or never. She was beginning to resemble  a cross between "Chubby Chicken and a Christmas turkey, from eating too much. I was beginning to think that I might just have to sign her up with Jenny Craig. I do wish her well.

Typhoon (Hurricane) Haiyan, Yet, Another Reminder--Survival is not an Adventure; nor a Macho, Reality Game.

“Typhoon Haiyan appears to be the deadliest natural disaster on record.”

With up to 10,000 dead, Philippine typhoon (Hurricane) “a great human tragedy “ and another reminder SURVIVAL IS SERIOUSLY DEADLY. SURVIVAL IS NOT A N ADVENTURE GAME; nor is it a ‘MACHO FAD’  ‘WAY OF LIFE” or a “LIFE STYLE”

“As many as 10,000 people are believed dead in one Philippine city alone after one of the worst storms ever recorded unleashed ferocious winds and giant waves that washed away homes and schools. Corpses hung from tree branches and were scattered along side walks and among flattened buildings, while looters raided grocery stores and gas stations in search of food, fuel and water.

Officials projected the death toll could climb even higher when emergency crews reach areas cut off by flooding and landslides. Even in the disaster-prone Philippines, which regularly contends with earthquakes, volcanoes and tropical cyclones Haiyan hit the eastern seaboard of the Philippine archipelago on Friday and quickly barrelled across its central islands before exiting into the South China Sea, packing winds of 235 kilometres per hour (147 miles per hour) that gusted to 275 kph (170 mph), and a storm surge that caused sea waters to rise 6 metres (20 feet).

It wasn’t until Sunday that the scale of the devastation became clear, with local officials on hardest-hit Leyte Island saying that there may be 10,000 dead in the provincial capital of Tacloban alone. Reports also trickled in from elsewhere on the island, and from neighbouring islands, indicating hundreds, if not thousands more deaths, though it will be days before the full extent of the storm’s impact can be assessed.”