Are You My Mother?
Standing on a chair to peek into the nest, I was able to trick one of the pair of five day old cardinals into thinking I might feed it. The second dove for cover in the bottom of the nest.

A few seconds after I took this picture, the hungry little bird realized I was NOT his mother. It dove down into the bottom of the nest to join its sibling and to avoid having another picture taken.

Leave It!
Last night at doggy school one of our classmates was telling us about training available in Arizona to teach dogs to leave rattlesnakes and scorpions alone.

I have to wonder if the training would work on all dogs. My dog Pappy is a well trained, obedient dog who likes to please. Yet when he spots a rodent, his mind goes completely one-track on rodent chasing.

To trust a dog not to mess with a rattlesnake or scorpion, I'm thinking the training needs to be harsh and memorable. And needs to be repeated at intervals to make sure they don't forget. Not a pleasant thought, but good results are important.

Anyone know more about this?