Little monsters!

They do grow so fast! I hope they fledge soon and give Mrs Junco a chance for one more nest this season.  I thought I saw some mating behaviour going on, the male seemed to have erected his head feathers a little bit, and was cheeping away at his lady with his tail raised. I wonder if they'll reuse this nest, or build a third?

Soup!

Just made some easy, amazing soup for dinner!  Here's what I did:

10-12ish tomatoes, from the garden if possible, EXTREMELY ripe and delicious.  I'm growing Early Girls and some volunteer cherry plants that popped up from last year's lost fruit.  The EGs do have quite thick skin, and are determinate, which is actually a bit annoying for growing them in a pot - the weight of the fruit dragged the branches down, and they were damaged by the rim of the pot.  Next year I'll go back to a vining type in a cage.
4+ spring onions - mine grew from offcuts of bought green onions, re-rooted in a jar of water, then planted in a pot for a month or so.
8ish garlic cloves
10ish mushrooms
1 cob of corn

Cut tomatoes in half and put, cut side up, on a baking tray with edges.  Olive oil and S&P generously, then roast all veggies in a 450dg oven for 20-30 min til crispy and brown.

Veggies just going in.  Note brioche rolls proving in oven - also mmm!

Heat a glug of olive oil to medium in your big saucepan or stockpot (I really need a new one) and gently saute a few handfuls chopped herbs.  I used sage, rosemary, marjoram and parsley, since that's what's in the garden.  Whack all the veggies (except corn) into your pot, add a box of chicken or veggie stock, and heat through.  Actually, I cut about half of the corn off the cob and added that too, come to think of it.  Blend til smooth, I used the immersion blender, which is awesome for such applications.

I served it with an "iceberg" of sour cream and a drizzle of basil parsley oil, and the remaining corn kernels.  I also baked the brioche rolls you see in the picture from this recipe, although I used 3 cups of AP flour and 1/2 cup of gluten, which led to a stiff but workable dough.  I'll make them a bit smaller next time, and maybe use milk instead of eggwash to glaze - they smelled a bit too eggy for my taste.  I'll put burgers on them tomorrow!

Hatchlings!

I think there's two of them, and I think they're both cowbirds... 

Well, they've hatched.  See the rejected egg still over on the righthand side?  And the whitish egg is also unhatched.  When I Google "junco hatchling" most of the pics I see have dark coloured down.

Four eggs again

I saw both juncos in the bird bath so took the opportunity to snap another of the nest in better light. That one egg on the edge of the nest looks a bit precarious!

Four eggs

I feel like someone is messing with me.  I went to see if Mrs J was at home, and she wasn't, so I stuck my camera in the nest and...

Just like the last nest, there's one unspeckled egg!

A new nest.

The juncos have decided my back patio is no good.  We spotted them nesting in the little shrub out the front of our house, by the garage.  I took a closer look, and found the nest, which, 3 days ago, was empty.  I chanced another look this afternoon, and found...

Think that top left egg might be a cowbird's? It's a slightly different size, shape and colour :)

Ex-eggs

Sadly, this was the best shot I got of the two eggs previously laid in the junco nest.  The one on the left is less speckly - in my memory, it was entirely unspeckled. But of course, I could be mistaken.

Update, 15 minutes later...

Inspired by a continuing lack of nesting action, I took a closer look in the pot where the nest is, and lo, right beside it, I found the "blue" egg!  It's smaller and rounder than any of the other eggs, with a whiter section around one end - is it a dud?  I wonder if Katie of toughlittlebirds.com knows? :)  Do many junco nests have this kind of anomalous egg?  And did a cowbird kick it out of the nest before laying her own eggs?

If I remove the cowbird eggs, will the juncos come back and reclaim the nest?  It's at least 10 days since the eggs were laid, there's no chance of them being viable any more, right?

More junco photos

No news on the junco front.  Two eggs, no sitting.  Plenty of bathing, though.

Junco update

Still two speckled eggs when I checked this morning. There was a junco in the bath just now, and a pair of house finches showed up, maybe attracted by the splashing.  The other junco appeared out of nowhere and drove them away!  I think the patio is well and truly their territory.

I wonder when incubation will begin? I hope the weather stays mild, so the eggs aren't too hot or cold.

Junco madness!

I'm going crazy for dark-eyed juncos.  There's a pair nesting on the back patio, like they did last year.  I've also set up a birdbath (cough, old frisbee) and see them bathing daily.

I'm taking tons of photos, and probably getting my Facebook feed blocked from all my friends' timelines. Their loss!

Want some photos?  OK!

My only shot with Mr. and Mrs. I think that's the female on the right. I could be completely wrong, though :)

At first I just saw them (him? her?) bathing. I can't reliably tell sexes or individuals apart, so I don't know if it's just the same bird on a hygiene kick. I shot this through the screen door, so it's kind of weird lighting.

Preening after a bath. I love this photo :)

Patio furniture doubles as bird drying rack.

Then I saw them holding and carrying stuff!  NESTING stuff!

Leaf skeleton - cushiony and flexible.

Dead leaf. This is the position of the nest, in the same potted Nematanthus as last year's nest.  The new nest is close to the old one, but they don't seem to have disturbed it or taken nest material for their new construction - the remains of an unhatched egg are still in place.

Speaking of eggs, here's the first one!  I think this one did not survive, though - the next day it was accompanied by another unspeckled blue egg, possibly a cowbird's.  (Kicking myself that I didn't get a photo).  The day after, there was only one speckled egg again.  My theory was that both previous eggs had been removed/eaten/predated, and a new egg, the third, lain. Potential nest predators in my neighbourhood include raccoon, crows, skunks, ravens, scrub-jays, rats, etc.

I believe this is egg 3 and egg 4.  The nest is difficult to photograph, it can be in quite bright light, as above, or deep shade, as here.  I even had to take the zoom lens off my camera!

Potential nest parasite, brown-headed cowbird. 

So far so good! They don't seem to mind me snapping away at them, and a few times I've set up the camera on a tripod with a remote shutter to keep further out of their way.  If I go out on the patio while they're around, they chip and chip at me.  Stay tuned for updates!

ANZACs For Americans

Anzac Day was March 25.  Oops.

Wondering how to better connect with your Australian/Kiwi friends? Concerned about your dearth of cultural empathy based on others' military historic remembrances? Why not make ANZAC bickies today!

ANZACs For Americans

Rolled oats, 3/4 cup (don't use instant/quick or steel cut)
Sugar, 1/3 cup (any kind, raw or "Muscovado" is most authentic)
Coconut, 3/4 cup (unsweetened is best, Bob's Red Mill sells it in my local shops. Reduce sugar if you use that heathen sweetened kind)
Flour, 3/4 cup
Bicarb, 1 tsp (baking soda)
Boiling water, 2 Tbs
Golden syrup, 2 Tbs (in most shops in the intl food section, usually Lyles tin or squeeze bottle. This is worth seeking out, it's a wonderful thing to have on hand. Sub honey if you can't find it)
Butter, 1 stick melted (if using unsalted butter, add 1 tsp salt to the recipe)

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients, combine. It's traditional to put the bicarb in with the wet so it goes fizzy, but you don't have to, I've checked. Roll into balls, flatten slightly and bake for 15-18 min.

Notes:
1) These are not cookies. They must never be referred to as cookies.
2) Some people like their ANZACs thin and spready and crispy. These are a bit puffier. Add another oz of butter and fizz the bicarb as described if you want to try them thinner.

Congratulations, you are now more culturally aware! And you have biscuits!

Roast chicken

This is a recent favourite at our house.  It's my take on someone else's take of a blog post based on a restaurant dish from San Francisco - not a restaurant I've ever tried, mind you.

So here's my vaguely Zuni-esque roast chicken!

Start with a small chicken.  They're difficult to find, at least for me, around here - the shops all have 4 or 5 pounders.  So I just get the smallest I can and don't worry to much about it.  I also prefer a fresh (not frozen) one, just to cut down on thawing time.  Take it out of the package and put it on a plate, then salt and pepper liberally, in and out.   If you like, put some herbs under the skin - tarragon, rosemary, marjoram, or whatever.  Don't cover it, and put it in the fridge for a day or two.  Or three.

Preheat the oven to 475F, and bung in a cast iron pan that your chook will fit in to preheat too.  Put the chicken in breast side up for 30ish minutes, until the skin becomes light golden all over.  Then use a flat spatula to reach under and flip over the bird; cook the other side up for 15ish minutes, again til golden.  Flip back for the last 10 minutes or so to recrisp the skin on top.

Lovely moist chicken, lovely crisp skin!  I like to rest for 10 minutes while I make a salad with lots of croutons (I keep all the bread heels in the freezer), pine nuts, currants, green onions or shallots, and whatever greens are in the fridge, with a tangy vinaigrette.  My latest combo was rocket (arugula), mint and cabbage, delish.  Then carve the chook and put pieces on top of the salad.  

Also, make sure to reserve the drippings, delicious to cook potatoes in!

Photos - Don Edwards NWR Alviso

 Jackrabbits are awesome.  This one has that ripped up ear tip, so you know he's tough.

Black crowned night heron

A wind-ruffled song sparrow.

Peregrine falcon blowing by.  I took this photo without really LOOKING at the bird, so wasn't sure of the ID until I got home, and not even really then!

Bread

I've been baking most of our bread for a while now.  (Well, when I say "our"... Alex doesn't eat much of it.)  I like the long rise and depth of flavour from the no-knead bread recipes, as well as the crispy crust of baking in a preheated Dutch oven.

Here's my base recipe:

3 cups flour/grains - this is usually at least 1 cup of wholemeal wheat, and I've also added to various loaves: rye flour, rolled oats, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, cornmeal, etc.
2-3 Tbs wheat gluten (more if there's non-wheat grains, less if it's got lots of flour)
1.5 tsp salt
.5 tsp sugar 
1 tsp yeast
2 cups lukewarm water

I combine this with a butter knife to a wet dough, then cover with clingfilm and let rise in the oven, turned off but with the light switched on.  This gives me excellent rising conditions.  I aim to let it rise once, then press out the air, shape the dough and let it rise again on parchment paper.

Then I preheat the oven and cast iron pot to 450F, drop the parchment paper into the pot and cover with the lid, for 30 min.  Then take off the lid for an additional 10 minutes.  

This recipe is very forgiving.  I've had some spectacular results, and some not quite as good, but still certainly edible bread, especially toasted.

A dilemma

Well, I've been offered a job:  Equestrian Director at a Girl Scout camp this summer, for 3 months.  I am very torn about what to do.

You see, I taught summer day camp for the last three years, and HATED it.   I also worked on a cruise ship, back in the day, which I feel would be a pretty similar work environment.  I think I haven't properly unpacked exactly what I disliked about these experiences.

I emailed the previous ED, who was overwhelmingly positive about the experience.  She offered to answer any questions I might have.

Here's the big clincher.  I've also been applying for proper, grown-up jobs -- you know, full time, ongoing.  I have an interview next Friday for one that I am very well qualified for.

I wonder how long I can string along the camp...?

Preserving without canning

I made some nice sweet mustard pickles, a sandwich spread, last week.  I am still not very good with US units, so I made more than I intended -- the two whole bags of onions in the recipe should have been a clue.

Some American friends have expressed horror that I didn't process or pressure can the pickle.  My method, taught to me by my mother, included sterilizing repurposed jars, filling while hot, then turning the jars upside down to seal them.

This is safe!  There's several reasons.

- The pickles were thoroughly cooked - I boiled them for around an hour.
- The preserving liquid included lots of cider vinegar.  Acid environments prohibit bacterial growth.
- There was also a bunch of sugar and salt in the pickles!  This makes the pickles osmotically extreme. If any bacteria were to end up in the jars, the water in their cells would be drawn out by osmotic pressure.

I've opened, and have been enjoying, the first jar.  Alex isn't so sure, must be an acquired taste.  And, so far, no botulism, hooray!

Photographs from today

I went for a walk with the dogs today by the bay.  We started at Sunnyvale Water Treatment plant, and took the Bay Trail north.  The first pond we passed was full of interesting critters.

Carp - a detrimental invasive species.

Cinnamon teal - not the most common of duck species (that would be the mallard!)

A great blue heron - I saw one catch and eat a ground squirrel once, it was AWESOME!

Canada geese - on the hillside of the landfill.  Someone who should have known better once told me they're called "Canada" not "Canadian" because they're named after someone called Mr. Canada.  FALSE.

A male Northern Harrier - a very common raptor of wetlands and grasslands.

Muskrat - at first I thought it was a baby beaver, until I saw the tail.

I was quite surprised to see him swimming about in broad daylight (it was around noon) - I would have expected this species to be crepuscular or nocturnal.

Pied-billed grebe - adorbz.

Red-eared slider, another introduced species.  This pest species is now found worldwide thanks to the pet trade, and unscrupulous pet owners dumping them once they stop being so tiny and cute.

Nuttall's woodpecker - from the back patio!  I'm always excited to see woodpeckers.

He caught something!