We had an Arabic- Middle Eastern Food celebration at work last week. I did not know what foods would be brought in, so I have little in the lines of props. Everything that was brought in was delicious. My favourite was the chicken shawarma. It was also my favourite to photograph as it came with several sides.
Try something new. I have eaten most of these before. There is nothing like homemade though.
Is this a red-shouldered hawk? Another one was nearby and kept calling to it. The call sounded like the call of a red shouldered I heard online. What do you think?
If you have nice weather tomorrow, get out and enjoy it. For some it may be the calm before the storm.
A lot of restaurants struggled through the pandemic. Some suffered due to lack of people willing to work, lack of availability of supplies, or lack of customers. Some that were family run were able to plug on and thrive. Red Pepper Diner, a family run Sri Lankan restaurant, is one of the fortunate restaurants to make it through.
Red Pepper Diner changed locations in February. They are now in a red brick building at 441 Fishkill Avenue (Route 52) in Beacon, NY, next to the Dollar Store.
Some of the typical spices used in Sri Lankan food include the following: cumin, cinnamon, red chilli pepper, black pepper, cloves, cardamoms, turmeric, fennel seeds, curry leaves, pandan leaves, lemon grass, and coriander.
This tea is Ceylon tea that is grown in Sri Lanka. It comes with milk, but if you want it without just ask. I prefer it with milk. It also includes kithul and is flavoured with ginger. Kithul jaggery is unrefined sugar made from the sap of the fishtail palm tree (or jaggery palm).
Mango Lassi is a drink whose two major ingredients are yogurt and mango. Think of a healthy smoothie.
Most items are gluten free and dairy free. Be sure to ask to be sure.
Pol Roti is a vegan appetiser with coconut sambol.
Hoppers are bowl-shaped pancakes cooked in a wok. They are made with rice flour, coconut milk and egg can be added in the middle. It is very thin and crunchy.
Watalappan is a custard made of coconut milk, palm sugar, cashews, cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, and nutmeg. It is very delicious!
During Covid they did not have a buffet. When they opened their new location in February, Red Pepper Diner started offering a buffet on Friday nights.
If you are traveling on I-84, visiting DIA in Beacon, or traveling through the Hudson Valley, stop by Red Pepper Diner’s new location. The food is flavourful and healthy.
For more information, check out their Facebook page at:
Do red tailed hawks have a sense of smell? This one makes me wonder. One of the hawk’s go to spots to perch is on top of a wildlife refuge’s latrine chimney.
These were taken yesterday. It was sunny, but very windy and frigid. What do you think? Do hawks have a sense of smell?
I don’t think this red tailed hawk was named by anyone, but I am going to call it Diva. Why? It has no problem being around people and will seemingly try to get the attention of the people taking wildlife pictures or with binoculars watching wildlife.
Maybe the hawk is trying to remind everyone to be on good behaviour. Only certain trails are open in winter due to the visitors from far up north.
If I had Google Translate set Hawk to English: This is a reminder. The area behind me is only for wildlife. Humans stay on the other side of the sign. Some wildlife sleep during the day on the ground.
Despite today being a very windy, frigid day it was great to see the hawk. I had to take numerous in the car breaks with the heat running. Frigid days can still be fruitful days.
I went to a park that straddled two states to catch these. Two attempts after work did not yield results. The third attempt on a weekend was the charm. Warning: it was a dreary day, so the images are dark and not sharp as a result.
I saw them approach the park in a large group from a distance. I guesstimate the group was around a few hundred. I walked towards where they were. They slowly drifted towards my location. It helped few people were there.
When they arrived the swans were at the end of the water body closest to me. When the swans wanted to get to the other side, the snow geese gave them a wide path. I don’t know if that is respect or fear. What do you think?
Most were white morphs. According to All About Birds white morphs have black wingtips and a pink bill with a black grin patch.
According to All about Birds blue morph snow geese have a white head and a dark body. The are the same size and shape as the white morph snow geese as well as the same pink bill with a black grin.
I wish Google Translate had snow geese as an option. It would be interesting to know what they were saying amongst themselves.
They were here evidently a couple of weeks before I caught them. I have heard from multiple people this is unusual. There may have been a thousand or more at one point. At this location is is down to a couple hundred or less now. They do not usually come to this area in these numbers. I think our mild weather made this area and its ice free waters attractive as a long term stop.
Get out and enjoy nature! Even when the weather is not optimal. You may get to see something you have have before.
I have to combine my walks with where I may most likely see wildlife. This harrier is in the same area I have seen the arctic short-eared owls. This guy probably stole the owl’s prey a few times.
We have no snow on the ground presently. I am not seeing that as necessarily a bad thing. It is cold this week. Possibly the lack of snow makes it easier for the harriers and owls to catch voles. If you stop long enough at this location you can see or hear the voles moving around in the grass.
These shots are taken at a distance and are heavily cropped. It was close to sunset.
Get out an enjoy the weather when it allows. Exercise and fresh air are good for the soul.
I love old doors with character. This one definitely is interesting. I saw this one in Rhinebeck, NY. They must not use this entrance to the house as the wreath covers both halves of the door.
Get out and enjoy the decorations in your area this time of year. To me the most interesting ones involve the old and the new. Do you agree?
Still hoping to see short eared owls up close. I caught these right before sunset. Occasionally you may have to opportunity to see them earlier in the day, but many times they come up an hour or two before sunset.
Short eared owls sleep on the ground, making them susceptible to predators. I heard possibly a coyote got one at this location a few years ago.
Once again I saw an owl and a harrier fighting over food, although I did not include it here.
Again, these owls are very far away and these images are heavily cropped. Regardless I got in a long walk, and it is fun to see them from afar as well.
I saw a sign up for a raptors show when I was on my way to visit a relative. Of course I had to stop. The program was more than halfway through, but I was able to take these photos the short time I was there. It was in the basement of a building so the light situation was not good.
I love barred owls. I have followed a family in the wild for three years. I always say the mother owl found me. She flew right over my shoulder one day when I was walking. I returned to that area every year she makes herself known to me. I feel lucky. Seeing one this close up is great even if the light was bad.
I hope to see a barn owl in the wild, but realise that may be on a to do list for an England trip.
A wild bird rescue introduced these raptors. They are not falconers. I think most if not all of the birds for one reason or another are not capable of being in the wild. They may have been hit by a car, be partially blind, etc.
I was lucky enough to see one of these in a tree hole in the wild. Again, it was a thrill to see them up close.
I have seen peregrine falcons in the wild. They fly too fast for me to get a picture of one. I only got some of them perched on a cliff.
Your best view of these birds would be through a falconer or a rehabber who has an educational program. Take advantage of one of these programs, especially if you have kids. The children there were mesmerised.
