Lights Out On The Radio Tower

Update: As of mid-September 2019, the tower light is again working. It took 7 months.

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A short distance from the back of our house is a tall radio tower. We normally see this 100 meter tall structure with some red lights along its length and a blinking red light on top. It is visible through our living room windows. This is a view one day a couple of years ago when I walked close to it.

Zoomed in on the top one can see the light that normally blinks to warn aircraft. We have a lot of low flying helicopter traffic carrying patients to the University of Iowa for medical care. It is very important for them to see it, especially at night.

 

In early February I noticed none of the lights on the tower were glowing. The top light was not blinking. Curiosity got the best of me. I decided to email the facilities office at the university to tell them. I assumed they already knew. But, just in case, it wouldn’t hurt. I got a quick response and was included in subsequent emails to different offices as they tried to establish who was responsible for fixing the problem.

Backyard Birds | Cooper’s Hawk

When Jim and I looked for a different home more than a decade ago, one thing Jim insisted he wanted was a view to the west. Having grown up on a midwestern farm, he learned to love the broad horizon, with its window on the setting sun and on incoming storms. What we actually got, though, is quite different from that. Instead, we have trees nearly touching our house on the west side. With summer’s leaves unfurled, the view beyond our property is completely obscured.

My view to the west, late spring, early evening.

We can’t see oncoming storms, but we do have yard birds. If you read the descriptions in bird books or at one of our favorite sites, All About Birds, you would see that most of our birds like the margins between woods and grasslands. They find familiar territory here.

Some of our birds are seasonal, migrating to or through the area, while others are around all year. Recently Jim posted about a pair of Eastern Phoebes that are nesting under our deck. The phoebes are new to us, though this is within their summer region.

As I worked in the kitchen a few days ago, I hollered at him to get his camera. A Cooper’s Hawk was perched on the tree out back. Usually when we see them, they are too far away too see clearly, or they are swooping through, intent on catching a meal. But this one was still, and at my eye level. It also was directly above one of our bird feeders. No, it doesn’t find its meal in the feeder; it finds it at the feeder. Coopers eat smaller birds and rodents. Once we watched one land on, firmly grasp, and fly off with a struggling squirrel. Surprisingly, they’re not terribly big birds, only about the size of a crow. Click any photo to embiggen.

Besides the great photos, Jim also was able to get this short video.

We don’t have the setting sun, but we have an ever-interesting assembly of birds out our window.

Venus | The Iowa View

Venus continues to appear as a thinner crescent each night. Thin clouds dimmed the view at 6:36 last evening.

100 ISO @1/250s

Cardinal | Color and Song

Beautiful weather, cloudless skies, and singing birds have been the theme lately. One song stands out loud and clear. The Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, pierces the air with its call. Bright red males light up the high branches as they patrol their territories.

Click for detail

Baby Starlings | Feeding Frenzy | The Visitor

For two weeks, squawking European Starlings were noisy at the back of our house. We heard them every time we sat on the deck. The Starlings were kind of annoying. There’s nothing pretty to our ears about their vocalizations. They were introduced to N. America in the 19th century by Shakespeare enthusiasts according to All About Birds.

Update 29 May 2016: They appear to have left the nest. No sign of any birds today.

I looked out our bedroom window which is near the deck and about 12 feet above the ground. I spotted the source of the Starling commotion. In a knot hole were three babies peering out patiently waiting for a parent to bring food.

Finches | House or Purple | Poll

Lots of activity at the feeder recently. These finches are frequent visitors. Which species are they? Make your selection in the poll below the photos.

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