Kaylee about to emulate a Wood Duckling :)

[Kaylee]

Thanks for the warm welcome everybody!

The last week has been rough, with machinery noise, burning of leaves/etc, and heat&humidity.
Fortunately, Friday's supposed to be rain & cold all day.

Just a quick partial reply...

To my fellow Noise Sensitives:
Have any of you ever investigated the possibility that you might be on or close to the autism spectrum?
I've always been noise sensitive, and strongly suspect I am. My Dad was also very noise sensitive and had other autistic characteristics.

I highly recommend searching for interviews with "Temple Gradin" and watching the movie HBO made about her - very enlightening!
The only "good" thing about becoming TBI, is that it's a lot easier (and less pejorative) to explain that, than that I might be on the spectrum.

One of my future passion projects is building a Quiet resources database that helps both those groups (TBI & Autistics).

frater secessus:
Ditto on cranes!
Top of my birding bucket list is to experience their migration stopovers in the Platte River area of Nebraska.
Twice I've been to the stopover area in Indiana, and got to see them dance.
The volume in Indiana is tiny compared to Nebraska's half million, plus the Platte's terrain is cooler.

Gary:
Yes, please do add me to the hidden place.
I have some Dumb Questions about, um, we-all-know-what.

waldenbound:
Owls rock!
In your wanderings, keep an eye out for bird club outings that include owls, particularly in the Spring. The longest I was in one place, I helped out with the local club's Spring intro to birding, and the leader always made sure to show them a couple of Great Horned Owl nests, with youngsters easily visible - a great treat for both beginners and experienced!