Author | Lightnews

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Sep 15

Time to get everyone to start singing Tom Lehrer's "Smut" from 1965's "That Was The Year That Was" album (one of my all-time favorite albums) www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaHD...

Tom Lehrer - Smut - LIVE FILM From Copenhagen in 1967

YouTube video by The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel

www.youtube.com

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Sep 10

Ollie and Ralph sleep for like 20 hours a day, and during the day naps, they're almost always snuggled together.

Two brown and tan olde English bulldogges nap together with their faces on a fluffy blanket. Ollie's muzzle and the right side of his face are white, while the left side is chocolate with a light tan furrowed eyebrow. His head is tilted slightly downward, with the tip of his tongue poking out. Ralph has snuggled his nose under Ollie's jowl, and they both are sleeping.

1 3

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Aug 7

Horus would help me get over my fear/hatred of flying.

1

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Jul 3

I definitely would have started singing along as I was shopping. I've done it before and gotten looks, but it makes food shopping much more enjoyable when there's great music. 😀

1 2

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Jun 30

If anyone is looking for a great charity to support,
@projectpinball.bsky.social places pinballs in children's hospitals, Ronald McDonald houses, camps for kids with life-threatening illnesses & more and they work w/other companies to make games accessible. projectpinball.org/impact/

1 1 3

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Jun 29

She could have built like four nests with the materials she has. Meanwhile, if they're anything like the pair that nest in a tree next to our back steps, after the hatch, we're going to have to deal with the robins yelling at us to go away whenever we use the front door.

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Jun 29

After multiple failed efforts, the bird successfully build a nest today on the left side of the pillar (she also tried the right side). Hopefully all those long strands of grass dangling down won't cause issues. I was able to get a better glimpse of the bird shaping the nest. It's a robin this time!

The top of a pillar under a covered front porch. On the top left, there appears to be a bird nest made out of long dead grass and twigs. There is also a failed nest on the right side, where long strands of grass dangle down. Zooming in closely, you can just make out dark tailfeathers as the bird continues to build its nest. While there is a cup, long strands also dangle from the nest.

Taken through the window, you can see the full pillar, with the nest cup on the top left side of the pillar, under the overhang (so nicely covered from rain). Below the nest, dropped strands of grass rest on the railing. At the base, huge piles of nest materials rest, dropped by the bird as it tried to assemble the nest There's probably enough material at the base to build four more nests.

1

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Jun 1

the first time in years that I've seen something try to nest there. It's a good spot, sheltered from the rain. Is there anything I could do to assist them. Not sure how, but maybe make the ledge slightly larger with a piece of thin wood? Or am I just dealing with incompetent/young birds? (2/2)

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Jun 1

When we first moved in, mourning doves had a nest on the top of the pillar. Something happened and the chicks died in the nest (which I realized when an opossum & a neighborhood cat kept trying to climb the pillar at night). So I removed the nest and disinfected the whole area. This is (1/2)

A covered front porch that has pillars on both sides of the steps. The top of the pillar is a small flat ledge (covered and protected from the rain), where birds occasionally make nests. However, instead of the nest at the top, there is an evergrowing pile of nesting material at the bottom of the pillar.

A closeup of the nesting material at the bottom of the pillar. It's like a bird keeps trying to make a nest but fails and the material falls off.

1 3

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · May 31

Does anyone know when the peregrine falcons at Boston Custom House hatched? I want to figure out when they'll fledge to try to schedule an observation deck tour. I've watched many great live cams (UMass Lowell has 5 chicks now) but never seen them up close. #peregrine #boston #birds

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · May 3

Three of the four eggs have now hatched at the Kingston site. New falcon is getting the hang of feeding them too.

1 1

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · May 3

happen last year on the Kingston College cam when the new falcon left the chicks alone until it was time to fledge, and then kept trying to knock them off the ledge (rescuers saved 3 of the 4 last year, thankfully). This year, the new falcon and original tiercel have eggs currently hatching. 3/3

1

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · May 3

has been feeding the two chicks (eyases) pretty well, but the intruding falcon snatches the food he brings periodically. She's also come into the nest box more to scrounge for food and stares at the chicks. Nature is fascinating/brutal. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxrg... I watched something similar 2/3

Brutplatz Wanderfalken 2025 - Turm der Herz-Jesu-Kirche in Graz

YouTube video by netzcam

www.youtube.com

1

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · May 3

It's that time of year when I get obsessed with watching owl and peregrine falcon nest cams. Warning that feeding time is graphic (other birds for falcons plus rodents for owls). One peregrine cam currently has 2 chicks. The mother (falcon) was scared off by a new falcon. The father (tiercel) 1/3

1

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · May 3

I don't know how I would get any work done. I'd be watching them all day long. 😀

2

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · May 2

Oh my goodness, I'm so very sorry, Kate. 💔 She was beautiful and I loved watching her play with Wren and her adventures with you.

4

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Apr 23

Amazing. And how many of those Cheerios did Mara get?

3

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Mar 29

Ollie and Ralph smooshed together.

Two chocolate and tan olde English bulldogges sleep snuggled together on a top of a blanket on a couch. Ralph tongue is just peeking out, while Oliver, who has a half-white face, has much more of his tongue out as they both snore.

2

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Mar 28

Oh my goodness, how the other two moved in and they all snuggled together. 😍😍😍

2

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Mar 28

So sweet. ❤️

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Mar 27

On the positive side, they did spent years pro bono up through the Supreme Court on behalf of Guantánamo Bay detainees and eventually won (Boumediene v. Bush). When I saw there was an EO about WilmerHale, I was thinking that might be mentioned in there too somehow.

1 2

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Mar 27

Ralph desperately wants to play with the ball, but as soon as you go to kick it, he plays defense and stands on it so you can't. Meanwhile, all Ollie wants to do is eat little sticks. Open to advice on how to get him to stop. We've tried different foods, distracting him with treats, nothing works.

Two brown and tan Olde English bulldogges sit on the dormant grass, staring up expectantly for a treat, with assorted versions of toothy grins like a pair of snaggletooth ruffians. Ralph, with a very thin white stripe running down his chocolate face between his tan eyebrows, has just one bottom canine exposed over his lip. Ollie, with his half-white face and single tan eyebrow, displays his entire bottom row of teeth from canine to canine. Rest assured, they both got treats.

Ralph uses his front left paw to push the ball carefully towards Pete so it can be kicked.

However, as soon as Pete tries to kick it, Ralph immediately stands on the ball and tries to pin it to the ground, preventing it from being moved.

Meanwhile, Ollie just lays on the ground, chewing little sticks and staring at the action.

1

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Mar 7

I wonder how young 2Aluco is. I hope the weather isn't as tough this year, or it might be a lot more stressful watching the chicks (if any), since the new owl might not be the hunter Aluco was (I still remember the rabbit!) which would put more pressure on Strix (don't know how old he is either).

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Mar 7

😢

Claudia Fiore Rocha @cloudycakes23.bsky.social · Mar 1

Hi. What's the link to the store for these paintings? Thanks.

1 1