Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Steve And Muffin’s Bird Of The Week. #5
Hi everyone! Here we are with yet another bird species to explore this morning. This is my first ever photo of a red-eyed vireo, and even though not the best, I am still very happy that I was able to get it this summer. They are small birds, just 4.7 to 5.1 inches (12 to 13cm) in length. They are a very common bird during the summer months mainly in eastern forest regions of N. America. But in Canada they nest from B.C. in the west and Northwest Territory of the north and across to the east coast.
In the U.S. they can be found from Washington and Oregon in the west down to eastern Texas and across to the east coast. They have an estimated breeding population of 180 million birds. They spend their winters in the Amazon basin. Their nests are built about 10 to 15 feet off the ground, built by the female, though the male brings nesting material. The female incubates the eggs and broods the young, while the male brings her food, both protect the nest and young.
The oldest known bird was 10 years and 2 months old when it was recaptured and released during banding operations. They eat a variety of insects, mostly harmful and 50% of their summer diet is caterpillars. During fall migration and winter, berries make up most of their diet. Each male sings 30 or more different songs and more than a total of 12,500 different songs have been recorded. They sing from before dawn until evening and will sing more than 20,000 times during that time. They acquire their red eye after their first year. A remarkable little bird! Hope you enjoyed this, have a great day and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2021 Steve McLeod.
The Investigators, Inc. The Lost Doll. Chapter 2.
We got ourselves settled in nicely. He didn’t mind at all that we brought Jennifer too, and she and Annelie shared a bedroom. Kat and I had a huge bedroom that was furnished nicely with antiques. Actually, I think everything in this house is antique, except in the kitchen, which is very modern looking. Danny admitted he wasn’t a very good cook, so Jennifer and Annelie volunteered to make dinner for us while Danny showed Kat and I around the house. The cats followed along behind us, but once we got to the basement they scattered, looking for mice.
There was a door down there leading to another room that Danny said had caved in years ago, so he keeps the door locked so no one will go in and maybe get hurt. Makes good sense. We didn’t have time to look at the attic before the girls were calling us for dinner. The cats were disappointed in not finding any mice, but they enjoyed their dinner anyway. After eating Danny said he always heads to bed early, and it was getting a little late so we did the same. We all got together in our big bedroom first to talk things over, after I plugged in our new scrambler, which is better than our last one.
“He certainly has a lot of food for one man,” said Jennifer. “Well, he was expecting us,” said Kat, “maybe he just didn’t know how much food to buy for an extra few days with people around.” “That’s possible,” said Annelie, “but that kitchen is amazingly spotless.” “He does have a housekeeper,” I reminded her. “But she hasn’t been here for 6 days,” said Jennifer, “and the way Danny talks about cooking, it just seems like the kitchen should be a bit messier”.
“The only part of this house that is messy is the basement,” I said, “but there is one thing odd about it.” “What’s that?”, asked Kat, “I didn’t notice anything.” “Remember that door?”, I asked her. “Sure,” she said, “that didn’t look odd.” “He says he keeps it locked so no one will go in there,” I reminded her, “but there is a fresh pathway through the dust and dirt on the floor leading to that door. So he must be going in there regularly.” Meow,meow.=We… “Just a minute Muffin,” said Kat, “I also noticed something which you didn’t Steve.”
“What’s that?”, I asked. “Danny said he’s 70,” she began. “And he looks his age,” I interrupted. Kat looked at me. “Oops, sorry,” I said. “Hmm, anyway, his face looks 70, but his hands look maybe 40 at the most,” she continued. “Yes, I noticed that too,” said Jennifer, “I thought his hands looked very young for his age.” “I admit, that slipped past me,” I said. “Me too,” said Annelie, “though I did notice his voice didn’t sound realistic for an older man, it didn’t come out natural, more like he had been practicing speaking that way.”
“Another interesting point,” I said. Meow,meow?=Me talk now? “Oh, sorry Muffin,” said Kat, “yes, you may.” Meow,meow.=M.C. and me notice something too. We sniff bottom of door in basement, there was human person in that room. We all look at each other. “That would account for the path to the door,” I said, “and it means we need to be extra careful what we say around Danny or anyone else. And since the housekeeper comes tomorrow, we need to watch her too.”
Danny had told Kat and I that 2 of his sons haven’t been around or even talked to him in several years. They just want him to die so they can get their inheritance. The third son also hasn’t been around, but according to his daughter, has no interest in inheriting anything. Apparently he doesn’t believe there is anything to inherit anyway. But Danny said there is a fortune hidden in this house, and only he knows where it’s hidden. And he’s giving it all to his daughter.
He laughed at the thought of his sons getting nothing. “When Danny goes to pick up the housekeeper in the morning, we will check that basement room,” I said, “and he leaves early so let’s get some sleep. You girls take M.C. with you for tonight.” “Are you expecting trouble already?”, asked Jennifer. “We have enough information now to tell me that more is going on here than just a lost doll,” I said, “so we need to be careful at all times.”
To Be Continued.
©2021 Steve McLeod.
