Jordan Lake, Haw River: Fledgling? Where?

By neighdoctor April 30, 2020 Jordan Lake, Haw River: Fledgling? Where?

Whether it is a teenager with the keys to the car or a fledgling that has the whole sky in which to fly, this time in a youngster’s life is hard on a parent! The father blue grosbeak has caught a bug for his youngster. Now, he has to find the fledging. Ever consider how hard it is to keep track of a teenager … especially one that can fly?

Public Service Announcement: Not Gotten Your Stimulus Check yet?

By neighdoctor April 27, 2020 Public Service Announcement: Not Gotten Your Stimulus Check yet?

Glitch with Stimulus Checks that the government isn’t telling you about! IF you have not yet gotten your check and want to know when your check will arrive: Go to the link https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment. Click on the box “Get My Payment” and fill in the information. This site has been telling people, especially those on Social Security that your “Payment Status is Not Available”. Yeah, well, the reason that information is not available is due to a computer programming error…. So the following detail is VERY VERY IMPORTANT: when you put in your street address use ALL CAPS and just put in your street address like this 125 D MAIN STREET (don’t put in the city) and the zip code in its block. It should come up and tell you when your check is to be mailed. There is a program coding error that throws out addresses that are not in ALL CAPS. Sometimes the same glitch occurs if you do/do not abbreviate the STREET to ST. So if need be, try the different ways to type “street”. If that fails, go to https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments and follow instructions for did NOT file 2018 or 2019 taxes.

With these directions, if you are supposed to get a check (and this in particular applies to those on Social Security) Get My Payment should now work for you … it did for me just now (after I learned about the all caps) and my check is to be mailed to me on May 1.

Hope this helps! Doc Ellen

Jordan Lake and Haw River: Mockingbird Antics

By neighdoctor April 23, 2020 Jordan Lake and Haw River: Mockingbird Antics

When someone mentions a flycatcher, we tend to think of phoebes or swallows or even blue-grey gnatcatchers. But, ha, the northern mockingbird is good at catching insects in flight too. Yesterday, I caught up with a mockingbird, on the wing, chasing his breakfast at the lake.

Jordan Lake, Haw River: Solid Landing

By neighdoctor April 21, 2020 Jordan Lake, Haw River: Solid Landing

In this evening’s uncertainties, I found myself wondering just what do I need to do next … what should be my next action. Then I remembered this 4-year-old bald eagle from January 14, 2019. He picked his path, set his eye on the perch he wanted and solidly made a landing. May we all find a perch, a place to stop and breathe and know that we too will stick the landing and greet the next moment with assurance and hope.

Jordan Lake, Haw River: Doc Ellen’s Natural Minute, Sunrise and Fog

By neighdoctor April 19, 2020 Jordan Lake, Haw River: Doc Ellen’s Natural Minute, Sunrise and Fog

Jordan Lake Dam and Haw River: Doc Ellen’s Natural Minute, Sunrise and Fog 04/19/2020.

Jordan Lake Neighborhood: Eastern Cottontail Rabbit, 4 photos

By neighdoctor April 17, 2020 Jordan Lake Neighborhood: Eastern Cottontail Rabbit, 4 photos

I had spent several minutes tracking different songbirds that were busy along the lake’s shoreline, when I realized I was seeing a pair of ears. A pair of very long ears above a bright eye. I don’t know how long the rabbit – an eastern cottontail rabbit – had been watching me. He grazed a couple more mouthfuls of the fresh leaves below the blackberry bramble. Stole one more look at me, and was gone.