Warblers are small, colorful, migratory birds that are very challenging to find much less photograph. They never stay still and are constantly flitting from branch to branch and hiding behind leaves. Most of them are only seen in the Midwestern US for a couple of weeks in the spring and again during autumn migration. Last week the early migrants began to show up in the nature areas and forest preserves.
This is a Palm Warbler. They are one of the first to arrive at their breeding grounds in Canada and the far Northeastern US. They usually show up in the Chicago area around the last week of April.
Most warblers are insect eaters so they don’t arrive here until the trees begin to leaf out and the bugs and caterpillars appear. The Palm Warbler tends to forage on the ground and on lower branches more than most warblers. This makes it a lot easier to get a photo.
As you can see from the range map, this is a bird that is rarely seen in most of the interior of the US, passing through for only a few weeks during migration.
Palm Warbler Range Map – Birds of North America
They are nocturnal migrants, flying through the night, a dangerous journey for a tiny bird that is only 5 inches (13cm) long. They stop to refuel and rest during the day, sometimes staying for a few days before setting off again on their journey to Canada. In autumn the journey is reversed as the majority of the Palm Warblers head to their wintering range in Florida, the southern coast of the US, and the Caribbean.
Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
If you haven’t heard about the recently published memoir, The World’s Strongest Librarian, you will soon. There are a lot of memoirs being written these days, but this one stands out from the crowd. Inspirational, witty and charming, once you pick up this book and start to read Josh’s story, you won’t be able to put it down.
My review won’t be posted for another week or so, but I have a copy of the book to give away to readers with a mailing address in the US or Canada.
About the Book
The World’s Strongest Librarian
by Josh Hanagarne
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Gotham Books
Publish Date: May 2, 2013
Format: Hardcover | 288 pages
An inspiring story of how a Mormon kid with Tourette’s found salvation in books and weight-lifting
Josh Hanagarne couldn’t be invisible if he tried. Although he wouldn’t officially be diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome until his freshman year of high school, Josh was six years old and onstage in a school Thanksgiving play when he first began exhibiting symptoms. By the time he was twenty, the young Mormon had reached his towering adult height of 6’7” when—while serving on a mission for the Church of Latter Day Saints—his Tourette’s tics escalated to nightmarish levels.
Determined to conquer his affliction, Josh underwent everything from quack remedies to lethargy-inducing drug regimes to Botox injections that paralyzed his vocal cords and left him voiceless for three years. Undeterred, Josh persevered to marry and earn a degree in Library Science. At last, an eccentric, autistic strongman—and former Air Force Tech Sergeant and guard at an Iraqi prison—taught Josh how to “throttle” his tics into submission through strength-training.
Today, Josh is a librarian in the main branch of Salt Lake City’s public library and founder of a popular
blog about books and weight lifting and the proud father of four-year-old Max, who has already started to show his own symptoms of Tourette’s.The World’s Strongest Librarian illuminates the mysteries of this little-understood disorder, as well as the very different worlds of strongman training and modern libraries. With humor and candor, this unlikely hero traces his journey to overcome his disability— and navigate his wavering Mormon faith—to find love and create a life worth living.
Giveaway Information
The giveaway is open to those 18 years of age or older with a mailing address in the US or Canada . To enter, leave a comment on or before May 18, 2013. For an extra entry tweet or blog the giveaway and leave the link in your comment. I will draw a random winner who will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond with a mailing address.
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©2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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The Apple Orchard
by Susan Wiggs
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Publish Date: April 30, 2013
Format: Hardcover | 432 pages
Rating: 5 of 5
Tess Delaney works at The Sheffield Auction House tracking down stolen art and heirlooms and restoring them to their rightful owners. At only twenty-nine, she is already a success in her field.
On the verge of a promotion she is jolted by the news that a grandfather she didn’t know existed has had an accident and is in a coma. If he dies, Tess will inherit half of Bella Vista, his apple orchard. The other portion will go to Isabel, a half-sister she never knew she had.
This shocking news was delivered by her grandfather’s banker, Dominic Rossi. He convinces her to take a few days off to visit Bella Vista and her newly discovered family. It wasn’t difficult to resist Dominic who was very persuasive and drop-dead gorgeous. She couldn’t reach her mother, who wasn’t returning her calls, so she agreed to the trip. Once she arrived she discovered there were more than a few old family secrets and that Bella Vista was on the verge of foreclosure.
I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did, but within a few chapters I was immersed in the beautiful setting, rich with detail and vivid descriptions. The characters are well-developed and likeable. Tess is a strong, independent woman and easy to relate to. In contrast, Isabel is more family oriented and an accomplished cook. Mealtime at Bella Vista was filled with descriptive images of food and I could almost smell the breakfast muffins and taste pasta sauce for dinner. The ten sections of the book each begin with one of her recipes, a bonus for those of us who enjoy cooking.
Most of the story takes place in the present day at Bella Vista with occasional flashbacks to World War II where the story of Tess’s grandfather, Magnus, unfolds. After his parents were taken away by the Gestapo, he became involved in the Danish Resistance and helped relocate Jewish people to Sweden. Eventually the stories in the past and present unite and the search for a valuable treasure owned by Magnus’ family heats up.
Against the beautiful backdrop of Bella Vista, Tess begins to fall in love with Dominic. The atmosphere is romantic, but the romance is always in the background and never overpowering. Tess begins to understanding the meaning of family and memories, something that has been missing from her life.
This is an easy read and at the same time complex and captivating. A charming story, it’s the first in a new series. I’m already looking forward to the next installment.
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Source: Review copy.
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Almost wordless: I saw a lot of birds carrying nesting material today. This looks like a Robin’s nest.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Mailbox Monday was created by The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their home last week.
Mailbox Monday is currently on tour, hosted by a different blog each month. The April host is Mari @ MariReads
Another busy week at the mailbox with four print books and one audiobook. Now all I need is some nice summer weather so I can sit outside in my backyard and read them.
For review from St. Martin’s Press:
Sweet Salt Air
by Barbara Delinsky
Charlotte and Nicole were once the best of friends, spending summers together in Nicole’s coastal island house off of Maine. But many years, and many secrets, have kept the women apart. A successful travel writer, single Charlotte lives on the road, while Nicole, a food blogger, keeps house in Philadelphia with her surgeon-husband, Julian. But what both women don’t know is that they are each holding something back that may change their lives forever.
For review from Harlequin MIRA:
Spear of Summer Grass
by Deanna Raybourn
The daughter of a scandalous mother, Delilah Drummond is already notorious, even amongst Paris society. But her latest scandal is big enough to make even her oft-married mother blanch. Delilah is exiled to Kenya and her favorite stepfather’s savannah manor house until gossip subsides. Amidst the wonders-and dangers-of Africa, Delilah awakes to a land out of all proportion: extremes of heat, darkness, beauty and joy that cut to her very heart. Only when this sacred place is profaned by bloodshed does Delilah discover what is truly worth fighting for-and what she can no longer live without.
For review from St. Martin’s Press:
Always Watching
by Chevy Stevens
In the lockdown ward of a psychiatric hospital, Dr. Nadine Lavoie is in her element. She has the tools to help people, and she has the desire—healing broken families is what she lives for. But Nadine doesn’t want to look too closely at her own past because there are whole chunks of her life that are black holes. It takes all her willpower to tamp down her recurrent claustrophobia, and her daughter, Lisa, is a runaway who has been on the streets for seven years.
A twitter win from Penguin:
The Omnivore's Dilemma
by Michael Pollan
Today, buffeted by one food fad after another, America is suffering from what can only be described as a national eating disorder. Will it be fast food tonight, or something organic? Or perhaps something we grew ourselves? The question of what to have for dinner has confronted us since man discovered fire. But as Michael Pollan explains in this revolutionary book, how we answer it now, as the dawn of the twenty-first century, may determine our survival as a species.
For review from Post Hypnotic Press through Audiobook Jukebox:
Trauma Farm
by Brian Bretts
This funny and thought-provoking memoir traces one day on Trauma Farm. In it, Brett explores the natural history of the small mixed farm, meditates on the perfection of the egg, offers critiques of factory farms and the slaughtering industry, muses on the uses and misuses of gates, and ponders the constant presence of death as he goes about the activities of farming – birthing lambs, contending with rats, helping an aged horse to his death.
What are you reading?
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© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Let the Reading Begin!
Hundreds of book bloggers are participating in this event, all starting at the same time. Here in Chicago that was 7am.
I’ll be listening to audio this morning and afternoon with a few hours off to do a little bird watching. Later this evening I will be reading print books.
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I will be adding to this post throughout the day with updates and challenges.
Introduction
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
USA, Chicago
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
Parrots Prove Deadly, one of my audiobooks.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
I have healthy snacks today. Apples and oranges, and a big jar of mixed nuts for energy. And then there is that box of microwave popcorn with the extra butter for later tonight.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I love birds! See: Weekend Birding. If you’ve been here before, you already know this.
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?
As silly as this sounds, Read More! I get easily distracted by all the challenges and visiting other blogs.
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Hour 2 Mini-Challenge: Book Spine Poetry
Using the titles on book spines, make a short poem.
Let’s take the long way home
A walk in the park
A walk across the sun
May the road rise up to meet you.
Read more…
The Golden-crowned Kinglet is a tiny, active bird about the size of a hummingbird. They are almost continuously in motion usually hopping from branch to branch or behind tree leaves. They range across most of North America and breed in the northern forests.
A few weeks ago we came across a small flock of them foraging on the ground. They are very difficult to photograph as they never stay still. Finally, I was able to get a clear shot of one of these little guys.
Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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