More Success Stories on Feeding Baby Mockingbirds!

Friends,
 
I just received this lovely note from Cindy P in South Carolina. She and her husband recued a baby Mockingbird, and have successfully raised it.
 
I'll let Miss Cindy tell the story:
 
Albert,

Apparently this is the year for abandoned mockingbirds! My husband and I live in the Midlands of South Carolina and we have a LOT of mockingbirds around our yard that stay all year. On July 24th we rescued a baby mockingbird that had fallen from a "destroyed" nest (I suspect a red tailed hawk that lives in the area) and have been raising him since.

We named him Boo and kept him initially in a berry basket with a handle for the first week and then a medium sized bird cage for the second week. We kept both hung on the tree during the day and would bring him into the garage at night in case of a storm, as is wont to happen in SC during the summer. My husband works at home most of the time and would feed him every couple of hours and take him for a "walk" (Let him out of the basket/cage on the ground to hop around and "learn" to scratch and peck at bugs) a couple of times a day. I even took him to the office with me (thankfully a small one!) for a couple of days when my husband was away from home teaching for a few days.

Last week we left the cage propped open but hung in the small tree where the nest was and Boo was soon out of it and on his own. We left the cage for a few days (and found an adult mockingbird in it one morning!!) but Boo didn't seem inclined to use it anymore so we took it down. We are continuing to feed him twice a day with the egg/cat food mixture and mealworms and I also make sure he has water from my fingertip at the end of each "meal" although there is no shortage of sources in the yard.

He "beeps" at us insistently whenever we go outside and even follows my husband when he walks the dog in the morning until he (Boo, not my husband) gets fed! He flies down to us whenever we sit in the yard or on the deck and the other night he sat on my head for some time. He has even followed us into the garage (it seems he knows from whence we come and go!) but we are careful to remove him from there and only feed him outside, as we don't want him to get trapped in the garage accidentally.

It has been and continues to be an amazing experience for us, and we are extremely grateful for your blog and the assistance it has provided. Our only concern is that Boo will continue to be dependent on us, but from reading other accounts it seems as though they do eventually become more and more independent and don't rely on the human-provided food. Can you give me some idea as to how long we should continue to feed him or will we know by his actions when he doesn't need it anymore?

Thanks for your advice and experience about mockingbirds and if you are still in Afghanistan, thank you most especially for your service; may you remain safe while there and on your return home as well.

Cindy P.



Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
"Skull Mountain" Sperwan Ghar, Panjwai District, Afghanistan
Standing Ready when the Wolves Growl at the Door...

The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
The Range Reviews: Tactical

A Chronicles Project: Sleeping Bag Care and Cleaning

© 2009,2010,2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
.

Cleaning a Sleeping Bag Properly

It’s time to start thinking about Fall and camping! For me, there is nothing like getting up before everyone else, stoking the fire, setting out the coffee pot full of milk and chocolate to heat. As the nighttime creatures settle in for their daytime sleep, you’re sitting back and warming your hands by the flames as you wait for nature and your family to awaken from the night’s slumber.
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Your sleeping bag is probably the most important piece of equipment when it comes time to get some shuteye. A good sleeping bag is expensive, and taking good care of it will more than pay you back in terms of longevity.

A sleeping bag should be taken care of just like any other piece of equipment. That means regular inspections, proper storage, and cleaning when necessary.

Before you take it out into the field for the first time of the season, give it a thorough going over and check for weak or splitting seams, knotted ties, poorly functioning zippers, or any other deficiencies or potentially problematic ones. Better to get them taken care of before you need your bag, than to find out miles away from the car.

Though I use synthetic insulation in my sleeping bags in Florida due to the constant humidity, down is by far the better choice for any other area. Not only is it lighter, but also offers greater insulation per cubic inch. Down also gains loft over time, whereas synthetics will lose up to 40% of their loft. In other words, synthetics lose their ability to insulate as time goes on.

Storing you sleeping bag is pretty straightforward. All sleeping bags should be loosely rolled and placed inside a breathable fabric bag. You do not want to compact it into the smallest possible package, as this breaks down the individual fibers.

When you return from an expedition, (or an overnighter in the back yard), you should check the bag again for damage. Turn it inside out and dispose of any foreign objects or critters that may be in it. Air it out and make sure any dampness is gone before storing it.

There are really only two ways that you can clean your sleeping bag properly when the time comes that it needs it. You can either machine wash it or do it by hand. Drycleaning is not an option for either synthetics or down filled sleeping bags. The chemicals used, carbon tetrachloride and perchlorethelene, will remain in the lofting for quite some time. You do not want to be in that sleeping bag while that’s happening.

Whether you use a commercial front loader or decide to do it by hand, you will need the appropriate soaps for washing down. Woolite is acceptable, better yet are soaps made specifically for down. Cuddledown Fine Fabrics Wash and Fluffers is a well respected brand as is McNett ReviveX Down Cleaner

For synthetics use a recommended detergent, or Woolite.

When machine washing your bag, you must use a large commercial front loading washer. You cannot use a top load, agitator style washer. An agitator will damage the baffles that keep the down in place and help compartmentalize and maintain the loft. Tear the baffles loose and you will get cold and thin spots as the down shifts and compresses. Set the wash cycle to warm, and the rinse cycles to cold.

It is best to run the bag through the front loader twice, once with soap, and the second sans the soap. Rinsing your bag well is critical for the down’s well being, and the bag’s longevity. Residual soaps and detergents attract and hold dirt, dander, and dust thereby exacerbating and speeding up subsequent soiling.

Hand washing is tough, but it is the safest way to clean an expensive sleeping bag. It is virtually impossible to damage a sleeping bag when hand washing. And though it is real work, you are all but guaranteed a clean, undamaged, and well maintained bag.

If you decide to hand wash your sleeping bag, use warm water. I would recommend a watering trough, or barring access to one, a bath tub will do well enough. Practical yes, totally cool, no.

Again use the appropriate soap for your bag’s insulation. Leave your bag in its carry sack and start to soak it in the warm, soapy water. Use a Plastic cup and pour the water into the sack and in the bag. Massage and knead the sack until the sleeping bag within is totally soaked. Now start to take it out of the sack and continue to work the soapy water trough the bag. If there are areas or spots that are particularly soiled, like where your head rests, make sure you dedicate some time to it and get it clean. After you’ve worn yourself out, let the bag soak for another our or so, occasionally agitating by hand to loosen any other grime that is stuck to the bag. Give it a good going over and start to rinse it.

Note: At no time should you lift the bag from any single point! Wet down or insulation can be exceedingly heavy, and you could tear the baffles loose.

Continue rinsing until you are positive all the soap has been removed. Now you must be careful with the bag. Use a laundry basket and carefully place the bag in it. Press as much water out of the bag as possible. Do Not Wring The Bag! You will ruin it if you twist it and wring it. Press the water out. You can also carefully put it in its carry bag, push it to the bottom, twist the carry bag tight, and then press the stuff sack itself.

Some laundromats have extractors which are excellent for getting the maximum amount of water out of a bag. The more water you get out, the quicker it will dry.

Regardless of whether you used a washing machine or you did it by hand, you are going to need a dryer. If you hand washed it you may want to drip dry it for a while first. If you used a machine, when your bag is done on the spin cycle, carefully remove it and transfer it to the dryer. Remember that laundromat dryers are notorious for burning clothes! Either find one that actually runs on low to medium, or resign yourself to a constant vigil. There is no other choice. A hot drier will ruin your bag.

You will also need a half dozen tennis balls with three socks, or a pair of clean canvas tennis shoes. Take a couple of balls, drop them in a sock, and tie the end off. Throw them in the drier with the bag so that as the bag tumbles it gets pummeled constantly by the balls and the down regains its loft. Tennis shoes work the same. Take it out occasionally as it gets drier and fluff it up before tossing it back in. If you have a down comforter, this is a great way to fluff it up too.

It takes a long time to dry a bag, be patient.

Storage:
Store you sleeping bag and its stuff sack in a larger loose fitting, breathable bag. Make sure they are kept in a dry location, which has some ventilation. A closet is fine, but keep your sleeping bags out of the Rubbermaid boxes! Mildew will ruin a bag if it gets a hold of it.

A Few Basic Care Rules for Sleeping Bags:

• Store your bags loose, not compressed in their carry bags.
• If your bag happens to get wet, dry it thoroughly before storage.
• Try to keep the bag clean if possible. They have liners for bags, and even wearing night clothes helps by absorbing oils. If you put your boots in the bag with you, put them in their own sack.
• When it gets dirty wash it!

Best regards,
Albert A Rasch

Chiappa Chip Controversy: Charles Brown Responds

Howdy folks!

 

I received a comment which because of the "Blog Blocking" software I can't approve and post.

 

Luckily I have the moderate comments function on, so I at least get to see the comments on my end here. One of my readers, Brian J, forwarded this to me:

 

Hi Albert,
Read your post about RFID and was so angry at the tone I emailed the President, VP and Director of marketing. Here is what I got this morning:

Brian,

I appreciate your response to the barcode chip Release that was sent out last week, I am handling each one of the few responses we received individually, I feel if you took the time to contact me and express yourself I should extend the courtesy of responding to you.

I agree 100% with your observation that the "tin foil" comment sounded and read like we were uncaring pompous asses who did not care about the customers we market to, I like to try to put some humor in all of my releases and the shooting press seems to find it a nice departure from the mundane who-what-where-when contained in most the releases they get, however the intent of the "humor" came thru in a totally different "feel"- (yes we forgot the whole internet thing about how you can't read inflection or feelings) I also try to let all of our releases "sleep" overnight and come back in the next day with fresh eyes and take a look at it .unfortunately I did not with this one.

My family has been in the firearms business since 1953 and I have owned MKS for the last 28 years, always supporting the firearms industry and supporting the preservation of our constitutional rights and being on the watch for erosion of such.

Actually because of all of the concern and contact with consumers regarding the RFID issue Chiappa is looking at ways to attach the chip to the gun only for manufacture and shipping into the USA and then be able to detach it and return it to Italy and reuse it in a future batch of guns being made, so this had actually had very positive results.

MKS was one of the charter members of the Heritage fund that has pledged 1% of all of our sales to go toward fighting for our firearms rights, I am an NRA life member and support with cash and donations, thru MKS numerous events, friends of NRA, first shots programs, NSSF, US Sportsman's Alliance. In the 90's we were one of the first to send donations of cash to the organizations in California fighting for our firearms rights etc.

I am hoping that our ACTIONS of the past and future will show through and one comment that was supposed to produce a chuckle (unfortunately made us look like Jackasses) won't forever hurt the way we are viewed. I guess I should have just re-stated that the glued in easy to find Barcode chip can be easily removed and left it at that.

Yesterday I sent a similar not to all of the blog contacts I had to help get the word out.

Humbly and respectfully yours
Charles Brown

 

Well, that's a good sign and gesture on the part of Charles Brown. I get it that they had a bad day on the marketing side of the house, and didn't think of the repercussions of their actions. Ok, you all had a bad day, I'm willing to let it go at that then. We all make mistakes, and sometimes they sting.

 

It is important that everyone involved in the industry, from manufacturer to end user, realize the responsibility they have towards maintaining the level of freedom we enjoy in the United States of America, and do everything in their power to not only aid and abet it, but also avoid harming it.

 

Freedom must be jealously guarded.

Privacy must be maintained.

Government must be restrained.

Intrusions in our lives must be minimized..

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
"Skull Mountain" Sperwan Ghar, Panjwai District, Afghanistan
Standing Ready when the Wolves Growl at the Door...

The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
The Range Reviews: Tactical

Chiappa Firearm "Tracking CHIP" RFID Controversy

Hello everyone,
 
I recently received a Press Release from Shults Media who represents MKS Distributing, the distributor for Chiappa Firearms.
 
RFID chips are to be used in the manufacture of Chiappa Firearms. There is also appears to be a huge controversy in the firearms blogosphere with respect to these RFID chips. Unfortunately for me, I can't get on the blogosphere because blogs might be bad for me, according to the IT guys...
 
First off the press release is incorrect, and is an attempt by MKS Distributors to "Damage Control" or "Spin" the situation.
 
I call Bull Shit on the following: "The Chiappa PASSIVE RFID can be read ONLY when passed within (2-3 inches) of an active (and powered) reader that is dialed in for the particular long antenna radio frequency of the RFID-this is not random." 
 
Having no small experience now with RFID, let me tell you that they can be read by the appropriate reader at 30 meters. Furthermore no RFID chip reader that is being used for logistical control will have its range limited to 3 inches. A carton, or even pallets of materials will need a reader set to several feet.  " Passive RFID is also a final check that verifies that what is inside the sealed box is the same thing as shown on the box exterior bar code during shipping. Now, it will no longer be necessary to open/inspect hundreds of boxes by hand prior to packing in export containers. " 3 inches eh? How is it going to read a pallet of material at 3 inches?  I can only assume that MKS Distributors thinks most people are idiots, and incapable of figuring things out on their own.
 
Now here are some more facts about RFID:
The reader does upload the information to a server, and that server can transmit that information anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye. How do you think Walmart can track any item, anywhere, at any time, in their inventory?
Readers can be configured to range, frequency, and an assorted other of functions, some (Surprise!!!) that are classified. I know this to be true.
 
I think what chafes my jaw more than anything is the following from the press release: "Others may prefer to wrap the revolver and their head in aluminum foil, curl in a ball and watch reruns of Mel Gibson's 1997 film, Conspiracy Theory."
 
I would suggest to Shults Media and MKS Distributors to more closely pay attention to their customers. Shults, as the mouth piece for Chiappa, you should have considered the ramifications of allowing MKS to insult their core customer base. That is what they pay you for right?
 
I would immediately remove the RFID chip as suggested, and and if you were considering purchasing a Chiappa Firearms product, perhaps you might reconsider. If this is how they respond to a legitimate concern, how are they going to treat you once they have your money?
 
Personally, I am certain that the RFID chip is just for logistical control, that's what they are used for. But if a customer is uncomfortable with it, then the merchant needs to respond with honest and candor, rather than insults. A simple explanation with instructions for removal would have sufficed.
 
 
 
Here is the Press Release:
 

RFID "Chip" in Chiappa Firearms-what's up with that?

 

MKS Distributing, Dayton OH, July, 2011-Distributor for Chiappa Firearms

Recently there has been some blogger activity (credibility always guaranteed) concerning Chiappa Firearms putting a RFID (radio frequency identification) in Chiappa Firearms. Yes, but Chiappa will not be using the RFID system for at least a year.  

RUMOR: (known as blogosphere food): The erroneous information about some sort of "chip" was put out by a blogger who translated Chiappa (Italian) technical information incorrectly.  The incorrect translation and his interpretation came out as some sort of a GPS type tracking "chip" -which RFID isn't as it cannot transmit anything-it has NO power source (unlike cell phones).
 
THE FACTS: Recently several Italian gun makers (not just Chiappa) decided to utilize RFID technology to improve manufacturing and provide more accurate inventory control. We guarantee this technology will proliferate to other gun makers world wide as it is so efficient for everything from production QC control to export/import verification.  Other industries already use passive RFID technology such as on DVDs, sunglasses, clothes and even some food products for example.

Basically Chiappa RFID (again it is radio frequency identification) assists the manufacturing process, inventory control and shipping. The type of information on the RFID ties in the firearm and proof house verification; the latter is required by the Italian Government for all firearms made in Italy. Passive RFID is also a final check that verifies that what is inside the sealed box is the same thing as shown on the box exterior bar code during shipping. Now, it will no longer be necessary to open/inspect hundreds of boxes by hand prior to packing in export containers. 

BOTTOM LINE: The Chiappa PASSIVE RFID can be read ONLY when passed within (2-3 inches) of an active (and powered) reader that is dialed in for the particular long antenna radio frequency of the RFID-this is not random.  And it will NOT go into operation for a year or more.

SUMMARIZING: RFIDs have NO power source or GPS locator.  Rest assured they are NOT transmitting your identification and location information to a Chiappa Firearm tasked CIA satellite.

 

Proposed RFID shown on a Chiappa Revolver grip frame   

 

RFID Removal: For those still concerned you can simply remove the grip and remove the hot glued RFID from the frame in the grip area when (over a year from now) these begin to appear.  Others may prefer to wrap the revolver and their head in aluminum foil, curl in a ball and watch reruns of Mel Gibson's 1997 film, Conspiracy Theory.  Well, that's a plan too!

 

Media Professionals For more (accurate???) information you may contact:

 

MKS Supply, Inc. the marketer for Chiappa Firearms
937-454-0363


Albert A Rasch
Qalat City, Zabul Province, Afghanistan
Standing Ready when the Wolves Growl at the Door...

The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
The Range Reviews: Tactical

Approving Comments and Other Fobiles

My friends,
 
Unfortunately I can't even get into the logon function to approve your comments.
 
Hippo thanks for stopping by! Freedom, as expressed by Thomas Jefferson is a universal truth for everyone. It is a shame that even we, his National progeny, don't realize that. There are many that would trade it for imagined security. To quote Founding Father Benjamin Franklin,
 
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

NorCal, they will allow me access to my blog in time, but the rational is that there are "porn" blog sites. So all blogs are forbidden, and they don't have time to go through each and every blog that exists. I'm hoping that they will allow me to put together a list of the 300 or so blogs I read, and approve them. I let you know how that works out...
 
ColoradoCaster, Thanks for visiting! Appreciate the nice comment, and happy to be of service! It's a handy little thing this email blogger but I have no idea how to add pictures or format the post. I'm just happy to post a note to everyone.
 
Thanks again everyone!
 
Best regards!
Albert A Rasch
Qalat City, Zabul Province, Afghanistan
Standing Ready when the Wolves Growl at the Door...

The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
The Range Reviews: Tactical