Just noticed that before I took my computer in yesterday to get Windows 10 installed, I had 149 GB of free space left. Now, after the transfer, I have 216 GB of free space! Is this a worrying sign??
Update: 20 November 2019. I now have Windows 10 installed on my computer, thank goodness. The very first thing I wanted to check was Flickr, hoping that I would not be unable to open it. I had to log in, which makes me nervous on the rare occasion that I find I have been logged out somehow, as I know so many people end up not being able to access their Flickr photostream. SO relieved when it all opened just fine. Last night, I installed various programs, reactivated others (with Chat on some websites). I discovered that two very important things are missing, though. A whole section of emails was lost. Before the transfer to Windows 10, the words at the side were Inbox, Drafts, Sent, Junk and Deleted. Then, below those, the other (lost) section had things like Saved Sent and Saved received. Contained many years worth of plant lists and locations from bioblitz, outings, natural areas and other things. The other thing that I don't think I will be able to get back is Google Earth and the few hundred locations I had carefully marked on it for years. All the acreages we have visited for years, and so much more. Sigh.
What a day to have to go out yesterday! Another snowstorm, with something like 9" or 10" of heavy wet snow to clear off my car. Coming back home, especially, the visibility was not the greatest. Felt so happy to finally get home. This morning, my car is covered in more snow again.
Like I have been doing recently, I have posted five more photos from my archives this morning. I still have masses of backing up and deleting to do. While doing this, I have been setting aside a few images to add to Flickr. I will add, below, the description that I wrote under another photo taken on the same day.
"This photo of a Great Horned Owlet was taken on 6 May 2016, in a local natural area/park. Unfortunately, I had half a dozen errands to run before allowing myself to go out with my camera, so I didn't get there till late, and the light quickly began to fade. No time to look around the area for any other birds on this visit.
This beautiful owlet had been on the ground for a while before I arrived. There were a few people there and more came and went. However, I later heard that the owlet had been able to claw and flap its way up one of the trees and was safely out of reach of most predators. Meanwhile, the other fledgling had been very high up in a different tree, along with Mom. I'm glad I did call in at this location when I did, as this beautiful little owl gave us a few chances for photos when it was up on a log or down on the ground, usually partly hidden by the plants and bushes. I don't know how it ended up on the ground, but obviously it fell from somewhere or misjudged flying distance and missed an intended branch when it finally left the nesting tree. An interesting world for it to explore, though it wasn't very steady on its feet yet : )
Things seem to happen so fast this spring and I missed seeing the two owlets balancing on the rim of the nesting tree, exercising their wings before fledging. Also, I had been so busy that I only went over to see the youngsters a handful of times. Looking on the more important side, this meant one less person intruding on their area, of course, though I have to say that these owls are remarkably tolerant of humans. If a Canada Goose, on the other hand, should get anywhere near the nest or the little ones, Mom or Dad flies in for an immediate attack."
"With its long, earlike tufts, intimidating yellow-eyed stare, and deep hooting voice, the Great Horned Owl is the quintessential owl of storybooks. This powerful predator can take down birds and mammals even larger than itself, but it also dines on daintier fare such as tiny scorpions, mice, and frogs. It’s one of the most common owls in North America, equally at home in deserts, wetlands, forests, grasslands, backyards, cities, and almost any other semi-open habitat between the Arctic and the tropics.
Great Horned Owls are nocturnal. You may see them at dusk sitting on fence posts or tree limbs at the edges of open areas, or flying across roads or fields with stiff, deep beats of their rounded wings. Their call is a deep, stuttering series of four to five hoots." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/id
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_horned_owl 