Archive for the ‘Wildlife’ Category
Here a Deer.
There a Deer.
… and a John Deer?
This herd is pretty giddy about a tree full of ripening apples.
The little fawn does a jig clear across the lawn and the rest refuse to be disuaded by that odd looking deer, the mower (at least for the most part).
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While kayaking in search of dolphins this morning, I tossed my beloved Canon camcorder into the Atlantic. (The F-bomb that followed could be heard in South Africa, a fact I am not proud of.) Since I can’t share the osprey, seagulls, terns and jumping fish we encountered, I’ve dug through my Avalon archives and found another critter to talk about, the horseshoe crab. Since I’m feeling a bit crabby and in need of some fresh, new luck, this seems appropriate.
We found these horseshoe crab shells on the Jersey Shore in early September last year. (Click each photo for a larger image.) Initially, my nephew, nieces and I thought the crabs had died. It wasn’t until an educational boat ride through the salt marsh that we learned these guys and gals were still alive – somewhere. (If only the same could be said for my camcorder.) They had simply molted and left this one-size-too-small armor behind.
The Jersey Shore wakes slowly …
as do I this week.
Vacation.
Bliss.
While I intend to capture a perfect ocean sunrise this year, sleeping in rules the day. Below you’ll find photos taken in previous years when I was eager to rise and shine with the sun. Just me and nature on magical mornings …
(SL starts the slideshow. FS takes it full screen.)
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Yesterday was a day of tragedy at the Clune house. We laid to rest a roll of Charmin, a bag of egg noodles (the cats now open cupboards), and said good-bye to this curious creature who expired at our front door.
I had no idea what this was at first, but I found myself captivated by its beautiful markings, the lacy transparency of its wings and its largess. It appeared to be dead, but closer inspection revealed the slow kick of a single rear appendage. I watched as those beautiful wings fluttered, narry a movement as much as a slight vibration. The final death rattle.
My thoughts returned to this being many times throughout the day. I photographed it to preserve, in my memory, the curious life that once was. Here I sit at 5 a.m. writing about the experience without knowing why.
I apologize for the light postings of late. It was time to climb out from under this laptop and live a bit of This One Wild Life.
Tim and I took a little road trip last week, traveling up the Pacific Coast Highway from LA through Carmel (where we ate at Clint Eastwood’s Hog’s Breath Inn), down Lombard street (twice!) in San Francisco, over the snow-cleared Tioga Pass of Yosemite National Park to Mono Lake, and around the deep blue waters of Lake Tahoe … until we got to Reno, flew to Vegas, lost all our money and came home.
So, what makes for a great road trip? For us it was good company and a white Mustang convertable, heavy on the Mustang. (We can get the good company at home.) I am not a car person (What is it I drive again?) but this baby rocked. Able to pass 3 cars on a winding road boasting a 40 degree grade, all while ocean waves crashed 3000 feet directly below? Booyah! I was all, “Do it, Tim. You can take ‘em! Get those cars out of my photographs!” This is a far cry from my experience in Tim’s Passat where I grab the Oh Shit! Handle on thruway exits. What can I say? That Mustang corners like it’s on rails.
Yesterday’s post about my fondness for chipmunks jogged the memory of Shauna Stewart from the Fido & Wino blog. In response, she shared an adorable story about her childhood experience:
Hmmm. I am not sure if my little memory is about squirrels or chipmunks, but the big ”win” when we went camping when we were kids was getting a squirrel (chipmunk?) to trust us enough to take a cracker off our of knee. We NEVER succeeded. The only way we knew it was possible was because my grandpa pulled it off every year.
It didn’t dawn on us that perhaps the reason he managed it and we didn’t was because his game plan did not involve a “HEY SQUIRREL! Come HEEEEEERE LITTLE SQUIRREL!”
Surprisingly, Grandpa?s approach was a bit more calm, a bit more methodical?
April from The Teacher’s Pets also had a story to share:
When I was a little girl I used to feed peanuts to chipmunks while staying at a cabin in Sunapee, NH, and it was the cutest thing to see those little critters come right up to me for a bite of a peanut.
After having a good laugh, my memory was jogged too (although I seem to have blocked out the bad hair that goes with it)…
Chipmunks have called this place home far longer than I have, creating ancient networks of tunnels weaving throughout the lawn, garden and rock walls. Entertaining themselves as I suspect tiny fearies might, they rearrange my garden every year just to delight in my perplexed expression. As I scratch my head with dismay, “Now I know I didn’t plant that bulb there,” they chuckle heartily with no remorse from under toad stools and ivy leaves.
While entertaining themselves, they entertain me too. For that, they get rewards of strawberries, pears and any fruit I can spare. As you can see, they are rather grateful for my delight in them, as much as I am for theirs in me.
As I type, something in the wall is yelling at me. Technically, our walls are solid log but, through a gap between the logs and the fireplace mortar, something can see me. And it’s not happy.
I guessed these were squirrels at the start. In fact, in late March I made a video named “Squirrel Hunt” showing our kittens taking curious note of the noise which was probably nest building. It’s now May and the cats are as curious as ever about being reprimanded by a wall. After 2 months I have to ask, how much longer will this go on?
Silly rabbit, tricks are for kids… unless you’re feeling this ridiculous.
Have you ever seen rabbits dance? I filmed this behavior in June 2007 and, while the same rabbits have nested in our yard for years, this was the one and only time I’ve seen them act this way. Although I filmed this with a lesser quality camera, it’s still poetry in motion and a nice little treat for the Easter holiday. Enjoy!
(If you can?t see the video above, visit “Ridiculous Rabbits” on YouTube.)
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THE PROBLEM
Living in a log home, the natural look of wood is not only aesthetically pleasing, it provides a vast array of uses for the wonderful world of wildlife. While we feed birds, squirrels and chipmunks without discrimination, we don’t necessarily want?critters freeloading within our lodging. For this reason, we’ve?been forced to enter into a Cat’s Eye pest control program.
THE SOLUTION
As clients with great respect for the general animal kingdom, we pose an interesting challenge for Cat’s Eye. Typically, exterminators hunt to kill. We’ve asked, instead, that ours hunt to preserve. So far, we’ve found the following ways to achieve that end:
When mice infiltrated the basement, Tin Cats were baited but never poisoned. Rattling traps prompted Tim to blindfold captives, drive them to an undisclosed location and release them under witness protection until holes were sealed.- To dissuade wasps and bees from encroaching upon my imaginary allergin relief zone, our annual phoebe hatchlings are kept safe from preventative dusting.
- When “redirecting” a legion of carpenter bees deeply entrenched under the gutters, Cat’s Eye engaged in combat while the majority of bees were on a pollen mission. This was to ensure minimum collateral damage. Tunnels were dusted with organic, peppermint-scented powder, the entrance was barricaded, and surveillance continued throughout the season. Eventually, the bees moved on.
Bottom line: we take no prisoners.
