Never One The Same

From my husband's little log cabin, 9,500 feet up in the Colorado Rockies, we watched a most unusual sunset unfold to the west.

The clouds seemed to have fire within them.

 I wanted to paint it. 

Once it had set, all was serene, quiet. A wash of silky transparent peach and melon color swept the sky, the mountains turning black in contrast. 

Meow

Picture of the day: While out looking for houses one day I was greeted by this pretty kitty. I took a picture, thinking you might enjoy seeing her as much as I did. The photo speaks to her beauty, softness, curiosity and charm far better than my words could.

Curious Cow

Have you ever noticed that cows are very interested in you when you walk near them or stop your car close to their fence, perhaps rolling down your window to get a look? (notice the guys in the back too?)

As I write that, I realize that not everyone has had the occasion to be around cows or would care about a cow enough to visit... 

Thanks to the miracle of photography and blogspot, I can deliver the experience to you today (especially if you click on the photo to enlarge), lol.  The thing I can't quite duplicate is how unexpectedly LARGE they are.

It's an Amazing World

I recently finished my docent training at the zoo, a process of several Saturdays spread out over about 9 months. The very first thing I studied was the aquarium, and much to my delight, we got a behind the scenes tour, so we could know how everything operates. It really was like going behind Oz's curtain. There are a million things I could tell you about but since I'm still glazed over from the holidays, I will pick a simple one.

We were making the rounds of tanks -- from sharks to sea turtles to nautilus when I stumbled upon this sight on a shelf at the very end of the aquarium hall.


There, suspended in this clear lucite circle, were delicate, transparent jellyfish. It's so hard to believe these ghostly whisps are living beings with organs, instincts, the ability to collect food and reproduce. Yet they have no bones, heart, brain or eyes. While they may use their tentacles (with little stingers) to find food, they must also use them in lieu of sight, to inuit whatever they run into. But what do they do with no brain to process the information? I don't know enough about this but it seems they default to nerve impulses.

Some jelly fish are swimmers, propelling themselves by a pumping motion they make with their whole bodies; others, like these, float with the currents. I learned that the tank is round because the jelly fish are too fragile to interact with corners. And this orb turned slowly to provide a current of sorts, for them to keep in motion. As I'm sure you can imagine, it was mesmerizing to watch, and so relaxing.

They only live for about 3-6 months. Despite all this, these flimsy beings have great resilience as they've been around for more than 650 million years (which means they've got the dinosaurs beat) and though many species aren't dangerous, their stingers have killed human beings. Impressive, huh?

Lest We Forget

It's so easy to get lost in all our little to-do's in daily life and forget just how much is out there. Once in a while something reminds us...



Can you see the two white dots to the lower right of the moon? This was a pretty darn good picture my little digital took of the two nights when you could see both Jupiter and Venus shining brightly in the sky.

Did any of you see it too? Take pictures of it?

And now the Winter Solstice has come and gone, and the cycles of the moon will take us closer and closer to spring.

On the Topic of Spots

Here's a little clip of the 14 month old cheetah brothers, who were particularly active the other morning. It was quite chilly in Houston and I think it perked them up.  Normally, I catch them napping more often than not, but not this time. 

Can you tell they are the fastest cat by the little sprint the brother makes at the end?  That's nothing. They get up to speeds of 65mph.  But while that may enable them to catch their prey, they often are so pooped after such exertion that often they have no energy left to fight off hyena or other meal thieves!

Since we were looking at the differences in spots on the previous post, I thought I'd upload this so you can see that the Cheetah's spots are just solid black. These guys still have adolescent fur sticking up. I think their keeper told me they will not be so bushy looking but will develop sleeker coats as they mature.

Beautiful faces, eh?

You CAN Tell a Cat by It's Spots!

You might look at this gorgeous guy, see his spots and think "leopard", but indeed, this is a jaguar.

So how can you tell the difference?  While both are from Africa, the leopard is from the plains and the jaguar is native to the South. The jaguar has shorter, thicker legs than a leopard, but for me it's all in the spots. Jags have a kind of rosette pattern to their spots, which you can see clearly on the photo above (it's a little cloudy as I was shooting through thick pelxi-glass). There are black "petals" around a tan colored spot and inside also are black spots, like the center of a flower. If you look below, you'll see that leopards fur just has black circles with varying colors of tan fur filling the center. Both are striking, aren't they?

Photo credit for leopard print above by jeniflower from virtualtourist.com

This little-of-the-big cat below is an Ocelot. At just about twice as large of a domestic house cat it's easy to forget you can't just cuddle her. She's wild as can be and can still give you a good swat or bite. But she has leopard-like spots. Notice that they are elongated along her trunk though, and a leopards' would not be.


This handsome fellow here is indeed a leopard, but not the kind we were thinking about. he's a clouded leopard, and they are gorgeous. You can see from it's wide, diffused, cloud-shaped spots where they got the name.

Purrrrdy kitty.

Apparently He Went to the School of Silly Walks

Get a lot of pelicans at the wildlife rehab center as in Texas, there are many possibilities for oil spills. Just got an education Saturday about the process of going down to the gulf to set up a rescue facility, and the process of cleaning every animal that gets coated, if possible, and how to release them slowly back into the wild if they survive.

I never knew they had such goofy personalities.  This guy has been staying with us for quite awhile, since hurricane Ike I think, and I caught the tiniest snippet of his "Good Morning" antics for you to get a chuckle.

Give a Hoot

I went by the Wildlife Rehab and Education Center today and found this little group of guys. Three baby barn owls! (double click on the pic to see them close up)

I'd never seen a live owl before a year ago, and suddenly I am seeing them everywhere... like when I was in Hawaii to elope and we got caught in a forest fire ... I saw my first ever owl flying out of the grey smoke. He sailed right past my head and vanished into the ash behind me before I could really register what it was. It was eerie.  I felt I'd been visited by a spirit totem.

I saw the next one in a suburban tree when I visited a friend an hour north of Houston, such a paradox to my first experience, which is what's so cool about it.  Several times after that, I've seen this gorgeous bird on the grounds of the zoo when his Keeper decides to take him out for visitors to see one up close....

Maybe it's like that unexplainable thing that happens when something enters your consciousness, you suddenly have a heightened awareness of it. After 2 years of visiting the park almost daily without incident, I saw a very small one flying through the treetops one day last spring. I even managed to get a picture... Because it was so small, I couldn't identify it for sure until I got home, downloaded the picture and blew it up. Having gone my entire life never seeing anything other than the plastic owls on buildings or in gardens or maybe on a picture postcard, I think it's pretty amazing that I should see so many all of the sudden. 

Now, at the Rehab Center, I am adding to my collection of sightings  -- there is the the teeny weeny screech owl I posted a movie of a week or so ago (CLICK HERE), and this astonishing barn owl below, which is what the trio of babies at the top of the page will grow up to look like. I know they are quite common but I had never seen one with like this before. I mean, look at that face!  

They're fascinating birds, so beautiful and mysterious.  Have you ever had an owl encounter? 

Nine to Five

This morning I headed past the Meerkats as I always do, as their habitat is right on the path to where volunteers sign in at the zoo. They were all standing in a sliver of sun, warming their bellies, as they do in the AM... all but the designated sentry who dutifully sat high up on a chilly rock peak, looking out for the group.

By the time I left, it was getting cold again, as the sun was going down. I took this picture which I will put up as big as blogger allows. It looks to me like this Meerkat has another curled into him or her, and his/her arms are holding them that way. With tails in the wrong places and haunches looking extra wide, I couldn't tell if there were 2 other Meerkats, one on each side or this one somehow got fat after a Thanksgiving meal of crickets... There are no babies right now, which, if curled up to this one might be about this size... I could not figure it out until I double clicked the picture once posted here, and it blew up enough for me to get it. Perhaps you will double click and tell me what you see.

Something New

Call me a Yankee or a sheltered city dweller but I admit, I've lived my whole life and never ever seen possum. We had raccoons in our garage when I was growing up in the midwest but I've never had a run in with the possum, which is quite a common critter in many parts of the country. For the sake of making fun of myself, I'd only ever heard of a possum because Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies made soup from them!

But when I went to help with wildlife rehab after the hurricane, suddenly they were in my world. And last week, I learned to clean their cages. That was.... interesting.

Possum aren't ugly but they aren't cute either. They're definitely stinky little buggers. I thought it was their poop but I've read the musk glands behind their ears are to blame. They burrow underneath the newspapers, so to clean I often was waking them up, and none of us like that.

There is a short baton of sorts that you have to keep in one hand to keep them back while you quickly remove their food and water dishes and grab up the soiled newspaper. Now, the baton is just a stick that you hold at an angle so it's a bit of a barrier between you in case they should strike. Most of them just sit in the back corner of the cage with their wide mouths open (a shot I didn't get); while this might be their "I'll scare you" gesture, it looks more like a toothy, goofy grin! Once thick layers of fresh newspaper is installed we can quickly return their water and food, close the door and their nap can be resumed.

At the rehab center, we endeavor to save the lives of sick or injured creatures and when they're ready, release them safely back into the wild. But I often wonder if the things we need to do seem more like alien abduction to them. A big face peers in, a giant hand comes to lift them up, and make funny noises at them in a language that is not even close to their own. I do my best to move slowly. I keep fairly quite (or coo in a way I hope communicates calm and peace). I remember that I'm doing these things for their own good and just hope it's not too stressful.

But then there are the guys who like human interaction. While you don't want to imprint them to humans, so they can stay wild and survive once released, each animal really does have a personality, and some just like people. Of the dozen or so we have, this one is very curious about you and has no problem with you cleaning his cage. Here he is, stepping forward to say hello.

Above is a baby possum, which I cropped so he'd look big enough to see on blogger. They're vulnerable little runts at this age, aren't they? When they grow to be about 9 inches from their nose to their bum (not to the end of their tail) they are big enough to be released.

Not all are in the center due to injury or illness. In fact, most possum are from people who find them in their yard and bring them in simply because they don't want them there. Guess when Granny found them out by her ce-ment pond she decided to keep 'em -- in her soup pot!

The wildlife rehab center never turns an animal away, but cares for it until they can return it to nature -- usually via the land of private, licensed rehabbers who volunteer to take animals in that predicament, so they can live long lives in their natural habitat. You have to appreciate that these folks do it with little or no pay, and get supplies to keep going through donations (if not entirely out of their own pocket). This is why it's so fantastic to support the people and places that do this work. It really is an labor of love.

Not So Secret Santa

I had some Adventures with animals yesterday at a Renisance Festival we went to out in the forest.  I took some pictures and a little video and will get to posting it, but all weekend I have been on a roll on my other blog, Looky Here, putting up post after post of gift ideas, since I used to be a professional gift buyer for my clients. I have listed some of my all time favorite, please alls,  and am putting up a few posts for different age groups of a sampling of some things that are brand new to the market.  And I will keep putting up posts of things-- from high end ideas to stocking stuffers -- in the next few days as there is plenty of time to order online and not do Rush fees, get things engraved if need be, etc...

Please stop by there now by CLICKING HERE and for the next several days if you're interested, and leave me a comment if you're so inclined.  There are many posts from the last several days, so please scroll down to see them all. Maybe there is one that will be right for you. And if you are stumped for someone, please write me in the comments and I will reply in the comments with ideas for you!

Thanks!  More animal adventures will be up here very shortly!

Animal Healing

My sister is here for Thanskgiving. It's her favorite holiday. Holidays have not been the easiest for her in recent years. I wanted to do something that would make this a very very good one. Once we got her bags settled into the guest room, we went to the park with some nuts and I parked us right in the middle of an area with tall trees that's heavily populated with wild squirrels.

At first we only found one, then two, but --as it always does in the animal world --word spread. Little heads were popping out of hollows and up from behind rocks. They began climbing down tree trunks and skampered up from all directions. We sat there in bliss, handing out nuts as fast as we could. She was amazed, as most people are, at how gentle they are in taking a nut from your hands, and how they do NOT bite, though each one has their own style.


I was hoping that she'd earn the confidence of the one or two who put their little paws on your hand, but she did one better. One started to crawl up on her knee and kept coming back until he was quite comfortable sitting there. I snapped a few pix for her to have forever, as it's a really special experience to earn the trust of these charming but skittish creatures.

As we were leaving I said, "If I ever get blue, this is where I go and it completely disappears."

By 2:30 we were at the zoo where I'd arranged for private visits to feed the meerkats and the giraffes. All I can say is, the look of pure joy radiated from her face, and, this Thanksgiving, I could not be more grateful for that. She looks beautiful, does she not?

My tall handsome boyfriend the giraffe that I wrote about here even gave my sis a long nuzzle. (though he immediately made it up to me by having a love fest in front of my approving husband!).

I have seen the roughest, toughest brutes reduced to a puddle over a puppy, and I often see the homeless buying a cheap bag of peanuts in the shell or a loaf of bread so they can go around the park feeding the birds, squirrels, the chicken (yes, there's a lone black hen in the park, a story I have yet to tell), the nutrias and the ducks and geese. I have seen that no matter what the creature -- be it a mole rat, a tarantula or a warthog, there are people who absolutely think they are the prettiest, most wonderful, loveable thing on the planet, and are devoted to them.

What is it about the power animals have to bring out our most innocent, open, loving selves, give our lives meaning in our care for them and banish any sadnesses from our hearts?

A Leetle Teeny Weeny Owl

Oh, this is a good little thing to watch. And not because this little Eastern screech owl does much. It's just because he is so mesmerizing. He blinks with an inner lid that's clear with a black edge, so it looks a little like each eye has windshield wipers. And while he blinks in unison often, they are independent of each other which you will see here.

If you listen closely as the vid begins you can hear a little twitter he does, perhaps a comment on being the unwitting star of my 2o seconds of film. I'm sorry it's so short but I didn't really want to disturb him too much. I solve this by watching it twice!


Though technically nocturnal, this guy sits peacefully all day and watches the goings on at the rehab center. I think it's a he because males are generally smaller than females. While girls are a little over 9" in length with a wingspan of around 22 inches, males are about an inch less in both, though they often weigh about the same -- 7 oz, give or take a leetle teeny weeny bit.

The males also have a lower voice than the ladies. And I've read they have quite a courting ritual, which does indeed include winking, and they mate for life. They usually nest in cavities of trees, adding nothing of the usual twigs, grass or feathers. Their 2-8 eggs (one every two days) are lain on the natural barky shavings that exist in the tree's hollows. In 26 days, the babies are born. The male then brings home the mouse, mole, lizard or worm, which is rather nice to know. Their menu is wide and more about what's the right size for them than anything else.

They hunt in the woods, and occasionally in open fields (though there I think they run the risk of being someone else's dinner). They will fly or look out from a perch and then nab their meal with their talons. Sometimes they get insects while they're flying! That takes talent.

The fledgelings have about a month to learn to be an owl. That seems fast to me but maybe it's enough by screech school standards. In captivity they can live up to 20 years -- far longer than in the wild. Believe it or not, they are the prey of not only the expected snakes, raccoons, skunks and weasels but several larger owl species! Just thinking of predators for this little guy makes me kind of glad he is safe and content where he is, charming everyone who walks by.

White Ears and Fur Coats

Well, I've been able to feed "wild" squirrels in yet another city... Last time it was in Washington D.C., as I was walking away from Lincoln's memorial toward the White House, just having passed the reflection pool.

This time I was in Union Square in New York City. The squirrels there are definitely Greys -- they have white bellies and fur that looks grey-- but they had more reddish hair on their faces than the ones that live around me. While their tails have some reddish highlights in it, these also had red spots on their backs, almost like calico (you can kind of see it in this pic, or click on it to enlarge). But one major thing distinguished the ones I was feeding. They had fluffy white tufts behind each ear. You can see that here, as this one was just releasing my hand, while stuffing the almond I gave him into his mouth with the other paw.  Adorable.  I have a serious squirrel crush.

Several people in the park saw me feeding them and were astonished --and I saw a few try tofeed them by hand too. They succeeded with a little instruction and the remainder of my almonds... though these squirrels were so easy to call over I can't imagine people don't feed them all the time. In my park in Houston, very few touch my hand when they take a nut, though they will climb on my foot, lap or knee to get one. In NYC, every one of them gently balanced their paws on my fingers and even held onto me for a few beats after the almond was in their mouth (swoon --I LOVE THAT!).

When I lived in NY, I had no ability to have animals in my life, being terribly allergic to pretty much everything. But I've always desperately loved animals. To avoid the sheer heartbreak of what I thought was a life doomed to have none, I kind of steered clear of them in general. But I remember offering squirrels a cashew or two in this very park a few years ago and none were responsive. Have I become a squirrel whisperer or have they gotten trained in the short time I've been gone?

It was 62 degrees and very very humid on Saturday there, but on Sunday, temps dropped to 36 degrees. I was feeding these fellas on Monday and a few had really thick winter coats. In Houston the Reds coats get thicker than Greys, but nowhere as thick as this guy's. He looks like a member of the cast of Doctor Zivago or something. You can barely see his feet and he has no neck -- I mean, he almost looks like a different animal altogether! But he will need it if he's to make it through the winter on the east coast. 

If you want to read a fun book about one woman's adventures feeding squirrels in New York City, check out: SQUIRRELS AT MY WINDOW by Grace Spruch. If you click on that it will take you to the book description.

After my expereinces in the park, compounded by feeding the baby squirrels after Hurricane Ike, I started to look up books on them and ordered this among many. I've been meaning to reccomend it, especially to Bindu, who first commented on my blog because she got some of our orphan babies to nurture up where she lives in Austin (talk about coincidence)!

An Egret I'm Callin' Charles

It took me a long time to figure out what was going on with Curious Charles.

He is a lone egret at the lake in the park. When I fed the ducks and geese he'd fly from out of nowhere and land to the side of the action. Charlie stays at a respectable distance, but slowly inches closer, taking one tentative step at the time.

I thought, he knows when there's food and comes around to get his share, just like the squirrels, the nutrias, the turtle and the grackles, starlings and bluejays. So I'd throw some his way, but he never went for it. He would tilt his head and turn his curious eye, but it always went uneaten.

One day I went home and read that egrets only eat fish. So while I didn't ever throw bread to him again, he always made his way over. I figured he just must be a bird who likes a party.

On the edge of the lake where the water is shallow, if you throw food in, it can disappear before the ducks, who are quick, can get to them. On a clear day, like the one in the mini-movie below, I finally made out that it was because little blue-green fish would fiercely attack the morsels like a pack of piranhas and gobble it into non-existence.

Suddenly I realized that the Curious Charles comes over because the fish are such easy prey when I feed the ducks... which makes me his wingman, so to speak. SMART CHARLIE! Never a dull moment in the animal kindgom.

The beginning of this video was about coaxing a baby nutria swimming in the shallows to come closer. But keep your eyes to the right-- you'll see Charlie, who has just flown over, wading as he always does.

This was the day I actually saw him catch three fish. He would tilt his head at a comical angle to best use the one eye on the side of his head closest to the water. (See the little dimples in the water made by the fish devouring bread?)

And with his pointy yellow beak he quickly skewered the fishie (I just could not get that part!!!). He'd raise it up, with it's little tail still flapping, get in position and flick it off his beak into the air. Charlie'd catch it in his mouth and in one gulp, it'd be gone. If you forget about the poor fish for a moment, I can tell you it's almost like watching a cartoon, as you can see the exact outline of the fish's body slide down Charlie's long, ultra slim white neck. He could join Cirque du Soleil with such talent.

I tried for about an hour this day to catch him snagging his lunch but it was too hard to keep feeding the increasing brood of birds, balance my movie camera and frame Charlie at the right moment. Stay tuned, as I eventually hope to get it.

Sweet Success

In the valley that exists above the higher peaks of the Colorado Rockies, 10,000 feet above sea level, there is little that grows but some frightening looking pine trees, dessert weedy types of grass and minimal wild flowers. As to animals, we see occasional herds of wild antelope and hear wolves howling at night, and I'm sure there are bears (whom I never hope to meet). And while I expect see the occasional raptor, every morning this last trip I was quite surprised to see  hummingbirds whizzing over our porch to the cluster of trees just in front of us when we were out there enjoying our breakfast.

Though we were only going to be there for 5 days, I ran out and bought an el cheapo plastic feeder and asked the locals how to make the stuff to fill it (1 part sugar to 2 parts water, cooked up in a pot so the sugar dissolves, cool, fill feeder).

I hung it out front just before the sun set and could not believe my eyes when first thing in the morning I heard that very unique little whirring sound of their wings outside my window.  Since they're there and gone in a heartbeat, I grabbed my camera and with a mix of stealth and haste I got this shot through the dewy window. The bird was gone before before I could get a better angle.  

Later that day my husband balanced on a ladder while dilligently waterproofing on the back wall of the cabin.  I'd gone into town so I didn't see it but he told me that the hummingbirds flew back several times that day. One of them, attracted to the red on his cap, not only came up to his face, but landed on his bill. Delighted, he stayed as still as he could til the bird flew away. He said it was surreal. I wish I had gotten a picture of THAT!

They say it takes a long time for animals to find your feeders... not in this case! We were so thrilled to have such easy success with these elusive birds we can hardly wait to go back up again.

Hijinks

Boy I want this guy looking out in my neighborhood. He certainly is alert (cracks me up when he looks up and back). Perhaps there is a Starbucks in Meerkat world and he's had a grande.

Predators are not much of a threat to these guys at the zoo but even so, these Meerkats don't get lazy. It's in the genes. What does freak them out is when they see a rogue balloon floating by. I wonder if that's their version of a UFO. Anyway, while the sentry is on the lookout, the others in the family are busy doing industrious Meerkat things.




But they've been known to conk out right in the midst of their work, as if they were narcoleptic! And anyone who's watched Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet probably knows they sleep in the funniest positions...

Speckled Bears

Have you ever heard of a speckled bear? I hadn't before I started to work with the carnivore keepers at the zoo. I just thought there were bear bears. Big and scary, grizzly, black or brown perhaps, but speckled? You can see from the pictures below why they are called this.



...well, that's a guess on my part. We have a pair of speck bears and while I was taking some VIP zoo members on a morning tour that included the bears, they seemed quite in the mood for posing. I was amazed at how these pics I snapped turned out. Don't professional photogs wait all day to capture poses like these?


Maybe they're hoping I'll send them on to Tyra Banks or some other model mogul. I think they'd readily take their pay in fresh salmon!

Every day I'm at the zoo or the Wildlife Rehab Center or even the park, I discover the lovability of an animal that might not have seemed so appealing before. That is why zoos exist and why injured and rescued animals, who can't be returned to the wild, do such an important job as ambassadors to people like me. Here's a great example.

What do you think of when you think PORCUPINE?

Perhaps the word OUCH comes to mind. Nuisance? Or maybe nothing much comes up at all. Well, watch this and you'll never think of nothing again!




If only these videos didn't translate so small on blogger! I hope you can see that his keeper starts the video by stroking his head... in fact, this guy's quills aren't prickly at all if you pet him from the head back (though I'd only try it on a a tame one who knows you). They're plenty sharp if he raises them in a certain way, which he does if scared or threatened. And like the nice lady says, it IS a myth that they shoot their quills -- Someone took too much purple pyramid and made that one up.

This species spends most of their time in trees around North and South America. They eat some fruit but mostly bark and stems, which helps to keep their teeth filed and in good shape. They can weigh between 12-35 pounds and live about 5-7 years in the wild, but much longer in captivity.

And, just like the squirrels I have come to adore (a love I hope to have encouraged in you too), porcupines are also rodents! The R-word and all it's squeamish connotations is quickly dissolving isn't it?

Who knew he'd be so talented and oh so fuzzy of face and paws? And how gently he holds his keepers hand to eat from it. Porcupines take their time and that's something we could all do a little more of.

If you aren't won over yet, our little pal will just have to charm you by saying goodbye and thanks for considering him. He's just decided to do it, for now, with his back to you.


.

MUCH Better Than TV!

These are two otters -- brother and sister -- that I had the pleasure of spending some time observing for the zoo. You can tell them apart because one has a cute little black "beauty mark" on her furry nose.

They share their habitat with a deep pond of catfish, a special kind of squirrel and a colorful bird -- recreating the combination of animals that would be commonly found together in the wild. Now this mischievous pair had been crawling over separating rocks to the to the edge of catfish pond, having fun watching and even swatting them. This was proving to be distressing to the fish, even though they are as big as the otters, or even bigger. The study was to gather information to assist the keepers in stopping this behavior and apparently they succeeded.

These naughty otters now stay in their own little pond and the catfish are at peace. Mostly these two sleep curled up with each other in a nice, cozy log. But when they swim, they're an endless source of amusement. Can you imagine just how horrible a job it was (NOT!) to sit and watch these antics for hours at a time? Enjoy!

PS: Best to watch with your volume OFF! When you try to get footage in a zoo the kids and crowds aren't the best accompaniment to the pictures.

Even in Virginia

I have my eyes peeled for squirrels. It used to only be ducks and geese, and now squirrels too.  

I fed squirrels by hand in the park for 2 years, but got more attached to the ducks and geese because I could tell them apart and had repetitive relationships with them.  I've probably fed the same squirrels here and there but it's nearly impossible to tell them apart, or get to know where they actually live (where they sleep and call home within the forest), the latter being obvious with the waterfowl.

But after Hurricane Ike, I got to know so much about them and bonded with so many during various stages of their growth that I am now hooked.  So now I always have a few nuts in my pocket or purse. My dear Husband is the soul of patience if I stop to hand them out.  I actually think he likes seeing them come up too and sometimes he feeds them too.  

If they're not so used to people, it varies in difficulty to get their attention, or once gotten, to get them to come close.  Just like people, some are more aware than others of what's going on around them. Some are shy, some are skittish, some are bold, and a few are fearless.  If you have to toss them a nut, after they've eaten it and see you're offering more, they are more likely to come closer, and eventually take it from your fingers. But the ones for whom this is not a regular practice can be so jumpy, I've learned it's best to still toss it the inch or two to them to avoid getting accidentally scratched or nipped in the process.  

This is a little guy I made friends with on the campus of the University of Virginia, the college conceived, built and governed by Thomas Jefferson (You can see the red brick and white painted trim behind the squirrel).  I figured squirrels there were used to people, as students criss cross under the many trees on their stately lawns.  In Virginia I saw no Fox Squirrels (calmer by nature), only Greys.  It always takes me somewhere when I am one on one with an animal. It's like the whole rest of the world evaporates and I am immersed completely in the NOW.  It's my way of meditating.

Gobble Gobble?

We saw a rather odd sight as we were leaving our Bed and Breakfast in the tiny, historic town of New Market -- best known for an important Civil War battle that took place on their fields using young cadets (age 15-17) who marched 70 miles to get there from the VA Military Institute in Lexington.

With our minds on such events, we were completely jolted out of it to see the above in front of us in traffic. It took a second, and before I could snap another shot the truck had turned out of sight. We realized that this is how chickens are transported.... and now that I blow it up as I did below, I think from the shape of their heads and necks that they might actually be turkeys?


What do you think? You can click on tha tpic to enlarge it and see what I mean. Are there white-feathered turkeys? And where is there throat waddle? Are these females? Or are they a kind of common chicken who never develops the neck and head plumage? Must do some research.

Bear There!!

Well, I can't believe I'm able to post from my Iphone, but it looks like I can do this.. Thanks to those auto-upgrades in software that announce themselves whenever I plug it in to sync it w/ my computer! But you signed on to read about nature not technology right?

Well, today I saw something that, if I were to be completely honest, I've often feared. And at the same time, it's something I never thought would ever really happen.

While our intention today was to drive down from our B&B in New Market, VA, through the lower part of the Shenandoah Valley and back up by way of the scenic road that runs along the very top of the blue ridge mountains. We got behind schedule, distracted by the grave of Robert E. Lee, Washington college, and walking the grounds of VMI (cadets in uniform can have that effect, speaking for myself *insert giggle*). It was almost sunset by the time we drove up to the National Park's gate, and paid our $15. With that came a brochure which I glanced at, my attention being caught by the caution about bears and deer. Though it was more about not feeding them so they can stay wild than about our SAFETY, a little chill ran through me... Though fleeting, I vividly pictured a bear attacking my side of the car, pulling me by the arm clean through the window, and a humiliating snippet of video shot by a tourits playing ad nauseum on the news for all the world to see. A terrible end in all ways. (BTW, this is my imagination WITHOUT the aid of caffiene or chocolate!).

Within seconds that mental romp was forgotten as I turned my attention to the gorgeous scenery. I mean all sorts of people hike and camp in the woods and few ever come across a bear. I got lost in the panoramic views and the foilage, which looked all the more afire for the last golden rays of the sun. And suddenly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world (um, which it actually Is, city girl), I saw 2 black bears out the window on my side!

And It was so amazing to actually BE seeing them, there was only a sense of wonder, not anxiety. I imagined I'd have been more likely to jump on my husband lap, this blocking his view as well as the wheel and we'd crash into a tree or something. Instead I said, " stop, I see 2 bears!!". He did a U-turn on a dime and scooted back to the spot where I fumbled with the movie camera. If I can figure it out I will post it here once home. It ends up that there was a cub as well. The bear looked right at us for a timeless few moments and only for a nano second, in the very back of my consciousness, did I consider the aforementioned horror scene. It was just too amazing to grok that I was seeing the animal that-- let's face it-- brings up that Lind of fear on most of us. But in it's natural setting it was quite an honor to have a glimpse. I work with exotic animals regularly but to really see these bears living in the forest on their own left me struck with wonder and awe.

Animals do have such power over us! More on this later. My index finger may need a cast...

Time Wasters

I have such a good story for the next post. I wrote it three nights ago on my tiny iPhone keypad, using one finger... But since I'd pre-loaded the baby duck photo, the giraffe video and the picture below, that story had to wait its turn. So please check back in a day or so! In the mean time, this post is part of the continuing series of Adventures that occurred on our honeymoon. By virtue of spending 3 wks in New Zealand and an additional week (too short) in Australia, I collected a plethora of adventures in nature, ranging from the usual to the outrageous and extreme.

Today's mention fits into the category of the former, though having never spent time with goats, let alone ones names Ringo and Lilly, I personally found nothing usual about it!

This is on the rolling 40 acre homestead of my friends who moved from LA about 6 years before, to live out their dream of a simple, good life. They found this land with a house they've since rennovated - mostly with their own hands. While these two goats are theirs and they hope to have more animals, for now they lease out much of it for sheep to graze (a great way to mow and fertilize the land while bringing in a bit of cash). They mulch, they built and grow most of their own fruits and vegetables and make most of their own furniture. He's a volunteer fireman and edits arthouse movie trailers, she started a theater co., helped wheelchair bound kids experience freedom by learning to ride horses, writes,sews and goes into nearby Auckland to see plays. They're great cooks and have made lots of friends to keep them busy, as if the things I've listed aren't enough!

All of this is to explain the title of this post. These goats are so amusing that my friends feel they spend far too much time being distracted from their many chores by them. Hence their nickname -- time wasters! They come right over to you at the fence like this and won't let you go. They want treats, pats on the head, their ears scratched. That's Ringo in the foreground with a look that says, " Drop the camera and give me BETTER attention!" I admit it took a little getting used to their eyes- the pupils are horizontal rather than vertical, which gives off a kind of alien vibe.

They are leash trained so they can come out of their pen to enjoy long walks. Perhaps the funniest part is when they may wantto go faster or stray off the path and told no. They express themselves by delivering a nice little headbutt to the behind of whomever's holding that leash. Once our friends finally free themselves from these two hooligans and indeed get back to work Lilly and Ringo can be seen settling in atop the tin roof of their shelter (as goats love to climb) perhaps to keep an eye on their masters, or better yet, coerce them into coming back.

Though I have much yet to write on our adventures in New Zealand, there are a few others to be found under that label on the right of this page

A Moment for Giraffe Appreciation

I loaded a few things before I left so I could post them while away if I could get to a computer. I took a little video of this one year old baby girl last weekend while I took my friends and their kids to a special feeding. There's no great story behind it, just my way of inviting you to join me in my appreciation of these sweet beasts. There is one point she raises her head and my camera tilts way up... Reminds you how tall she is and how much taller she's destined to be-- her daddy's almost 18 feet high!

Fuzzy Wuzzy

A lone baby duckling was turned in to the wildlife rehab the other day. This one was as fuzzy to the touch as it looks.

I wish you could have seen his little feet. The top half were burnt orange and the bottom half -- closest to his legs -- was a nice mahogany brown, just like his fuzzy head. I have no idea what kind of duck he'll grow up to be.

I've never held a baby duck before. But he was relaxed and settled quickly into my palm. I would have loved to hold him for longer, as he has no mother or brothers and sisters for company or, more importantly, to keep him warm. But though it's a privilege to be able to get this close to wild animals, if we really care about them getting a chance to live the life they were born for, it's best to not "imprint" our human selves on them. Though we mean well, they risk becoming too tame to go back and live where they can be free. I only took him out to clean his tank. After this 5 second picture, I put him back in, among the large water bowl and soft clean tee shirt I tenderly prepared for him, with a bit of chick feed sprinkled on one part of the ground. Later I balled up a thick piece of fleece and put that in with him too, hoping it might seem a little like a nice, cozy brother.

What's best for this little one is to be with other ducklings, to learn by watching them how to be a duck. It's a little tricky for babies born this late in the season. Most others are several weeks older, but if there is this one, there are others on some kind rehabber's land somewhere and I'm sure next time I go back, I will hear that he's gone somewhere to grow big, handsome and strong.

Black Squirrel Update

If you were to click here and here you will see how this frisky little girl looked just four weeks ago...   Of the nearly 1200 orphaned squirrels that got turned into the Wildlife Rehab after hurricane Ike, only two were black -- a boy and a girl - though we don't think they were siblings. Though there were several I fell in love with, you really couldn't tell who was who in the end. Besides the few whose problems set them apart -- one had no tail, another a slack jaw, still another had totally overgrown teeth and one poor male had an ouch on a very sensitive part of his anatomy --with all the rotating due to feedings and cage cleanings, the only ones you could know for sure past a few days were the two gorgeous blackies. 

There is only this one now -- the girl.  The boy has been gone for over a week, and my guess is that he went home with one of the people who have land near plenty of trees who are trained and licensed to ease them into the wild over a period of many weeks. He was always bigger, looked older -- another reason we figured they weren't sibs.  

After giving her 6 cc's of Esbilac for breakfast today (in addition to nuts and fruits and water in the cage), I decided to take a quick movie. I'm about to go out of town for 9 days and figure when I get back in there she too may be gone.  What cracks me up is that at the end, she's checking out the camera then clearly sees a squirrel in the lens and gives a start (or is poised in attack mode!) If you missed that, hit play again. 

And just so you can see how big the little Fox/Red that's in the tank with her is going to get around this time next year, check out this squirrel I gave a pecan to tonight in the park.  

I understand that squirrels get a winter coat and eat as much as they can to survive an anticipated food shortage.  But what's with these Texan squirrels? It's not 95 degrees with 100% humidity anymore, but it's still fairly warm here. It can get down to 35 for a few nights ... but not until January.  But suddenly all the wild squirrels look like mini Michelin Men. 

Seen through my adoring eyes there's only more to love.

A Rat It Is Not!

I think we need to shift what the word rodent conjurs up when we hear it. We think of oogly, disease carrying, filthy RATS, with sharp teeth and long wet tails, scurrying around when we least expect it, scaring the shyte out of us.

BUT-- those adorable little squirrels I've been posting about are rodents. Some people refer to them as tree rats. Harsh! Insensitive! Other rodents like the nutria, while not exactly as cuddly, and beavers, a bit more cute, have been casually called water rats. Defamation!

Who doesn't smile at the playful little chipmunk? Well, they are rodents too.

And so is this little being below. I'd never seen one before, and I'm wondering if you ever have. Usually she is curled up in a ball asleep, so this is a rare daytime clip of her in action... well, she seems like she first plays dead then springs back, literally.

She has floppy ears like a bunny, big eyes with long lashes like a giraffe, teeth like a beaver and a tail like a fox. And she hops like a kangaroo (though she doesn't come with the pocket).

It's a SpringHaas (or spring hare). Who knew?!?

This mammal is quite common in the Savannahs of South and East Africa, the desert region. And this soft, fuzzy gal IS considered a rodent, most closely related to squirrels, gophers and beavers.

Springhaas are nocturnal, so they only come to life at night, by literally leaping from the underground burrows in which they sleep. And lively they are, digging holes in dirt and hopping from plant to plant for their bulbs and roots. Their ability to hop 6 feet at a time aids them well in avoiding predators.

Next time you hear the word rodent, you no longer have to think of something icky. Think instead of these crazy little guys, Chip and Dale or Rocky the Flying Squirrel, or even of Baxter, the Nutria. Okay, with Baxter, I may be pushing it...

Gotcha

These are fruit bats, hangin' out. There's an exhibit where we keep all the boys together. Though your first reaction might be to shiver, if you focus just on their faces you'd think they looked a lot like little dogs. They have dark smooth fur, cute little ears, a nicely shaped snout and a warm wet nose, just like Fido. If you double click on this photo it will blow up so you can see what I mean. (If you don't do it now, I guarantee you will by the end of this post).

And like that squirrel I wrote about (click here to see), they are quite obviously well equipped. Who knew?

I'm not saying I know what it means, but look closely at this picture. What the heck is the guy on the right doing, putting his little hand in his pal's crotch?  Apparently finding something to be quite amusing. I'd call it cackling even.  He's clearly cackling, wouldn't you say?     

And is that other guy smiling, just a little bit?

Cat Nap

Before being able to work with animals was ever a possibility in my consciousness, let alone getting close to the big cats, I went to New Zealand on my honeymoon and saw a billboard in the middle of nowhere that read: PET A LION CUB. There was a picture of it's irresistable, furry face and a big arrow pointing down the deserted highway. I had to restrain myself from bouncing up and down in my seat and pointing as if I were two years old again. Instead I managed to say "Let's go" in my adult voice to my husband. And we did.

We found a small private zoo of sorts, very green and tropical, with short paths to a few exhibits. We made a beeline to the cat cages and there we found not one but a pair of sleepy kitties. Lots of folks came up being loud and taking pictures, who had no more interest than to see them and leave. We hung around so long, chatting with the keeper about their care and purring to the babies, that she let us touch them on their faces instead of just on their paws. Guess she knew true animal lovers when she saw them.

I just loved the way these big kitty feet were pushing against the fence while he snoozed.

As usual, you can click on any photo and it will enlarge. The first one is worth seeing the cat's face better!

Respect for ALL Life... In Theory, at least

Probably doesn't look like much, but this is a special plant.  I found it the morning that hurricane Ike had blown through. It was still raining and the wind was pretty strong yet, but I was driving around and saw this lone plant, laying on it's side in the middle of a parking lot, completely ripped from the dirt. It looked scared and lonely. Oddly, there were not other plants like it anywhere to be seen.  

What can I say? I'm clearly a giant sap, and felt compelled to scoop it up to take it home. I am also a total black thumb, but even my hideous skills were a better bet than lying with naked roots, waiting to get run over.  

It had no flowers at the time, and since I left it in my car accidentally overnight, it was fairly withered when I realized what I'd done and ran to retrieve it (it was a very disorienting time. That's my excuse and I'm stickin' to it). However late, I potted and watered it, talking lovingly to it as I patted the fresh, nutrient rich soil around it as if I were tucking a child into it's crib. I tell you it perked up within hours, and the next morning there were signs of sprouting tiny new buds-to-be. Oh joy.

Four days of scorching heat later I realized I hadn't watered it since and ran out to find those same hopeful leaves brown and the buds tragically shrunken in the dawn of life. Aghast at my own ADD, I cursed and bemoaned my horrible mothering, as my dear husband reassured me it would come to life again if I just watered it a lot.  Which HE did over the next few days, as he likes to save things too (and in this case he was saving the plant I saved from me). A few days ago I put it in the sun, and pinched off all it's dead leaves.  Two days later, voila!  It is bursting with tiny fucsia blossoms and fresh green leaves. Double click the pic 

If you don't think there's a power greater than yourself, I submit this as exhibit A!

Purpose

I just can't resist bringing my camera every few feedings to preserve what this experience has been like for me. Looking down at these little guys in the palm of my hand, I'm compelled to try to record it somehow. I want to be able to look back at this and remember it when I'm in my rocking chair. 

The movies do more for the sake of posterity than just pictures, but so far I'm not sure I've been able to capture just how utterly adorable they are. It doesn't help that I'm trying to take those movies while feeding them one drop at a time and supporting their little bodies with the other hand -- You can see the black line of the plunger eek its way down the syringe I'm holding. But I think this one below got close to it. 

His little paws kneading my palm just slayed me! I love his fuzzy forearms and how he blinks contentedly as his belly gets full.



I've noticed that unlike with other things I do, the hours fly by. I'm never really tired or want to take a break, or even get hungry. I am completely focused, in the moment. I don't think of anything else. And when I'm away from them, I can't wait to get back (it's kind of like being in love).

Part of it is because when you have squiggling little lives in your hands, all of whom have a different eating style, and some of whom are sick and need special patience and attention, you have to be focused. But it has a special essence, this kind of focus. I take it as a sign that this is really something right for me to be doing in this life.

The Other Man

I said in a post you can find here that I had a wicked lovefest going on with a male lion before I fell for my big, hunky giraffe guy.  I figured you'd like to see him, now that you've seen the G.  It certainly will convince you, if you ever had any doubt, of my very, very good taste.  I mean, look at that face!  And that three toned mane -- reddish blonde that turns first to chestnut, then into dark, mahogany brown. He's the only lion I've seen whose mane continues all the way down his chest and abdomen... it's a testosterone trifecta.  

He's ALL Man-Cat.  Look and weep gals and guys. You either want him or want to be him.

A Surprise

I was, guess what, feeding squirrels this morning and a woman who had come in to volunteer several times when I was also there asked me, "Have you seen us feeding the squirrels on the web?"  I had no idea what she was talking about. I vaguely remember a reporter there -- I know the squirrels were on GMA a few days ago and in the Sunday NY Times as well as the Houston Chronicle, etc... Guess it really is a story of interest.

Anyway, it's on the local public radio station's website, KUHF. Guess they did a piece on NPR and did a companion article on the website with pictures. If you just click here you should find the article. I'm the gal in the black tee and jeans.

And this is a good excuse to show a pic of the little black Fox squirrel from a few posts back who now has his eyes open!

Adventures of Another Kind

I said I'd occasionally break to add tales of our month long honeymoon in New Zealand and Australia where we had many many many adventures in nature. We marveled when driving through the 2 islands that are NZ how fantastical the landscape was. It's not that Lord of the Rings was filmed there and so it now looks that way to me -- the movie was filmed there because the place holds a kind of magic everywhere you look. I almost felt like I saw faeries in the forests and gargoyles in the rocky desert mountains.

Here's a perfect example:
We were driving along in an area so lush and green crayola crayons super pack doesn't even make the color, and we saw three miniature horses. Maybe this is a known breed, but I've never seen anything like it before.

I was fully prepared to witness little hobbits pop out from under some mushrooms, jump on their back and ride away.