Talk to the Animals

Talk To The Animals

by Chief Dan George

If you talk to the animals,

They will talk to you.

And you will know each other.

If you do not talk to the animals,

you will not know them.

And what you do not know, you will fear.

What one fears

One destroys.

Take a Deep Breath

As promised in my HEN story of a few days ago found by CLICKING HERE-- the strange call of the long tailed Grackle.

I learn mostly about animals by observing their behavior. I ask questions wherever I can, in fact, I run the risk of being that annoying question person. But I do have enormous curiosity about everything... Of course it can led me to Google a little and read up in books. But I don't have much spare time.

In this case, I've observed a strange call in the long tailed Grackle. Only see it in the males (females are brown, males are the irridescent indigo blue-black you see below). I assumed it was a kind of mating call, since many males puff up what they've got to impress a female. But while sometimes another grackle is nearby, it's usually another male. So one might assume that it's a fighting posture -- again, another reason to make ones self bigger. But I've never witnessed a fight ensue. The call is also different. If you look here as the grackle comes up behind the chicken, it makes a mechanical sound, like someone's turing on a loudspeaker to test it before an announcement.

Or you have this other sound... more of a wind up noise. Sorry in advance for the wind in the microphone.... but I got a better shot of one doing it by complete chance.




Both time the bird inflates fully and opens it's beak, the noise comes out and he deflates to less than half the size, then... nothing. I've also tried to figure out if this only happens at certain times of the day or the year, without much luck... Anyone out there with answers? Clues even?

With Many Thanks

A big bowl of gratitude goes to Grace at Graceful Yoga for this blog award. What a wonderful surprise. Grace is a recent follower of Adventures in Nature so I am doubly honored by her.

I also received this award the same week from Linda at World of Spirit. I am a fan of their blogs. Please check them out and say hello as you know, we all live for comments.

Of my three blogs, this blog is indeed my favorite. I could post on it all day and never run out of ideas. I have had so many experiences that I still haven't posted about!

Some of those are:

* More of what it was like to feed the lions, tigers, leopards and bears as a carnivore keeper Aid at the zoo. And why I had to stop for now.

* CIG training which I did in early March, which gives me a few initials after my name and makes me official in what I do here naturally --interpreting nature.

* Taking Animal Handling training as an extension of my docent training at the zoo. Now I can take out the animals ambassadors and interact with the public. My faves -- a running duck, a gorgeous chicken, a mischievous, wiggly ferret, a little baby gator and a giant Welsh rabbit (I'm too allergic to take him out DARN! It set me back a weekend just being near him for the training). I'd love to take out the owl but that is for staff only...

* Training for how to clean wildlife affected by oil spills, which I just took on Friday at the Wildlife Rehab and Education Center. I hope I never have a reason to use those skills.

* Trying to catch that orphaned baby bird in The Park to bring into the Wildlife Center so it won't be on it's own (not a good thing for a duck) and will have a chance at a good long life.

*Spotting ANOTHER chicken trying to cross the busy road.... in the middle of the city!

* New pics of the baby giraffe at the zoo and stats on how much he's grown.

I'd like to pass this blog award on to:

RIVERDAZE

TRANSIENT LIVES

CIRCLING MY HEAD

WINEDALE PORCHSCAPE

WANDERING LIKE A NOMAD

LOTUS MARTINIS

GARDENER TO FARMER

TERRY AND THE CATS OF FURRYDANCE

(Scroll down to check out kitten videos on this one!)

STUFF FROM ELLEN'S HEAD

Please stop by those blogs by clicking on their names... I hope you enjoy them!

Thank you Grace and Linda!

Swimming Lessons

Just yesterday I was at the Wildlife Rehab Center and had a first with The Beavers. I've never even seen one until 2 weeks ago, and in that time I filmed THIS little movie of them drinking from a bottle (You MUST click that link to watch, if you haven't seen it!). To my great delight, a few days later I myself was feeding them. And yesterday I got to "swim" them.... meaning we fill up the large utility sink off the kitchen and put them in so they can get used to swimming. Had I been thinking, I would have gotten THAT on video.

Of the two, there is one who's sensitive (fussy) and very vocal (whiney). Pinktail we call her, because to tell them apart we put a tiny dot of pink nail polish on her tail. Though it's fallen off , by now I can tell who she is by her temperament (I say her, but we don't know who is what sex at this point).

We put a branch or two and a few great smelling leafy boughs and a pine cone in their little tank. I saw one of them instinctually trying to eat a leaf and the other gnawing with those beaver teeth on the wood. Yay, they are learning to be beavers! This movie isn't much because I can't sit around waiting for them to do something great when there are other mouths to feed, but it's a little something...

For their swimming lesson, I got the water temp juuuuuuust right and watched as the woman who runs the center put Pinktail in. I did the same with the other one, who I'll call Biggie, since he's bigger. (I don't try to come up with fabulous names for the sake of the stories!) She then walked away and Pinktail started to reach up to me and cry. It was adorable. I knew it was good for her to keep her in, so I just turned her around and she paddled a little. Biggie wasn't any more skilled, but uttered not a peep. He did grab on to P. They were hanging on each other, even thought they could touch the bottom. So I spent a delightful 10 minutes pulling them apart and resetting Pinktail (she kept trying to crawl out).

Then it was a matter of lifting them out and putting towels around them, with the attendant whimpering from Miss Pink. Made some Esbilac (Powdered "puppy" milk), put 4 oz in each bottle with 1 oz Pedialyte and warmed it up in the microwave. Then, still wrapped in towels, let them nurse.

Biggie is a great eater, though I had to pull the nipple out of his mouth several times so he wouldn't aspirate. THEN I heard him complain. He did not want to let go of it. Pinky was being fussy as usual, but eventually they both were satiated with 3 oz. We dried them off a little more and put them back in the tank, with the heater on. I watched as they promptly went right to sleep!

Who knew Beavers were this cute and... human?

It's a Long Story.....

Been meaning to mention for OVER A YEAR that in addition to all the animals I listed on the Snow White post, there is a hen in the Park too. That's right, a lone hen. Someone must have dropped her off there and she'd been managing to live there for gawd-knows how long.

I was astonished when I first discovered her, thanks to a homeless man who pointed her out to me, happy to be talking to someone, someone who clearly loves animals as much as he does. The guy, looked like he could not feed himself, but I've seen him often wandering the perimeter of The Park with a bag of peanuts in the shell (the most economical thing to feed the squirrels). He pointed toward the vine covered, ramshackle shed where the children's train was kept at night. There in the side was a hole, and hovering at it's entrance was a black hen!

She tentatively peeked from the safety of her shelter when I tossed some bread her way. But she would not come out to eat until I stepped way back. When I did, she pecked what I had brought. So I started to go by to feed the chicken on my rounds.

Last Fall, The Park started a remodeling project of the very area where the hen lived. Construction trailers, tractors, shovels, cement, metal poles, spools of heavy wire, bright blue Port-a-pottys and lots and lots of men in work boots and hard hats invaded the grounds and dug everything up. I approached the foreman and asked if he was aware of the chicken, which he said was. I asked if I could bring some chicken scratch by he said they'd be happy to give it to her, but that they also fed her (I assumed, pizza scraps). I liked the thought of all these big bruisers caring for the girl. I continued to check every time I visited the park or the zoo, and most times I'd see the chicken in the area near the trailers. As the site morphed, I noticed at times she was penned, so they were making an effort to protect her.

Flash foward to last weekend, opening day of the new park area. I was driving on the heavily trafficked road between the Zoo and the golf course and I spotted a large black bird at the edge of the curb. I made a stop in the lane so I could get out (no one was immediately behind) and throw her some bread. OK, I have to say it. The chicken was about to CROSS THE ROAD, and I was tossing the bread in the other direction, to lure her away from the edge. Why WAS this chicken trying to cross the road? To get to the golf course? Not on a busy Easter week Saturday on the main drag near the Zoo! After all she'd been through, as described above, she could not end her life as road kill.

Had I been able, I'd have taken time to scoot her back further, to the safety of some kind of bushes at least... and I had to summon the strength to let it go as I drove away. But you bet your arse I was back there the next day, and with food.

She must have gotten used to people and loud noise and chaos, because when I saw her, she actually came running up to me. I had cracked corn in my pocket. Plenty of it! I was SO HAPPY to see she was still alive... We'd also just had two days straight of monsoon-like rain and thunderstorms. Half the area was flooded. This one's a survivor for sure.



I felt bad, that she must be very hungry. I wish I had a yard, because I'd love to catch her and give her a good home. I know she's survived all this time, now without a shelter. Maybe she likes it, and is an independent single....um,... chick... but maybe she's scared and lonely. I can't claim to know. Do chickens think? (that's another post)

Here she is running up to me. This time I hope it's that she's been totally socialized, not that she's starving under the fluff of all those feathers.

Oh, and did you hear that crazy mechanical kind of wind up to the long tailed grackle behind her? I am so glad to finally get that on film. I'll write about it in the next post.... back to the chicken. OUTRAGEOUS is it not?!?!?!

I went back today on my bike with more grain, looking for her, but didn't see her. I'll try again in a few days. She's obviously getting along just fine, but of course, I worry.

Breakfast with Sparrows

Oh how lucky am I? It was just two year ago that I saw my first bird nest ever (a long tailed grackle's), and even though it was quite obscured by leaves from my vantage point, many mornings I watched in the mist before the sun rose, in my pj's, with bad binoculars, the mother feeding what I could see of a grey baby in the nest.I was in a high rise and my porch was about a floor above the tree top that the nest was in.

Flash forward to last week, I was having a now-rare outing to a coffee shop which is flanked on each side by ivy covered brick, with plentiful live Oak trees all around it's small parking lot. Optimal setting for a nursery, I guess, as there are bird nests everywhere.

Picnic tables are out in case you want to enjoy the setting, which I do, as in the next month or so, the heat will be prohibitive. While sitting outside with my berry scone and decaf au lait, I completely ignored their flimsy "do not feed the birds" sign and made sure some crumbs happened to be on the table top. I got to witness a mother feeding breakfast to her fledgeling, and actually got it on film, so you can too!



Actually, the thrill is that she took a crumb right from my fingers, which I caught (akwardly) on a different clip.

I've come to recognize fledgelings. They chirp A LOT (even in the bird world, kids are demanding and endlessly so) and flutter their little wings with such animation as they do... not sure if it's just getting them strong, or if they just don't have control of them yet, or if it serves another purpose (if you do know, will you comment?). You can see that though this little one's still chirping and wing-beating for mom to feed him or her, it manages to peck at a crumb here and there.



Flash Forward again -- Two days after I shot this, I was in the Wildlife Rehab Center, and the inn is full, so to speak. Baby bird season is in full swing and the incubators are packed with eggs that people brought it, and all kinds of birds in every stage of development. Starlings, Killdeer, sparrows, rock doves, pigeons, grackles, herons.... I was opening the tank lids and, as if I was on the edge of their nests this time, the many little mouths with developing beaks opened WIDE to me, exposing tender pink throats, their heavy heads still wobbly on their necks.

I went down the line feeding tiny berries, crickets and soaked catfood pellets to each, depending on their size and diet, with a tweezer (essentially my beak), playing mother to them all.

I simply can't believe I get to do these things.

Snow White continued....

I saw this fella high up on a limb and made the noises I use to get his attention. Once I did, I waved a nut at him and called him down. I'm still in shock that wild animals come when I call. I mean, I never get used to it. It's outrageous when you think about it. I also can't get over how these skittish creatures, known for their speed and rather insane antics, soooo gently take a nut from my fingertips.



I fed him several nuts, and each time he ran up to his little post to eat, as squirrels are wont to do, and kept his eyes on me. It cracks me up how fast they chew. What's the hurry, besides that they are generally wired and do everything like they've just downed a few Red Bulls.

While I never see squirrels with their cheeks full, as is the customary joke, I believe this one is actually getting there...



I love this magical Park, where squirrels actually listen to me and crawl down a tree trunk to eat from my hand... After three years I still can't quite believe it myself.

Wild and Tame

Here's a little look at the Perigrine Falcon who is a fixture at the Wildlife Rehab Center. He's long ago healed up and has a permanent home there. Every day he gets to come out of his house and sit on top of his perch, where he likes watching everyone. He doesn't need to be tethered or anything.
He rules the roost, so to speak.

When we get busy with things elsewhere, he amuses himself by going to the edges of what he must feel is his permissable territory because when one of us passes by and actually notices he's not on the top of his house, he looks a little like a kid who emptied the cookie jar and he hops back into what he must feel is the place we expect him to be. It's a crack up.

Here I found him standing on a perch next to his cage -- He doesn't hop so fast, so he must not have been feeling very guilty that day, lol. But he does do the hop.

Forgive my voice-- I had laryngitis that day.

The Snow White Effect

... captured badly on film:

I took a sunset walk with lots of food in my bag. I stopped by a little bridge that crosses a hidden finger of the lake, where very few people walk by. This is where some smart mothers have their babies, as they will be somewhat protected. But what can protect you from a mother who decided that she'd had enough?

I went hoping to see that an abandoned baby duck I'd noticed the day before had made it through the night. Happily, she had. Seems she's been left by her mother, which happens more than you'd think. Last spring it happened in this same spot with a set of five babies. They were a little bigger than this guy when orphaned and at least they all had each other. I watched them grow into teenagers and at that stage, you know they are OK.

I'd first noticed the errant mother and her sole remaining baby last week together, in the same shallow reeds by this bridge, but I haven't seen them together since. Once I saw the little one alone I knew it was for good. Of course I woke up several times in the night with worries that she'd be pulled under by a snapping turtle (probably the fate of her many siblings) or something else. So I made a beeline back as soon as I got the chance

And there she was, eating insects of the surface of the water. She eagerly scooped up my breadcrumbs which I'd broken into the tiniest of pieces for her tiny beak. It was nice and quiet, a moment for just us two...

All at once there were rabbits coming out of the underbrush, a squirrel or two running up for nuts, bluejays screaming from the branches above me, 6 ducks swimming over for bread, a few long tailed grackles cawing for a morsel and a common sparrow spiriting away with the crumbs. A trio of frogs I couldn't see started singing in the distance and a Nutria surfaced and began to clean himself with his front paws before noshing on the reeds.

I did a bad job of getting movies, but I did it to try to capture why I feel like Snow White when I come to this place. Animals of all kinds come out of nowhere, but as soon as a dog or other people come along, they scamper, hop, fly and swim away.

Continued...



I'd already fed her plenty but I wanted to give her some more as the bigger she gets the less she will seem like easy prey. As you can see, the other 6 ducks dominated. The trick is to feed the big ones to distract them and then get something to the baby at the same time.

I went to the feed store and bought some actual chick feed for her for next time. Let's all say a little prayer she's there. All she needs is another week or two and she'll be well on her way to a nice long life.

One day I'll have a videographer with me so I can feed all these animals coming at me without trying to also get pictures... Or, since I do have a film degree myself, I might take the expensive HD movie camera I bought for this purpose but never bring with me... Shoot the amazing things that go on around me with a camera that doesn't rack in and out of focus because I zoom in too fast... and I will be able to edit out the bad parts and splice things together. Until then, thanks for bearing with me!

J' Adore, Furry One

Oh, oh OH! In seeing this little movie again as I uploaded it, it's far cuter than when I took it, and when I took it I knew I'd captured something truly special.



Go ahead, press play again. I'll be waiting right here.

The Wildlife Rehab and Education Center was packed with animals since I was there last. I've had to take a week off and boy, do things change fast. Many of the patients I was caring for have grown and are gone or have been given to local rehabbers to care for and release. Baby ducks and birds, once in tanks, have gotten big enough to move to the fabulous wooden pens outside in the fresh air.

The baby opossums have multiplied (you'd think they were bunnies) and grown to be happy and mischevious. And we're fully into bird season. There are incubators with several small kleenex boxes (to mimic nests) filled with eggs and rows and rows of tanks with of sparrows, robins, rock doves, etc... We have a baby heron (all legs), and terns of all sizes. I saw a new screech owl and the baby great horns continue to grow straight and strong.

But everyone is wild for the two newest additions: 2 baby beavers. The one in the movie above is getting fed on his back wrapped in a towel, by bottle just like our own kids. Below is the sibling of the one getting fed, hanging out in a tank with a stuffed Beaver Mommy. See his little flat tail? The two sleep together in the corner on those white flannel sheets. I'm glad they have each other.
I spent all yesterday at the Center getting basic training in cleaning oil spilled birds and animals (so I can be ready to volunteer when the need arises). I'm itching to get back in there, maybe tomorrow, to learn more about how birds hatch and develop-- and what they need to eat. I saw people in there with everything from raw eggs for some, to little dishes with crickets, meal worms, cat food pellets soaked in something to be soft and berries, feeding all those open mouths with the appropriate tidbit, delivered by an official looking tweezer/scissor like device. Hopefully I can get a few pictures, because as you can see from the nursing Beaver, they are worth a thousand words.

What's THAT?

Now here's an animal I'd never seen before volunteering as a Carnivore Keeper Aid at the zoo. It's called a fossa. It is the size of a really large cat and while feline in appearance in many ways, he has more of a doggie nose, and is incredibly strong. He also is quite agile. Related to the mongoose, not like that's very common either, but at least I'd heard of those.

If you've seen the animated film Madagascar, you've seen a fossa, who co-starred. I just recently saw it, because when you are educating children about animals (which I do at both the zoo and am training to do as a volunteer for the Wildlife Rehab and Education Center), it helps to see every modern animal movie out there so you can help them relate.

We do have clown fish at the aquarium, and when I say "Who here knows what Dora was" all the kids shout, "A CLOWN FISH". But that 's another post....

Take a look.




I love this little guy. On the mornings I worked in the Tiger House making breakfast for the lions, leopards, tigers, cougars and the fossa, he would rapidly pace around in the shape of a figure 8. You see, his little indoor house was right across from the kitchen door and he could see me cutting up and weighing meat for everyone, including him. We used to give him a big white rat on certain days (they are pristine, bread for food and not at all as funky as it sounds) and he'd playfully flip it up in the air over and over. I thought he was starving but apparently he just wanted to party.

As you've guessed, he's a carnivore. And in doing research I've read that they live up to 20 years in captivity... and oddly, can live 60 years in the wild. I'm not sure about that figure, as usually it's quite the opposite. Life is extended in captivity, for obvious reasons -- quality health care, protection from predators, loving care of devoted humans. I have no idea if that's right, but if I get a chance to ask his keeper at the zoo (the guy you hear talking), I'll report back.

My question is, have you ever seen one, and regardless, do you like this one?

The Regal Mr. Goose

Though I have a bear of a sore throat and have been laying low, I had the worst case of cabin fever, and so took a short walk in the park. I brought bread along and saw Mr. Goose, who had eaten some bread and strode to a puddle, left by torrential rains all weekend, for a drink. I decided to try to balance my digital camera and take a quick movie, hoping to capture a little of what I see when I have the privilege of feeding this truly magnificent creature by hand. It just doesn't capture it, but it's still something to see none the less. I also got his unique high pitched honk, which often sounds more like a plainitive wail, on tape. I've tried to describe it before to no avail.

Sometimes I bring cracked corn, but when I bring wheat bread, I make sure to only feed him the soft insides. He doesn't like usually like crusts unless he's in the water and can soften them first, but this time he ate some. He often bites it off with the little Barbie hair comb-like ridges that act as teeth on the back sides of his beak. I think when I start the video you can see a bit of that bread stuck in one side.



I like to think Mr. Goose trusts me. You can see he is very sensitive and notices when other people walk near. That's good, it will keep him out of danger.

This was one of those rare times that I see him out on a bachelor stroll, without Mrs. Goose. I read that Chinese Geese like Mr. G make great watchdogs because they trumpet as any one comes near your property... the four at The Park certainly do. And they also make great lawnmowers, though I'd still bet that horses and cows might beat our the goose for that (but and argument could be made that the goose leaves a LOT less fertilizer than the other two!).

I wish you could get a real sense of just how BIG he is. And he let me touch him once for a millisecond. It was truly the softest thing I'd ever felt.

Below he decided to walk away and eat some greens, which is what he often does in-between bread sessions (it cracks me up that he still has a bit of bread stuck in the corner of his beak). I think he picks up some gravel too, and it all contributes to digestion. These geese are so interesting. They know what's right for their bodies and strictly adhere to that. If only we could all follow those same instincts.

(I could not help but try to close in on his majestic fluffy backside)

Elvis and His Quackless Buds

I'm always delighted to see my boy Elvis when I go to The Park. His world is pretty small. He swims in the long reflection pool, which is the first thing I walk past when I enter the park. Occasionally he's on the grass just across from it, as he has to eat greens, or on the shallow fountain steps that the water rushes over to pour into the pool. He is there often on hot summer nights, so his legs can be in the cooler water, while he sleeps standing up. The rest of the time he perches on the cement ledges on the sides of the pool, to groom and preen and settle his fat fluffy self down for a rest.

I think I've known Elvis for about 2 1/2 - 3 years now. It's very comforting to see him there each visit, like when you go home for the holidays and see that things haven't changed. Over that time I've seen him hanging with different pals - or should I say they hang with him, because he remains the constant, and the other players shift. For a few months last fall I saw him alone. But recently he's been hanging with two red faced Muscovy's and a teenager whose feathers were mostly irridescent green and black. That teen is now almost fully grown and red faced himself (Elvis is rare in that his facial skin is coal black, just like his pompadour)... and I noticed, as you might below, that it seems like the teen (in the middle, the bird I start the clip with) is the most anxious for food of the four.



Aaah youth. The young green former teen was amusing me to no end as he opened his mouth and did his hoarse whisper in his excitement over food. Muscovy's are actually called quacklesss ducks, as indeed, the only sound they make is the hissing noise you could hear if I weren't babbling incessantly over it while filming. Maybe if you play it back once more you can pick it up.

OK, listening back to this I hope I don't sound like the crazy duck lady or something. I'm a former big city celebrity stylist. I do not wear a bubushka and push around an abandoned grocery cart, with only birds for friends. Just sayin'

What saddened me a little was to see that Elvis seems to have been reduced to the bottom of the pecking order. While the young guy in the middle was most aggressive, the other two red faced ducks were on each side of him, getting their share... while Elvis drifted in the background. He knows I will throw some to him, in fact, I try not to obviously favor him (even though I do). I've seen this hovering behavior from ducks before... one who is interested in food but is not part of the gang I'm feeding. But there you often see the order play out as one or two in the gang will chase the hoverer away once I throw a morsel in his direction, even if there is plenty for all. And it seemed that when I threw to Elvis the young buck wasn't happy about it, and Elvis discreetly swam away a little. It made me wonder if Elvis was getting old, and losing his mojo.

I don't know how long ducks actually live. Wikipedia (which we treat as accurate but technically may not be) says 10-20 years but THIS ARTICLE says 7-8. I have also read 3-4. Certainly in this park, there is more protection than out in the wild, so he should make the higher end of estimates. The great circle of life is evident here, just like it is for us... Muscovy's are a hearty bird and have few health issues so I think he'll be around for a long time. Especially if I have anything to do with it.

More Spring Babies

I introduced an animal that I'd never seen (or heard of) before moving to Houston --though that could actually be said for a few animals. That was the Nutria. If you want to learn more about Nutrias, you can CLICK HERE for an introduction or go to the Tags at the right and click on Nutrias.

Well, for a few weeks we got a baby nutria in and he was the delight of so many volunteers. He was so responsive to humans -- definitely imprinted, which is not so great if you want to release him back into the wild. But he was just so cute, everyone wanted to pick him up. Most were reminded that it would be in his best interests and did their best to not engage too much with him, but that dear man Bill who I mentioned HERE could not resist. And we ALL love Bill so much that when it came time to feed the little nutria, we left it to him. Here's a pic of the baby on Uncle Bill's knee, having some milk via syringe.

Last time I was in, the baby was gone. There's a woman who has land with a creek running through it where there are other nutrias, and she has no problem with them nibbling on the reeds and cattails. So he could live a wild life with others of his kind, yet not risk anything because he might be unafraid of her or other human visitors. He's safe with her and is just beginning what sounds like a very happy life.

Ode to New Life

Sweet little bunny securely in my hand. Helpless but trusting, as he must be. Tiny tiny baby, full of the promise of life.

Look at the cute white marking on his head! Precious little one.

And I call this Hang Ten Bunny. Every toenail, his nostrils, whiskers, tail and ears... each soft hair, every tiny bit of this little creature illustrates utter perfection, brought to you by Mother Nature in all her mystery, majesty and power.

(Don't forget that you can click on each picture and they will open up in a larger window)

A Moment with Mr and Mrs Goose

Springtime has hit the park. I was taking a sunset walk and it was quiet. In the distance I heard the high pitched wail of a Chinese goose. My ears perked up and my feet followed the call.

Since I'd seen the newer pair a ways back, (click HERE to read about them) I figured it had to be Mr or Mrs Goose. Sure enough, as I rounded the path near the middle island where they retire at night, there he was standing guard as his Mrs. Foraged for tender green shoots among a little field of purple wildflowers. He's such a gorgeous bird, and a great mate. I just love him. You can see her bending over to the right of the screen here and there. Toward the end, I pan out so you can see the setting -- their little island in the center of the small lake -- better.




It really is a romantic spot, with the moss hanging down from tree limbs, the flowers scattered about, the water gently rippling all around. A calming sight. What a blissful stroll I had. And hopefully, this brought a little of that to you...

Today I checked on the baby owl. He's grown into his big eyes at least, but still seems fairly helpless. A little less wobbly, and very fuzzy. I took a few seconds of video and a picture...


The pic below (without the cage door between us) is a little blurry because I snapped it quickly. I had several rows of opossum babies who I wanted to give fresh milk and water to. But I could not resist the chance to document his growth. I learn so much every day that I do this work.

Right across from him were twin great horned owls, who are what the baby will grow into. As you can see from their equal fuzziness, they are still not adults, but they are strong, able to stand on their own. Aren't they just a fabulous sight? Click on the pic to enlarge.

(PS: CLICK HERE and HERE to see past pictures of the baby over the last few weeks)

Tan and A Looker

Who says you there's not something for everyone on this blog?

Oh, no one said that?

Well, insects really aren't my thing, but I've learned that, just like how in the dating world there's someone for everyone out there, there is a person for every species. If Tarantulas or snakes or alligators make your skin crawl, there are all kinds of folks who prefer them to the furry sweet faced kittens and puppies you adore. And I imagine that goes for insects as well...

I can't speak for the textbook definition of the hierarchical scale, but I kind of think of insects as being at the far edge --- I won't say the bottom, as who am I to judge. They are, after all, living things. They may be smaller than the smallest animals, but they certainly are way above plants, as living things go.

I dearly hope you're getting that this is all quite tongue in cheek. Any one of my zoo friends who actually went to school for all of this would be moaning at my botched attempt at humor and could probably set me straight in an instant.

I got an appreciation for grasshoppers when I was sitting in our rental car in the hills near Boulder, CO and noticed this fella sitting on the wiper, checking me out.


Being a former stylist, I admired his monochromatic theme. When I zoomed in with my HD camera, I saw that even his eyes matched the rest of him.

He looks like he's prehistoric, and like he's wearing a coat of armor. And he's damn big as grasshoppers go (at least where I grew up with them, which was in a suburb near Chicago). I thought for all those reasons, he was pretty cool.

I do wonder if he is something else, as he doesn't quite exhibit the big back legs that allow for the "hop" part.... They look more like wings, but maybe his back legs are hidden? I did some research but could not come up with anything definitive. CLICK HERE to see a bit of what I found.

But maybe if you're one of those people who loves insects, dear readers, you can set me straight on this one... Does anyone know what this elegant guy is?

Bill and Ted's Nutritional Adventure

There is a lovely man named Bill who comes in several days a week to take care of the outdoor animals. There are wooden pens just outside the building that is home to a rotating list of birds, ducks, pelicans and geese. If we have any in, we let turtles sit out in the sun on the landing in water with rocks and plants, but bring them in at night. Further out there's a long row of wire pens for barnyard animals. We have baby pigs out there now, and several goats. Bill cares for them all with lots of love.

Here is Uncle Bill feeding Teddy, our baby goat, who has become a fave of the readers of this blog!




If you listen carefully, you can hear the cock a doodle do's in the background, from the rescued roosters (and chickens and chicks) that are still living next door.

More Hitchock

There's a time of year when the trees are laden with black birds, chatting up a storm. Here is a movie I took of a few trees full at night around the theater district in downtown Houston. This was taken about a month ago and I never got a chance to post it.



I don't know if these are grackles coming back from somewhere from mating time, or if it's a similar looking group of birds migrating through on their way to some other destination.

I have come to love the long tailed grackles that are so common here, which I had never seen in other cities I've lived before.
This time of year they build their nests and have babies, and they sing in a way I don't hear in the fall. It's created a Pavlovian response in me... I hear it and am filled with all kinds of pleasant memories and feelings, as they were the first animal that really caught my attention upon moving here. Previously, living in NYC, I had very little contact with nature, and if I did, it was in the form of grass and water and sunsets on the island's outer edges or from dogs passing on the city streets. The very first baby birds in their nests I've ever seen were when the grackles built them in the trees just below my apartment deck in the high rise I lived in 2 years ago. Their song woke me up at 5 AM every morning in the spring. I'd go bleary eyed into the misty gloaming before sunrise and peer down, often with binoculars, to watch the babies and their progress.... that led to the park, which led to the zoo, which led to the wildlife rehab and look at how much animal interaction I have in my life now!

And it all started with a black bird in a tree....

To read more about black birds click HERE and grackles click HERE and HERE.

Sound Asleep

OK, I am completely slain by baby squirrels.

I know some people think they are tree rats and nuisances, building nests occasionally in someone's attic or eating all the food in the feeders folks put out to attract birds. But how can your heart not just swell to bursting with love when you hold sweet little sleeping babies in your hand like this? And he is sleeping because I just fed him warm milk... don't we adore our human babies in the exact same kind of moment?



I love how they sleep, with their skinny baby tails curled up over their face like we might pull up our quilts on a chilly night. And you can see him contentedly moving his mouth, as if he's savoring little dreams of his recent meal. He's so young his ears are still bent down to his little head. His fuzzy forearms! Those too-big hands and feet! His tiny shoulder blades as he hunts for his sisters to sleep! His wobbly attempts to navigate the blanket .... (I know, somebody stop me!). Even if you're not a squirrel lover, you've gotta admit, these babies are cute.

Here's an even smaller one -- just crossing over from being what we call a pinky (no hair at all, just born). You can see me put the milk nipple into the frame for a second to get an idea of how small, if not by seeing him compared to my thumb. I have a focus problem near the end, but his little black nose and whiskers become clear so hang in there.


A face like that just makes me smile, every time!

Are you with me yet?

Bedside Manners

We have a few tanks of squirrels in, nothing like what we were dealing with after Hurricane Ike. I guess that's a good thing. It's baby time in the squirrel world, so if we don't have many in, that means plenty of babies hopefully are with their mothers, growing healthy and strong in the wild, as it should be. We come in handy when something happens in that natural order.

I notice that they let me take care of the squirrel area, which delights me to no end, as miraculously I'm not allergic to them.

I'm finding differences in how some squirrels behave when it's not a crisis situation. Post-hurricane, so many of the squirrels were docile and limp -- probably because many were coming out of shock from that long, cold storm. Shaken out of cozy nests by 110 mph winds, being chilled and pelted by a dozen hours of rain and losing their mothers had them coming to us in droves sick and scared. There were also so many volunteers at any given time, and 20 babies in a tank, I guess those squirrels became a little more used to the commotion and being handled.

We effort to not imprint ourselves on the animals. You want to play with them, hug and hold them but that only hurts them when they go back into the wild. While they can adapt, the fact that they don't fear people might cause them to approach folks, or even innocently climb up their leg or arm -- and that can result in them getting hurt or killed (or shot, depending on how far out you live).

I have two tanks of siblings who seem pretty scared when it's mealtime. I try to move slowly and quietly, pick them up and put them back gently, but I notice they stay frozen and won't open their mouths to feed. The others smell the milk and grab onto the syringe and gobble the nipple with gusto.

So I learned that if I let the scared few sit on my chest, put a piece of fuzzy blanket over their head, and let them sit there for a minute under the covers, they relax. I can then slip the syringe of milk under the edge of the blanket and they are interested. As soon as they start drinking they get what's going on, and from there I can refill it and feed them normally, without any need for cover or cajoling, til they're full.

Here is one of those guys who has just finished eating and has gone back to being a little spooked. That's good, because he remains "wild".



You can see that he's a little nervous again because he's sitting so still... and it's not because he's pleasantly sleepy from a full belly. When I open my hand so you can see him, he starts just a little. But he seems to be more at ease once I swing the camera around.

I quickly put him back in his bed and watched him happily eat a few apple slices for dessert. He is getting old enough to be eating some softer fruits and nuts on his own.

Fuzzy Silly

If you CLICK HERE you can see a few pictures of the baby great horned owlet that we have been raising. That time he was being coy, and had his back to the camera. This time I saw him in his tank with his stunning eyes facing front, and he was doing goofy baby owl things. I grabbed my camera and took a quick little video.




Isn't he funny? The sparse little fluff covering him is called down. It will be weeks (45 days in all) before he begins to grow real feathers. He's so wobbly -- unlike baby ducks and chicks, owlets can't get up and walk... they must wait for their mother to bring them food for the first 5 weeks. Those babies have to be pretty darn patient to wile the hours away unable to do much but sit and wait for meals. By 10 weeks they make their first hesitant forays out of the nest.

We feed him several rat pups (not live) a day, to duplicate how his mom might return to the nest with something she'd caught. At least this little one has no competition for meals with any brothers or sisters. I bet he's going to grow up to be so handsome and graceful... though you'd never know it with the way he looks and acts now

Growin' Horns!

For those of you who fell in love with the baby goat I came back in a week and he'd already begun to grow horns!

It's in goats nature to climb, which might account for the charming and hysterical little leaps he was taking when he first arrived. CLICK HERE to see that -- you should not miss it if you haven't.

So now, less than 2 weeks later, he is able to get up on some things, and he was amusing himself and all of us by using a swivel chair. OH endless funnies... but we tear ourselves away to go back to cleaning and feeding. PS: I promise you, in real life I don't talk with the high squeaky voice you hear on these videos!

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Cute Little Soft Little Warm Little Guys

OK, I admit it. I have lived my entire life without ever seeing an opossum... My only reference was to Granny's constant mention of opossum recipes on the Beverly Hillbillies...which should give you a guess at how long I've been on the planet with nary an encounter. Tsktsk, such a city girl.

Until I started to volunteer at the Wildlife Rehab... and then I started to clean out their stinky cages. They are STINKY! But that is the only bad thing I can say about them. I find them quite amenable. They look like a big rat but they are actually marsupials; like koalas and kangaroos they have a pouch in which to carry their young.

I know they have more teeth than any other animal, but they are really quite harmless. They open their mouth to show them when a threat (in this case, US) approaches them. I totally understand that... I am always mindful that when we humans peer at or reach in for any of these creatures, it has to be akin to alien abduction for them. I'd personally be quite terrified, even if the giant hand and face was trying it's best to feed, comfort, medicate and heal me.. and make sure I have fresh sheets and that the temperature is just right, etc...

We use a baton to technically hold them back when changing the paper in their cages and putting in food, but I have never known one to snap or be aggressive. How many people call, having found one eating cat food in their garage, asking if they should shoot it! Um, no. Just take the food away, wait til they leave and shut your garage door more often. In fact, these harmless little guys eat most of the things people think are pests -- snakes, rats, even cockroaches. And they are less likely to carry rabies than you think. Only trained people should try to handle them however.

This really nice mama opossum let the vet tech pick her up so we could check on the babies, and I asked if I could quick snap a picture. The mother is only smiling that way because she's being grasped by the extra skin behind the neck (same place that cats pick up their young). It makes them look scary.

I found this fascinating: They have from 5 to 25 babies but only 13-15 teats (hopefully all working). Whomever gets there fastest wins a shot at life... survival of the fittest at work. They have to crawl about 2 inches from the birth canal to the pocket or marsupium (you can see this better below) and latch on to a teat for milk. There they stay for anywhere between 70-125 days. (See their little tails sticking out?). I expected to see a horizontal pouch slit, like kangaroos have, but the opossums is vertical. Isn't that amazing?
Once they are bigger, they stay by their mom for a while before going on their way. I got some training on how to feed the orphaned babies, which we are getting in at this time of year by the handful. I'll write about that once I actually do it. In the mean time I picked up this fella to get comfortable handling him and was amazed at how soft, warm and cute he was. (Cracks me up that he starts out holding on to his foot -watch for it below)

So remember to be kind to and not afraid of opossums. And please do look out for them when you're driving at night!

Destined to be a Great Horned Own

We got a baby great horned owl in to the Wildlife Rehab abotut a week ago. Here he is looking silly sitting around in his little enclosure.

He looks half plucked and fuzzy, unkept, bent beaked and like he might not have use of his legs. Click on the photo below to see it enlarged -- This fella's a little Benjamin Buttonesque, wouldn't you say? But he is perfectly fine.. he just doesn't have a mommy. Except us of course! We clean up after him, give him a soft place to sleep, feed him all he needs so he can grow into his beautiful eyes. Those big, golden, mezmerising eyes are the only sign of what's to come.

Because you see, when he grows up, he will be among the most handsome and mysterious birds on earth in my opinion. Here's an idea of what he'll look like:

I took a little movie of him today, doing cute things in his cage which I will upload and post in the next few days, so please come back-- this little guy is quite amusing to see in motion.

Baby chicks

I mentioned a ways back that there were a large group of chickens sitting in the large warehouse next to the rehab center, cock a doodle do-ing all day long. They really make quite a racket.

Well, we took in about 6 tanks worth of baby chicks, 8-10 a tank, and kept them warm, clean and fed. They grow so fast! I came in one Thurdsay to little yellow puff bals and the next thursday to these guys below, double in size from before, and already growing out heavier, mutli- colored feathers. To look down on the tanks from above you can appreciate how beautiful they looked much more. I wish I had taken a photo from that angle, but I was too busy scooping them out into a new tank so I could clean the one they were in.

Instead, I took this quick little snippet of them eagerly drinking some fresh water I'd put in while they were waiting for me to finish up and get to feeding them their breakfast. They are as cute, swallowing with their little beaks in motion, as the baby ducks where that I filmed HERE.

All those roosters crowing made me think twice about having chickens when I buy a home/have some land. I thought it would be a great way to have live animals, while having a source of fresh food (just the eggs!!!). I was thinking that would be even easier than trying to grow things in a garden. But do I really want to be woken up at 4 AM by a rooster crowing? And apparently they don't just do it in the morning if these guys we have are any indication. One of them goes off literally every minute.

This Is How We Learn

If Laura M is coming here to visit, please scroll down and don't miss the bunny video in the two posts below this one.

We have a variety of raptors and owls who come to the Rehab Center with concussions, broken wings etc. If it was awhile before someone found them they may be dehydrated too. Injuries often happens as a result of man, though not always. It's man who brings them in and man -- woman in our case -- who tries to save them, so I supposed there is some balance in the world.

See this nice, but REALLY BIG bird -- with the sharp beak? And the intense claws?

Well I had to administer a tube feeding of one just like it the other day.



Oh yea, that's right -- I was just finishing up with the squirrels and one of the women who run the place came over to me with a big syringe (about 6" high and 1/2" circumference) filled with a formula of Pedialyte + nutrition. Instead of a needle it had a long, very skinny tube on the end of it. She handed it to me and within seconds was back holding a bird much like the one above. There is a special way to grip these birds so you can care for their injuries. With ultra-thick gloves on you must grasp them between the ankles with your thumb and two fingers to protect you from the talons and hold them still (If they are very distressed, it helps to cover their eyes while doing an inspection).

She sat down while I stood and told me: You are going to see a hole in the middle of his throat and pockets on either side. You are to stick this tube down either pocket and inject the fluid slowly. Be sure to not go to fast.

If I either put the tube down the hold or any liquid came backing up too fast and went in there I'd kill him... no pressure! Apparently that is like his windpipe. I was both terrified and eager to become capable. I was thinking how squeamish we all feel at the thought of them putting a tube down our throat in the hospital, let alone being the one to DO it. But, focusing on my desire to help, I overrode my fear.

She opened his beak with her other hand and extended his neck at the same time. Sure enough, things were as described, but it was awfully dark down his throat. I marshalled every bit of my over-40 eyesight and gently aimed for the left pocket and smoothly as possible threaded the tube in. At this point she told me when I hit some resistance I'd know it was his stomach and to stop there. The concept gave me a shiver but I did just fine. Then she told me to push the plunger, but to make sure that none of the liquid would back up... which I did and it didn't. Got through the whole giant syringe, and I pulled the tube out, and the bird went back into the comfort of his dark cage with a little mouse for dessert.

It was one of those things that's terrifying but with a life in hand, you reach new heights of ability and concentration. In truth, once this is done a few times, it probably is a no-brainer. But having no prior warning or experience, it was a big deal for me. She had no one else on hand who could do it, and the bird needed lifesaving fluids. This is why I love the Center so much. I watch, I ask questions, I study, I am careful, and because these lives depend on you, you learn to do things quickly and correctly.

Who needs to climb mountains or sky dive for a thrill? I'm kept on my toes by the feathered and furry every day.

Early Easter Part Two

As promised, here is the next part of feeding the baby bunnies this week at the Wildlife Rehab Center (If you're wondering what I'm talking about just scroll down past this to see the previous post -- caution: video to make you swoon is included).

The women who run the center, who are experts, taught me how to do this. You hold the baby's head gently between thumb and forefinger and go in with the milk at the side of the mouth at first, because even at this stage the bunnies have front teeth! They squiggle more than any squirrel, rambunctious as they are. I was amazed at how strong their arms and legs were as they pushed against the inside of my hand. The babies are just so small!

Did I mention how humbling it is to have this little life squirming around in your hand? This was my last feeding of the day with the last of the three bunnies so I asked another volunteer to take a little footage... For that reason, held him a bit loosely, allowed his head to move. It takes a minute for him to get it right and then my coworker zoomed so you can see a little better.



(if you listen closely you can hear both me saying it's a bad hair day and the constant cock a doodle do's of a large bunch of chickens who are being held in an ajacent building. They were confiscated by the SPCA -- maybe it will be on a future Animal Planet show)

Even at this age they chew with that cute wrinkly nose action instead of suckling. It's a trick to get it into their mouths. I tried to start out with a drop of milk on his lips (do bunnies have lips?), hoping he would just open up, but apparently that's not how bunnies work. Baby squirrels smell the milk on your hands from the second you pick them up and even with their eyes still closed they start hunting for the source.

I know that was short but again, they are the priority. I just wanted to have a little of this on film to let people know of the wonderful work that is being done out there, by the people who set up places like this and work tirelessly for the well being of animals. I just get the privilege to make a tiny contribution. The joy I get in return is immeasurable.

Easter Arrived Early

As promised, here are some videos of what I did yesterday. There were some newborn bunnies, to add to the larger babies we have been caring for. I have never seen baby bunnies, and certainly none this small. Their eyes open in about 8 days, so we figure these might be anywhere from 3-6 days old.

How to describe. SOFT. Little folded back ears. REALLY squiggly and strong. Not so easy to feed. Here's how I first saw the squiggling little bunch of three. They are all curled together inside a small kleenex box. They have a little flannel in there and look how much room there still is with THREE bunnies.



I took one out to feed, which is a trick because my hand was larger than the hole on the kleenex box they were kept in. And it is a humbling sense of responsibility to handle something so tiny that is a living being. I put him on my lap for a moment while the milk was warming up.




Ooooh I just keep pressing play to watch these again and again. They're just too short but I don't want to take away from the job I have to do. I will post the video of me feeding this little one tomorrow. For better or worse, I've largely been a city girl so I have never seen bunnies like this. Have any of you seen bunnies this small in your yard?

What a Treat.

Oh, yes it was. The day after I posted that there was a new baby giraffe born at the zoo (click here to read) I got to go in and say hello up close. Really, how lucky can a Naturegirrrl get?

At the start of the little vid below you can see him standing in his little pen, part from the adults, who you can clearly see a are quite a bit larger than he is. His dad is 17 feet tall, and the baby is only 5'9 (STILL, that's a few inches taller than me!).  The giraffes you see behind him are not the tallest ones in the group.

Keep in mind, that I was able to get this close by virtue of what I do with the zoo.  They are very careful to protect these animals as well as the people that visit them. 

I had an amazing day today at the Wildlife Rehab Center feeding the tiniest baby .... well, I don't want to spoil it. Please stop back tomorrow and see.

If you could visit up close with a baby animal, which would it be?

Update

Now that my schedule has a lull, I am very much looking forward to getting in some regular hours at the Wildlife Rehab Center and at the Zoo.

I don't work at these places, I'm a volunteer, and the hours are left up to me. When I go, I could stay all day. Time flies. I'm completely present and fully absorbed in whatever I'm doing. There is always something new going on, something to learn, something I haven't seen, or if something is becoming familiar, I'm pleased -- as means I'm gaining real knowledge and useful skills.

At the Wildlife Center they'd told us to rest up over the holidays because once spring comes, they take in up to 1000 critters each month and need us to come in as much as we can. Many are babies.... spring is the time for all things to be born, and so it is in the animal world. We'll get lots of baby birds in, which I've never worked with before. Various species of birds have their young at different times, so you can almost tell what month it is by what comes in when ie: raptors or finches or songbirds. Some species have only one brood, and a few have several over the spring and summer. I look forward to seeing the procession to learn more about birds in general, and their mating habits, and how their babies need to be fed, and grow. I learned that about squirrels after Hurricane Ike had us trying to feed 1200 darling, squiggling, sleepy, vulnerable little ones. CLICK HERE to read about that.

There will be baby squirrels but of course a more manageble amount. We have about 10 we've been nursing the last few weeks. They are my favorite (along with baby ducklings and geese). I'm told we'll get as many opossums as birds (I'll post on opossums a little later).

WRC occasionally gets a baby deer or GOAT or sheep, or chickens too. There were at least 5 tanks with a dozen chicks in each when I went in on Saturday, with god knows how many roosters crowing from the large warehouse attached to our building. Since the wildlife center is part of the SPCA (yes, the one you see on Animal Planet) I guess this was a confiscation, and we always get the babies, who need the most care.

The Wildlife Center is really a hospital/nursery, and we take care to keep everything clean and organized. Various vets also volunteer their time to come by and give us their much valued talents, in addition to the ones at the SPCA. In April, I'm looking forward to an all day training on how to clean birds up after an oil spill. Apparently there is a season for that too, and the women who run the Wildlife Rehab Center go wherever they are needed -- mainly along the Gulf coast -- to set up and work tireless days and nights rescuing birds from tragic and hard deaths. They can be there for weeks, stumbling back to meager accommodations to get some sleep. I am always amazed and inspired by the patience of these three women, their focus on the well being of the whatever animal that is put in their care, no matter what the conditions are for themselves. They set a great example.

I'm going this morning, as I have been every Thursday morning recently, but will begin to fill in for afternoon feedings during the week as needed. I will bring my camera and return to my desk, with lots of stories to tell!

For now, a familiar scene: Can't wait to get there to these little ones. I just love their furry forearms!

I'm Sweet on This One

I haven't seen him so far this spring but my favorite duck in The Park, besides Elvis of course, is this one:

He's a stand out from all the others in my mind, a truly special guy. His little chest is narrow, his beak is orange (not the usual yellow or brown or black), and his slim, rubbery feet match. His feathers are a nice caramel and white color, so he's quite well dressed overall.

When he sees that I have food he runs faster than any of the other ducks; his little webbed feet carry him impossibly fast to my side. He even swims faster than the rest, as you can see below.

His head darts in all directions, as if he's had one too many coffees. I think he'd just a very excited little duck!

I was standing above him on a bridge dropping bread with one hand, taking movies with the other. He comes swimming up at lightening speed and you can even see how his funny feet paddle madly to keep him in place. It's so comical! He amuses me to no end!

(that high pitched honking in the background signals the approach of Mr and Mrs Goose - click on this or on Elvis to read about them. The three that swim up are Black Bellied whistling ducks, but I call them Squeaky Beaks, for the high twittering little noise that they make)

It was no surprise then that when I got home to research what he was, I learned that he's called a RUNNING Duck! No lie. He is the only one in all the waterfowl that are at the park, and at the several other little lakes where ducks and geese collect themselves, I have never seen another.

He's truly one of a kind.

Spring Babies

Sometimes it's hard to get comfortable... and you just need to find the right spot.

Lunchtime in the Park

I'm just amazed at how close these squirrels let me get to them. Perhaps it's a small price for a tender, succulent cashew nut. Does that make me guilty of bribes?

Baby Luv!

Twenty five days ago, a new baby giraffe was born at the zoo. Hmmph! Apparently, My BOYFRIEND has been busy reproducing! Actually it was suspected that one of the females was pregnant for months but until the keepers could get a good ultrasound no one could be sure.

The full gestation period is about 14-15 months. Ladies, can you imagine? I visited the mother around Thanksgiving time and looked at her tummy up close. Though the baby she was carrying had indeed been conceived close to a year before, she just didn't look like it. I tried to picture a that long baby neck and 4 even longer, delicate legs and how they could possibly be folded up inside of her. It just didn't look much different than the soon-to-be-auntie's figure who stood beside her back then. So I was amazed as well as delighted to see this little one enjoying the sun for the first time yesterday morning.

I offer you this rather fuzzy picture, as I was just a little too far... but I saw this perfect profile shot and snapped it.

This is the baby with his keeper, so you can get an idea of just how tall he is... I'd say she is at least 5'7". (I just looked it up and he's 5' 9 1/2 and 110 lbs -- the stats of a supermodel to be sure!)






At the same time, he is just so small compared to the one year old baby from last year, let alone the grown ups! He doesn't even match the full length of the legs of the giraffe's surrounding him.



Here's a little better view of the size difference between the new baby and an adult female on the right.

How adorable is that???


WELCOME TO THE WORLD!!!!!