Sleeping Cuties

Well, it's started again. Baby season. The Center got in several squirrels and baby ducklings, just a few possums so far (both fingers crossed there won't be as many as last year. Cute but stinky!!) and we're waiting for the boom of baby birds to hit. Three little gray squirrels came in late Sunday afternoon who were too young to stay at the center -- meaning they needed an additional feeding or two after hours. I guess someone was re-doing their attic and found a nest with them in it. *sigh* Renovations!

These three aren't sick at all like the ones I usually take. They just had some insulation I cleared out from their mouths and noses... so they are easy to feed and I don't get up 10 x a night because I'm worried about them. One's female, 54 grams, and the two males are 54 and 60 grams. I did have to separate them the first night because the bigger male started sucking on the others, which sometimes happens when they are this young. Everything is OK today though.

So while they're safe and sound --and as such, will definitely grow up and be released into the wild -- I did feel for the mother who probably came back to the nest and wondered where her babies were.

But then, I guess a mother can leave a nest and come back and find it empty thanks to a raptor raid too. Mother Nature can sometimes be as harsh as humankind.

Don't worry mama squirrel, I have your little ones.

I'm keeping them warm, well fed, and loved!

Click The Link

Happy Sunday to all. Last day of the Olympics. With the ever-changing weather conditions I'd say they ALL have had their own Adventures in Nature.

If you take a break from your TV and are looking at your computer screen instead, please click this link and come on over to my newest post on the HOUSTON ZOO BLOG. Any and all comments would be very welcome and much appreciated.

Bachelor Dads

Almost two years ago now a new pair of geese showed up at Hermann Park. While previously there'd only been the grand and elegant Mr. and Mrs. Goose ruling the lake, I arrived one day to see two more gliding along it's blue surface. One was a Chinese goose with all the same brown and white feathers, the same black beak with a bump, the same plaintitive wail as Mr. Goose. It was also the same size, and so I assumed it was a he. The other had an orange beak and as big a body, but with fluffier feathers that were ashy-brown all over. I've come to know this as a greylag goose (but it could be a landes-- chime in in the comments area if you know). I assumed he was also a male due to his size and aggressiveness when eating from my hand. Where the other three were more gentle, he'd rip the bread from my fingers, often nipping them in the process (he didn't mean it though, he just needs better table manners).

While Geese are known to be good egg producers, I've never ever seem Mr. and Mrs Goose with chicks of their own, though there's six weeks a year, sometimes twice a year, when I only see Mr. Goose on his own. As the Mrs. was never far from his side normally, I wondered if they had a nest during those times...though if she was gone due to sitting on it, apparently nothing ever hatched.

I've read much about the goose's tendancy to mate for life, but I wondered about these two guys. Somewhere I came across a line or two that they might stick with a buddy if not a mate, filling that need to pair.

Interestingly, last spring, when all the Muscovy's begin to appear with lines of fuzzy babies waddling after them, I noticed that the bachelor buds were very interested in the 11 little ones of one mother Muscovy. Here were a few pictures I snapped.

The first few times I thought they were bullying them, but when I tried to shoo them away from the mother and chicks, they would not go. They were obsessed. With further observation, I realized that they were quite attached to the little ones. Over the next few weeks, I found them together in all corners of the park. They would stand guard as the babies slept under the shade of a tree, assist them as they got in and out of the water, or shepard them safely across the walkway, as I caught them doing here.

I wondered if I'd been mistaken, that they were indeed male and female, practicing for the future. But if they were both males, could they not also have some kind of paternal instinct? And it being nesting time, but finding themselves unable to fulfill nature's call, could they not have decided to adopt?

They often bent their long necks down this way to gently nudge the babes along --or to dicipline! After about 6 weeks they'd grown into juveniles and the mother was no where to be found. But I'd see the pair of bachelor geese right beside them, until one day, their little flock had grown too big to tell them apart from the other muscovy teenagers. And like all parents, these two guys were forced to watch as they swam away to have their own lives, leaving them with... an empty nest.

Considering how few babies make it to adulthood, these geese proved to be excellent parents and they should be proud. Oddly, I've never seen them do it again. But spring is coming and with the budding trees and sprouting flowers come babies of all kinds in the animal kingdom. I will be keeping a close on these two.

Today's Giggle

Anything for a Bite of Green

At The Zoo, the resident herd of giraffes are very well fed, and quite loved and pampered. So it is not from hunger that on occasion I have seen one doing this when there are no visitors on grounds...It's just because they're orally fixated!

Isn't this what long necks are for? But long legs certainly don't make this so easy. To be this close and see them do it is surreal. They are such gentle beings.

More Sleep Positions

Oh how I wish little squirrels could be kept as house pets! When I've said they provide and endless source of amusement, I'm NOT kidding. Even when they sleep they're hysterical.
Not all of these are the best quality as it's hard to shoot through the glass tank in the sun, but I encourage you to click on any photo you want to see better. It will open up and enlarge in delightful detail on a new page.
ENJOY!!!Oh, those not-so-little feet!

Their noses, always tucked under something...

And these two Fox siblings who I found crashed out in their playpen under the tail of a "mother" squirrel toy's gray tail. Both on their backs, both hips splayed, both with heads hidden. THE BEST comedy moment of Fall '09

And Rocky, my first at-home squirrel patient, sprawled out in the sun with his foot stretched out behind him. Cute cute cute.

These next two: I was amazed at how flexible they were, so much so that sleeping with their necks craned upward against the tank apparently was comfortable enough to pass out and dream their baby squirrel dreams.

Yes, there are two in that tank... those are not the legs belonging to the one up against the wall.

Ah, anything to be curled up, tucked under, somewhere soft, warm and cozy.

Did I mention they were flexible? Puts cats to shame in that department. These are two of many photos I have of them sleeping completely upside down.

It's squirrel baby season again... We've only had two sets of pinkies come into The Center so far, knock wood. As much as I love caring for them, it's my hope that they all will manage to stay in their nests, safe and sound with their mother. But if some more come in that need to be nursed at home, we may have some fresh pictures in the coming months. Stay tuned!!

Mr. Foof

There's a pack of about 6 caramel and white colored ducks who must have flown in from somewhere (or were dropped off by someone) about a year ago and decided that The Park was a good place to stay. Smart birds.Plenty of places to swim, nest and sleep and the weather isn't too shabby either. Not to mention that there are lots of humans around who provide extra treats when pulling on grasses and reeds and nibbling insects get ho hum.

Each one of these ducks have a distinctive white poof of feathers on their heads. Not quite an Easter hat, definitely not a pompadour, but more like a cotton ball pillbox.



But last time I was there I saw what appears to be a mallard drake with the same poof on top -- only his was quite grand, traveling from his crown halfway down his shimmery neck. Take a gander: The front shot just makes me laugh.
So noble and yet, so Don King...


Really. It's more than a poof, hence the post's title. Anyway, here for your enjoyment is a little of this guy, dabbling among lily pads.



Having spent the better part of an hour scouring duck books and Google to find out what this is all about, I've come up with ZERO. I went to duck ID sites for hunters. I put head plumage in quotes to get as specific as possible. I Googled images using every wording imaginable. The best I found was one picture of one of the caramel colored poofers but it was on a stock photographers site. The caption was as clueless, only offering it is thought they are a hybrid.

Do any of you animal lovers out there have a clue?

Fuzzy and Fast Asleep

MUST CLICK ON THIS TO ENLARGE -- really, don't miss doing it. So furry! So red!

Just a favorite picture of the male of those last two Fox babies I took care of in fall - the ones that were so sick and so attached to each other. This one fell asleep on his back and just looked so Uh.Dor.Able that I had to preserve it on film. And I did. Brings me right back there and I wish he were still in my house right now! I miss those two immensely!

Today's Chuckle

Blue Moon

The night before New Years Eve, I stole out into the frigid temps to take this snap of the breathtaking full moon. I stood there in the blackness and looked through the bare branches at the glow that was radiating from it, in awe. It was almost like the moon was exhaling all around and you could see the breath, like I could see my own as I was standing there shivering in my slippers and pj's under my down coat.

There was supposed to be a Blue Moon on the big night, but it was so cloudy then I couldn't see a thing. I still went out and tilted my face skyward and made my new year wishes on it, a tradition I started many moons ago.

Did you see it where you were? Did you take any pictures? Tell me in the comments what it looked like to you...

Nuts To You

Oh I love The Park that I live so close to, where I am still thrilled that the "wild animals" are all so tame that they eat from my hand. When I am in need of the fix that only being with animals can give, I take a walk there with my bag stuffed with bread, raw nuts and cracked corn at the very least, so I have a little something for anyone I might run into who is up for a little snack.

I visited the other side of the lake, rather than the squirrel forest, since I wanted the little ones over there to get their due. I spotted this Fox leaping from branch to branch and pushed through some sticky brambles and weeds to catch her attention. There I offered nuts, and took blurry but satisfying movies with my other hand.




It's a shame that these movies are so big and clear on my computer and are so reduced here on blogger. Here's a picture at least of the little girl, caught mid bite.

It's odd to have a nature scene such as this have such a cacophonous soundtrack. The siren is because The Park is next to the medical center. While it's far enough away, ambulances and emergency helicopters are heard regularly on their way to it. The high pitched whistle is from a children's train that snakes around the lake and trees. Here's more....




Cracks me up to see her check me out as she's finishing this nut. I was moving around a little, picking another nut out of my pocket to wave at her once she was done. She looks me up and down quick and comes racing back for it. I don't know if you can make all that out on the infuriatingly small screen they condense these movies to. You need to come over some day and watch them on my computer where they fill up the whole screen.

If that's not enough, I have some lovely salted cashews (or cake and coffee/tea) to lure you. :-)

The Guardian

Is there a God? Do we have guides? Guardian angels?

These questions occurred to me during the month that I rehabbed a dehydrated, orphaned infant squirrel at home. He was so little, so vulnerable, so sweet, so funny. And for over 4 weeks his little life was in my hands.

Literally.

While he was sleeping and unaware, I brought him home in a flannel lined box with a microwaved rice sock to keep him warm during the trip. I drove more slowly than I ever have, being extra careful to avoid bumps as my free hand lay protectively on it's top.

Upon arrival I settled the box on a heating pad, but kept the sock in with him because this one was clearly a cuddler. I felt bad that he was all on his own... except for me. He'd push his little nose under the heavy, round sock, which imitates in shape and weight the body of a mother squirrel. I can't tell you how many times I tip toed into that room to lift the lid and check on him. I watched his breathing, and delighted in his funny sleeping positions. I kept a schedule and woke him at regular intervals, tested the temp of his milk on my wrist, and fed him, taking copious notes on his growth and behavior. Every time I checked I could see his ears had gotten pointier, his tail hair had grown visibly, his belly was furring over, or that his whiskers had come out. It was like I'd been given superpowers, and could watch his growth as if I possessed rapid-speed vision, or that time no longer existed as I knew it, and I had somehow stepped into a different plane of awareness and operation. It was, in a word, surreal.

He did not know that I was there. I was virtually invisible to him, a totally different species in fact, so huge he could never comprehend me, or the fact that I use computers and drive a car... things that just aren't within his realm of imagination. He simply did what he was born to do... eat, sleep and grow, destined to climb trees, play in the fresh air, forage for nuts to bury, make a nest, and find a little girl squirrel to have babies with... all because I was sheparding him through this stage of his little life.

During feeding, he knew when he was full; he'd pull away, instantly curl up in my palm and be out like a light, so soft, innocent, trusting and warm. Many times I cupped my other palm over him and just held him for a long time, to be sure he was in a very deep sleep before I'd ever so gently place him back in his bed, the cloth of which I'd change to fresh every single day. He'd only stir enough to push his little nose under the belly of that rice sock, and go back to his dreams. And I was ever-present, keeping watch.

Though I had a very busy adult human life, truthfully nothing was more important to me than overseeing his well being. I went to bed thinking about him, and woke up doing the same. I had a distinct sense of rightness and purpose. It was natural, easy, and completely joyful. I felt like it was the most special thing I could do with my own life.

And as I did all this, day after day, I thought: What if we had someone doing just the same thing-- steering us in the right direction, helping us grow, nurturing our development, keeping things warm and cozy... always there, looking out for us, even when things might appear go astray? Some One or some Thing in a form or from an existence that we can't quite comprehend but in whose hands we are safe? What if we have their full attention as it's their purpose, their life's work? What if, above all, we are as fully loved as I loved and still love this little boy squirrel? Can we just relax then, in good times and bad, and trust that we are being taken care of always?

Hmmm....

What do you think?

*thank you to jameswoodward.wordpress.com for the snow angel image*

Finding Warmth in Winter

I always enjoy strolling through The Park on sunny days when it's quiet, because it's then that the turtles --of which there is quite a healthy population -- come out to sun themselves. Being cold blooded, they must regulate their body temps by absorbing sun through their shells. I stood far away from this lone fella, but you can see that he indeed noticed me when I said something about getting vitamin D out loud. He then turned his head back, like George Hamilton. Gawd forbid he get a tan line from turning his head too long. Or maybe he realizes he's got a handsome profile (I was kind enough to shoot this from his good side).


I went over to get a closer shot. He posed for this and then, in the blink of an eye, slipped off the log and disappeared into the water. Now in a completely different part of the lake there is a little island and I usually can find a set of about 8 turtles who crawl up on a sunny patch on the shore, protected by surrounding greens from the wind, which on this day was quite chilly.
Someone ought to get wise and set up a little shack with cocktail service in the middle there. Where's the Geiko gekko these days? If he needed a gig on the side he'd be a perfect fit.

Your Comments, if you Please

I have a new post up for the Houston Zoo blog which you can find here. While it's not about animals but a volunteer there (she is very dedicated, scoops elephant poop once a week and was able to watch one of our baby elephants being born!), if you would be so kind as to check it out and leave a comment, I would be very grateful. Here is the link:

http://houstonzooblogs.org/zoo/

Thanks. I have several other posts up there .. you can click on my name I guess to find them. Have never done it but I think that's how to find them. I mention this because I know we are a community of commenters, and while many people read there, it's really nice for comments to come through. Thanks!!

And in the mean time, here's today's giggle:

When What Did My Wondering Eyes Did Appear

It was freezing cold outside-- about 5 degrees farenheit -- and the wind was blowing brutally. Snow from the recent record breaking storm was still on the ground. We were on vacation in Virginia, about 30 minutes west of Charlottesville, very near to the Blue Ridge mountains edge. The folks we were visiting had the normal random collection of animals in the ring adjacent to their barn. Some horses, a goat or two... and wait-- that one eating SNOW -- is it? It IS! It's a CAMEL.

Eating snow. Not in the desert crossing miles of sand. A camel in the wintry snow, having fun munching the white stuff. I whipped out my little digital camera, switched it to movie mode and pressed play... just in time to miss it. I had gotten said camel's attention and she came walking, then running, over.

Have you ever seen a camel run? I know, you really haven't now either because she was partially blocked, but it was still a fun sentence to write.

The lady who owns Chloe has had her since she was two weeks old. I asked if she ever spat, as I have seen them do it (I was in Lebanon stopping for coffee with Bedouins in the deserted land between Beiruit and Zahale in the mountains, and they had one who did. She said hers never does. Guess they do that when they are mad, and how could a well loved, well fed Camel be mad? Chloe's owner passed me a banana and told me to feed her a favorite treat. Below is my reaction to feeling her slobbery tongue grab a piece from my hand. And I say slobbery in only the most polite way.

I am of Arabic descent and I remember calling my brother camel breath as a teasing insult. I asked her, do camels have camel breath... the expression on their faces told me that indeed they do. But check out this beauty! She's quite a looker.

And just like when I interacted with my first baby goat, I will again exclaim, "I WANT ONE!" Don't you?

Have You Ever Seen a White Deer?

My friend Kurt, who lives near Charlottesville, Virginia, and gave me the link to last post's bear cam, also sent me these pictures of a white deer that has been visiting his back yard since spring.
Thank you Kurt! I've never seen a white deer, or anything close to it. I assume it's very rare. He thinks it's a doe, and that the other deer who is a little bigger seen with her is a sibling, possibly male. I wonder, do any of you have the ability to call that?
This one deer had been missing for about 6 weeks and Kurt and his wife were concerned that a hunter had gotten it, because it is a prize to get one with this coloring. He was so happy to see her in the trees again, even though it was hard to see her in the snow.
Thank you Kurt! It's a real treat to see this.

Black Bear Den cam

If you go to www.bear.org or http://www.wildearth.tv/static/bearden you'll see a pregnant black bear in her cave for the winter.

I guess she's been finnicky about what cave to go in and fortunately picked this one with the camera in it of three she has tried out for her hibernation. Once she realized the camera was in there she was upset, hit it a few times, but settled in. I think that was days ago.

Now, just a few minutes ago, the guys did something in to adjust the camera and she left the cave again. I hope she returns and we can watch her in there as she will have her babies and they will grow enough to be really cute by springtime, when they will leave the cave and enter the world.

OOh, there she is... I think. I keep seeing a bunch of hair block the camera, then moving back... Must be the bear standing close to the mouth of the cave, figuring she will reenter.... let's hope. Like when I gave out the Bald Eagle nest cam (thank you to commenter Sizzie for the link), I often tuned in in the morning and left the thing open in the corner of my screen so I could see movement as I worked on other things. It was so great to see the baby left in the nest and what it would do to not get bored... and as it grew, how it would try out flapping it's wings til one day it flew. And it was really exciting to see the mother fly back with a fish for her baby to eat.

Hey, now I can see a little bit of snowflakes falling.. and woah! Breath from someone's mouth or nostrils is showing up in the air!!! Cool! I can hear her breathing too!

I have always wondered how bears, who get hungry like us, and want to eat daily like us, go into some kind of altered state and manage through frigid winters to stay curled up in some kind of den for several months, with no need to eat, go outside or even get up to pee. I mean, we are all stiff after 8 hours of sleeping (well, at least I am these days) and if we don't get up in the middle of the night, using the restroom is top priority when we get up. How do you submerge all those things for 3+ months at a time? And giving birth while in this state? Is that the equivalent of a full body/mind epidural?

Oh wow, it is DEFINITELY the bear standing to the side of the lens now, deciding whether or not to go back in that cave. Whew, it's almost like she is right next to me. I expect this is more action than I'll see most of the winter, until the little ones are born, that is.

I guess this bear has been named Lily and has a Facebook page all her own (little does she know). You can Friend her, lol, if you get on the website. Let me know if you sign in, and if you know of other sites like this...

thanks to the website mentioned above for her FB pix

Today's Giggle

I will try to find out who this cartoonist is. Until then I can't give away credit, where credit is due.

Squirrel Gone Wild

Another post about squirrels, I know. I'm sorry to those who aren't fired up about them. I have been trying to mix it up a little but I have so much footage of them... bear with me.

One day I heard an insistent, ongoing noise of some kind. I located the direction it was coming from and realized it was a squirrel in a tree, who was NOT happy about a cat that was coming his way. The cat, in usual feline form, was so nonchalant, he looked like he didn't even hear the squirrel, let alone was scared off by it. But whether or not the cat revealed any emotion, it indeed walked on by. At which point, the squirrel directed it's displeasure at ME for filming her too.



Probably much to her continued dismay I got a different angle and continued filming, for my own education. It seems like an eternity to re-watch it but it passed pretty quickly in real time. I quit as quickly as I could when I saw she was not going to calm down.
But I'd never seen one doing this before... Never hear squirrels making much noise, because I haven't lived outside a city apartment building since I was 18. And for all the work I've done with them in the last few years, it hasn't been a time that I've heard them talking to each other or expressing anger. I've seen a little chasing but no vocalizing. In rehabbing I occasionally hear the baby cry for attention or call for mom, and when we introduce juveniles who are new to each other, about 10% of the time you hear a moment's spat until they decide to get along. Watch where this sound comes from in the body, and how the effort to make this sound propelled the body forward, like a little leap. In the first video the tail was twitching, in this one it's not.

I could not believe it when I was walking out of the Rothko Chapel after some kind of mediation meeting there, and I saw a squirrel in a tree actually pulling the newly forming, probably tender and succulent acorns off the branches and having a little snack while balanced within the branches! I whipped out my still camera and took some little movies -- very excited about this first little snippet of footage... He goes to another branch and hopefully you can see his little hands actually grab a pair of acorns, rip them off the branch and clear away the remaining leaves before popping it in his mouth to scurry away. The screen becomes so little on blogger that it might be hard to make out.

As you can see, this was end of Sept or early October, as the branches are still full of leaves. The acorns mature and drop in late October or so; there are many still on the ground everywhere, so it's an extensive Thanksgiving bounty.

And here the little guy pauses at the base of the tree to secure the two nuts in his mouth before heading off with an adorable little hop to bury them....



Sorry about the focus problems... I am always caught with just my little digital still camera and whatever it will capture. Focus in moving pictures is not it's strong point.

I love how thorough they are, little paws covering the thing up with dirt from each side of the hole then patting it down hard with both little paws and all their shoulder muscle put into it... making sure there will be no acorn recession in 2010!!

Cute Pic of the Day

Been so busy over at my gift blog, I am just posting a pic today. It's of BIG AL taking a sunbath when he was finally getting a little bit bigger. I hoped that putting him in the sun to sleep after his morning milk would give him vitamins and help make the bones he was developing get a little stronger. If nothing more, it was warm, and that's how squirrels like things to be -- warm. cozy and cuddly. Here, I made his little bed of a scrap of fleece fabric and a cereal bowl. The magazine in the back ground and candle stick holder should give you an idea of his size.

His little tail was finally beginning to fill out and his forearms were getting fur. You can read about big Al by clicking HERE and HERE-- and I encourage you to do so if you have any kind of holiday blues, his little squirrel story is only one of the things you'll find to lift you right out of that. You've come to the right place...

Another Miracle of Life

Today I added to the mounting list of once in a lifetime experiences I've racked up since moving to Houston (whoda thunk it): I fed two tiny baby flying squirrels. Now, we've had humming bird babies and baby rats, both of which are very small (and fascinating, not to mention cute), but these are the tiniest things I've ever held in my hand. And boy, they are eager to eat and grow.

We got them in the other day and before closing, D, the same woman who brought the pregnant dog over (see post below), asked if I'd feed the little ones before we all left. I went over to the tank and could not believe what I saw when I lifted the lid. I slipped my hand in there so when you view the video below you can get a sense of their size. I had no idea how I was going to hold something so small. It feels like you are holding nothing at all, and they seem terribly delicate. It's a miracle that they have life in them, but they do.

A drop of milk seems the size of a kiddie pool compared their little mouths, and one slip up from me and they could suffer dire concequences... but it all went fine.

LOOK at that tiny puss! And those feet! It is not an insect, or a little leaf that'd blown in the door. Nope, there is a nose, a little bit of whiskers, fur, ears and eyes, albeit closed.. and little paws and even littler nails. Check it this teeny weeny fella. When you are involved with nature, and all the creatures we share the planet with, the stunning miracle of it all becomes apparent. Incomprehensible really. All I know is... I'm grateful to be a part of it.

Prepare to Melt

Or should I have titled this "Prepare to Replay"?

Because that is what you are going to want to do with this video. It beings new meaning to the term short, but oh so very very sweet.

Early in November, someone found a young, little white dog wandering around terribly matted and very very pregnant. It was brought to the SPCA but one of the soft-hearted women who runs The Center spotted her and decided to bring her over where we are. Since it's slow season (baby squirrel time was just about over and baby opossum and bird time is a long way off), we could keep an eye on her -- while giving her tons of love and affection, which I have to say she soaked right up without hesitation.

The dog was cleaned and all that horrible fur was cut away. She seemed so grateful to be somewhere warm and safe, with plenty of food and love. She looked at everyone with huge saucer eyes -- a candidate for those collectible figurines you find in the back of magazines.

We thought she was going to have those puppies day one, but two weeks later she was still trotting around, quite content, demanding our constant attention. Just around Thanksgiving she put forth her own bounty in the form of 5 tiny puppies... most were all white and either one or two had a little caramel coloring. When I came in today they were nursing and had their eyes open. I had to scrape myself off the floor. I'd lost consciousness due to cuteness overload.

After doing some work I came back to where the little play pen with the babies were. I heard a little lapping --quite distinct from nursing sounds -- and spotted the caramel one tentatively licking at some real food. I whipped out my camera and caught a moment of it.



OMaGeeeeee! LOOK AT THAT FACE!!!

You replayed it, right?

Marvels and Ingenuity

I've begun to look in trees now that I have raised baby squirrels. I wonder how they possibly survive out in the wind and the rain when they are so little and fragile. I have seen a few squirrels peeking out of a rare cubbyhole in a tree trunk, though they probably had to fight a pileated woodpecker for the real estate. But I learned that squirrels usually make a nest (called a drey) of leaves and twigs positioned between two sturdy branches... high enough to be safe from predators but not so high that they will fall victim to high winds, pelting rain and such. The nests are lined with soft things like feathers and moss. I would love to see one up close someday, or find a film of babies nursing from their mother in the nest. Having fed them myself, and watched them sleep and grow, I have wondered many times how it occurs in the wild.

Back to nests---

I thought this was a squirrel nest when I took it... though it's pretty big. This is what it looks like from the ground:

Then closer:

And closer.


This looks so big that it may be some kind of larger bird's nest. It's a marvel in any case... how is it balancing? While it may be in the fork of two branches, it's extended so far out into space, so far from the trunk of the tree. Considering whatever made this has to carry the materials in their mouth or beak, to get something this big had to be made of many many small deposits of found stuff. How does that first little pile of leaves or twigs stay in place while the critter scurries or flies to find more?

Do any of you know? Have you seen a nest being built by any species? Any related stories or tidbits on the topic? Oh please, do tell!

Sunbath

This is a photo I'd print large and frame --one of my favorite for all the blurry, poorly cropped snaps I've taken of animals, because I am more focused on feeding them or am in some crazy situation or only have one hand free, etc...

This was my first rehab baby, Rocky a.k.a. Mouse. To me it says everything innocent, soft and sweet. Look at that little curled up foot... those tiny nails extended on that little hand behind his head. The soft pink tummy, the teeny whiskers starting to sprout. This is one to click on to enlarge! It will bring a little aaaaah to your day.

(I know, I have conspicuously left out mention of his little weenie. Even his tiny bits are cute)


Every day, after I'd fed a baby squirrel and it was nice and sleepy (the only guarantee they will stay somewhat still for about 20 minutes), I'd put it in a bowl lined with a fuzzy piece of cloth in the sun on my table. Besides that it was pleasantly warm and cozy, the way squirrels like life, I hoped each would absorb vitamin D to strengthen their growing bones.

You think he looks big here until you realize I have him in a fairly small cereal bowl... with all that room to spare. Only way you can tell this is a movie at first is by watching his breathing (if you ignore my swift camera moves).



A week or so later, when Rocky had finally opened his eyes and doubled in size (still tiny as you can see below), I caught him looking out the window at the world he would be a part of in all too short a time.

A cold front blew in last night. Lots of rain and in the mid 40's. I was driving home from Christmas shopping in a chilly downpour and wondered where he was right then. I hoped it was in a warm squirrel box in some kind rehabber's back yard, since he is only about 4 months old now. It's not as cold or snowy as squirrels in other parts of the country endure this time of year, I know. Maybe he is curled up, shielded by his now-bushy tail, dreaming of these blissful naps taken in the Indian summer's morning sun.

THIS is Why

I carry catfood (and nuts, water, chick feed, cracked corn, towels, plastic bowls, a net, thick gloves and various sized carriers) in my car...

I took my first few boxes of gifts to be mailed off to the post office and when I came out I saw two furry but a bit raggedy cats. Couldn't tell if they were emaciated because they were long haired. I assumed they were feral because they looked quite scared and dodgy, though when I approached them holding a handful of dry cat food they looked at me, wheels turning as to whether or not they could trust it. I figure that spelled hunger. So I got as small as I could and moved very slowly, holding out my palm. When I got too close, both scampered behind the fence but didn't run away. They were too interested in what I might have. I quickly poured the food onto the ground (then was upset with myself that I didn't do it where they could be more hidden while eating), and backed away.

The white cat came more easily but both took a few bites. Meanwhile I searched my trunk for anything that I could put a little fresh water in, since they might be parched after the dry, salty meow mix. When I brought a little blue bowl over with water, the black one leapt up on the fence post mostly hidden behind a wall of leaves. It took a long time before he came down.

I watched until the black one came down, though he stayed quite jumpy the entire time he ate. I took a movie of him jumping down and eating and looking nervously around while the white one sat nearby, licking it's chops and looking satiated. But it won't load -- tried it several times. So for now, a few pictures of the same scene.

I admit, I had many things to do but I sat in my car until they were done. I was parked right in front of them so I could shield them from anyone else coming along before they could eat. Had y been able to view the movie-that-wouldn't-load, you'd see that the white one is more relaxed, compared to the black one who stopped, looked up and around every few seconds. They both sniffed the blue bowl several times, but weren't interested in drinking. But it's there in case they needed to go back to it when I was gone. There was enough food for a second meal, which I hope they got in before the rain came in torrents last night.

I Spy A Golden Eye

I may feel like I'm not as sharp as I used to be in so many ways (I word search, am tired way too often, can be distracted by the multitasking overwhelm that modern life has become) BUT when I'm in nature, I'm highly alert. Every formerly dull sense is tuned in to the smallest of things. If something flickers in the lake, if there is a small movement in the trees, if there is a barely audible cry I pick up on it like I have SUPERPOWERS!

So I was out walking one early summer afternoon in The Park and there was the tiniest rustling.  I wasn't quite sure what had gotten my attention, just that it had. There was a ghostly sense of something, almost imperceptible really. I could not be sure I wasn't just mistaken. I squinted into the blue sky and the mass of newly full, vibrant lime green leaves and even with glasses on, could not make anything out. 

I just took a picture of the general area that got my attention, figuring if there was something there I might see it if I went home and enlarged the pic.
Sure enough, the below is what I got when I cropped it!!!!!

How cool is that? Owls are so mysterious, and usually are heard and not seen. I've just recently seen owls up close --which is saying a lot considering I've lived half a century. I saw one flying out of the smoke when I was stranded on the side of the one and only road during a giant fire on the island of Maui, the night before I eloped. Under the circumstances, I considered that it might be a spirit totem or something (either that or the prenuptial fire was a sign, lol). It had a very long wingspan but an abnormally large head for a regular bird, which until then were the only ones I'd seen. The eyes were so large and dark, and while all it's feathers stretched out when it was in flight, the fluffiness of it's head remained the same and that accounted for the proportion. It's one of those moments I'll never forget. 

Flash forward two years and I was face to face with several owls at The Center which you can read about HERE for starters (or simply click on the tag OWLS to your left on this page...).

Maybe one of you can identify what kind of owl it is. I know what kind it isn't. Not a screech owl... not a barn owl, not a great horned owl.  Any birders out there know?