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Post by Phalon on May 27, 2013 5:36:48 GMT -6
I have to at least remember to bring my camera to work.
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Post by stepper on May 27, 2013 11:06:44 GMT -6
On the way to work this morning, while it was still in the early stages of dawn, I drove past some poor fluffy creature that didn't make it across the road. It always give me a twinge of regret when this happens - knowing some poor creature didn't make it over one of 'our' roads. On the way home I noticed it was still there. You could hardly miss it - for the odor. It was a skunk. I know all animals serve a purpose, but somehow I don't feel nearly so twinged when what got whacked makes it's presence known by a whiff.
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Post by Phalon on Aug 7, 2013 8:24:52 GMT -6
I had a couple of wildlife encounters yesterday evening and this morning that reminded me of Siren.
Leaving work yesterday, I was getting on the entrance ramp to the highway, and saw something quite a distance up ahead in the center of the road. From its silhouette, I immediately recognized it was a large turtle. I remember Siren telling the story of how she found a turtle in the center of the road, stopped her car, and moved it to safety. Thinking I'd do the same, I slowed getting ready to pull to the side....until I saw what it was - the largest snapping turtle I think I've ever seen; its shell alone had to be at least 2 feet long. It had its spiky tail outstretched, and its neck craned so it appeared even longer.
I slowly drove up to it, contemplating how to move the thing without getting in the way of that menacing beak. Alongside it, I swear it looked up at me, and seemed to say, "Go ahead, b!tch, try it!" I didn't.
I can't say I felt guilty about driving away; the entrance ramp is out in the country and doesn't get a great deal of traffic...not to mention, no one could miss seeing this monster-beast sitting in the middle of the road. I bet it sat there just in order to dare anyone to pass.
This morning's encounter was less potentially hazardous. All summer long, I've seen a toad in the vegetable garden, but haven't been able to figure out where it lives. After this morning, I think I have a clue. Sitting on the back porch with my coffee, it started to storm. The rain came in quick and hard; water poured from the downspout in an immediate rush. Suddenly, something shot out of the spout's opening. It was the toad! He rode the water like a surfer catching a perfect wave! Deposited on the beach (the grass in this case), he sat there a minute catching his breath, then hopped across the yard into the hillside garden. I hope he finds his way back to the veggie garden...I'll miss seeing him mornings if he doesn't.
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Post by Siren on Aug 14, 2013 7:11:25 GMT -6
Well, it was a good thought anyway, Gams. I don't blame you - I don't tangle with big snapping turtles, either. I got a bad bite from one (my fault) as a kid. A toad! *wiggle* Lucky you! I have seen only one all season. I think that between the years of drought, and ranchers and farmers spraying their fields, we have seriously lowered the toad population here. Makes me sad. But this little guy has been a regular visitor on my folks' front window this summer. He's about the size of my thumb.
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Post by Phalon on Aug 15, 2013 6:30:55 GMT -6
What a cute little guy! Tree frogs are neat; I like the suctiony thingies on their toes.
It's interesting to me, what creatures of habit toads and frogs seem to be. For a couple of summers, there was a toad that lived in the big strawberry pot full of hens and chicks next to the front steps. I'd see him nearly every morning just before dawn while I was out sitting on the porch, drinking my coffee. He'd come hopping up the front walk, just like he'd spent the night out on the town, then wiggle into his pocket in the pot to sleep it off.
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Post by stepper on Aug 15, 2013 17:09:31 GMT -6
I'm sure it is because of the excessive heat and drought, but we've had almost no frogs this year. We saw one small one early in spring shortly after a welcome rain fall, but none since. And there hasn't been any noise at the pond in the park. I thought the pond would have attracted a few since it hasn't gone dry, but nope.
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Post by Siren on Aug 18, 2013 8:31:25 GMT -6
I have thought often of your "flowerpot toad", Gams. Many times, I've imagined you spotting him as you drink your coffee.
Our wet spring and summer have made for an abundance of tree frogs. There are many tiny ones in my mom's flower beds. We caught one smaller than my thumbnail last week, but he was too slippery to get a photo of! And there are several larger ones like in the photo above. But few to no toads.
A summer without the sound of bullfrogs and tree frogs is sad, indeed, Step. The drought is SO horrible! My sincere sympathies to you and to all who are still suffering.
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Post by Siren on Aug 23, 2013 22:08:42 GMT -6
There were SEVEN tree frogs on my mom's front window tonight! Lucky us.
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Post by Phalon on Aug 28, 2013 5:40:24 GMT -6
The image I get of seven frogs stuck on the window is too funny, Siren....peering in, wondering what you all were doing, maybe thinking, 'dang, lookit all that food!'
I don't have the flowerpot out front anymore, or the toad that goes with it, but twice in the past week I've seen an early morning toad while drinking coffee out on the front porch. He's not the veggie garden toad in the back yard; this one is much smaller, about soup spoon size. He does much the same thing as the flowerpot toad though; hops up the front walk, or the path to the driveway, and into the garden next to the porch steps. Kinda neat to think he might be a descendant of flowerpot toad.
Regarding frogs, or lack of them....we hear the bullfrogs down by the creek in the ravine, but none of us has seen any of the regular green frogs that are always down there too. My boss who has a pond in their backyard that's always teeming with frogs, said that there's a definite decline in the the frog population this year. I'm not sure, but guessing that it might have something to do with our mild winter last year - it was relatively warmish until early January with temperatures above freezing. Then winter hit with a vengeance - I'm guessing the frogs weren't in complete hibernation, and died when the water froze so quickly.
But then again...I was on the phone with a friend last night; she was outside finishing farm chores at the time. "What the hell is it with all these flippin' frogs!" she said. Apparently, she's "over-run with them". Weird.
Both of us though, have noticed a lack of bats this year. What's up with that I wonder?
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Post by stepper on Aug 30, 2013 17:25:32 GMT -6
Your bats stayed in Texas in the Bracken cave. Millions of 'em.
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