Nature Walk
Sunday I should have just lounged around all day, but that leaves me feeling guilty so we went to the park for a bit again. Even as the days get colder and the greenery gets deader, life teams about. Especially in the morbidly obese squirrel population there. At one point we had to have had at least 10 of them running around us.
The ducks are still swimming around the pond too. Due to the availability of food from people feeding them no doubt, the group of them probably stays around all winter. I wonder how they survive the coldest periods of it. Unless they eventually do fly farther south.
The hawk was back again as well. We saw him make no less than six attempts at catching squirrels and missing, not to mention pissing off the crows. He looked like a juvenile bird which may explain his poor hunting skills. He also didn't seem to like us following him around attempting to photograph him. I appreciate the natural world, but I can't say I wanted to see some fat squirrel being carried off and pecked apart. I doubt the hawk could have even lifted one of the fat bastards off the ground anyway.
Back home, my urban wildlife seems to be getting way too messy now that I have all these new neighbors. There are peanut shells going up the stairs, shells fallen down below. Not to mention dirt from the rascals digging in the planters I have falling through the deck boards down to their porch below. I might have to chill with supplying nature with a cache to live for a decade, just out of courtesy. I'd rather not be the asshole neighbor.
Belding finally got the fish tank from his coworker. Am I being nit-picky when I say it's got brown, faux wood trim on it and I'd rather have black? As I continue reading on how to setup a brackish tank to house fiddler crabs I feel slightly overwhelmed that it'll be more work and responsibility than I can handle. I'd had to bring the little guys home and unintentionally kill them. I wish I could find a concise website that deals with the specific care of these creatures. I have found several pages, but the aquarium tech terms always overwhelm me.
I could try my hand at hermit crabs, since they prefer dry land as opposed to half and half. Can't say in any case I'll be free of my guilt over imprisoning a living creature in a glass box. My therapist would say "quality of life... you're giving the animal a quality of life it might not have with someone else"...
Riiiiight.
The hawk after just missing the squirrel that's hiding under the middle of the bench.
Beautiful bird in the pond. I can't remember the name of the species right now but the coloring was pristine.
QUACK!
The ducks are still swimming around the pond too. Due to the availability of food from people feeding them no doubt, the group of them probably stays around all winter. I wonder how they survive the coldest periods of it. Unless they eventually do fly farther south.
The hawk was back again as well. We saw him make no less than six attempts at catching squirrels and missing, not to mention pissing off the crows. He looked like a juvenile bird which may explain his poor hunting skills. He also didn't seem to like us following him around attempting to photograph him. I appreciate the natural world, but I can't say I wanted to see some fat squirrel being carried off and pecked apart. I doubt the hawk could have even lifted one of the fat bastards off the ground anyway.
Back home, my urban wildlife seems to be getting way too messy now that I have all these new neighbors. There are peanut shells going up the stairs, shells fallen down below. Not to mention dirt from the rascals digging in the planters I have falling through the deck boards down to their porch below. I might have to chill with supplying nature with a cache to live for a decade, just out of courtesy. I'd rather not be the asshole neighbor.
Belding finally got the fish tank from his coworker. Am I being nit-picky when I say it's got brown, faux wood trim on it and I'd rather have black? As I continue reading on how to setup a brackish tank to house fiddler crabs I feel slightly overwhelmed that it'll be more work and responsibility than I can handle. I'd had to bring the little guys home and unintentionally kill them. I wish I could find a concise website that deals with the specific care of these creatures. I have found several pages, but the aquarium tech terms always overwhelm me.
I could try my hand at hermit crabs, since they prefer dry land as opposed to half and half. Can't say in any case I'll be free of my guilt over imprisoning a living creature in a glass box. My therapist would say "quality of life... you're giving the animal a quality of life it might not have with someone else"...
Riiiiight.
The hawk after just missing the squirrel that's hiding under the middle of the bench.
Beautiful bird in the pond. I can't remember the name of the species right now but the coloring was pristine.
QUACK!