I <3 Nature
I just discovered that University of Rochester has a small grove of eight or nine Douglas Fir trees on campus. This obviously makes me very happy, and although it really isn't that nice of a place, I plan on spending plenty of time there. My own little Pacific Northwest paradise in the middle of the barren wastelands of Upstate New York. (I would put an I'm-joking smiley face emoticon here, but I'm morally opposed to them).
Also, although I had already seen a few woodchucks around (they're all over the place... I saw on by the runway as my plane was landing, actually), I got pretty close to one today. And although I had already known it, it became even more clear: woodchucks are obese. Usually you think of wild animals as being relatively thin, fit, and sleek. But not woodchucks. They look like little blobs of fat galumphing across the field. I find it rather amusing.
On Wednesday, as I was walking to class, I saw a crowd of people gathered in the middle of the path, many with cell phone cameras at the ready. As I reached them, I realized what they had all gathered around: a red-tailed hawk (I assume) had caught a squirrel and was eating it, just a few feet off the path. At first I assumed it was from a zoo or something, thinking that animals like that don't just appear on college campus, especially when it was acting so calm and tame. But apparently I was wrong, as there was no zookeeper nearby, or any markings on the bird. The squirrel's head was already mostly eaten, and the bird continued to feast as I left and made my way to class. All in all, it was very awesome.
Also, although I had already seen a few woodchucks around (they're all over the place... I saw on by the runway as my plane was landing, actually), I got pretty close to one today. And although I had already known it, it became even more clear: woodchucks are obese. Usually you think of wild animals as being relatively thin, fit, and sleek. But not woodchucks. They look like little blobs of fat galumphing across the field. I find it rather amusing.
On Wednesday, as I was walking to class, I saw a crowd of people gathered in the middle of the path, many with cell phone cameras at the ready. As I reached them, I realized what they had all gathered around: a red-tailed hawk (I assume) had caught a squirrel and was eating it, just a few feet off the path. At first I assumed it was from a zoo or something, thinking that animals like that don't just appear on college campus, especially when it was acting so calm and tame. But apparently I was wrong, as there was no zookeeper nearby, or any markings on the bird. The squirrel's head was already mostly eaten, and the bird continued to feast as I left and made my way to class. All in all, it was very awesome.