Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Thought for the day
There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep Sea, and music in its roar;
I love not Man the less, but Nature more.
-- Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Wild wildlife
It's been a week of nonstop wildlife in my little backyard. Let's recap, shall we?
Wednesday evening, the pets and I were enjoying the lovely cool evening air in the backyard. Everyone was just kind of grooving out to his or her own thing, and other than making sure Pal didn't escape through the fence, I wasn't closely supervising the recreation action going on. Midge was camped out in the daylilies, a spot she likes. She'll sit there like a statue, watching the birds flit back and forth. It's been especially entertaining lately, with Mr. and Mrs. Wren using the cinquefoil growing along the top of the fence as the perfect perch from which to scold me.
All of a sudden, I heard rather shrill squeaking. I whipped around, noticing that Midge had a mouse in her mouth. "DROP IT!" I commanded in my best Cat Whisperer voice. And like any good well-trained cat, she completely ignored me. She leapt over the daylilies into the middle of the yard, where she proceeded to stand still, looking around without a clue. "Now what are you going to do, huh?" I asked nonchalantly. She then dropped the poor wee mousie, who lay shuddering on the grass.
Except that it wasn't a poor wee mousie at all. It was a poor wee SHREW. I can't believe I have enough actual field experience to tell the difference, but yep, it was a shrew. I nudged it with my sandal to see if it was still alive. It was, so I stood guard over it while all the pets milled about, looking for the object of all this excitement. The shrew roused itself and began to burrow down into the grass roots, where it just about disappeared. Like a good traffic cop (okay folks, move along, nothing to see here), I herded everybody back into the house.
**
On Friday night, you guessed it, we were all back outside, taking the air after dinner. This time, Pal, old kitty that he is, had his day in the sun. Again, with the indignant squeaking. Another shrew? The same shrew? How stupid can one shrew be? Pal leapt out from behind the lilac bush and dashed through the tomato plants, depositing something very tiny into the bee balm. I saw a tiny bundle of feathers trying very very hard to burrow its way into the corner of the fence (as in, if I can't see you, you can't see me). I picked it up, a tiny little baby bird, still alive. I didn't want to smush it, so I held it as lightly as I could. Alas, it wasn't tight enough, as wee baby bird, hopped out of my hand and back into the bee balm. Trying to keep my wits, and not wanting to fight Pal for the bird, I ushered everybody back in the house. I went back out and found the baby bird back in the same corner. It looked unharmed, but it was probably scared out of its wits. I managed to picked it up with a tighter grip this time. Looking at it closely, I could see that it was probably one of the baby wrens that had been in the nest box in the backyard. They had fledged! And this thing was obviously still figuring out how to navigate in the big wide world, and had had the misfortune to run into my cat.
So I carried Baby Wren back to the nest box, and she gladly dove back in. I figured that would give her a safe place to rest and get her strength back. The parents must not stick around to feed the babies, because no one has scolded or chattered at me all weekend.
**
Yesterday, we saw a little baby bunny in the side yard. I'm saying it's Button, even if it's not.
**
And today, I discovered that yellow jackets are trying to build a nest between my back door and the storm door. Grrr.
I've had enough backyard wildlife for awhile.
Wednesday evening, the pets and I were enjoying the lovely cool evening air in the backyard. Everyone was just kind of grooving out to his or her own thing, and other than making sure Pal didn't escape through the fence, I wasn't closely supervising the recreation action going on. Midge was camped out in the daylilies, a spot she likes. She'll sit there like a statue, watching the birds flit back and forth. It's been especially entertaining lately, with Mr. and Mrs. Wren using the cinquefoil growing along the top of the fence as the perfect perch from which to scold me.
All of a sudden, I heard rather shrill squeaking. I whipped around, noticing that Midge had a mouse in her mouth. "DROP IT!" I commanded in my best Cat Whisperer voice. And like any good well-trained cat, she completely ignored me. She leapt over the daylilies into the middle of the yard, where she proceeded to stand still, looking around without a clue. "Now what are you going to do, huh?" I asked nonchalantly. She then dropped the poor wee mousie, who lay shuddering on the grass.
Except that it wasn't a poor wee mousie at all. It was a poor wee SHREW. I can't believe I have enough actual field experience to tell the difference, but yep, it was a shrew. I nudged it with my sandal to see if it was still alive. It was, so I stood guard over it while all the pets milled about, looking for the object of all this excitement. The shrew roused itself and began to burrow down into the grass roots, where it just about disappeared. Like a good traffic cop (okay folks, move along, nothing to see here), I herded everybody back into the house.
**
On Friday night, you guessed it, we were all back outside, taking the air after dinner. This time, Pal, old kitty that he is, had his day in the sun. Again, with the indignant squeaking. Another shrew? The same shrew? How stupid can one shrew be? Pal leapt out from behind the lilac bush and dashed through the tomato plants, depositing something very tiny into the bee balm. I saw a tiny bundle of feathers trying very very hard to burrow its way into the corner of the fence (as in, if I can't see you, you can't see me). I picked it up, a tiny little baby bird, still alive. I didn't want to smush it, so I held it as lightly as I could. Alas, it wasn't tight enough, as wee baby bird, hopped out of my hand and back into the bee balm. Trying to keep my wits, and not wanting to fight Pal for the bird, I ushered everybody back in the house. I went back out and found the baby bird back in the same corner. It looked unharmed, but it was probably scared out of its wits. I managed to picked it up with a tighter grip this time. Looking at it closely, I could see that it was probably one of the baby wrens that had been in the nest box in the backyard. They had fledged! And this thing was obviously still figuring out how to navigate in the big wide world, and had had the misfortune to run into my cat.
So I carried Baby Wren back to the nest box, and she gladly dove back in. I figured that would give her a safe place to rest and get her strength back. The parents must not stick around to feed the babies, because no one has scolded or chattered at me all weekend.
**
Yesterday, we saw a little baby bunny in the side yard. I'm saying it's Button, even if it's not.
**
And today, I discovered that yellow jackets are trying to build a nest between my back door and the storm door. Grrr.
I've had enough backyard wildlife for awhile.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Little baby bunny update
Button the bunny (as in "cute as a...") hung around the backyard for quite a long time. She liked to scurry between the daisies and the hostas as I moved around the yard. Button must have felt at home, because she never seemed to scoot out through the gap in the fence, the way other visiting bunnies did.
Unfortunately, Pal got a hold of her one afternoon. She was hiding in the daisies, and Pal was very patiently watching her. He leaped, and she wasn't quick enough getting away. He managed to grab a hold of her, and she just screamed and screamed.
The good news is, she did finally manage to get away. We saw her a day or two later, zipping around in the day lilies. And better for her, too, I think she's moved out of the backyard. I miss seeing her, but I think she's probably safer away from Pal and Midge.
**
The wrens have started on their second family too. The babies have hatched, and when they're not scolding me, the parents are busy bringing food back to the nest. I think there are at least two babies, although I haven't been able to see clearly into the nest box. I was out of town when the last brood fledged, so I'm hoping I might see them this time. However, I also don't want the pets to get after them. We'll have to keep a sharp eye out.
**
Word of the Day
crepuscular: of, relating to, or resembling twilight
Unfortunately, Pal got a hold of her one afternoon. She was hiding in the daisies, and Pal was very patiently watching her. He leaped, and she wasn't quick enough getting away. He managed to grab a hold of her, and she just screamed and screamed.
The good news is, she did finally manage to get away. We saw her a day or two later, zipping around in the day lilies. And better for her, too, I think she's moved out of the backyard. I miss seeing her, but I think she's probably safer away from Pal and Midge.
**
The wrens have started on their second family too. The babies have hatched, and when they're not scolding me, the parents are busy bringing food back to the nest. I think there are at least two babies, although I haven't been able to see clearly into the nest box. I was out of town when the last brood fledged, so I'm hoping I might see them this time. However, I also don't want the pets to get after them. We'll have to keep a sharp eye out.
**
Word of the Day
crepuscular: of, relating to, or resembling twilight
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