Dead Things

Mama is an adventurous and excellent cook, 

and we have feasted not only on doves, turkeys, and quail, 

but robins, squirrels, and, only once, a possum. 

I draw the line at snakes. 

"But it was still wiggling when I got there," she argues. 

"Let's try it just this once. 

I have a white sauce with dill and mustard." 

"No snakes," I say.

~ From Dead on the Road, by Bailey White

Some days I feel a little ghoulish - like a character out of a Stephen King novel. No, we do not eat road kill, we do not recover road kill, but we do take photos and report road kill. There are projects as part of our citizen science volunteer work that want this information. We oblige.

Why in the world would anyone have a road kill project?*

A creature found dead is an indicator there is a population existing in that location. It is also a tool for those responsible for planning, building and maintaining roads.  I'm sure there are other reasons to monitor road kill, but we just report.

DH gives me a hard time and makes a lot of jokes - gallows humor. But that didn't stop him from coming home the other night, "You want a dove? There's one over by the gym parking lot." "Was it hit by a car? I quizzed. "I have no idea, but maybe - it's next to the parking lot," he replied.**

Some projects ask for details: type of road, speed limit, confidence in identification and other things. Others limit themselves to type of creature (dead birds, for example).  I think they should ask for weather conditions, but they don't.

We have rules too for observations. We don't stop unless it is completely safe to do so. We don't stop when there is no way for us to identify the deceased (although I have a couple I have only been able to identify as "mammal"). And if we have a long drive we will often limit our stops to a small section of the drive (say, from Mountain Home to Leakey).

Why am I writing about this today? Well, why not? I've been driving more lately doing a little favor in the next town. I travel along a busy rural road and the things I have seen! Since my time has been a little consumed with errands and such, we haven't been out and so observed what we could..

So far, including the "questionable" dove, we have observed raccoons, cats, snakes, opossums, owls, squirrels, coyotes, armadillos, foxes, vultures, and skunks. I may have left something out, but you get the drift.

Sometimes it breaks my heart.

I'll end with two of the tough ones (no blood). I observed this Eastern Screech Owl on our block. I love these owls. I love their work (ridding us of rodents) and their crazy call.*** Yeah, I probably cried over this guy. The other photo is of a Great Horned Owl I saw on the way to Victoria. Once I saw it I had to turn back to document.

I saw the  feathers move in the wind and knew immediately it was a GHO.

I've found feathers in my yard before so I was pretty sure this was a screech owl. "Regular birds" don't have this wingspan.

Drive safely, folks.

NOTES:

* Okay. There is also a little bit of competition here. On the database they log observation numbers. I'm not really competitive about it, except with myself. And except on the newest roadkill site. I was surprised to see I was "at the top(ish) of the leader board" one day. It seems I had the third highest number of total observations and fourth highest number of species observed. What? And a guy who lives nearby and is a legend (I follow him too) for taking beautiful photos and traveling to exotic climes was BEHIND me on the list of total species. [When in Ireland HIS were the photos of and first documented additions of numerous species. Really.] So when I was well above him on the lists, I thought I should keep it that way. Or at least I should take a photo of the leader board.

** Yes, we did go back to the gym and, flashlights in hand, photographed the dove. I'm still not sure it fits the "road kill" definition.

***https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Screech-Owl/sounds

It's been a bad few days for raccoons. This is the sixth raccoon I've found in 2 days. Cars always win. This guy was on  the shoulder of I35, on the northbound lane between Walburg and Jarrell.

Three Trips to the Ponds

Life is only a flicker of melted ice.

~ Dejan Stojanovic

Wednesday 

My daily trek to the next town has begun* and I stopped by the ponds to see how the winged creatures fared and if the ponds were frozen.

The ice on the pond was shining in the early morning sun.

On Thursday the ice edged the ponds and the wind blew. The sun was out and promised a short thaw. And, as I passed the turtle pond** I saw a vision of sunlight glinting off ice between bare tree limbs - I had to stop.



I walked carefully (fire ants) along the fenceline looking back to see if I could capture the sun on the pond ice. It was quiet at the ponds, no sounds but the distant hum of traffic on the highway and crunch of my steps in the dry grass.  I didn't think to be stealthy. I saw no sign of birds, until I reached a small protective curve in the bank just beyond the fence.


A startled group of ducks and a Great Blue Heron exploded up and out. I fell back at first - stunned. And then desperately tried to get a photo. Let's be honest -  who would believe this?

It's a little difficult to see, but the heron is mid-photo.

And the heron flew away.

The ducks flew off and circled a bit before heading to the next pond.

  
As I drove on I thought about what a gift it has been to observe these ponds during the year.  We experienced the same thing in our neighborhood park and the wildlife management area when we followed the flora through a full year or more. And certainly watching the birds - through the wet, wet year just ended and into a dry winter has been enlightening. I wonder what we will see this spring if the rains do not come. The ponds continue to evaporate.

The ducks arrived at the far pond before I made it. A Great Egret (should I say THE Great Egret) was walking between the ponds, as usual. I turned around and headed home just in time to see the egret fly across the area and to the turtle pond where it landed in the shallows. 

See him there?

Thursday
  
Temperatures were still below freezing*** as I headed back to the ponds. Because of my experience the day before I parked and walked the fenceline at the turtle pond. There was no sun and I could see the ice at the edges of the pond with a few large melted areas near the middle.

A bit of ice across the surface of the turtle pond. The logs where turtles bask in the sun are on the right.

As I neared the protective "cove" a Belted Kingfisher flew up and then the length of the pond, calling all the while. It perched on a large tree at the edge of the pond. I had been wondering where this kingfisher had gone. I haven't seen it in weeks and it was more than a little surprise to see it.

Detail of above photo. Really! It was a Belted Kingfisher - another terrible, Hail Mary shot.

I kept walking and saw very little movement until a duck swam out followed by another "mess of ducks" and TWO Great Egrets. I haven't seen any Great Egrets on this pond in months. They usually hang out at a pond further down the road. In fact, there is almost always one egret out there and it was there this day at that furthest of ponds (furthest pond I can see - there are others that cannot be seen from the road).

Of course my photos of the ducks and egrets aren't good, but are good enough to prove my tale, in case you doubt.***

Them are ducks.

And this is a sublime Great Egret

One egret

Two egrets

The "resident" Great Egret. So I will report three for the day, the most I've seen here in weeks. Note the ice at the edge of the pond.

Ducks.

I also saw a large crow at the edge of one of the drying ponds as I drove in. The hogs were out as were the chickens as I made the turn-around. And then I notice three animals around the pond, no hogs, not birds. I'm not sure about two of them, but one was a raccoon (I knew the shape and the walk). I've seen other creatures there and without better binoculars and eyes,**** I will continue to struggle for an identification from this distance.


Friday

Today I talked DH into driving me to the pond. He had heard me tell of flushing ducks and herons and egrets and so he thought we might see something. We passed another birder and were stopped by a resident who asked what we were doing. I suppose birders usually have binoculars and we just had cell phones in our hands. He seemed satisfied with our explanation and drove on.

We saw about 20 crows, 2 American Kestrels, a Red-shouldered Hawk and a raptor I couldn't identify as DH rolled along. There was a tree full of Meadowlarks (we knew them by the yellow breasts and black chest chevron). Three mockingbirds were also out and about. We saw no herons and no egrets. And, sadly, no birds were sheltering along the bank of the turtle pond.

One of the mockingbirds

The background gave me fits and I struggled for a decent shot. Here is a detail.

A couple of raptors.

Once you have seen a few of these guys there is no mistaking the Kestrel.

A tree full of meadowlarks. We talked a bit about how odd it is that light and distance and our sight turn such brightly colored birds into little grey or black or brown birds. I usually see these birds with their vivid tails gliding at the top of the grass and then disappear into the meadow.

It's warming up and I cannot wait to see what the next week will bring.



NOTES:


* Classes have started - back to the art barn.


** It is actually a man-made tank, but we call it the turtle pond because fallen trees have given the turtles a place to sun. I've seen as many as 17 turtles (maybe more, I forget) sunning.


***Reporting in some places requires a photo. And photos help me with future ids. I can always tell a story.


****I have always been near-sighted. Then I started noticing "floaters" in the 80s. More recently, the doctors tell me I have cataracts growing slowly. At some point the cataracts will be resolved. For now, patience and training will have to do.

Wild Dogs in the Park

 When the Man waked up he said, "What is Wild Dog doing here?"

And the Woman said, 

"His name is not Wild Dog any more, 

but the First Friend, 

because he will be our friend 

for always and always and always."
— Rudyard Kipling, The Cat that Walked by Himself

We knew we had to take the opportunity to take the puppies to the park this morning. The weather reports have been warning us bad weather was coming and we figured this would be one of the only chances to walk this week.

We had a lovely hike. The girls ran around in the ball field. And we headed down the paths, finding the Great Blue Heron fishing at a spot where the creek narrows. My friend, VM, took all the photos as she remembered to bring her phone.

Check out these figures*...as the girls wait patiently.

Just after we finished watching the heron, Zelda slipped out of her collar. As I ran for her, she ran up to a man walking with two large dogs. Zelda wanted to play. The man, in full control of his animals, waiting until I was able to grab my girl and hold her until they could move down the path.  Unknown to me because my focus was getting Z under control, VM had been pulled toward the water by Keelyn.

So much for wearing them out before the walk - we know to run them a little longer. And we will be a little better prepared for these wild dogs in the future. First friends they may be, but wild they remain.

NOTES:

* I couldn't help myself after seeing this photo of the girls:

You either choose this method of passing the evening 

because you are in each other's confidence,

 and have secret affairs to discuss, 

or because you are conscious 

that your figures appear 

to the greatest advantage 

in walking....

~ Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice 

I'm not Al

Oh, say, don't you remember, they called me Al
It was Al all the time
Say, don't you remember, I'm your pal
Brother, can you spare a dime?

~ E.Y. "Yip" Harburg & Jay Gorney

Have you ever received email meant for someone else?

Yeah, I know that fake mis-dials and mistaken phone numbers are a ploy for fraudsters, but what about your email? Have you ever received email clearly intended for someone else?

I have three email addresses and use each for different things. The Gmail is the "good" address. That's the one I want the kids and friends to use. It is the one where the system is pretty good at sifting through the junk and the valuable. My old work email has been cancelled and I was allegedly issued a student email for the college which rarely works.* It's the old, old address I want to talk about. You know the one - You've got mail!

I've kept my AOL address for many reasons. It is a safety net for anyone who doesn't have the new address and it is the one I give to all the catalogs, weird accounts, politicians, and gimme people. It's  my own method of sifting out junk.

Some years ago I started getting notices on my AOL from a lodge in Pennsylvania. I was invited to  their movie nights. I was asked to pray for sick lodge members. I was advised of funeral services for deceased lodge members. I was DOGGED by the state organization to review and confirm my contact information for the state directory.

I spent a lot of time writing them back. "Dear lodge brothers, I am not Al from Pennsylvania."

Once I ended up exchanging a half dozen or so emails with a lovely pastor (apparently one of Al's lodge brothers). Sharing that I did indeed pray for whomever they requested I pray for, I still thought that they needed to use Al's correct address as he was missing out on his messages.** I was invited to visit if I ever got to PA.

I finally gave up and just deleted the emails. And they have become less frequent. I think I may have gotten a note within the last month or two, but that may be the first in over a year. Today I received another message entirely.

Today I received an email from a law firm. The message asked me to review and approve the attached will.

That freaked me out a little.

I debated. Do I ignore this? [Yes, I was curious. Yes, I thought about reading the will. I used to write them and I am always interested in such things.]

I decided to respond to the firm and let them know I was not their client and that they needed to contact him for the correct email address. I further reassured them that I did not open and read the attachment (First, it would have been unethical. Second, don't they tell you not to open attachments in emails from people you don't know?). Then I deleted the email. Yup, all the way...emptied the trash.

I received a lovely email back from the firm thanking me and reassuring me they would contact their client by phone.

"Great!" I replied. "Tell Al I said hello!"


NOTES: 

*I have about given up trying to communicate with the college. It's best I don't discuss it or I will lose my temper.

**I wonder how many events Al missed. People must have wondered just where Al was and why he was not communicating.

Seeing Red

I just went out to walk the dog.

I didn't want to go out on this coldest day we've had all winter (it's warmed up to 20 degrees since the sun has been out). Zelda didn't seem to want to go out either, but we coated up and headed out.

Before we had gone 50 steps something big and grey flew out of the bushes edging our yard. It could have been anything. But that was just the start.

Zelda was sniffing around the park when I noticed something with a bright red breast perched on a phone line. Was it a robin? [I'd seen one yesterday near a Red-bellied Woodpecker. The woodpecker hangs out in a neighbor's tree. I am always excited to see him.] No, it turned a bit and I realized it was a male cardinal. Now the entire bird glowed red in the sunshine as it flew across the street and perched on a limb near us.

I watched it as it watched us. Then I realized I was standing all bundled up with my hands in my pockets, head tilted up, and mouth wide open. Zelda must be used to this as she sat down and waited. [What a good dog!] I suppose the neighbors are used to this as well. I'm still awed by a common cardinal.

We continued down the street and Zelda began to sniff around a yard, just as a tiny bird began to almost hover and flit along the edges of an oak. It had a little tuft of red on it's head. It was too big for a humming bird and too small for a woodpecker (and it wasn't acting like either). What in the world?

Well, it was a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.* I had heard of them, but this was a first.

We walked on and turned the corner for home. I wondered if we would see the woodpecker. But we were either too early or too late.

Did I mention the full moon huge in the sky at the end of the block as we walked along? It was a pretty, if short walk. I love these casual bird sightings. With no camera, I have to keep the images in my heart.

Notes: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruby-crowned_Kinglet/id

First Day 2018

I love this place.

We move through this world on paths 

laid down long before we are born.

~ Robert Moor, On Trails: An Exploration 

There were still bits of snow where the sun had not reached. Only later did we realize the temperature never rose above freezing.

We were to take a First Day (of the new year) hike at Balcones Canyonlands, a national wildlife refuge. We had debated the trails. Would we go on the more strenuous trail or the shorter, easier one? I had offered the option for us to split up - DH going on the tougher hike while I "took the bunny slope."

It didn't matter. Central Texas shuts down when there is a little ice and cold weather. It's a good thing. We don't know how to drive in rain, much less on ice. So, the hikes were cancelled. All the park "work days" scheduled with our fellow naturalists were cancelled as well.

So I talked DH into taking a short excursion to a local wildlife management area where we hike every now and again. Before my friend TDW moved to Houston, I walked there with him and the dogs at least a few times a month. But since he left and the big dogs (Paddy and Scruffy) died, we have been out for a hike maybe four times (oh, my - four times in two years). And two of those trips were to scatter the ashes of the dogs.

We waited until the warmest part of the day to head out. It was a lovely 29 degrees as we dressed in multiple layers, hats, sunglasses, a yellow/orange safety vest (people hunt and illegally shoot skeet and targets there) and gloves. We carried binoculars, cell phones, and a camera with a drained battery (who knew?). Even Zelda consented to wear her "coat."

Zelda, warm in her coat, debated which trail to take. You can see the liatrice "lit up" by the sunlight.

Construction has laid waste to the area around our usual entrance so we headed down a side road to the "side entrance." I think I have only used that gate once or twice. And then TDW was our guide. Neither DH nor I had a firm idea of where we were going, just heading south/southeast.

It was a gorgeous day, but the afternoon sun was directly in our eyes.*

We followed game trails - some made wider by hunters, I'm sure - through Ashe Juniper thickets and around Honey Mesquite and Osage Orange trees. Nothing bloomed today but the remnants of liatris and goldenrod glowed in the sunlight. And there were small rondels of bluebonnet leaves already breaking the soil. Spring would come.

Shhh...the bluebonnets are coming.

Let's take this trail.

Birds flitted from thicket to thicket. What were they? At one point we saw a number of them gathered in the top of a tree and I was able to make out the dark topknot, the pale greeny-yellow breast and the vivid blue-grey back and tail. Were these Cedar Waxwings?**

Here the remains of the goldenrod reflected the sunlight.

I was looking for birds' nests, but found Osage Oranges still on the trees, instead.

We climbed up and down a few small ridges (that we did not remember) and through some unfriendly sections of small woods/brush/brambles finally admitting we were unlikely to enjoy any further efforts to find the creek.

The dried seeds of sunflowers towered over my head.

A ferocious beast came out of the woods.

The return trip down the game trails became a little confusing. We could see more trails from the tops of the ridges. Was this how we had come? We ended up on the far side of a wash and I was confident we were some 20 or 30 feet to the east of where we wanted to be. Then I thought to look at my phone map.

Hello! It is the gate!

We climbed up one more rise and wandered another 100 feet to the gate. Since the hike I have reviewed the map. We never got near the broad open areas where we normally walk. We were far from the creek, as well.*** Still, it was a lovely first hike for the new year. Here's to many more!

As we were leaving we heard and then saw the crows flying overhead.

NOTES: 

* A family friend was blinded by the sun and stepped on a rattlesnake many years ago. They got her to a hospital and treatment within an hour, but because of the location of the bite, she died anyway. I am always reminded of that when sun-blinded during a trip to the wild.

**Yes, they were. Gorgeous creatures that twittered and flew all around us. I have to go back soon. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cedar_Waxwing/id

***We were mad to have started without checking a map. I will chalk it up to being stir crazy on that cold cold day.


FINAL NOTE:

We knew we were in an area where the water flows and probably pools. The grass was flattened as if by flowing water. We also found cockleburs and Bushy Bluestem which grow near water. We will have to continue to explore, at least until we can access the other gate.

We will also have to get Zelda ready for the hike. Her fur is long because it's winter. "She's got a bur in her coat," DH told me. "It's a BIG bur." And it was. Somehow Z had gotten one caught up in the soft fur on her neck. She sat patiently while I teased it out. [Editor's note: 1-3-18 Another cocklebur was discovered on the floor near Z's bed this morning. She must have taken care of one on her own.]

One stalk of Bushy Bluestem.

Cockleburs - one got stuck on a glove and I carried it, as other creatures do, to a spot where it dropped on the ground.

I had been looking for evidence of the milkweed that had been so prolific in the spring/summer. Then I saw this bit of fuzz on the path.

Sure enough, it was a milkweed seed that had drifted on the wind. We saw no other.

Okay, I know it is rough, but I believe this to be a photo of one of the Cedar Waxwings. It is hard at this time of year to see anything - so much blends in to the drab dry colors. Even Zelda blended into the brush. It was a good think her coat was bright blue.