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Sunday, May 18, 2008
SNAKE!
Today we came upon the little fella you see below. We were driving along, minding our own business when we spotted this 3 1/2 foot-plus snake sunning himself on the warm asphalt of the road right in front of us. At first we were thinking he might be a rattlesnake, but, upon closer (yikes!) inspection, we saw he was a bull snake.
I did NOT take these photos. I "guarded" the car while Mr. CarolForPeace got out and got too close for MY comfort.
When we first saw him, he was all stretched out, but the presence of a human-looking giant nearby started to make him nervous.
Did you know that red-tailed hawks live an average of 21 years?
I did NOT take these photos. I "guarded" the car while Mr. CarolForPeace got out and got too close for MY comfort.
When we first saw him, he was all stretched out, but the presence of a human-looking giant nearby started to make him nervous.
Here he's thinking a big, clothed animal might be stalking him, so he's positioning himself to exit stage left. He was stunningly beautiful as he slithered off; his markings undulating in perfect grace.
Two rattlesnake experiences:
I was hiking with a friend one early fall morning. We were bushwhacking on a grassy mountainside. My dog needed a drink, so I turned to put my pack down and to pull out the doggy bowl and water. Right before I put my foot all the way down, I saw that I was putting it down on a RATTLESNAKE!!! Because it was still very cool outside, the snake was slow and I got away before it moved.
Another time, Mr. CarolForPeace and I were hiking a local trail when Mr. Buddha dog stepped over a rattler that was stretched out across the trail. Buddha was on leash - the snake hanging out between him and me. I had to make the decision to call him back, meaning he'd have to step over the snake again, but fortunately, that worked out. Then Mr. CarolForPeace didn't believe me that it was a rattler, so he dropped a blade of grass on the snake, which immediately coiled and rattled that threatening tail of his. (Hubby wants me to tell you that he's not proud of this.)
So anyway, this morning, when we had our snake encounter, we were on our way to visit Mr. and Mrs. Owl's abandoned home. Sure enough, when we got there, everyone was gone. The "For Sale" sign was up and everything. The kids were probably practicing their flying lessons. I'll miss them...
BUT, baby Hawk was sitting on his nest. He's getting so big! Through the binoculars, I could tell that he still has that "sweetest little baby face".
I was hiking with a friend one early fall morning. We were bushwhacking on a grassy mountainside. My dog needed a drink, so I turned to put my pack down and to pull out the doggy bowl and water. Right before I put my foot all the way down, I saw that I was putting it down on a RATTLESNAKE!!! Because it was still very cool outside, the snake was slow and I got away before it moved.
Another time, Mr. CarolForPeace and I were hiking a local trail when Mr. Buddha dog stepped over a rattler that was stretched out across the trail. Buddha was on leash - the snake hanging out between him and me. I had to make the decision to call him back, meaning he'd have to step over the snake again, but fortunately, that worked out. Then Mr. CarolForPeace didn't believe me that it was a rattler, so he dropped a blade of grass on the snake, which immediately coiled and rattled that threatening tail of his. (Hubby wants me to tell you that he's not proud of this.)
So anyway, this morning, when we had our snake encounter, we were on our way to visit Mr. and Mrs. Owl's abandoned home. Sure enough, when we got there, everyone was gone. The "For Sale" sign was up and everything. The kids were probably practicing their flying lessons. I'll miss them...
BUT, baby Hawk was sitting on his nest. He's getting so big! Through the binoculars, I could tell that he still has that "sweetest little baby face".
Did you know that red-tailed hawks live an average of 21 years?Labels: bull snake, hawks, owls, rattlesnake
posted by Carol at 5:28 PM
13 comments
Sunday, May 04, 2008
For Nick
We went to visit the Owl and Hawk families tonight. They put on a great show.
Dad
Mom
Notice that there's a western tanager on a branch below mom. It was an amazing deep, deep orange (looks kind of red in this photo). It was also very noisy and we wondered if, at some point, mom was going to decide it would make a nice appetizer.
The kids
Kind of blurry, but we were losing light and didn't have a tripod. You can see all three babies here. After visiting the Hawk family, I walked back to the Owl nest just in time to see two of the babies munching on a little dinner. It didn't take them long to gulp it down and turn to watch me.
Our neighbor, Jonathan, came with us tonight and brought along his huge, powerful telescope. Through that scope I saw a baby owl so close up that I could see inside the little nostrils on his beak. And even though the hawk nest is really high, I could look right into the eye of a baby in the nest.
Miracles all of it. Truly miracles.
Dad
MomNotice that there's a western tanager on a branch below mom. It was an amazing deep, deep orange (looks kind of red in this photo). It was also very noisy and we wondered if, at some point, mom was going to decide it would make a nice appetizer.
The kidsKind of blurry, but we were losing light and didn't have a tripod. You can see all three babies here. After visiting the Hawk family, I walked back to the Owl nest just in time to see two of the babies munching on a little dinner. It didn't take them long to gulp it down and turn to watch me.
Our neighbor, Jonathan, came with us tonight and brought along his huge, powerful telescope. Through that scope I saw a baby owl so close up that I could see inside the little nostrils on his beak. And even though the hawk nest is really high, I could look right into the eye of a baby in the nest.
Miracles all of it. Truly miracles.
One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
posted by Carol at 9:47 PM
11 comments
Saturday, April 19, 2008
A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood
This morning, the sun was hanging brightly in the sky and the temps were teasing us into coming out to play. We weren't the only ones to hear the call. OUR PARK, the place where we go to rejuvenate in nature, has been discovered by mountain bike enthusiasts. By the hordes. It's getting dangerous out there! Standing and watching our Owl and Hawk families, we risked getting run over by bikers spinning past in a blur.
They don't even know what they're missing.
And I'm not telling...
A short way down the trail from the Owl family, the Hawk family resides. The Hawks live in a high rise, so it is hard for peeping Carols like me to get a look at the kids. Today, though, mom and dad gave an incredible show. We were watching as one parent was in the nest and the other flew in.
While I watch these magnificent creatures, I forget that I exist. I am more than myself. There is only one-ness.
They don't even know what they're missing.
And I'm not telling...
A short way down the trail from the Owl family, the Hawk family resides. The Hawks live in a high rise, so it is hard for peeping Carols like me to get a look at the kids. Today, though, mom and dad gave an incredible show. We were watching as one parent was in the nest and the other flew in.
Here you can see them both in the nest. The red of the tail really stands out (that's why they call 'em red tailed hawks). You can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.
Mom and Dad look pretty much alike - except the female is larger than the male - so I don't know who is who here. One parent took off with some food in its beak. It landed in a nearby tree and ate whatever it was carrying.
I think that we were starting to make mom or dad nervous, so one of them flew to a tree over our heads to check us out.
Then he/she flew off.
Yesterday, my friend called to say that she saw three babies in the Owl nest. I haven't been there yet when all three wanted to show themselves. Here you can see two of them as they looked today. They are getting so big!
And here's mom in a nearby tree.
While I watch these magnificent creatures, I forget that I exist. I am more than myself. There is only one-ness.
posted by Carol at 11:22 AM
10 comments