Communing with nature

[LadyShea]

So, I have had more awesome nature moments in the two months or so I have lived here than in all of my time in Vegas (10 years).

I am going to list some cool and not so cool things, and maybe you can list your recent wildlife experiences.

A black water bird always sits on the surface level branch of a submerged tree at the entrance to our canal. We see him both going out and coming in almost every time we are on the boat. He looks up and around as if to say "No, this is not a good food spot, nothing to see here, move right along". I didn't know what he was, and after looking through several books and websites have concluded he is some kind of Cormorant, he looks a lot like this guy...
http://www.tsuru-bird.net/pelicans/cormorant_neotropic2.jpg

Every time we have been on the boat we have spotted at least one or two dolphins. We usually see them in pods, though, and have counted up to 10, often with babies. I am not sure what specific species they are, but I think they are bottlenosed. We rarely see them out in the Bay, they are usually in the river or in the Intracoastal Waterway.

We also see hundreds of pelicans, all the time. They are graceful when they fly, comical when they are sitting, but boy do they look like a big ole mess when they hit the water from a dive to catch a fish.

One day we were anchored in a secluded cove and saw some enormous blue-grey waterbird. I don't know how to tell the differences between herons and cranes and such yet, so have no idea what it was.

The golf course where Frankie works is home to the red winged blackbird. The males are stunningly gorgeous. They hang around cattails almost exclusively and I enjoy watching them and their mates flit around.
http://www.gerrygantt.com/images/birds/dsb009-Red-winged-Blackbird_small.jpg

I also saw a rat on the course. I have never in my life seen a rat, it was smaller than I would have thought a rat would be, and could have been a very large mouse. How do I tell the difference?

Also, I have seen insects and spiders that are the stuff of nightmares but I won't dwell on those.

[Ari]

Cool, I wish we had dolphins. The lack of water though means we would only get the burrowing kind.

Rats are normally bigger and more shaped than mice (more defined nose, egg shaped body), with coarser hair and a thicker more prehensile tail.
Rats make good pets, much better than hamsters.

A squirrel friend who has been visiting our house recently,
http://www.volcano.net/~ericx/squirrel.jpg

[godfry n. glad]

I also saw a rat on the course. I have never in my life seen a rat, it was smaller than I would have thought a rat would be, and could have been a very large mouse. How do I tell the difference?


The rat on the golf course? Most likely a marketing vice president.

Mice are small and furry and have a tail. Telling them apart should be easy. A rat on a golf course looks more like a Republican businessman on an expense account.

Oh... the large blue-gray bird? Most likely a Great Blue Heron. They are very widespread throughout North America's wetlands. Great fishers.

[LiveToRide]

Took a trip to Florida a few years ago with an ex. We were there for his ball team's world series. Stayed in Ft. Myers beach, right on the Gulf. Our room looked out onto the water, and I'd never seen the ocean before. All the guys wanted to go party in town and thump their chests. I wanted to sit on the beach and watch the dolphins. Which is exactly what I did, the entire 8 days. I missed all the games and didn't go drinking even once, I was too fascinated with the dolphins. I think I spent 10 hours a day there, just watching. The biggest bunch I saw at once was about 30, I believe. I couldn't stay away. It was almost addicting. If you ever get a chance to see dolphins in the wild, do it. Nothing quite like it.

[LadyShea]

It was almost addicting. If you ever get a chance to see dolphins in the wild, do it. Nothing quite like it.

Yep, we will stop the boat no matter our destination and watch them. I can't even describe the feeling that overcomes almost everyone when a dolphin is only a few feet away.

[godfry n. glad]

Took a trip to Florida a few years ago with an ex. We were there for his ball team's world series. Stayed in Ft. Myers beach, right on the Gulf. Our room looked out onto the water, and I'd never seen the ocean before. All the guys wanted to go party in town and thump their chests. I wanted to sit on the beach and watch the dolphins. Which is exactly what I did, the entire 8 days. I missed all the games and didn't go drinking even once, I was too fascinated with the dolphins. I think I spent 10 hours a day there, just watching. The biggest bunch I saw at once was about 30, I believe. I couldn't stay away. It was almost addicting. If you ever get a chance to see dolphins in the wild, do it. Nothing quite like it.

Sounds rillyrilly cool.

Sounds like an excellent reason to visit the Gulf coast sometime. I'd have been there on the beach with you. I abhor baseball.

I spent a great deal of time just sitting on the beach on Maui, watching the right whales breach, fin flap, and jump, sometimes in tandem with a youngster. It was amazing to see animals of such size show such grace.
Then, my wife and I got a most amazing introduction to the tropical sea life that surrounds Maui. We went snorkeling; me for the first time ever. The sheer number and striking color of the local underwater life was awe-filling. Then, we actually got to swim with a couple of green sea turtles. That made my entire trip worthwhile.

('course, my darling wife suffered from symptoms the whole trip and was diagnosed upon our return with the cancer that killed her....I can't think of Hawaii without deep and enduring sadness, and I must be the only person on the planet that breaks into tears when ukulele music is played.)

Upon the recommendation of our snorkeling teacher/guide, we were making tenative plans to vacation in Belize, where the second largest coral barrier reef in the world is located. We could very possibly seen bottlenose dolphins there.

[LadyShea]

Oooh Godfry thanks for reminding me about the turtles! We often see them in the river, swimming or sitting on logs, but the other day one was right in the middle of the road. I apporached slowly as we also have the aggressive and dangerous Alligator Snapping Turtle in the area, but it was just a good sized water turtle. So I picked him up (he pulled into his shell completely) and moved him back over near the canal so he wouldn't get runned over.

I have also snorkled around Maui. Wonderful wonderful, once of the best days of my life!

[The Lone Ranger]

A black water bird always sits on the surface level branch of a submerged tree at the entrance to our canal. We see him both going out and coming in almost every time we are on the boat. He looks up and around as if to say "No, this is not a good food spot, nothing to see here, move right along". I didn't know what he was, and after looking through several books and websites have concluded he is some kind of Cormorant <snip>

What you've got there is almost certainly a Double-Crested Cormorant (http://www.southwestbirders.com/SD_20020715/double-crested%20cormorant_004s.jpg) (Phalacrocorax auritus). They're sometimes called "snake birds" because they often swim with the bodies almost entirely submerged and only the long necks sticking out of the water. Unlike almost all other water birds, their feathers have little waterproofing and so become waterlogged as the birds swim. That's why you'll often see them standing on pilings or whatnot, drying their wings after a swim.

They dive for fish. In Japan and China, people used to capture and tame cormorants, and use them for fishing. They'll tie a piece of rope around the birds' necks, so that they can't swallow large fishes, and take the fish from them when they come back to the surface. (Actually, this is still done in some parts of China.)


Every time we have been on the boat we have spotted at least one or two dolphins. We usually see them in pods, though, and have counted up to 10, often with babies. I am not sure what specific species they are, but I think they are bottlenosed. We rarely see them out in the Bay, they are usually in the river or in the Intracoastal Waterway.
Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are probably the most common species in your neck of the woods. Less common are the smaller Pantropical Spotted Dolphins (http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/images/stenatte.jpg) (Stenella attenuata). They generally don't come as close to shore as do bottlenosed dolphins. Even less-often encountered are Risso's Dolphins (http://www.cetacea.org/risso2.jpg) (Grampus griseus), which lack the distinctive "beaks" of most other dolphin species.


One day we were anchored in a secluded cove and saw some enormous blue-grey waterbird. I don't know how to tell the differences between herons and cranes and such yet, so have no idea what it was.
As godfry n. glad pointed out, it was probably a Great Blue Heron (http://ccwild.cbi.tamucc.edu/webcams/photogallery/Great%20Blue%20Heron%201.jpg) (Ardea herodias). They stalk along waterways in search of unwary fishes, frogs, etc., which they spear with their beaks. (A few weeks ago, I saw one capture and subdue and finally manage to swallow a catfish that was much bigger-around than its own head.) Adults can stand 5 feet tall or more. "Little Blue Herons" and "Tricolored Herons" are also found in your area and they're blue (well, bluish) too, but they're much smaller than GBHs. Confusingly for those who don't know their wading birds all that well, Great Blue Herons are sometimes snow white, especially in the Gulf Coast region.


I also saw a rat on the course. I have never in my life seen a rat, it was smaller than I would have thought a rat would be, and could have been a very large mouse. How do I tell the difference?
There's some overlap, but rats are generally much larger, and have relatively smaller ears. There are several species of "rats" found in the Gulf Coast region, including the introduced (from Eurasia) Black Rat (Rattus rattus) and Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus), as well as the native Allegheny Woodrat (Neotoma magister), Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridana), Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus), and Marsh Rice Rat (Oryzomys palustris).

What you saw was probably either a Norway Rat or a Black Rat. The native species tend to live in the woods and are a great deal shier around people.

Cheers,

Michael

[LadyShea]

You guys nailed the Great Blue Heron, that's definitely what I saw! Gorgeous thing that.

Also, once we saw two birds in the water, doing some kind of mating ritual by all appearances. They were not ducks or cranes or herons or any other waterfowl I have ever seen or heard of, they had fleshy bits around their face and I swear they looked like chickens or turkeys...yet they were swimming. Do wild turkeys swim?

[The Lone Ranger]

Do wild turkeys swim?
Not voluntarily.

I'm guessing you saw a pair of American Coots (http://www.nenature.com/Images/AmericanCootLDB.jpg) (Fulica americana) -- they can look rather chicken-like.

Cheers,

Michael

[LadyShea]

Do wild turkeys swim?
Not voluntarily.

I'm guessing you saw a pair of American Coots (http://www.nenature.com/Images/AmericanCootLDB.jpg) (Fulica americana) -- they can look rather chicken-like.

Cheers,

Michael

Hmm, no, they definitely had fleshy face parts, bright red in fact. I have them on video, wish I could get my software to work to get stills off of it.

[The Lone Ranger]

Hmm. Were they actually swimming, or just wading? Do you remember what color(s) they were? Beak shape is also a big factor.

[LadyShea]

Hmm. Were they actually swimming, or just wading? Do you remember what color(s) they were?

They were swimming, doing a little dance type thing. They were dark and maybe slightly speckled. I'll watch the video tonight in case I am misremembering

[The Lone Ranger]

They were swimming, doing a little dance type think. They were dark and maybe slightly speckled. I'll watch the video tonight in case I am misremembering
If they were "dancing" on the water (rising up out of the water and almost "running" across it together as they seemed to stand erect), they'd almost have to be grebes of some sort. I can't think of any that have wattles, but the feathers around a Horned Grebe (http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i0030id.html)'s beak might make it look like it does.

Cheers,

Michael

[freemonkey]

I love the herons, we've got a lot of them here. They've got the wildest call, like a movie pterodactyl. Bald eagles are also common, one day I saw one fly up my driveway!

They've have to postpone the cleaning and maintenance of a local bridge or two around here because of nesting cormorants.

Soon after we first moved here, we were at one of the local parks and saw a huge sea lion lazing on the dock, we were impressed, but have since learned its common.

I once saw a sea otter while on a walk, it had come into a secluded area of the bay in my neighborhood.

Every year a family of wood rats moves into a brush pile next to our yard (one time my dog caught one and killed it). Every year a wharf rat moves in under my house. I have to catch and kill that one. :(

We used to be visted every morning by a family of pheasant. Until we got a dog. Same with the family of raccoons that lived in the trees along our driveway. You could hear them waking up every night, chirping away. Then they'd amble down the trees and stand around like they were trying to decide where to go for dinner. Sometimes the babies would come up on the porch and look at us.

We get whales venturing into the various bays here in the Puget Sound region, and occasionally right in my neighborhood. I don't live on the water, but a good friend does. She always promises to call when she sees a whale, but she's usually too excited to do that. Recently she grabbed her camera, hopped into an inflatable boat and got up close. They used one of her pics in the local paper.

[LadyShea]

Ari, your squirrel is so damned cute. What's that blue thing he got ahold of?

Freemonkey, I have never seen a whale, that must be wonderful! Also, otters are once of my fave animals, and I have only seen them in captivity.

[Godless Dave]

I should walk down to the lake near my house and take some pictures for ya'll. (I was planning to do that for the next time LadyShea said she couldn't understand why people live in the Midwest ;) ). I have seen muskrats swimming there several times, whitetail deer, and ducks all the time. No big deal, until you consider that this lake is right in the heart of Saint Paul, three miles from downtown, and at the corner of two very busy streets.

At nearby Como Lake, also in the heart of the city, but bigger and part of a big park, I have seen egrets in addition to muskrats, ducks, and the inescable geese. Here's a satellite picture of both lakes (Marydale "Lake" is more a drainage pond, but in Minnesota anything larger than a puddle is called a lake).

Where I work is out in the suburbs, in what was farm country 30 years ago. There is an egret in the pond behind the building, and I have seen a fox twice when driving in at night.

One cool thing about northern Minnesota is the loons. Back east, at my family's place in Vermont, people considered themselves lucky to have a pair of loons on their lake and went to great measures to remind boaters to steer clear of them and their nests. In northern Minnesota most lakes have dozens of loons. They are interesting-looking, and swim with just their head above the surface, but the cry they make will send chills down your spine.

[livius drusus]

Oh yes, I love the cry of the loon. My parents lived on the shores of a lake in Maine for a while, and every evening the loons would serenade us. It's undescribably compelling.

[Ari]

Blue tarp. An old partially beat up tarp covered a dog house in front of the kitchen window. One day I caught him tearing it apart, I think he must have been building a home or something. He shredded as much as he could get his hands on and ran off with it (probably about 9 square feet of tarp).

Now we have two of them, that like to chase each other across the roof from one tree to another.

Ari, your squirrel is so damned cute. What's that blue thing he got ahold of?

[godfry n. glad]

Has anyone else here wondered why squirrels are cute and rats aren't?

They are both gnawing rodents.

[godfry n. glad]

Oh yes, I love the cry of the loon. My parents lived on the shores of a lake in Maine for a while, and every evening the loons would serenade us. It's undescribably compelling.

I agree. Loony tunes compelled me to insert earplugs so I could sleep.

[livius drusus]

:laugh: Ya old coot, you. :godfry:

[The Lone Ranger]

I do love loons! I used to love camping on the shore of a lake near Stratton, Maine when I was younger, and falling asleep to the yodels of the loons.



Has anyone else here wondered why squirrels are cute and rats aren't?

They are both gnawing rodents.

I've sometimes wondered that myself, since squirrels are basically just rats with fluffy tails and good press agents.

I do think woodrats (http://www.campbellsville.edu/chmf/biota/mammals/woodrat.jpg) are kinda cute, though.

Cheers,

Michael

[Adora]

Um, totally random, but what's that blue shit in the squirrel's mouth? Looks like plastic...

My house is infested with the common Asian House Gecko (http://www.qmuseum.qld.gov.au/inquiry/hottopics/2004/index.asp). They're cute little critters, but I hate to think of what they're doing to the ecosystem. Australia doesn't handle introduced species well.

I just wish they would mutate and start eating the crested doves that poo, coo and screw everywhere. Stupidest. Birds. Ever. They don't even know how to get out of the way of a moving vehicle.

[HighOnHotSauce]

I’m a nature lover and spend a lot of time bird watching. I often go to the state parks and wetland preserves and do some hiking. I also have a miniature wildlife refuge in my backyard. On any given day I have squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits and any number of birds. Here is a photo of a typical morning breakfast gathering in my yard:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/HighOnHotSauce/2005_0703Image0015.jpg

[livius drusus]

oh wow, Hot Sauce, what a great threesome. :thumbup:

[HighOnHotSauce]

Here’s another photo. A little clearer than the first, and well it’s hard to beat a foursome for breakfast! :innocent:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/HighOnHotSauce/2005_0703Image0014.jpg

[livius drusus]

Absolutely adorable tableau. I think you should take up painting, Hot Sauce, just because you have such fabulous subjects hanging out in your very own yard.

[LadyShea]

I agree with livius. That "Breakfast for Four" is darling and would make a charming painting. Look at the nice coexistense of species there!

Last night we went up into the backwaters on a tiny fiberglass skiff specifically looking for gators. We spotted two small ones (3 foot long or so), and came across some fabulous water flowers and one heron. Hopefully the video turned out as our only lighting source was flashlights.

[HighOnHotSauce]

Last night we went up into the backwaters on a tiny fiberglass skiff specifically looking for gators. We spotted two small ones (3 foot long or so), and came across some fabulous water flowers and one heron.

Last summer my girlfriend and I spent most of our time at a cabin where I did a lot of “creature” watching. In particular, there was a great blue heron I followed across his range for a period of a few weeks. Unfortunately, the quality of the photos I took is poor, but the experience of watching him all that time was wonderful.

[LadyShea]

Last summer my girlfriend and I spent most of our time at a cabin where I did a lot of “creature” watching. In particular, there was a great blue heron I followed across his range for a period of a few weeks. Unfortunately, the quality of the photos I took is poor, but the experience of watching him all that time was wonderful.

Aren't they magnificent? I can imagine that being a wonderful experience for you :)

[LadyShea]

So, we met the owners of the odd looking fowl in the water. We were boating by and noticed a couple on their dock and one of the birds was next to them. They told us the birds were called Muskovy Ducks, and that one had died :(

http://www.wingwatchers.com/images2/rp-musk1.jpg


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yesterday, we were boating home around sunset, and stopped the watch the dolphins swimming around a net fishing boat...and they came right up to OUR boat, and came out of the water (begging for fish!). We didn't have any fish to feed them but got to touch them a bit ...very cool.

[godfry n. glad]

The city in which I live has a low wetlands Great Blue Heron rookery in the center of the urban area, next to the Willamette River. It's a city park.

Beautiful birds.

Nice pix. Jays will invite themselves to any party. They're pretty bold. Say, HighOn, you live on the west coast?

[livius drusus]

What a cool duck.

[LadyShea]

What a cool duck.

Isn't he? Hopefully you can see why I was confused, with all that flesh on the face and dancing around in the water I couldn't figure out what the hell it was!