Category Archives: Pics

Jet

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Tuesday, May 28, 2013,

Yeah, I know. This pic is off topic. Get over it. This is Jet. She’s been with me since November 2004. You’ll have to do the math on your own ’cause you know how ladies hate having their ages discussed. Jet was already seven or eight months old when I ‘rescued’ her. There is some discrepancy in the accounts of the participants. I say I rescued this feral kitten from a certainly short and uncomfortable life, and she claims I kidnapped her and have kept her a prisoner ever since. She misses the taste of fresh sparrow and while I try to point out that I offer her a great variety of flavors throughout the day she only gives me that cold stare – you cat owners/slaves know the one – and asks why doesn’t Friskies offer up a Chunky Chipmunk Stew? I don’t have these answers and I try to explain as much but she doesn’t believe me. Trust can be a hard thing to win when you’re dealing with cats. Despite this obvious clash of opinions, Jet still sleeps on my chest on a daily basis. So maybe I’m not all bad. Jet isn’t quite buying it, even after all this time, but there’s hope yet. JK
 

Bluebirds Nesting At Avalon!

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Friday, May 24, 2013,

Bluebirds are nesting at Avalon!

For the first time in Avalon’s eleven-year history a pair of Bluebirds have taken up residence in one of the several bluebird boxes that dot the farm fields. The boxes were donated by Four Harbors Audubon Society about ten years ago and while Tree Swallows, wrens, and numerous other species make good use of them, it’s taken ten long years for a pair of Bluebirds to stake a claim. And stake a claim they have. One of my fellow birders reports seeing Mr. Bluebird pulling a wren out of the nest. You go Mister B!

Bluebirds have been seen at Avalon but this is the first time that a pair has been observed preparing a nest. Our fingers are crossed for the new neighbors. If they’re successful, maybe we’ll see more of them next year.

A Rough Start

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Tuesday May 14, 2013,

20130510075328-5x7wHere’s a shot of a young Eastern Cottontail I saw at Avalon Preserve last week. He’s only half-grown but he’s not so new to the world. Most rabbits are only fist-sized when they’re turned out to fend for themselves. While this guy isn’t even an adult yet, he does show signs of what it means to be a rabbit in the wild. Click on the pic and have a look at those ears. Something, possibly a fox or a hawk, has been at this little one. Maybe even a raccoon or a possum. If you look closely enough, you’ll see that at least one tick is still chowing down on our unfortunate hero. There are many, many critters that have rabbit on the menu. This could go a long way to explaining why rabbits procreate like, well,  rabbits. They absolutely need to. They’re feeding an entire ecosystem.  JK