tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67652487845355388012024-03-05T10:24:31.357-08:00Seminole Heights Pocket SwampWeekly ramblings about the flora and fauna in our tiny swamp.
<a href="http://natureblognetwork.com/"><img src="http://natureblognetwork.com/button.php?u=catthom" alt="Nature Blog Network" border="0"></a>Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-71689744364135563412017-08-06T14:59:00.000-07:002017-08-06T14:59:04.007-07:00It has been a long time!Catching up. First, an update on Chester and Greta. Unfortunately they both disappeared a few years back, but a young and very shy male showed up a year later, perhaps one of their last clutch. I call him Chester Jr. He called and called for a whole year, then finally started getting calls back. They roosted somewhere down back, but at the same time some Red-shouldered hawks set up camp in the next neighbors yard, which unfortunately overlapped with their territory. This spring, right when I should have been hearing a fledgling owl, I found a bunch of owl feathers, then a week later part of a leg. First image. Chester Jr now is calling all of the time, I hope he finds another mate.<br />
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Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-32585966571467115212017-03-03T11:58:00.000-08:002017-03-03T12:01:05.884-08:00Low tide, new treasureVery low tide today, so I went down to pick up trash. Poking around I startled when I saw what looked like a face emerging from the mud. Sure enough- a small (roughly fit into the palm of my hand) ceramic mask that still had ribbons attached. She was very encrusted with gunk, and a small mussel was attached to her nose- so wasn't really recent. Second photo shows her all cleaned up- no marks on the back though. It's a mystery as it wouldn't have just floated up!<br />
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Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-85680020096300364712016-01-06T22:47:00.000-08:002016-01-06T22:51:47.933-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Very long time since I have posted. Chester and Greta are still in residence, and all of the various swamp critters seem happy. This post is to show my most recent river gifts. Our tides overall (the Hillsborough River at our section is very influenced by salt water tides though our water is mostly brackish) have been higher than normal given my over 50 years of experience- so I have not had much opportunity to troll the shoreline for interesting artifacts. With winter, we are once again having lower tides, so I have been able to go down the rocks to the shore to pick up trash and uncover the odd treasures, but no where near as often as the past decades. On my most recent excursion, I found one very pretty platform sandal, not more than a foot away from the parts of a turtle shell/skeleton. They are surrounded on the table where I sort my finds by chunks of fossilized (aka agatized) coral and some skeletal remains.<br />
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In the meantime, our path needs beating back and a large Drake Elm fell down during a storm- photos to follow. The elm has to be surmounted, and Sophie has learned a new word- "over". She may be able to fit underneath, but I don't crawl on my belly like a reptile, so she needed to learn to jump up. She loves it- and proudly walks up and down the large trunk while I sling my legs over.<br />
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<br />Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-87805033098394872812014-05-24T23:23:00.000-07:002014-05-24T23:29:36.097-07:00It has been a long time between posts- work and life got in the way, and now I have a backlog of over a thousand photographs to cull through! I am starting out with catching everyone up with our resident Barred Owls. Chester and Greta hatched just one baby this year, after having two each the preceding years.
But first, I must tell the sad story of Chester's favorite branch. A lovely, arching branch from a large Swamp Bay, it was both beautiful and useful. It was in a perfect location, right next to where a stream emerges, and there is water trickling up all year round. It feeds into the swamp proper, and is perfectly located over a large permanent brush pile. I call it the owl buffet, prime area for our other slithery, scaled, feathered and furred denizens to sneak out for a quick drink of water. It is the first place I saw Chester; and he, Greta and the various owlets have used it year round for all of these years. Just over a week ago, the majority of the branch broke off, leaving just a stub. Chester still persists in using it, though it must cut back on his ability to flick open his wings and swoop down on the unsuspecting prey. The first photograph shows one of the mostly fledged owlets from last year on the buffet branch, waiting patiently for a snack. Then, one of poor Chester- it is a bit cramped.
Next is a rare clear shot of Greta, followed by some shots of this year's baby- starting with him/her on a neighbor's trailer during the early branching stage, then a bit later when he/she had better control of its wings and could fly high up and pester mom and dad for food. Then, some random shots of Chester around the yard.
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Next is Greta, ever regal </div>
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Newest baby, brancher period, then way up in tree after discovering how wings work-</div>
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This is likely a threat display- </div>
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Chester- </div>
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Chester, all fluffed up right after a bluejay hit him in the head. He had flown in to distract them from the baby.</div>
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Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-19828186008135740322013-08-31T12:00:00.001-07:002013-08-31T12:00:41.854-07:00Argiope spiderThe spider species <i>Argiope aurantia</i> is commonly known as the black and yellow garden spider, also called a writing spider and it has an interesting adaptation to their web. The feature is a zipper-like design in the center where she mostly hangs out. There is some dispute as the whether this is to keep birds from flying through the web- but nonetheless, it is interesting. This beauty is set up in a sunny, but sheltered area and she was very uncooperative. I had to go out multiple times to get a photograph of her in her web, she was very clever at detecting me and disappearing into the twigs her web was attached to. When she is in position at the center, she arranges her front and back legs into an x- almost like a Maltese cross sideways. That was what I was trying to capture. They are not dangerous to humans, and lovely to watch. They usually tear down and eat their web every night, and re-spin it again early the next morning. They don't get quite as big as the Golden Orb spiders, but they are pretty big. First photo is of her web, then her hiding in the foliage- then finally, an underneath shot of her in her web.<br />
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<br />Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-39062128012073293322013-08-03T21:08:00.000-07:002013-08-03T21:08:29.009-07:00Herons, Egrets and IbisWe see various herons/egrets/Ibis daily. The most common are the Little Blue Herons (<i>Egretta caerulea</i> see photograph)), Great Blue Herons (<i>Ardea herodias</i>- see photograph), Yellow-crowned Night Herons (<i>Nyctanassa violacea, </i>several photographs)<i>, </i>Great White Egret, aka Heron<i>(ardea alba), </i>Cattle Egrets (<i>Bubulca Ibis</i>) and white Ibis (<i>Eudocimus albas</i>). Rarer sightings are Snowy Egrets, Green-backed Herons, Black Ibis, Tricolored Herons with very occasional Roseate Spoonbills, Sand Hill Cranes and Wood storks- these are usually just passing through. The White Ibis are almost ubiquitous- they are around in large flocks
frequently, and will even follow after a lawn mower taking advantage of
the the insects that have been disturbed.<br />
The majority of the photographs are of a Yellow-crowned Night Heron who has been growing up in our yard at the river for the past two years. I first spotted it hanging out in the trees at the edge of the swamp near the river two years ago- I never did get a good photograph, but this summer I managed several. When it was a juvenile, it had spotty brown feathers, and blended in very well with the background. Since it has grown up seeing me, it will hang out longer than the others so I could take a few decent photographs this year. Unlike the name suggests, I frequently see it during the daytime hunting through the shallows and rocks at the river for small prey including our large resident population of Fiddler crabs. It is a handsome mid-sized shore bird, with slate gray feathers, a black head, white crown and cheek stripes, reddish eyes and yellow legs. Breeding adults have a yellow fore crown (thus the name) with white plumes from the nape and orange legs. The Yellow-crowned Night Herons are among my favorites-and this one bird seems to have made a solitary home in our yard. There is probably a small breeding colony nearby, but I have seen the same bird here almost daily for two years. When disturbed, like most herons, it will squawk quite loudly as it takes off.<br />
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First, a beautiful Great Blue Heron, followed by a shot with the same bird and a Little Blue Heron in the background, then a Little Blue Heron wading in the Hillsborough River near sunset.<br />
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Yellow-crowned Night Heron in an Oak tree next to the river- if you click on the image, you can see its head plume.<br />
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Hunting for crustaceans on the rocks<br />
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Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-35424435080560301972013-07-20T13:57:00.000-07:002013-07-20T14:16:45.590-07:00Alligator tales<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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When people first visit our pocket swamp, one of the initial
things they ask is if we ever have alligators in the swamp. In summer during the
rainy season, both the upper and lower swamp areas are full of water- so it is
a natural assumption. But, I have only had two encounters with an alligator
actually in our yard, and this goes back to my childhood in the 60’s when I
spent most of my free time either exploring the swamp or poking around in the
river. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At one point in the late 1990’s my mom and our closest next
door neighbors kept saying they heard an alligator in the lower swamp. I knew
this wasn’t probable, but borrowed some chest high waders (the mud in the swamp
is at least 2 feet deep, and the water over about a foot or so), took a big
metal pole and waded in. I almost got stuck a few times, and I did almost step
on a snapping turtle- but no alligator. After listening to it one night, I
determined it was pig frogs. Very anticlimactic. </div>
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Mostly, we see alligators from a distance in the river during
spring, when the guys are out hunting for new territory and single females.
Even then it is infrequent, as the Hillsborough River in our area is brackish
(varying degrees of salinity) and although they will travel through salt water,
they prefer fresh water. Another reason we don’t see them in our back yard at
the river is because our bank is made up of limestone rock and chunks of cement-
I’ve always heard that alligators don’t like climbing up rocks. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My two brushes with the prehistoric beasts both happened
after a huge gulley washer (storm) which coincided with a very high tide and
flooding. In both cases, the river flooded our property almost to the house,
with a good foot of water over the bank at the river. The first one was late at
night- a huge storm front kicked up by a diminished hurricane Frances, August
2004, coinciding with a high tide and flooding. At about 11pm, I put on my
rubber boots, took a big flash light and waded down the path to the river just
to check it out. The river was a torrent, and I waded over to where the stream
empties into the river to see if our bridge was still there. As I approached, I
suddenly heard a lot of splashing, not the ambient sounds I was already hearing
from the rushing water, rain and wind. When I got near- I shone my flashlight
and beheld a rather large alligator who had apparently wedged himself in the rocky
stream bed head-first under the bridge (which was a very heavy metal grate) to
ride out the roiling current and storm. I watched in amazement, and not a
little glee- apparently in this situation alligators don’t back up easily. He
bucked and bumped- finally got himself disengaged and turned around and disappeared
into the dark roiling river. I stood there a while bemused, shining my
flashlight around and then started wondering where he went. Looked down at my
knee high waders, with the water almost to the top- looked back at the river
and decided it was time to skedaddle. Yes, I really do wish I’d had a video
camera with me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In June 2007, a fairly equivalent situation- big storm surge
overnight with flooding. I, of course, had to go check it out in the morning. Everything
was soaked, the swamp was full and the paths flooded. I waded into the center-
a slight rise between the lower and upper wetland areas, and spotted a baby
alligator- just about two feet long. It was probably a yearling and maybe got
separated during the storm from its mom. I ran to the house, grabbed my camera
and just barely managed to track it down again and take a few photographs
before it got away. Little alligators are very fast. Naturally, I really wanted
to catch it- yes I know, you should not catch or molest alligators, but it was
so cute and just at the perfect size to hold.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are three photographs below- two of the baby alligator
and another one showing more recent flooding on the path. After seeing the baby
alligator, I always check out the swamp when the river floods over the bank,
but no more chance encounters with these amazing critters. I always hold out
hope!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9MWIqTOBYsVGrdTRT2s0wv-0jIkz_dbFWngO5P3NCYRevZnsGJq9e3K7rA10sKVRHOLHqaQcchlc-LfQfGErARn_J4vyg7htuIkepPxsT1olZueSNLZUGg7X-Rzhv_i4WLOep_tf6jM/s1600/littlegator2web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9MWIqTOBYsVGrdTRT2s0wv-0jIkz_dbFWngO5P3NCYRevZnsGJq9e3K7rA10sKVRHOLHqaQcchlc-LfQfGErARn_J4vyg7htuIkepPxsT1olZueSNLZUGg7X-Rzhv_i4WLOep_tf6jM/s320/littlegator2web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Qo8ini3hOyPBPbO-78Rxu2OEGGjqoze0N5zaTe7A3DptqyIsB16ANZ0RfBvMEER8ZH5Npsh7Iuv9qkfrZjhKVPLFaB_8npq4D1Hupuy4-orpddcAmdIKsJnyzIlWvTtYRJuwAR0EMyk/s1600/littlegatorrunawayweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Qo8ini3hOyPBPbO-78Rxu2OEGGjqoze0N5zaTe7A3DptqyIsB16ANZ0RfBvMEER8ZH5Npsh7Iuv9qkfrZjhKVPLFaB_8npq4D1Hupuy4-orpddcAmdIKsJnyzIlWvTtYRJuwAR0EMyk/s320/littlegatorrunawayweb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
In the second shot, it was running away from the strange two-footed beast.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqeRqphV5s062csAkERSxcmtjVquR1eku3yMr9qE3r5FegaVv5ho9WPIxg6JJe3KWgiCErw6ffZhduP8NK3YjYRY6g6-1VpM9w8-i4JpJFz1SYJHSCPUOR_BMQnGIZyfRRtthTNHl17Q/s1600/flooded+path+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqeRqphV5s062csAkERSxcmtjVquR1eku3yMr9qE3r5FegaVv5ho9WPIxg6JJe3KWgiCErw6ffZhduP8NK3YjYRY6g6-1VpM9w8-i4JpJFz1SYJHSCPUOR_BMQnGIZyfRRtthTNHl17Q/s320/flooded+path+004.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-54874749984520543282013-07-12T11:19:00.000-07:002013-07-12T11:23:59.331-07:00Trash and treasures- stuff found in the riverFor this post, I will be discussing the interesting and nasty things found in the river. Since my family bought this house in 1962, I have always combed the river and shoreline for interesting critters and objects. Since my husband I moved in, I have instituted a routine of fishing out any trash that floats up. About once a month, I have a large trash bag full of plastic and Styrofoam containers, beer cans, bottles and the occasional shoe which I mostly recycle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hvcb-qvFQWdl1dWmCdxwjCXiiyj36SImNRI1vjF8r1C4qD-YRa0kiGnxAL5VEr0BLeph8n9HgFo2lmlrrjq70JQ_oQp3SSToeGNEVBL8yuo51k51obvqKm7Aidh1HgPdDBckwWoXgsc/s1600/stuff+trash+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hvcb-qvFQWdl1dWmCdxwjCXiiyj36SImNRI1vjF8r1C4qD-YRa0kiGnxAL5VEr0BLeph8n9HgFo2lmlrrjq70JQ_oQp3SSToeGNEVBL8yuo51k51obvqKm7Aidh1HgPdDBckwWoXgsc/s320/stuff+trash+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eWukaxG0yzKUZ10i7vdH_3bltg_-SsFhmEjVn265VceT9JDBG61jzVNZuRY3yOpif_9lFqj5QCOIY8MxcShQGf78FOb1j2ZV27kMlJZnps5a78VQPuj6bC8hK6tqziZ82amcylqHi8I/s1600/stuff+trash+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eWukaxG0yzKUZ10i7vdH_3bltg_-SsFhmEjVn265VceT9JDBG61jzVNZuRY3yOpif_9lFqj5QCOIY8MxcShQGf78FOb1j2ZV27kMlJZnps5a78VQPuj6bC8hK6tqziZ82amcylqHi8I/s320/stuff+trash+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Just a few weeks ago, a small refrigerator, complete with two scummy bottles floated up. Now, why would someone just throw this into the river?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBRByHlhyphenhyphenxCIFCm7LNTkwTZz931o-Jpgtv1Nj3u-x4GlW_RYJh068a04auW9EyeHG83SKAUTgsgvdp-bCOModvU8vaHJRwguX7k4Q_CpuH7QY_HXOiuKuaActKNOWN-xnTggDxBuYsW4/s1600/stuff+refrigerator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBRByHlhyphenhyphenxCIFCm7LNTkwTZz931o-Jpgtv1Nj3u-x4GlW_RYJh068a04auW9EyeHG83SKAUTgsgvdp-bCOModvU8vaHJRwguX7k4Q_CpuH7QY_HXOiuKuaActKNOWN-xnTggDxBuYsW4/s320/stuff+refrigerator.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Sometimes I hang on to the brightly colored or unusual things- and sort them out by category. This is some of the plastic stuff that floated in, including a rubber brain that the squirrels think is tasty. The two blue reflectors floated in a year apart.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXrm1FCYdKfgJrGH7n9Pz7A3xxrkm-JxzyuLmN6fm-LUyPek2Zkf2-zvS3kYErnWGhtJzztSqSykx0xsxgErm6onRGdYT11cVpUwEtUF_1VKMgwXltiHpQ1lxFVkXiAph2wQhIY2goCo/s1600/stuff+plastic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXrm1FCYdKfgJrGH7n9Pz7A3xxrkm-JxzyuLmN6fm-LUyPek2Zkf2-zvS3kYErnWGhtJzztSqSykx0xsxgErm6onRGdYT11cVpUwEtUF_1VKMgwXltiHpQ1lxFVkXiAph2wQhIY2goCo/s320/stuff+plastic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Odd scraps of metal found along the shoreline-<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJQ2hChv7C1NLopwwOksvRRRWrdUiB-aoV2d-80pFf4_9IIFKgj_6xiJhhMZfXPVJk-UKRT33FgYZERgDS4O9BaIgOT9ViDlQITopEpIYIM6miViVnk2ps5W1zIB5sJAVnaVCyTRngbU/s1600/stuff+metal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJQ2hChv7C1NLopwwOksvRRRWrdUiB-aoV2d-80pFf4_9IIFKgj_6xiJhhMZfXPVJk-UKRT33FgYZERgDS4O9BaIgOT9ViDlQITopEpIYIM6miViVnk2ps5W1zIB5sJAVnaVCyTRngbU/s320/stuff+metal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Interesting bits and pieces of pottery-<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNHQZDy22bBEadixbi5ueALgbMDN6nou57oQNksinyJh1Y5faVD4MqTAzW21ajVauxxCJo3WQqBxAdNsr9R_yITKE87ISxhH6hjWvy1g1FPFCs8mQ1GaqodWxA5lJxlJTowjLTYXiBqNc/s1600/stuff+ceramic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNHQZDy22bBEadixbi5ueALgbMDN6nou57oQNksinyJh1Y5faVD4MqTAzW21ajVauxxCJo3WQqBxAdNsr9R_yITKE87ISxhH6hjWvy1g1FPFCs8mQ1GaqodWxA5lJxlJTowjLTYXiBqNc/s320/stuff+ceramic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bits of broken glass</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD43ab2CigLSFba4GKIIBd2k09sgUbaSmdP4f-MBbYYMDdIVoJ7JUCxTRKkU4q1cW4X7kr8gCecv5cddyrJtDeMVouiQhgm2Hr_yLZyOc0nalVnvol7Rb7A1C4LXJQq8KyQd2KLhnSHH8/s1600/stuff+glass+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD43ab2CigLSFba4GKIIBd2k09sgUbaSmdP4f-MBbYYMDdIVoJ7JUCxTRKkU4q1cW4X7kr8gCecv5cddyrJtDeMVouiQhgm2Hr_yLZyOc0nalVnvol7Rb7A1C4LXJQq8KyQd2KLhnSHH8/s320/stuff+glass+detail.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
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My big finds in the glass category are these 3 intact glass bottles, after finding one I started digging and unearthed two more. The small clear bottle is labeled Leon Hale, Apothecary, Tampa Fla, the larger brown bottle Warner Safe Remedies, Rochester N.Y. and the smaller brown bottle- Leonardi's Blood Elixir, The Great Blood Purifier, S.B. Leonardi & Co., New York and Tampa, Fla. I am thrilled by the two that reference Tampa, the original house was an old pharmacy building from south Tampa that was floated up the river on a barge, and I like to think these were somehow associated with that building. Unfortunately, the original house was destroyed in a hurricane in 1921, and the current house was built in the current location, further from the river on higher ground. Mrs. Rohrer salvaged a few bits and pieces and they still exist in a couple of doors downstairs.<br />
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Occasionally, toys float up- many still in a sealed package. I tend to keep them and give them away to visiting children, but here are a couple that remain. Our dog Sophie enjoys all of the balls that float up.<br />
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A few months ago two paperback books washed up on the shoreline. George Orwell's <i>1984</i> and <span class="st">The <i>Brothers Karamazov</i> by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I fished them out because I found this curious- and imagined some young student throwing them in the river in frustration.</span><br />
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From childhood, one of my pleasures and treasures has been finding fishing lures and bobbins that some poor fisherman has lost to the elements. I have a tackle box full dating back to the 60's, these are a few of the more recent finds.<br />
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<span class="st">Occasionally, more unusual things float up such as the plastic wedding cake couple and the coconut spectacled monkey- </span><br />
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Some of the stranger things that float up, and that I don't mess with- are probably Santeria offerings- roosters with the heads cut off, gourds with objects rattling around in them and mysterious bags with roots, bones and tobacco. Those I leave alone.<br />
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<span class="st">Since moving in, my mother and I have found and collected odd bits and pieces of fossilized coral. Large chunks which are fossilized coral heads probably around 35 million years old, and smaller pieces.</span><br />
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<span class="st"> My mother thought the large chunks were brought up the river as ballast (from Ballast Point) and thrown overboard as the river grew more shallow. But a find from several years ago now solves the mystery- a projectile point likely from the Florida Archaic period, roughly 2,000-5,000 BCE. A friend, Terry, who is an archeologist, helped identify and date this lovely knapped piece. The odd bits and pieces are evidence of ancient indians working on the chert (sometimes referred to as flint) found in the heart of the fossilized coral heads. Among them are several possible tools, and discarded worked objects. The projectile point (which shouldn't be called an arrowhead- bows and arrows had not been invented at this time) counts as the most precious object I have ever found in the river.</span><br />
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<br />Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-70030309353016017372013-06-22T12:51:00.000-07:002013-07-12T13:33:25.686-07:00The slithery and the fuzzy, chance encounters along the path.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Last week I caught an Eastern Glass Lizard, Ophisaurus
ventralis, on the pathway to the river. This poor baby had dropped its tail to
escape a predator, and just has a little stump. They look like snakes, but are
true lizards despite not having legs- they have moveable eyelids, external ear
openings, and inflexible jaws. The main body is actually rather stiff and not
very flexible, but the tail, which takes up half or more of their length, is very supple and fragile
and breaks off readily when seized by a predator. This trait is what led to the
common name- Glass Lizard. With the predator distracted by the wriggling tail,
the lizard is free to escape. This one is beginning to regrow its tail- but the
tail will never quite look the same. In early summer, the female will lay her
eggs, and then stay curled up around them until they hatch- rather sweet for a
cold blooded animal. You need to be careful when catching them- try for as near
the head as possible so the tail doesn't break off. They do thrash around, but
I've never had one bite me. I usually don't try and catch them as I always feel
guilty if they drop their tail, but this one was safe from that! The first two
are close-up photographs of its head, I think they are quite handsome with
their stripes and dots- and they blend in very well with the ground and ground
cover, as you can see in the last photograph in this series.</div>
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Next, the cute and furry; a very young opossum, Didelphimorphia, trundling across the
path. This one was very lucky, as the place I saw it is where Chester and Greta
love to perch, looking for dinner. It stopped and hissed at me, brave little
soul.<br />
They are frequently referred to as possums, but that should be reserved
for the Australian marsupials.<br />
The Virginia opossums are marsupials, meaning they have pouches where the
newly born wee babies climb into and attach themselves to a teat until big
enough to climb in and out. Opossums are semi-arboreal, and can climb trees
quite readily. Opossums are primarily nocturnal, seeing this little guy during the day was unusual. Probably had been weaned very recently and was trying to find something to eat after relying on mom for so long. They are omnivores; they will eat almost anything from fruit to
carrion. One of the things they do like to eat is snakes, and supposedly,
because they eat venomous snakes- the adult opossums are immune to the venom of
copperheads, rattlesnakes, and cottonmouths. They can carry rabies, but this is
extremely rare as they seem to be highly resistant to the disease.<br />
Although they are not really aggressive, they do have formidable fangs and
because they love to eat stinky dead animals, the bite can easily become
infected. Best not to catch them, and if your dog or cat gets bitten- you
should take it the vet. Opossums are marvelously adaptive and can live almost
anywhere. They do have a prehensile tail, the adults use it as an aid to
climbing but only the small guys can hang by their tails. They also have
opposable thumbs, so much for that being a uniquely primate trait! When the
babies get big enough, they will cling to the mother's back fur with their
little black hands and naked tails and can hang on quite well- I've seen a
mother opossum climbing rapidly up a tree with 6 or more babies hanging on for
dear life. Only the adults play dead- the babies just hiss. When an adult plays
dead- commonly referred to as playing possum; the animal's lips are drawn back,
the teeth are bared, saliva foams around the mouth, the eyes close or
half-close, and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from the anal glands. Yuck!
Even a dog will usually leave well enough alone at this point. The stiff,
curled form can be prodded, turned over, and even carried away without
reaction. The animal will typically regain consciousness after a period of
between 40 minutes and 4 hours, a process which begins with slight twitching of
the ears. I've seen this numerous times and I think it is a rather unique way
of dealing with threats.<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opossum#cite_note-16"></a></sup><br />
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<br />Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-88629568839129398772013-05-08T17:49:00.002-07:002013-05-08T17:50:46.289-07:00Chester and Greta- and some new owlet photographsChester and Greta have started hanging out in their old spot- halfway down the path, overlooking a woodpile and right by where the stream emerges. Good place for dinner. I finally got some images with both of them, Greta stays further away but I can stand right under Chester and he just blinks and ignores me. On the first one, Greta is in the lower right.<br />
Also, some photographs of Click and Clack hanging out high up in the oak trees in our front yard. They were watching our dog Sophie more than me.<br />
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Chester, checking me out-<br />
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Owlets hanging out in a mature Laurel oak, they are about 50 feet up. One to show distance, the next more detailed. The whole time, they were bobbing their heads up and down and all around. Made it hard to get a good photograph!<br />
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<br />Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-62093408248301998072013-04-20T21:16:00.001-07:002015-02-22T15:00:16.383-08:00Vultures- a wake and a venueLast week, there was a wake (what a group of vultures on the ground are called) of mostly Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) in my neighbor's yard. There was only one Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), poor guy. Turkey Vultures have a better sense of smell than Black Vultures- and the Black Vultures often follow them to a carcass and are quite successful at crowding out the lone Turkey Vulture. In this case, a well-rotted Possum body was the center of contention.<br />
Both roost in large groups, and I have in the past dissuaded them from roosting in our trees in the pocket swamp because of their copious and very stinky poops- apparently, their feces can hurt or even kill trees. I would go out at twilight, and bang a wooden spoon on a cast iron skillet, it's so loud, I had to wear earplugs. They didn't like it one bit.<br />
A venue of vultures roosting in trees is very quiet, they only rarely hiss or make a low grunt sound.The tip off that there are vultures overhead is when they get nervous, they rustle their wings, which creates a sound much like the biggest taffeta skirt in the world. Very creepy. Glad I never traumatized them too much, if they really get upset- they puke up all the rotten meat that they have just consumed.<br />
A group of vultures is called a wake, committee, venue, kettle, or volt. The term kettle refers to vultures in flight, while committee, volt, and venue refer to vultures resting in trees. Wake is reserved for a group of vultures that are feeding,-quite apropos.<br />
Both populations live in the Tampa area year round. At different times of the year- usually spring- they are more obvious. It has been a point of much discussion (and mirth) that our resident vultures like to roost during the day on the top of the county courthouse.<br />
New World Vultures are genetically different from Old World Vultures, but very similar in appearance and structure because of convergent evolution. The mostly naked head and neck are convenient when digging into stinky carrion, a typical Old and New World Vulture feast; this is an example of analogous structure (i.e., when the same traits evolve independently in unrelated groups). The bald heads are an important part of hygiene for vultures.<br />
Although both roost in large groups, the Turkey Vulture tends to strike out alone when searching for the next rotting carcass, Black Vultures tend to go out in groups- thus disadvantaging the Turkey Vulture you see in the photos, up in a tree watching the black headed bullies finish off his find.<br />
Vultures are very elegant when flying, soaring on updrafts like elegant black parentheses against the blue sky, seemingly for hours at a time. On the ground, they are quite ungainly- the Turkey Vulture more so- they half lope and hop. The Black Vultures can stride along pretty well, but even they tend to flap a lot and almost crash when attempting to land.<br />
For some odd reason, people in the south refer to Turkey Vultures as Buzzards, This may be because the original English colonists were familiar with Buzzards (what they called any large, soaring bird of prey), an interesting linguistic holdover.<br />
Vultures are an essential part of the ecosystem, they help clean up dead animals that could contaminate water and poison other animals. These birds are of great value as scavengers, especially in hot regions. Vulture stomach acid is exceptionally corrosive, this allows them to safely digest putrid carcasses infected with bacteria that would be lethal to other scavengers.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulture#cite_note-5"></a><br />
Turkey Vulture up in a tree, watching while the marauding Black Vultures devour his prize. Turkey Vultures are various shades of brown and have a bright red head and neck, devoid of all feathers. Their legs are white because they pee on their legs in the summer to cool off- this also helps to to kill any bacteria left over from wading into decaying tissues while feeding.<br />
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Black Vultures strutting around the corpse. They are solid black except for a lighter feathers at the wing tip (most obvious when flying). Their heads are a dark charcoal gray, with no feathers.The last photograph shows their strutting style.<br />
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Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-40220265415519219052013-04-12T17:47:00.000-07:002015-10-04T21:03:16.420-07:00Baby Barred Owl rescue!As the afternoon was drawing to a close, I was sitting in my front yard watching Chester chow down on a great big rat while being pestered by Blue Jays and Mocking Birds. Usually, he would fly to a more protected branch to eat, but he was an owl on a mission. Shortly after, I heard a neighbor's dog barking- at something next door, so I walked over, and there was a fledgling baby Barred owl in the driveway. Not a good place for a baby owl! I first put the baby at the foot of the tree, I know they can climb very well, but it wasn't co-operating, so a new plan was hatched. With help of my neighbors Paul and Carol and their nice tall ladder, we managed to put the baby high up in the crotch of an oak tree, likely the one it fell out of, with both mom and dad nearby watching the whole time. It was amazing to pick it up- so tiny and light and covered in fluff. It stared at me and clacked it's beak, but never tried to bite. In a little while after it was safe up in the tree, I heard the baby making it's "folks, I'm really hungry" cry, and one of the parents swooped down to feed it, so all is well. When the fledglings are about 4-5 weeks old, they leave the nest and climb all over the tree, they are called branchers at this point. This guy probably fell out while climbing, there was a fresh broken branch near it. Soon, they will flap and glide from tree to tree- probably driving mom and dad crazy with their feed me cries, and the parents will feed them for up to 6 months. After finding the baby, I now understand why Chester was concentrating on eating his rat and ignoring the mobbing birds. After I heard it making the hungry cry, I walked nearby, but one of the parents swooped down at me, better to leave well enough alone.<br />
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Chester, eating his rat-<br />
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Baby owl on driveway-<br />
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Baby owl at foot of tree, showing wings-<br />
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Ready to go up the ladder<br />
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Placing it in the oak tree crotch<br />
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<br />Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-1092690792325311002013-04-07T18:11:00.003-07:002013-07-12T19:28:29.659-07:00New photographs of Chester (first 3), and owl pellets (warning, rodent bones, not for the squeamish)I frequently find owl pellets at Chester's favorite roosting places. Owls eat their prey whole, and cough up the indigestible bits, this is a fairly coherent chunk (about 3 inches long, 1.5 across) called a pellet, and it is interesting to dissect them to see what he has been eating. This one had weathered for a few days, they are normally more cohesive. The things found in owl pellets are bones, fur, teeth, nails, hair and feathers- so they contain a lot of information on owl diets.
The first 3 are recent images of Chester way up in the tree canopy- he is about 40 feet up. He was watching overhead for the other birds who hate owls and will mob them and even (brave little souls) peck his head.
The next 3 are of a mostly whole pellet, and then 2 details based on my dissection. The 2 pellets I found contained basically the whole skeleton and fur from 2 rodents- either mice, or our local Florida Wood rats. I'll be taking these in to a biologist for help identifying the bones.<br />
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Find Chester!<br />
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Closer photos-<br />
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Pellet<br />
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Assorted bones<br />
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skulls<br />
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<br />Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-51049246152808222412013-03-31T12:32:00.000-07:002013-03-31T12:32:21.081-07:00A few butterfly photos from around the yard.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Zebra Wing butterfly(<i>Heliconius charitonius</i>)<br />
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Spice bush Swallow Tail (<i>Papilio troilus</i>)<br />
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Monarch Butterfly (<i>Danaus plexippus</i>)<br />
The Monarch was a recent hatchling that narrowly escaped being chopped when I was trimming a bush. You can see the chrysalis just to the left in the top two photographs, and it was wonderful to sit and watch as he dried his wings. I was able to figure out his sex because of the obvious scent spots on the inside of his wings (third image).<br />
Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-14153070025530254132013-03-31T12:00:00.000-07:002013-03-31T12:00:28.819-07:00Encounter with Chester (sort of) and a Red-bellied WoodpeckerA few weeks back, while down at the river, I startled poor Chester just after he had caught a female Red-bellied Woodpecker (<i>Melanerpes carolinus<span>
)</span></i>. He flew off, dropping the woodpecker at my feet. A rare chance to photograph this lovely bird up close, and to show the difference in the head markings, and the small red belly patch. After I took the photographs, I put the carcase back up in the tree- but I am not sure if he came back. I could identify her as a female because the red on her head is at the nape, and a tiny amount just above her beak. On the male- the nape and top of the head is red, an example of sexual dimorphism.<br />
They nest in tree cavities, and frequently store nuts in cracks. They also will wedge a difficult nut in a crack to give them a better chance at cracking it open. They have a very long tongue,with barbs on the end and very sticky spit to aid in searching out the best morsels deep in tree crevices and holes. They are omnivores and eat insects, spiders, arthropods and numerous fruits, seeds and nuts. The tongue also exhibits another sex difference- the male's tongue is longer and has a wider tip- this may maximize their ability to forage in different situations, thus increasing the odds of success.<br />
Red-bellied males drum (peck on wood, roofs, even metal poles) to establish and protect their territories, and the pair can be quite fierce in protecting their nest.<br />
Great sound link provided by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology-<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/red-bellied_woodpecker/sounds">http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/red-bellied_woodpecker/sounds</a><br />
<br />
This is a list of the woodpeckers who live in or visit our pocket swamp, all of these I either see or hear daily.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Pileated Woodpecker</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Red-Bellied Woodpecker</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Downy Woodpecker</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker</b></span></div>
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Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-77067526267219308822013-03-31T10:28:00.000-07:002013-04-02T17:17:52.450-07:00Very interesting find today, a Brahminy Blind Snake!While moving a rock this morning, I uncovered a Brahminy Blind Snake, AKA also called a Worm Snake or Flower Pot Snake (<i>Ramphotyphlops braminus</i>). They are relatively common despite the fact that they are non-native and were first found and documented in 1983 in South Florida. They are now found throughout Florida, and it is thought they came to the U.S. from Asia or Africa in potting soil. They do have residual eye spots on their head, but seem only to discriminate between light and dark. You can pinpoint the head from the tail because the snout is rounded, while the tail is pointed (it's still hard to tell!). They are very small (2-6inches long), live in the soil, under rocks and leaf litter- and on first glance- look quite slimy. Nope, they are very slick, shiny and smooth- not worm like at all except in size and where you may find them. Another interesting fact is they are all female, and reproduce parthenogenetically (unisexual, they are genetically identical). At this point, it is unknown whether they bear live young or lay eggs. Frequently when I uncover them, there are two or more nestled together. I am usually against non-native species, but the Brahminy Blind Snake hasn't displaced any native species, and since they eat ant and termite larvae, eggs, and pupae, I like them. If you can get over your initial repulsion to things that seem slimy, and worm like- you should at least leave them alone to eat those nasty termite eggs. Their mouth is so small, there is absolutely no chance they can bite. This little girl was quite unhappy at being caught, and thrashed and twined around my fingers until I let her go. Because of their size, and the tiny slick scales (you can see the scales in the close up images, as well as the lighter colored belly)- they are excellent and very fast burrowers. All of the ones I've caught appear at first to be black, but they are a lovely deep plumy brown. I put her in a plastic container for some of the photos, next time I will try to document them in situ.
The second image is a close up of the head. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSRIEenTqjp4nVGCdqwUbV6mFoC8d7Tddho5iRAVHVwGgK3km6aGg09taZEjCa1hRmrmNoQAWLlCHA-OrWRFpCyDYiiWt2cm3nP18y7gyb3W5c7tV6XKvpppD8QD4QIFUIw7ydkk9LvY/s1600/Brahminy+worm+snake+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSRIEenTqjp4nVGCdqwUbV6mFoC8d7Tddho5iRAVHVwGgK3km6aGg09taZEjCa1hRmrmNoQAWLlCHA-OrWRFpCyDYiiWt2cm3nP18y7gyb3W5c7tV6XKvpppD8QD4QIFUIw7ydkk9LvY/s320/Brahminy+worm+snake+copy.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyfctCt1nfNvCGB7s2Ne-3wYJuwem07A8zwrCb9t_UB5jv51xC3c8WKSZozmIABz0v3HJ4aDPFuB8h8h6Fz1zHfVjvt_S1-Sk_Dcrpgm6xFzyVe3poJkUFMlZL83nnyo8Epl682zVUlE/s1600/Brahminy+worm+snake+head.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyfctCt1nfNvCGB7s2Ne-3wYJuwem07A8zwrCb9t_UB5jv51xC3c8WKSZozmIABz0v3HJ4aDPFuB8h8h6Fz1zHfVjvt_S1-Sk_Dcrpgm6xFzyVe3poJkUFMlZL83nnyo8Epl682zVUlE/s320/Brahminy+worm+snake+head.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkM2_lEHof-BRV8odOn6iq1PPAlHmJbgvjVu1gVD9GmZFEDZbOv5e5HBJZaeNWkO6nhlqDXEw40OJkmTN-bdz_GripOCB5jZCbnU_7_ToXVDT0_2q3GVT7it-p6pZCBe9cXxStHyi4wwI/s1600/Brahminy+worm+snake+side.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkM2_lEHof-BRV8odOn6iq1PPAlHmJbgvjVu1gVD9GmZFEDZbOv5e5HBJZaeNWkO6nhlqDXEw40OJkmTN-bdz_GripOCB5jZCbnU_7_ToXVDT0_2q3GVT7it-p6pZCBe9cXxStHyi4wwI/s320/Brahminy+worm+snake+side.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHEBLB2fabXUqjbeu-rWt-qa8o8rtiV60-EoNo58E7r9ivileOHezXr0AC4rCRxL6pRxZ7FHa2k2Th7hYZoSV7njtckU26ywT2mBxsqv5gE2Vh66z6kVrpmy1QJ5SMjrqOzafHxGL-_k/s1600/Brahminy+worm+snake+belly.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHEBLB2fabXUqjbeu-rWt-qa8o8rtiV60-EoNo58E7r9ivileOHezXr0AC4rCRxL6pRxZ7FHa2k2Th7hYZoSV7njtckU26ywT2mBxsqv5gE2Vh66z6kVrpmy1QJ5SMjrqOzafHxGL-_k/s320/Brahminy+worm+snake+belly.jpg" /></a>Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-65971664958973806642013-02-23T19:19:00.000-08:002013-02-23T19:33:45.216-08:00Something differentJuvenile Ibis in my neighbor's yard. Ibis are amusing to watch- they come down in big flocks and peck around in the grass- grunting the whole time. Flocks can be as many as 20 or more individuals. Our dog Sophie loves to chase them- they grunt, fly away and fly back in as a solid pack just a few yards away. Not impressed by our energetic dog in the least. These were a couple of young ones who had just started turning (you can see a few white splotches here and there)and they were lagging behind the adults.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6VlcbL1nBRKmVN1MvfNZjs0kY_qFaox9Y_izeIiUQJWnnPCteoCrgiut6y7bNx3zHlpocCdp7nY1o7uXOmbobjuRY2tBEr1M0wGOL7MgEtbcuR43I1loUG4JpDlCNSgEPyd1Vr4bEi4/s1600/2+immature+Ibis.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6VlcbL1nBRKmVN1MvfNZjs0kY_qFaox9Y_izeIiUQJWnnPCteoCrgiut6y7bNx3zHlpocCdp7nY1o7uXOmbobjuRY2tBEr1M0wGOL7MgEtbcuR43I1loUG4JpDlCNSgEPyd1Vr4bEi4/s320/2+immature+Ibis.jpg" /></a>Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-33770183995039841552013-02-21T19:47:00.000-08:002013-02-22T09:16:17.694-08:00Two new photos of Chester<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBn6q4P4oac35NLzkr_PTbTq4nMQ7kO4uV5Fek6JniNubPja44wfcj44vuJOmSobS9GWWpacVKaEk91gbyeYoFauwfDm1ccpzLNim07dltJJndnH1np0KhYY1VqwfsCRmQO8KWw7_nX0/s1600/Chester+front+yard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBn6q4P4oac35NLzkr_PTbTq4nMQ7kO4uV5Fek6JniNubPja44wfcj44vuJOmSobS9GWWpacVKaEk91gbyeYoFauwfDm1ccpzLNim07dltJJndnH1np0KhYY1VqwfsCRmQO8KWw7_nX0/s320/Chester+front+yard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Find the owl! Way up in the tree canopy- on an oak limb but burrowed into a bunch of Queen palm fronds. He is a clever owl- this allows him to do his daytime calls to his lady love, announcing his territory to other Barred owls while sheltering from over head predators (we have hawks in the neighborhood) and the pesky marauding birds.<br />
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Next shot was from this afternoon- had to be quick- but he was in a new place deep in the swamp with the sun behind him. Just my luck- most times, I usually see him in our backyard the afternoons and the sun is almost always behind him. I can't get a shot from the other direction, because I would have to wade through about two feet of mud. Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-40503460388427106772013-01-20T11:09:00.001-08:002013-01-25T14:02:10.011-08:00Owl news December- JanuaryI have one good shot of Frankie, taken in early December. Since then, it looks like Chester and Greta have returned to our yard and I haven't seen Frankie since after Christmas. Starting in late December, an owl (likely Chester) started calling everyday around 4pm and into the night. Poor guy- he was feeling lonely! About a week ago, he started getting responses and they both broke into excited calls including the monkey call- link here- (starts with the standard 8 note call, then moves into the excited calls with the so-called monkey calls, then whining).
Link thanks to Birdjam. <br />
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<a href="http://www.birdjam.com/birdsong.php?id=47">http://www.birdjam.com/birdsong.php?id=47</a><br />
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Today, I got an OK photo of who I think is Greta, she was sleeping quite
soundly high up in the canopy and didn't really pay attention to me. I
am currently assuming that Chester and Greta have returned, as time goes
on, and I see them more, I'll be able to determine if it is indeed our
intrepid pair. They will likely lay their eggs beginning March, maybe
earlier- at which point I will see more of the male as the female stays
on the nest and he does the hunting.<br />
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Now, every afternoon, they talk back and forth way into the night. The calls start with the standard and then change to variations of the monkey call- things are heating up! On the audio- at the beginning you can hear a whippoorwill in the background.<br />
This is the larger female- probably Greta.
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This is my last photograph of Frankie, still cute and fluffy!Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-75541962037786815322013-01-10T18:54:00.000-08:002013-01-10T18:54:12.568-08:00Snakes- nice snakes at that<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMk1tF6ZqCKTMU2AdDAMv5vjXLi4cusoU9YAQM6HZrBeeABZpRNhFIcKJH3Ww-LlFqpPWX_t1is3CRYOnIB52sSHRy0BB4rntqLyzKY7JJ0lvURztQfP4H1CoPbr6TVPkB6qXHYv2Va8/s1600/IMG_9997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMk1tF6ZqCKTMU2AdDAMv5vjXLi4cusoU9YAQM6HZrBeeABZpRNhFIcKJH3Ww-LlFqpPWX_t1is3CRYOnIB52sSHRy0BB4rntqLyzKY7JJ0lvURztQfP4H1CoPbr6TVPkB6qXHYv2Va8/s320/IMG_9997.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We have a remnant population of Pine Woods snakes (<i>Rhadinaea flavilata)</i> around our house. It could be considered uplands habitat. I love these very docile snakes- they don't grow very big (10-12"), and are easy to handle. I say remnant, because there are no Pine woods anywhere near, and I know they are not common in our particular neighborhood. If you catch one, they will wrap around your fingers, but never bite. They are (to my eyes) quite lovely- a golden, amber color with big eyes.<br />
Next on the list of nice snakes is a Ringneck snake (<i>Diadophis punctatus<b>)</b></i>. Found on a cold day curled up in a conch shell. I have caught and handled Ringneck snakes my whole life. They will initially musk you ( exude a somewhat bad smelling exudate, probably horrible if you are a dog but not so offensive to me) but they calm down quickly and twine around your fingers.<br />
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Both snakes are very benign, beneficent and eat bugs in my garden. They are helpful, useful and harm no one.Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-73471542995829326452012-10-04T13:24:00.001-07:002012-10-04T13:24:20.803-07:00New sighting of Frankie on Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtthk-fckBTSs3BUnNu8SoWIFqU3uhg6cGi1kMNTgKimlcYaXjPEfqSvqnUr883YMPlqfZu7NO9QRErzvUGgAoQmhzWmx2B1qywNryHjga1AT-tRi6O_k8qmqCj3j-Ipwq1mGyA-PFUvQ/s1600/Frankie+10+3+2nd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtthk-fckBTSs3BUnNu8SoWIFqU3uhg6cGi1kMNTgKimlcYaXjPEfqSvqnUr883YMPlqfZu7NO9QRErzvUGgAoQmhzWmx2B1qywNryHjga1AT-tRi6O_k8qmqCj3j-Ipwq1mGyA-PFUvQ/s320/Frankie+10+3+2nd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Frankie was perched on a Sable palm in the middle of the swamp, alternating between watching below and keeping an eye out overhead for all the pesky birds that like to mob her. I have decided (perhaps wrongfully) to make her female. Like her mom, she has a longer tail- Chester's tail is very short.Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-42853592326704534392012-09-15T12:58:00.002-07:002012-09-15T12:58:42.495-07:00Recent photo of Frankie, and a few more from around the yard this past week-Frankie, on his/her new favorite branch over the brush pile near the stream-<br />
<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/?action=view&current=Frankiefront.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/Frankiefront.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/?action=view&current=Frankieback.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/Frankieback.jpg" /></a><br />
Monarch butterfly caterpillar (Danaus plexippus) found on our Scarlet milkweed (<span class="ProfBotNameTitle">Asclepias curassavica) if you love butterflies, and specifically love Monarchs- this is what to plant.</span><br />
<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/?action=view&current=MonarchcaterpillarDanausplexippus.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/MonarchcaterpillarDanausplexippus.jpg" /></a><br />
Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet)<br />
<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/?action=view&current=Shellginger2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/Shellginger2.jpg" /></a><br />
Shell ginger detail with bee<br />
<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/?action=view&current=Shellgingerwbees.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/Shellgingerwbees.jpg" /></a><br />
A juvenile Southeastern 5-lined Skink (Eumeces inexpectus). Such a cutie- the adults get pretty big and turn mostly brown and they are fun to catch. Very bitey at first when caught, but then they calm down and mellow out. When I do catch one (it's hard- they are very fast and agile) I usually catch a few bugs too, after they calm down, it's easy to hand feed them.<br />
<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/?action=view&current=SE5lineskinkEumecesinexpectatus-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/SE5lineskinkEumecesinexpectatus-1.jpg" /></a><br />
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<br />Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-41881512491500897972012-09-12T11:24:00.000-07:002012-09-12T11:34:29.814-07:00In support of brush pilesGiven the size of our yard, and the amount of trees, we have several brush piles. They are all in the backyard, and away from public viewing. Brush piles provide an essential habitat and shelter for many of our critters; birds feed on the bugs and other creepy crawlies; snakes, lizards and toads live in them and feed on bugs (and each other) and our current resident owl (Frankie, the remaining juvenile) has a favorite perch over one next to a stream- best seat at the buffet. Recently, I spotted a gorgeous Southern Black Racer (<i><b>Coluber constrictor priapus)</b></i>, sunning itself on the top of one (more about Black Racers below). Sitting quietly nearby, I have watched cardinals, wrens, thrushes, warblers, sparrows, woodpeckers as well as toads, lizards, snakes, squirrels, and overwintering butterflies making use of these islands of safety and nourishment. Brush piles support a lot of life, and can provide protection from predators and a place to build a nest or den. One of our largest brush piles even has a small population of Florida Wood rats (<b>(<i>Neotoma floridana</i>)</b>- and if a rat can be called cute- these guys win the prize. Wood rats are relatively small, have very big upright round ears, a pink nose, white belly and big eyes. They are nocturnal, feed mostly on nuts, seeds, fungi, buds, stems, roots and fruits and avoid human habitation. Please don't confuse them with roof rats (aka fruit rats, Rattus, rattus) which are a horrible introduced pest that will consume and destroy stored animal and human food, attack fruit
crops, and take up residence in attics, soffits, hollow walls, and
out-buildings. When they invade buildings they chew through wires
(potentially starting fires), gnaw through plastic and lead water pipes,
make holes in walls and cause other structural damage. One of the added benefits of having a resident Barred owl, is the roof rat population has dropped considerably.<br />
If you have a big enough backyard, please consider building and maintaining a brush pile. As the bottom layers decompose (providing the perfect breeding ground for yummy earthworms and grubs, yummy to birds that is) it is simple to keep adding branches and yard debris to the top. Here is a great site that discusses this, and gives instruction on how to build a viable brush pile- <a href="http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/brush-piles-help-wildlife-in-your-ecosystem-garden.html">http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/brush-piles-help-wildlife-in-your-ecosystem-garden.html</a><br />
First, the only photograph I have of one of our Wood rats,<br />
<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/?action=view&current=Floridawoodrat.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Floridawoodrat" border="0" src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/Floridawoodrat.jpg" /></a><br />
Southern Black Racers <i><b>(Coluber constrictor priapus</b></i>) are wonderful snakes,they eat rodents (small ones, that is), lizards, frogs, toads and bugs. I usually come upon one sunning in the path- whereupon it takes off very fast (thus the name racer) which always startles me. Black Racers are beneficial, nonvenomous and harmless, their biggest enemy is humans who think the only good snake is a dead snake. They don't like being handled (I've tried and they just continue to thrash around), and apparently are not tameable, so best to leave them alone.<br />
A couple photographs of the beautiful Black Racer, sunning on top of a brush pile-<br />
<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/?action=view&current=blackraceronbrushpile.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/blackraceronbrushpile.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/?action=view&current=blackracerdetail.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/blackracerdetail.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Woodrat#cite_note-iucn-0"></a>Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-59783193858677008612012-08-26T18:13:00.000-07:002012-08-26T18:13:21.354-07:00Cicadas singing in the face of the storm<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Sitting down at the river at gloaming, glass of wine in
hand- watching the deep gray, scudding clouds of the storm outskirt. The
Cicadas are almost omnipresent, surrounding me in waves of sound that rise and
fall like great aural tides. They seem to be in every oak tree there, and I am transformed and carried away by their song. Staccato and cacophonous, I am
surrounded by calls for a mate, calls about longing and the brevity of love and
calls in the hope that their genes may enliven another generation. At one
point, when I was equidistant between the house and the river, the 2 populations;
one in the oak trees around the house, and the other an acre away in the oak
trees at the river (they seem not to inhabit the swamp itself), matched each
other in their crescendo, and I felt flanked by armies of stereophonic song. I
have always been fond of these odd insects- from their final nymph instar, the
dried skeletons left behind on the trunks of trees like glassine ghosts, to the
adults- hard to catch and buzzing quite angrily when tried. My sister and I
used to prize the nymphal skeletons and would wear them proudly on our shirts. The
adults, also referred to as imago (what a lovely name), are a strange amalgamation
of insectile tank, bulgy alien eyes and wings worthy of the most beautiful
fairy. The ones currently singing in our yard are likely <i>Tibicen auletes, </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">also called the dusk-calling cicada. Cicadas
(males only) produce their amazing loud sounds from structures called </span>tymbals
on the sides of the abdominal base. The ones in Florida live for about 3-5
years, with the majority of their life spent underground. The adults emerge in
summer, and live brief but loud and glorious lives. Cicadas have been seen as
symbols both of insouciance (very short lives) and reincarnation. The photos
below are of an adult I captured just as it was dying.</div>
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Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6765248784535538801.post-81243148581921609152012-07-29T10:46:00.001-07:002015-10-04T21:05:18.797-07:00Update on the last juvenile Barred owl-This week I was able to confirm that the remaining young owl (I call it Frankie now- could be either gender) is alive and well. The week before, I saw Frankie and it had one eye closed. My heart sank- first, it's sibling injured and unable to fly, so off to the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary- then number 2 also injured. But, I saw it again this Thursday, and both eyes are open. Yay!<br />
<br />
Friday, I was able to get just a couple of photographs, Frankie was being mobbed by almost every bird in the neighborhood- the third photograph shows it all ruffled up after getting a hit on the head from a Mockingbird. The birds I saw mobbing it were: Mockingbirds, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Florida Crows, Carolina Wrens, and all of the Woodpeckers- Red-bellied, Downy, Flicker and Pileated.<br />
<br />
Checking me out-<br />
<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/?action=view&current=juvowlstarringback.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/juvowlstarringback.jpg" /></a><br />
Watching out for the army of attacking birds-<br />
<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/?action=view&current=juvowlonwatch.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/juvowlonwatch.jpg" /></a><br />
All fluffed up after getting pecked on the head by a Mockingbird-<br />
<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/?action=view&current=juvowlallfluffedup.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/juvowlallfluffedup.jpg" /></a><br />
It dropped a feather while grooming, so I scanned it on a red scarf. Itt is a demiplume, used for insulation.<br />
<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/?action=view&current=feather019copy.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/catthom3/animals/feather019copy.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />Catherine L. Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07809042950536252735noreply@blogger.com1