HAPPY NEW WEEK! I hope everyone has a wonderful week! I’m taking a short break from work to say hello to you all and tell you about my new friend.
Every summer, I seem to have one animal who chooses to stay close to my house and keep me company. Last year, it was the little yearling white-tailed deer. This year, it’s an enormous groundhog! He’s made a burrow underneath the fallen apple tree next to my bedroom window, and he’s been spending his days puttering around my front porch, eating the weeds that I’ve allowed to grow.
He’s a formidable critter. A couple of decades ago, we had a huge groundhog on this land. My Mom named him “Bear,” because he was nearly as large as a bear cub. The current resident groundhog must be Bear’s descendent, because he’s a big fella! He has immense teeth (I think he’s fairly old) and long, thick claws. Despite his scary appearance, he’s been friendly to me. Groundhogs generally avoid people and can be hostile to humans if they feel crowded or cornered, but Bear II makes no effort to leave when I go outdoors. When I talk to him, he tilts his head like a dog and stares at me with interest. LOL He makes me laugh, waddling around the yard.
I didn’t try to photograph him, because I read that mobile phones and other devices emit electromagnetic fields that some animals, including groundhogs, can hear (or feel?). He looks like the one in this photo, though.
Groundhog, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia NPS photo labeled “Public domain” (copyright free)
Annette: I had a better view of my finger before I put the picture on here: they go much smaller now, when you post them, than they did in the past. I was thinking when Pat came back from her cruise that I never did post all of the pics from our last cruise, I don't think I got even halfway through. I will try to put some on here sometime when I have the time.
I'll have to go back and see where I got to with my holiday pics from then. How the time has flown.
Heather: Our Youngest certainly couldn't have bought a house here. Most people's offspring move away to other, less expensive areas around. But it didn't come up anyway, as he was offered a job in Birmingham where he was studying engineering at Uni, before he had even finished the course! - he had worked during the summer recess for a big company and they were keen to snap him up. Later, when he left one job and began another, he was head hunted and asked to do another. We're very proud of him.
Meanwhile, here's a pic of Venice to whet your appetite!
The famous Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal.
http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/
RSPB Giving Nature a Home
Diane: Just watched local news coverage of the recent mountain lion sightings and it's a combination of factors: There's the longstanding issue of the encroachment into their territory by towns/cities. but much more recently the loss of habitat (and food) due to the two recent massive wildfires and yes, the proliferation of cams - and not just trail cams but also home security cameras that are often part of the new doorbells.
Had lovely dinner with grandson in a very good restaurant in Pismo Beach, right on the water, good acoustics and really good food (fish with a Mexican accent). He is being taken out by a bunch of his buddies tomorrow - one of their sisters (too young to drink) has been "hired" as their Designated Driver.
Recorded all the news this evening but don't want to ruin a relaxing evening watching it... Sigh
Take care all
Thank you, Annette. I should have thought of the home security/doorbell cams, because I've seen several videos of mountain lions on porches, etc., which could only have been taken with that kind of camera. Glad you had a nice dinner. You and others might like this 7-minute BBC documentary video about the Verdugo Mountain lions near you. HERE I can't remember whether I recommended this to you before. I meant to. You may need to click to turn the sound on.
I walked up to the convenience store on the highway to get a sandwich and an iced tea (I didn't want to risk driving in storms to go for proper grocery shopping). On my way back, I closely checked my tall locust tree, and I didn't see a single red-orange trumpet flower left. They've all blown away. So, that's probably why I haven't seen any hummingbirds.