I've just gone through a spectacular lightning and thunderstorm. My tomato plant looks sad.
I have lots of little birds on the lawn.
My lawn has grown a half inch inn the last hour
Big, brown and grey boring apartment blocks and a lot of cars in the parking lot. It looks like a ghost town in this chilly, windy weather.
thick grey clouds that may be bringing the snow the weathergirl has been threatening us with last two days.
my dog running around in the yard acting silly.
Snow.
I can see trees that still have some leaves, the other plain but charming (to me) buildings in my apartment complex, and the simple courtyard between said buildings.
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@Anne Caitlyn, I love your avatar.
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Both of our turkeys (Chocolate and Narragansett hens) and the peahen wandering the back porch. They always do at this time of the day. The geese and ducks are clustered around the outside of the Ameraucana coop. Schroeder always takes guard duty while the rest nest in and doze, but they tend to wander the entire yard so it was just luck that they were there today.
All the rest of the chickens are in their coops instead of out and about.
A fancy restaurant, a bike shop, a bus stop, a yoga place with condos above it, a nine story building that has a huge sign on top, some other stores and apartments, and in the distance, beautiful tree-covered hills. There's a power line right in front of my window, and sometimes crows sit on it. I like that. :)
Edit - And lots of sky.
The Minneapolis Skyline in the distance, in the forground an urban ethnic neighborhood.
Huggs
Emily
I can see that OMG it snowed last night, but it's melted off everything but the parked cars and the trees. If I crane my neck I can see the expressway rising up over the neighborhood a couple blocks up. I'll be driving on that tomorrow. A touch of Chicago skyline.
I almost wish I was back at school in the library. It has the most amazing view of the Sears tower rising up over the treetops.
Lots of snow, ice on the roads, the fine arts complex, the student organization building and the police department. Oh, and a few pretty sorry looking trees. Lots of students heading to the airport to go home for the holidays.
I should add that my partner and I live in an apartment on a college campus.
It is evening.
I have a female blackbird being hassled by a male and female Shrike. Sparrows all over the place. My tomatoes are looking better after the storm.
This afternoon, I saw 39 wild turkeys mulling about in the front. My dog was just sitting watching them... pretty unusual for her. Yesterday, I watched 7 wild deer grazing for a half an hour or so. It won't be long until the winter moss starts glowing its flourescent green. It is quite spectacular in the morning winter fog. The spring grass is already growing... and yes, I live in the northern hemisphere. Ah... paradise!
Cindi
We get wild turkeys, deer, egrets, ducks, gulls, and other things (big ass raccoons) in the creek that's directly behind (Actually I think of it as front, it's where the deck and the big sliding glass doors are) the balcony. It's pretty heavily wooded (despite being 3 blocks from the center of D-Town), the creek flows most of the year - raging in the winter. It's very pastoral.
Two little girls in the place behind me on the trampoline with their Dad. 'Daddy you jump too high' Lots of giggles.
Kia Ora Cindy,
::) The first port of call the[my] eye consciousness takes in[from my kitchen window] is the lush green vegetation, then the bluey green welcoming sea, yachts anchored in the bay, the main land in the distance, tiny buildings scattered on the hillsides, cotton wool-like clouds making their way across the blue sky...The giant red car-eating sea creature making its way across the bay heading for the mainland to regurgitate the contents of its stomach to make room for more eagerly awaiting sacrifices...The sun is trying to dominate the blue sky, but the clouds [for now] are holding their own...
::) The ear consciousness takes in the silence, which is occasionally broken by the welcoming sounds of the morning gossip of birds, who seen to always have lots to say ...
::) The mind working its magic making the illusion seem real...
Metta Zenda :)
The ocean. :)
I see the privacy fence that surrounds my yard. My room is on the side of the house so the fence is pretty close to my window.
Above the fence I see the roof of my neighbor's shed covered in dead leaves and just above that is the comically bright green side of his house.
If I stand at one edge of my window, smush my face sideways against the glass, and look off to the side then I can see part of my neighbor's backyard. It has a dingy grey satellite dish in it, and I see a faded pink metal edge to what I think is a swing set.
If I look to the other side, I see only the fence and the sky.
If I stare up far enough that it hurts my eyes, I can see a dead tree looming over the neighboring house.
If I lean forward and look down, I can just barely see the bottom edge of the fence and the rotting leaf mould piledabout the trenches my dogs have dug. Any plants that were there are dead now. There are some mushrooms next to the holes.
I see the deciduous forest in winter trim with a light dusting of snow, two white tail deer cautiously passing through in the distance, a dozen wild turkeys walking past the frozen pond pecking at the ground for specks of food, a group of large crows sitting in the leafless sugar maple trees surrounding the compost heap and the beautiful afternoon sunset making everything sparkle. ;D THIS is my happy place!
Jennifer
Wow lots of you living amongst nature.. thats great.. I see my creek running strong to the north and to the west my trout stream and to the east pear trees with pears still on them. They are heritage pears. Original pears before mankind hybridized them. They look like golden christmas balls hanging. To the west i have a gravel drive with more trees. I do live in a bird sanctuary as my local forestor says. I often have to chase woodpeckers off my house from pecking it for bugs. There is a slight dusting of snow. I am in a wooded area compared to all the amish farms next to me on either side. I have a 2000ft montain across the trout stream. I haven't seen any deer here lately or turkeys recently but i see the next morning how the pears are nibled.
Snow still covering most of the lawn in front, with more in the forecast tomorrow. Kids playing out in the street. Back window, snow on the lawn and garden, looking down on the rooftops of the 1960's ranch style homes with the white-capped Rockies on the horizon.
Joelene
Trees outlined in christmas lights. It looks like someone was playing with a Lite Brite.
Kia Ora,
::) I'm surprised nobody's said "A concrete jungle!" or is this term no longer used ?
::) Many moons ago I did live in a place where when one looked out the window[any window] all one saw was a concrete jungle..Where I lived in London comes to mind...
Metta Zenda :)
A stretch of ground cover and bushes followed by a hill with grass and a big pine tree at the top. Behind that is a row of bushes and the flatirons.
If I discount two brick walls 3 feet away, an electrical contractor, and a shed, I have a fine view of Mt Wellington over the rooves of North Hobart. At the moment it is surrounded by clouds and the glare reflected is blinding.
Karen.
I see the sky which is white with gray clouds. Trees with no leaves on them except a couple. The other apartments with a few cars out in the parking lot. An anorexic squirrel that looks like a rat with a bushy tail running up the side of the hill. A dumpster and a boy dribbling a basketball.
10" of new snow on the ground today. Everything's covered, overcast with flurries.
Joelene
Heat shimmers from the paving. It's in the high 30C. I can see a tomato ripening on my plant. My asparagus has gone mad and has shot into six foot branches. Somehow I do not think they will taste too good.
Cindy
Cindy, want to trade? My view is covered by 15 inches of snow now.
Quote from: Lee on December 23, 2011, 01:11:20 AM
Cindy, want to trade? My view is covered by 15 inches of snow now.
Now how do you spell, no way! :laugh: :laugh:
I do not understand how people can pretend to like to live in cold places. :laugh:
In some of the shopping malls traders were selling 'snow' to kiddies so they could throw a snowball at each other. That was quite inventive.
Mt Wellington silhouetted by the setting sun.
Your asparagus have bolted Cindy, bad luck. That can happen when you get rain then sun.
The brick work of my barbecue's chimney, the skittles and balustrade of my upstairs balcony, the green leaves of a Chinese maple, Italian Cypress, and Brazilian Leopard Tree.
Axélle
The stars are out and there is not a cloud in the sky which hasn't happened for a few months now. It is dark and eerie quiet, the calm before the storm, I am on Cyclone warning.
A train, and a bit of dead snow.
A snowman & snowoman holding hands me and my friends made yesterday! Oh and many snow angels through out the yard. :D :angel:
Quote from: Cindy James on December 23, 2011, 01:24:26 AM
Now how do you spell, no way! :laugh: :laugh:
I do not understand how people can pretend to like to live in cold places. :laugh:
In some of the shopping malls traders were selling 'snow' to kiddies so they could throw a snowball at each other. That was quite inventive.
Lol. I was born in Texas, lived all over the south, and didn't live anywhere that got cold (though pacific NW isn't harsh) until recently. It's raining or overcast for half the year here, and I love it and I love the cold. When it snows I still get pretty excited.
My daughter was 7 when we moved here, and she doesn't really remember heat waves and drought. I think that's why she dislikes the rain and cold so much more than I do.
Another ripe tomato on my bush, I had one for breakfast it was the size of an apple, gently fried in butter on toast. Awesome
It is the Jan 30, boiling hot, 39C
There is palm trying to release a frond. It used to live in a pot but I planted it and it has gone crazy, at least two foot this year.
A pair of pigeon doves are doing naughties. A swallow is catching bugs. More tomatoes ripening.
Mmm no snow :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Happy New Year Everyone
Cindy
Lol at "doing naughties."
My daughter caught a bunch of worms and slugs yesterday, and today she decided she just wanted the worms. While scooping the slugs out of the jar, she announced "now they can all go have a mating party!"
I lol'd so hard.
As long as she doesn't want to eat them!
My Sis in law is vegetarian and judges her choice of food on eyes. If it has eyes she doesn't eat it. Except for potatoes :laugh:. I got a great recipe book, I love cooking, and it had a recipe for snails.
The first part was keep your lid on the pan in case your ingredients crawl out :laugh: :laugh:. I sent it to her with a comment that snails don't have eyes and my next dinner party would include this dish :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
She of course came around and bashed me up (in a very loving way) we are very good friends.
Know what did she do with the worms?
You have checked the beds?
:-*
Cindy
Quote from: Cindy James on December 30, 2011, 02:49:34 AM
As long as she doesn't want to eat them!
My Sis in law is vegetarian and judges her choice of food on eyes. If it has eyes she doesn't eat it. Except for potatoes :laugh:. I got a great recipe book, I love cooking, and it had a recipe for snails.
The first part was keep your lid on the pan in case your ingredients crawl out :laugh: :laugh:. I sent it to her with a comment that snails don't have eyes and my next dinner party would include this dish :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
She of course came around and bashed me up (in a very loving way) we are very good friends.
Know what did she do with the worms?
You have checked the beds?
:-*
Cindy
I think the eyes thing is a great rule of thumb. I'm flexible, though. I'll eat anything I've never had before, and occasionally I'll eat seafood. I might have other exceptions, idk.
Insects are one though. My daughter caught a ton of grasshoppers in the summer, and she asked me if we could eat them. I researched what we had at great length and concluded it wouldn't kill us. So we stir-fried them with veggies and rice and soy sauce, and not only did they not kill us, they were delicious. Very fatty and savory.
And the worms are all accounted for, for once. She made a big deal out of putting them all to bed in the same container in her closet.
Oh and I thought of the insect thing because my recipe said the same thing about the ingredients crawling out. :laugh:
Trees, plants, rain and clouds ;D
Rain up there?
Hot as hell here.
Full fire warnings are on. If a Northerly comes in we are pretty critical. Not nice. Particularly if people let off fireworks.
Cindy
Quote from: Cindy James on December 30, 2011, 03:22:41 AM
Rain up there?
Hot as hell here.
Full fire warnings are on. If a Northerly comes in we are pretty critical. Not nice. Particularly if people let off fireworks.
Cindy
praying for you all down under
Quote from: V M on December 30, 2011, 06:04:50 AM
One of my neighbors staring at me
well damn gurl
PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON OHMYGAWD :o
Well girl, Take your clothes off :laugh:
Quote from: Cindy James on December 30, 2011, 07:12:18 AM
Well girl, Take your clothes off :laugh:
I used to live across the street from a high-rise apartment complex. There was a woman there who was very clearly an exhibitionist, and when she saw my neighbors and I outside smoking she would come up to the window and strip. Oh my god. Yep yep. Win-win situation.
Darkness, a few lights and some fireworks flashes.
Bare trees, chimney smoke, greyish white sky, rain puddles on the roof across the street.
OK ..
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL AT SUSANS's ....YaY! :D
...so maybe it's dark here right now...but this is what I look out on here in the UK when I turn away from my computer in daylight (no snow this year so far)...
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi404.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp123%2FChrissty-11%2FViewFromRear.jpg&hash=389626fbe4a8fc9e88605420dc4832bc1738cbcd)
..Hoping you all find 2012 even better then 2011... ::)
Hugz to all :icon_hug: :icon_hug: :icon_hug:
xxChrissty
Its becoming dusk and I see houses on the other side of the stream with laundry hung out to dry on the rooftops. I see people walking up and down the steep coblestone roads, and further up the hills I see green trees and then a fog bank setting in towards the top. I hear a marimba playing in the distance, along with dogs barking, roosters crowing, and an occassional motorcycle or car powering up a hill. It is New Year's Eve, so I expect to hear fireworks tonight.
Here's the view out the window by the bed. The one nearest to me is fogged up.
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1207.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fbb464%2Fkaelsleeps%2FPhoto-0328.jpg&hash=613ba1cff200ce6c342f1600caac99ea79edb0ea)
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi44.tinypic.com%2Fnx7ya8.jpg&hash=b89d9f78e5f4e12aacf9c3e82c59ec6047aea94c)
That is all I see. It's so cold so theres a cover over the curtains and pillows covering the bottom and yet I still feel a strong breeze.
I see my neighbors butt crack..
ok on a serious note, I see a big yard of green grass with a road infront of it.
A beautiful, bright, open ended future; full of growth and possibilities.
A darkened Dairy Queen by the on ramp to a bridge and somebody thumbing a ride. It was a dark and restless night...
As of next week a great view of the Derwent River from my new house's kitchen. ;D
Yours reminds me of my trips to the UK Chrissty. Nice memories, thanks.
Rain dripping off the power line. It's like five feet away, directly in front of the window, but for some reason I never really see it.
Kia Ora,
::) Sunset last night...Looking to the right from my kitchen window.....
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee398/Zenda1/PB060027.jpg (http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee398/Zenda1/PB060027.jpg)
::) Overcast rainy and humid morning...
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee398/Zenda1/PB060030.jpg (http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee398/Zenda1/PB060030.jpg)
BTW I've just been introduced to photobucket-still finding my way around....
Metta Zenda :)
What do I see from my window?
The same thing I see every day; my beautiful, pepper white MINI Cooper parked in its parking space. :D
What I see: A parking lot, carwash, and gas station. And a lot of mountains in the distance.
What I wish I saw: A beach, palm trees, and the ocean.
The street and a stop sign
Nothing. It's dark. I thought I was going blind, but it turned out the sun just went down.
What the .....
A mouse just ran across my lawn
Quote from: Cindy James on January 07, 2012, 11:48:37 PM
What the .....
A mouse just ran across my lawn
Kia Ora Cindy,
::) Is it that time of year again......You don't do anything by halves in Oz....
WARNING IF YOU ARE AFRAID OF MICE DON'T WATCH THE VIDEO CLIP....IT WILL GIVE YOU NIGHTMARES!Infested!- Insane Mouse Plague! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOwinLWrEIw#)
Metta Zenda :)
Thanks Zenda :laugh: :laugh:
I was a member of an Animal Ethics Committee during onr of the plagues. We were having a long and detailed discussion of how to anaesthetise mice and what pain killer should be used on them. One member did state ''You realise we have people in gum boots jumping up and down on hordes of them at the moment" .
It isn't the mouse that worries me, it is the brown snake that will be coming for it, I'm not keen on snakes
Hugs
Cindy
Quote from: Cindy James on January 08, 2012, 12:40:01 AM
Thanks Zenda :laugh: :laugh:
I was a member of an Animal Ethics Committee during onr of the plagues. We were having a long and detailed discussion of how to anaesthetise mice and what pain killer should be used on them. One member did state ''You realise we have people in gum boots jumping up and down on hordes of them at the moment" .
It isn't the mouse that worries me, it is the brown snake that will be coming for it, I'm not keen on snakes
Hugs
Cindy
Kia Ora Cindy,
::) If there's one thing I miss about living in the land of Oz, is its wild life-snakes spiders etc....Here in Kiwiland we don't have much in the way of deadly creatures[well apart from humans that is]...I used to work in pest management in Sydney...Interesting job...
Eastern Brown Snake Australia Worlds 2nd Most Venomous (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJJRZBrH45c#)
Metta Zenda :)
From memory a 12" East or Western brown contains enough venom to kill 50 humans and can curl into the toe space of a pair of boots. Always a good idea to check your boots before you put them on. For our OS friends that can move as fast as you can run for short periods. They are also aggressive and seem to have bad tempers.
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi688.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fvv246%2FKeairaElisabeth%2F014.jpg&hash=7d9dba605dd69258bec95b671c7e6e88de8e9366)
This is what I see. it was the first picture taken with my new camera.
Quote from: Cindy James on January 08, 2012, 01:02:45 AM
From memory a 12" East or Western brown contains enough venom to kill 50 humans and can curl into the toe space of a pair of boots. Always a good idea to check your boots before you put them on. For our OS friends that can move as fast as you can run for short periods. They are also aggressive and seem to have bad tempers.
Kia Ora Cindy,
::) I remember having to shake out any shoes left outside overnight just in case a funnelweb found its way inside one of them :o :icon_yikes:, or if by a swimming pool shake your clothing before putting it back on especially if you had an early morning swim...Ah those were the days.... ;) ;D
Metta Zenda :)
Quote from: tekla on January 07, 2012, 11:44:31 PM
Nothing. It's dark. I thought I was going blind drunk, but it turned out the sun just went down.I was just a little tipsy and had put the bed covers over my head ;) ;D
Kia Ora Tekla,
::) Just another little tweaking ;) ;D
Metta Zenda :)
Quote from: Cindy James on January 08, 2012, 12:40:01 AM
Thanks Zenda :laugh: :laugh:
I was a member of an Animal Ethics Committee during onr of the plagues. We were having a long and detailed discussion of how to anaesthetise mice and what pain killer should be used on them. One member did state ''You realise we have people in gum boots jumping up and down on hordes of them at the moment" .
It isn't the mouse that worries me, it is the brown snake that will be coming for it, I'm not keen on snakes
Hugs
Cindy
I love mice and snakes.
I'm sure they've lapsed by now, but I used to have certifications in various procedures with rats, and we were very careful.
But there was a time in my past when my house was infested with rats. They were eating my food and leaving droppings everywhere. I put out traps, but more often than not I'd find the animal in the trap paralyzed but alive, its heart racing. That tore me to pieces...nevermind, I was trying to be lighthearted but I can't tell this story. Suffice it to say it got creative and interesting, and I did my very best to make everything okay. I'll update when I'm in a better space around it.
What I see out my window is that a street light is out, and also things are pretty quiet for a Saturday night.
I like all kinds of animals, reptiles included, but for some reason highly venomous things that bite and disease carriers don't make my cuddle list
It's dark out and my blinds are closed so I don't see anything out my window at the moment
Kia Ora,
::) Nice morning, 20 Celsius however rain is forecast later today....
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee398/Zenda1/PB080031.jpg (http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee398/Zenda1/PB080031.jpg)
Metta Zenda :)
Kia Ora,
I never drink that much, it takes the edge off the heroin buzz.
Quote from: tekla on January 08, 2012, 02:05:05 PM
Kia Ora,
I never drink that much, it takes the edge off the heroin buzz.
Kia Ora Tekla,
::) My drug of choice will eventually kill me, it get all us users all in the end, but for now I'm hooked, I love the buzz ! BTW My drug of choice is
" life" !Metta Zenda :)
I have a blackbird and two pigeons laying on the lawn with their wings spread trying to get cool
Quote from: Cindy James on January 16, 2012, 01:33:40 AM
I have a blackbird and two pigeons laying on the lawn with their wings spread trying to get cool
I've never seen pigeons outside of concrete-jungley places.
I used to love to watch the mockingbirds do their mating dances. They'd spread their wings rigid and move them in really jerky motions, like little robots. Rhythmic though.
Quote from: Cindy James on January 16, 2012, 01:33:40 AM
I have a blackbird and two pigeons laying on the lawn with their wings spread trying to get cool
I wonder if they have been sweating from the heat and are trying to dry their wings
These are more of a native pigeon, not the big concrete jungle type. I think they are Indian Pigeons, but I can't remember. They have moved on and the blackbird is sitting under the shade cloth that I se to protect my plants from the sun.
Did I tell you it was getting hot here again :laugh:
Birds don't sweat like we do.
And I just tried to look up Indian Pigeons. I had no idea there were so many kinds of pigeon. The ones I've seen look exactly the same city to city. Lol I'm ignorant.
Here's what I found for Australia blackbirds -
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv107%2FKimberly_au%2FBirds%2FBlackbird.jpg&hash=8f0d4eadecefcd3b8331665c5d43f58a863f83f6)
And here's what we've got where I'm at now -
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.flickr.com%2F1245%2F529290055_d162eec5cd.jpg&hash=e51cfd2f4796d2ea60f10c9ee853878fa6a42b30)
and try as I might I couldn't find anything that looked like what we called blackbirds when I was growing up.
The first one is what I'm looking at, although that looks a bedraggled thing :laugh:. They are imports from Europe and not a native bird. Sadly most of the birds in the cities are imported pest species.
Since it is quite black with a yellow beak it is a male. The female is brown and really quite dull looking.
We get all kinds of birds in the summer where I'm at, mostly robin red breasts and the females tend to be rather dull looking as well... Odd thing with birds
Very common though in that the male bird has the plumage etc.
Makes me think. Birds are maybe the closest species to dinosaurs, so were male dinosaurs the colourful ones and the females dull and herd like? Sorts of fits as you would need large herds of females to keep the species going, given the gestation period for large dinosaurs, but few males, so they would have to evolve to attract the females.
So did the dinosaurs die out because the males turned Gay? :laugh: Sorry
Cindy
females tend to be rather dull looking as well... Odd thing with birds
so that they can guard the nest under some protection from natural coloration, while the male in the bright plumage distracts the attacker and tries to move them away from the nest.
Quote from: tekla on January 16, 2012, 03:02:21 AM
females tend to be rather dull looking as well... Odd thing with birds
so that they can guard the nest under some protection from natural coloration, while the male in the bright plumage distracts the attacker and tries to move them away from the nest.
It isn't working very well, the crows still get at most of their nests
Quote from: V M on January 16, 2012, 03:28:11 AM
It isn't working very well, the crows still get at most of their nests
I didn't know that crows and robins interacted. I've learned from my daughter though that there's a lot I don't notice in our neighborhood, wildlife-wise.
I have a fascination with crows. The other day I was walking in a residential area and there were a bunch of crows on a lawn, and I stopped to watch what they were doing. One by one they stopped what they were doing and looked at me. One by one they flew away, except one who stood there and cawed. Then he flew away. They all started raising a ruckus as they flew, and then one flew right at my head and then flew away, like blue jays do to cats. It was so weird.
One of the strangest thinks I saw with crows was in the property I had in the hills of Adelaide, we have very noisy totally argumentative rainbow parrots, small and very aggressive. I had put a bird feeder out and two RBs had targeted it. Two crows came up,a mating pair in the area and tried to get to the seed. The crows were ten times the size of the parrots. the parrots would not have a bar of this. One crow flew in grabbed a parrot and just threw it away, literally picked it up and threw it!!Totally amazing. The parrot was back in 60 seconds of course.
Cindy
Quote from: Cindy James on January 16, 2012, 04:21:05 AM
One of the strangest thinks I saw with crows was in the property I had in the hills of Adelaide, we have very noisy totally argumentative rainbow parrots, small and very aggressive. I had put a bird feeder out and two RBs had targeted it. Two crows came up,a mating pair in the area and tried to get to the seed. The crows were ten times the size of the parrots. the parrots would not have a bar of this. One crow flew in grabbed a parrot and just threw it away, literally picked it up and threw it!!Totally amazing. The parrot was back in 60 seconds of course.
Cindy
That is epic. :laugh:
Quote from: Felix on January 16, 2012, 04:12:37 AM
I didn't know that crows and robins interacted.
It's not much of an interaction, the crows steal their eggs
It snowed off and on all day today (which was fantastic), and three seagulls showed up. I'm kinda near the river, and there are seagulls downtown, but I've never seen them in my neighborhood before today. They were huge and pretty, and they seemed to fly and land clumsily. The crows were really hyperactive and out of sorts today. I wonder how the snow looks and feels to them.
Quote from: Felix on January 17, 2012, 01:03:40 AM
It snowed off and on all day today (which was fantastic), and three seagulls showed up. I'm kinda near the river, and there are seagulls downtown, but I've never seen them in my neighborhood before today. They were huge and pretty, and they seemed to fly and land clumsily. The crows were really hyperactive and out of sorts today. I wonder how the snow looks and feels to them.
Reminds me of a cute tscene on the weekend. I was down at Glenelg which is a beach side area. A little boy about 3-4 was chasing the seagulls, until one stopped and raised its beak with the RAWW, RAWW scream, little boy turns around and is chased by the seagull. Probably make him into a serial physcopath :laugh:
we have very noisy totally argumentative rainbow parrots
Some how, back in the 80s they think, a couple of Red-masked Parakeets, one male, one female, got out in the area around Telegraph Hill. The birds then did what birds do, which is breed like bunnies. So there is a huge flock of feral parrots, all believed to be descended from the two escapees. Which means that this flock is almost surrealistically identical. And when they flock, it's like a huge mass moving as one. Pretty trippy. But they are noisy, and when they sweep down on a tree stand it's stripped bare inside of 15 minutes. And of course they are not native, and so have no natural predators in the food chain. And of course, because it's SF and every two people have at least three opinions, there has been an extended debate as to whether the parrots are a way cool and unique deal, or whether they should all be killed before they do real environmental damage. There is a doc film on them:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_Parrots_of_Telegraph_Hill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_Parrots_of_Telegraph_Hill)
We have the Sar Majors and Black cockatoos that are massive birds. They fly into and settle on a tree and the thing gets broken limbs etc. I made the mistake of planting Lillipilly bushes in my old place, they have a nice fruit you can bottle or make jam from etc. After about 100 black cockatoos came to investigate we were deafened and had no surviving bushes in minutes.
I think we do have to think about culling none native animals. In Australia we have been hit with some really stupid decisions to import animals to control pests, Cane toads are a great example, poisonous to every native animal and of no use to anyone.
We also make 'tragic' mistakes. Most people think Koalas are cuddly and gorgeous, they are until you try and cuddle them, or have a male in the mating season outside your bedroom. They make a fairly constant noise of a fire horn on crack coke. Their lady friends love it. No one else could.
'We' sent a heap of koalas to place called Kangaroo Island off South Australia, neither kangaroos or koalas are native to the island. They have run out of food. "We" cannot cull them because the tourist and overseas tourist people hear we are 'culling' koalas we are worse than whalers, and funnily it is a large Japanese contingent that is against it. So they are starving to death, tourists love it. Oh look that koala has just fallen out of a tree in front of us and it is crawling to shade;take a picture; as it crawls to die.
Love amateurs
Sorry
Bad Mood thinking about it
Cindy
Quote'We' sent a heap of koalas to place called Kangaroo Island off South Australia, neither kangaroos or koalas are native to the island. They have run out of food. "We" cannot cull them because the tourist and overseas tourist people hear we are 'culling' koalas we are worse than whalers, and funnily it is a large Japanese contingent that is against it. So they are starving to death, tourists love it. Oh look that koala has just fallen out of a tree in front of us and it is crawling to shade;take a picture; as it crawls to die.
Cindy you are such a ray of sunshine. I'm gonna have the best dreams ever tonight. :laugh:
Sorry I didn't mean to upset.
When we left our Hills property we were both quite upset. It was a piece of heaven.
The big male who was the dominant for the area was in a big eucalyptus tree outside our bedroom he was going all night, calling and calling. In the morning I got my wife ready and we were both incredibly sad to leave this place. The big guy looked at us, he could not see us, as they are vision is poor but he raised his head to the sky, and bugled for several minutes. We felt very special. I'll try and post the pics, not good at that BTW.
But we did keep and try and make an environment for the native animals. We did kill feral cats and foxes. local cats were put in a box, returned to their owner if I knew them, with a little message saying that this was the 9th.
Getting misty; we had echindas, a couple of wallabies, a few generations of Kookaburras, they also tolerated us. We were definitely not the owners. They were. But they would accept a sausage. Watching a Kookaburra beating a sausage to death is quite a thing, they eat lizards and snakes so they kill their prey.
And the lizards and snakes and spiders. It was living in life. I feel so fortunate to be able to have done that.
Sorry for going on. It hit some memories and thank you for that.
Cindy
Are they not able to set up a food supply for the animals on the island? :'(
Quote from: Cindy James on January 17, 2012, 02:55:09 AM
'We' sent a heap of koalas to place called Kangaroo Island off South Australia, neither kangaroos or koalas are native to the island. They have run out of food. "We" cannot cull them because the tourist and overseas tourist people hear we are 'culling' koalas we are worse than whalers, and funnily it is a large Japanese contingent that is against it. So they are starving to death, tourists love it. Oh look that koala has just fallen out of a tree in front of us and it is crawling to shade;take a picture; as it crawls to die.
Love amateurs
Sorry
Bad Mood thinking about it
Cindy
Yeah, instead of simply culling them or transporting them off the island, they decided that catching them, sterilising them and releasing them again was the best idea.. Way to spend our tax dollars..
Quote from: kelly_aus on January 17, 2012, 03:30:38 AM
Yeah, instead of simply culling them or transporting them off the island, they decided that catching them, sterilising them and releasing them again was the best idea.. Way to spend our tax dollars..
This is what we do with stray cats in a lot of places in the U.S.
It's snowing again!
Jenny
Totally amazing. it was too fast to get my camera. I'm stunned.
The mouse came onto the lawn, I presume to get some of the food that the birds had dropped, presumption only. A brown snake hit it. it came from behind my bird bath, I presume it was waiting there. So fast. I'm not going out to check.
Oh wow
Quote from: Cindy James on January 20, 2012, 03:13:50 AM
Totally amazing. it was too fast to get my camera. I'm stunned.
The mouse came onto the lawn, I presume to get some of the food that the birds had dropped, presumption only. A brown snake hit it. it came from behind my bird bath, I presume it was waiting there. So fast. I'm not going out to check.
Oh wow
Holy god that's nat geo stuff. ;D
The closest I've come to that was at one of my houses in Alabama, there was an alley behind my house (almost as many alleys as roads in Birmingham), and it wasn't well-paved or well-lit. One day I was walking down it and an owl flew right by my head and grabbed a rat that had run into the road a few feet ahead of me. Lol until then I didn't even know we had owls. :)
I couldn't believe how fast the snake moved, mice are fast, this thing went about half a meter in a blink, jaws open, mouse had no chance.
I'm still in shock
Quote from: Cindy James on January 20, 2012, 03:13:50 AM
Totally amazing. it was too fast to get my camera. I'm stunned.
The mouse came onto the lawn, I presume to get some of the food that the birds had dropped, presumption only. A brown snake hit it. it came from behind my bird bath, I presume it was waiting there. So fast. I'm not going out to check.
Oh wow
Wow! I've not seen many snakes in metro Adelaide.. Now that it's had a snack, it's a good time to call the snake removal peoples, it won't be so quick...
I'm doing so, it should be sleepy for a few days.
I was use to them in the hills but here!!! But mice are snake food, and where there is food there will be things to eat it.
Wait, yall have "snake removal people?"
I'm moving there to start a BBQ 'Snake Snacks on a Stick' Company :laugh: Chips with that?
I have an aunt who lives on a swamp, and she pays young guys to get the alligators out of her yard. But still. Lol. Aren't non-poisonous snakes welcome?
Quote from: V M on January 20, 2012, 03:40:53 AM
I'm moving there to start a BBQ 'Snake Snacks on a Stick' Company :laugh: Chips with that?
V I am vegetarian, mostly vegan, but I'll deviate from that to support your business. :D
Quote from: Felix on January 20, 2012, 03:42:04 AM
I have an aunt who lives on a swamp, and she pays young guys to get the alligators out of her yard. But still. Lol. Aren't non-poisonous snakes welcome?
If a carpet python or the like moved in to my yard, no problems.. Brown snakes are venomous.. and the anti-venom is almost as bad as the bite..
Browns are the second most venomous snake the world but they are not very aggressive. That said a man died recently from a brown bite, it was in his shoe, it was less than 10mins.
Quote from: Cindy James on January 20, 2012, 04:00:35 AM
Browns are the second most venomous snake the world but they are not very aggressive. That said a man died recently from a brown bite, it was in his shoe, it was less than 10mins.
I've had a very poor opinion of browns since one bit my dog when I was a kid and then decided to curl up for a snooze about 2 feet away.. My step-dad converted it to a fine red mist with his 12 gauge..
We have people we are professional snake catchers, they are very good.
I have a colleague who runs a snake farm, they produce the venom to make the vaccines. Totally fascinating. He is down to one more bite, he has an anaphylatic reaction to the anti-venene. The next bite will kill him one way or another. :'( ::) You do what you do.
Quote from: Cindy James on January 20, 2012, 04:00:35 AM
Browns are the second most venomous snake the world but they are not very aggressive. That said a man died recently from a brown bite, it was in his shoe, it was less than 10mins.
Quote from: kelly_aus on January 20, 2012, 03:52:48 AM
If a carpet python or the like moved in to my yard, no problems.. Brown snakes are venomous.. and the anti-venom is almost as bad as the bite..
Here's a couple links :)
http://www.avru.org/general/general_eastbrown.html (http://www.avru.org/general/general_eastbrown.html)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_brown_snake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_brown_snake)
Know what you mean.
There is the Australian classic of the cat sitting on the front lawn. Dead. Received a snake bite. and just dies in a frozen position.
Haha wow okay. Where I grew up we had water moccasins, but I've been living for years in a place where nothing is poisonous. Once in awhile somebody in southeastern Oregon will get bit by a scorpion, but you have to be pretty old or drunk or otherwise immunocompromised for that to be a problem. We got some brown recluse spiders brought in by accident a couple years ago. But all in all, I live in one of the most harmless places ever. I forgot about deadly stuff just wandering around. :angel:
We get Hobo spiders and an occasional rattlesnake where I'm at
A train full of people going to work in Boston.
A train full of people coming home from work in Boston.
tram No. 49, cars, leafless trees waving in the wind
It is light inside and pitch dark outside.
I can only see my reflection in the window.
How depressing.
A palm tree flapping in the breeze, my clothes on the washing line
Quote from: Cindy James on January 20, 2012, 03:38:43 AM
I'm doing so, it should be sleepy for a few days.
I was use to them in the hills but here!!! But mice are snake food, and where there is food there will be things to eat it.
Snakes are our friends.
The keep the rodent population down.
Rodents are the enemy.
Quote from: Jamie D on January 22, 2012, 01:00:31 AM
Snakes are our friends.
The keep the rodent population down.
Rodents are the enemy.
Oh I agree, you should see the mouse plagues we get.
I hate rodents!
Quote from: Devlyn on January 22, 2012, 06:51:14 AM
I hate rodents!
Have you tried them sauteed, with a red wine reduction?
CVS/pharmacy
Mmmm, pharmaceutical convenience... I love living next to a 24/7 CVS.
Quote from: Cindy James on January 22, 2012, 12:59:41 AM
A palm tree flapping in the breeze, my clothes on the washing line
There are palm trees in Australia?
And Jamie I would totally sautee and eat a rat. We overlook so many delicacies. :D
Yes, I'm not sure of the types but I have a palm that is 10 ft and growing, it used to be in a pot but where I am now living it is warm enough to plant in the ground, my neighbour has palms that are around 30-40 foot.
The ecological range in Australia is enormous. The Top end, the Northern territories and North Queensland are tropical, Adelaide where I am is Mediterranean. Tasmania, where Karen lives, is northern European. We also have a total difference in rainfall, it is now monsoonal in the tropics, and drought where I am. There are floods in Queensland and we haven't has significant rain for months and we won't until May or August
People sort of forget how big Australia is. It is larger than the USA, and would be larger than Europe. I think. We just don't have many people and the major internal areas are desert.
Quote from: Cindy James on February 02, 2012, 02:53:31 AM
Yes, I'm not sure of the types but I have a palm that is 10 ft and growing, it used to be in a pot but where I am now living it is warm enough to plant in the ground, my neighbour has palms that are around 30-40 foot.
The ecological range in Australia is enormous. The Top end, the Northern territories and North Queensland are tropical, Adelaide where I am is Mediterranean. Tasmania, where Karen lives, is northern European. We also have a total difference in rainfall, it is now monsoonal in the tropics, and drought where I am. There are floods in Queensland and we haven't has significant rain for months and we won't until May or August
People sort of forget how big Australia is. It is larger than the USA, and would be larger than Europe. I think. We just don't have many people and the major internal areas are desert.
Ah, jeez. I should ask my kid. I bet she knows all about it.
I know Australia is a large landmass, a continent, but to be perfectly honest I rarely hear anything good about the place, and I think I've missed out on a lot of cool biology/ecology/geography/etc because of you guys' political troubles. What trickles over to what I see in my part of the world generally involves comedy, racism, or draconian legal actions that mirror those taken by the US government. I did hear about your recent modification of passport requirements, which is happy stuff.
What political troubles?
We have a democratic government based on the Westminster system. We are very mulicultural, and there are no draconian laws as far as I know. Yes there is racism, but about the same or less than most countries. People rarely hear anything about Australia at all because we are pretty insignificant on the world stage
Quote from: Cindy James on February 02, 2012, 03:12:47 AM
What political troubles?
We have a democratic government based on the Westminster system. We are very mulicultural, and there are no draconian laws as far as I know. Yes there is racism, but about the same or less than most countries. People rarely hear anything about Australia at all because we are pretty insignificant on the world stage
Oki. I'll point out that I don't filter the news here, and those who do tend to be serving one agenda or another. I hear about Australia often, but as an addendum to the US and the UK, usually, with the UK as the slightly odd man out.
Though the last thing I heard from there was about Anthony Albanese taking movie lines, and that was funny and very much on the individual and not associated with his country.
Quote from: Cindy James on February 02, 2012, 03:12:47 AM
What political troubles?
We have a democratic government based on the Westminster system. We are very mulicultural, and there are no draconian laws as far as I know. Yes there is racism, but about the same or less than most countries. People rarely hear anything about Australia at all because we are pretty insignificant on the world stage
:( i wish my country was more insignifcant, im sick of having to feel embarrassed for living in the UK
Quote from: Felix on February 02, 2012, 02:33:51 AM
And Jamie I would totally sautee and eat a rat. We overlook so many delicacies. :D
Then you might like this:
WoodyBobs Famous Squirrel Recipes (http://www.woodybobs.com/bestsquirrelrecipes.html)
Ice fog. I swear, this fog puts both Silent Hill and the movie 'The Fog' to shame.
Quote from: El on February 02, 2012, 09:51:30 AM
:( i wish my country was more insignifcant, im sick of having to feel embarrassed for living in the UK
If you desire insignificance, you can always relocate to Lichtenstein.
Quote from: Logan Erik on February 02, 2012, 12:42:31 PM
Squirrels aren't bad eating. You just have to cook them a looong time to get them tender enough to chew. They're wiry little things.
"Squirrel on a stick, JimBob?"
"Sure thang, Billy Joe. Them's good eatin'"
Squirrel eating reminds me of the old sitcom "The Beverly Hillbillies". Granny (Irene Ryan) often barges in with her shooting iron and says "I gotta go out and fetch us some squirrel"!
At the moment, I see a heavy overcast coming in with snow expected with accumulations to be in the 12"- 18" range for my area by Saturday morning.
Joelene