Prattle About Live Things You Saw: Nature

[borealis]

Almost asked that myself.

[Magicziggy]

Renting.

[gib]

what were they thinking with the french doors?

[borealis]

1+ metre long flying squirrels exist for real.

http://www.sci-news.com/biology/scie...aos-01361.html

[Magicziggy]

Rescue mission.

There's a track that runs alongside the property, about 150m connecting the next street. At the base of the track we found a young pile of feathers that looked just like a weathered old tree stump. On closer inspection we saw it was a young owl like bird, and peering down from the fence an adult tree stump. In fact a tawny frogmouth.

The young one was stationary and right in the line to be run over, so we called wildlife rescue and asked advice. The advice was to take it to the vet so we carefully placed it in a box and asked the vet what to do.


The vet advised that apart from a bit of trauma to one eye, it was fine. Probably sustained during flight training. She also said that it had a much better chance of survival in the wild and to place it in a small box in a tree where the adults would find it.

So we did. By this time, both parents could be seen. One up high looking remarkably like part of the tree it was sitting on. We left the little thing to its fate.



That was two days ago.

The next day, the box was empty but both adults were still there.






Today.. I went back with my camera as opposed to the phone...

[Magicziggy]

So this morning we wandered down the track with no real expectation of ever seeing the young frogmouth again.. only...

[Dionysus]

Fantastic find - always found nightjars and related fascinating.

[borealis]

Neat!

[borealis]

I love how cuddled up they are.

[Dionysus]

What's going on with the two phone shots? Vet said some trauma to one eye but both eyes look a bit odd to me. Is that retina bounce-back from the phone cam flash? Though the shots don't look flash lit otherwise. Anyway, very spooky evil eye kinda look.

[Magicziggy]

The flash was on. The first shot I took of the adult was without flash and too dark.

The eyes are amazing. The adult stretches into broken branch mode and closes its eyes. The eyes disappear. This is the most amazing camouflage I've seen. Obviously it doesn't work to well on a fence, but the effect is still incredible.

[MSG]

well I wish I could produce some photos of the kangaroos (20 or 30,) emus (half a dozen sightings including at least 2 males with 5 or 6 chicks in tow,) and many other smaller mallee birds sighted at the malleefowl training weekend just past, at Wyperfeld National Park, but I can't

[MSG]

Originally Posted by Magicziggy

[gib]

Originally Posted by borealis

I love how cuddled up they are.

off-the-scale cute!

[borealis]

yeah, they are.

I'm discovering all the critters that have moved into my woodpile. Putting the wood inside right now (okay late) and finding spiders, crickets, sowbugs, some kind of black and grey moth that I unwittingly injured badly, a deer mouse (ran away). We've had our first frosts the last two mornings.

[borealis]

I love having the raven family spend summers with me, but they fly somewhere else after the summer and the crows come back, and they are at least as much fun to watch as ravens.

You cannot easily sneak up to a window to watch crows. They are really sensitive to movement, one of them will catch you and fly away screaming, followed by the others. Most of the time. Most of them. It has to be a crow personality thing, or maybe it's just juveniles being clueless.

I look out a window today, just two crows poking around in the grass. One sees me, leaps from the grass and flies to a tree, cawing loudly. Other one in the grass looks up, has this stunned 'huh? what?' body language. One in tree caws at him. Crow in grass is all 'where?' then suddenly seems to catch on: 'Oh, you meant DANGER!!!! right with you man, CAW fly fly fly CAW!'

[borealis]

We still haven't had a hard frost. Outside stacking firewood today (ohgodfourmorecords) and there are still tons of asters, eyebright, healall, hawkweeds, stray queen anne's lace, clovers, and other hardy things blooming. Lots of red dragonflies, those white fuzzy-butt flies, crickets and katydids, and today I saw a lonely cabbage butterfly, very green which I think means just emerged, feeding on nectar from healall flowers. One of these.

[borealis]

Also we saw a young male partridge really close up on our walk today. He let us get within almost touching distance before deciding he should walk away into the woods fast. Beautiful bird, shiny bright feathers.

[charlou]

Managed to find the koala who'd been active in the vicinity since we moved here .. Large fellow, seated high up in the fork of a eucalypt, growling amorously. He turned his gaze in my direction as I tried to catch him on camera (no good - it was dusk and he was waaaay up high).

Late after work next night, a large koala on the roadside watched as I drove by on my way home .. I imagined a knapsack over his shoulder .. headed off to greener trees.

[borealis]

That first bit sounded... er... romantic.

How neat to see wild koalas wandering around!

[charlou]

He's quite a catch for the lady koalas, I'm sure.

The wildlife is abundant in this more treed area of the hills, even more so than where we were living just a few blocks away. Such a beautiful place to live, and still so close to the city.

[borealis]

I'm glad you found it.

I grew up rural, moved to the city to go to college, stayed there eighteen years, and one day just said I am not spending another winter in the city. Best decision ever. Life got better, I was much happier, met my husband eventually, and now we have a nice little house on a small lake; lots of wildlife and pretty views.

[charlou]

Good for the soul

[borealis]

Last evening Number One cat suddenly races to the deck doors, neck hair a-fluff and quivering with excitement. Ten seconds later a very large and long-furred raccoon scuttled by, giving kitty a quick threatening stare on the way past.

That animal's fur was hat-quality.

[charlou]

They're the ones with a thick furry tail?