Dolittle's Domain

Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Momma and Fawns

Every year we watch until the local momma deer expose their newborn fawns to the outside world. There are several doe mothering fawns not too far from the back of the house. We believe they give birth inside the pasture among the trees where dogs and coyotes can’t enter. Normally in the evening hours, when momma needs a drink, is when we first see the fawns. They will pass through a grassy lane to reach a fresh water spring. Of course the tall grass may tempt them to stop and dine. There are two fawns in the photo hidden in the grass. The trio is approximately 50 feet from where I stood taking photos.

Modern Fossil

In our modern “concrete all” world, sometimes something odd is left in the wake. I found this modern fossil in a parking lot. It must have been a rather large bug. The antennae and legs are clearly visible, as are veins in its wings and the abdomen segments. I find things like this fascinating.

Invisible fence

Chickens can be such a hoot. We incubated several eggs this last spring and the developing chicks have been a constant source of entertainment. Once outside, we had a fence between them and the older chickens to protect the chicks. The term “pecking order” didn’t just fall out of the sky; it is used to describe how chickens interact with each other. There are the bosses; there are meek hiders, and there is every personality between. Until the chicks grew large enough to fend for themselves they would have automatically been pushed around by the older chickens, so we couldn’t let the two groups mix. The day when the chicks were big enough finally came.

We removed the fence that separated the youngsters from the general flock and the fun started. The older group marched right in to the newly opened area, checked it out and finding nothing of interest, left. The youngsters on the other hand, walked up to where the fence had been, and stopped. They refused to go any farther. Gee, did we inadvertently leave an invisible fence there? For days the youngsters approached the nonexistent barrier, craning their necks to look over something that was no longer there. One gutsy little pullet finally hopped what really wasn’t there, made a lap around the big pen, and shot right back to her safety zone. Everybody came running over to check her out. Seeing that she survived, some others made the same lap and the invisible fence disappeared.

Orb spiders

I have a rabid curiosity about pretty much everything in nature. Those who are around me much have gotten used to my stopping and watching nature at work, sometimes in the form of a spider molting, baby birds squawking for lunch or maybe a beautiful moth. Usually I don’t know whether to look up or look down because there’s always something going on worth watching.
We have these argiope bruennichi orb spiders all around our house. We encourage their presence because of the over abundance of grass hoppers every year. Grasshoppers are high on the spider’s lunch list. Right now we can count 5 ladies within 25 feet of our back door. One little lady placed her web on the frame holding the cucumber vines. Good choice. She has eaten regularly and far out grown any of her contemporaries. There is only one problem; she is too close to the hummingbird feeders. One day my husband found a struggling hummer caught in Miss Spider’s web. The poor bird had torn the web but to no avail, she was stuck. My husband freed the bird, cleaned off the webbing and released it, seemingly none the worse for wear. Within hours the web was repaired and momma spider was back in business catching grasshoppers.
To watch these spiders in action is amazing. Their speed at wrapping prey is awesome, even when the prey is much larger than the spider. Our cucumber sitter has grown to over 3” in length and has set out two eggs pouches to insure the next generation in the spring. We’ll be waiting.

UPDATE: My most reliable source for identifying insects has pointed out my insect identification misinformation. The spider is actually an Argiope aurantia. Thanks!

Ground Beetle

Just about everything with fur, feathers or fins will immediately draw my attention. Now add things with 6 or 8 (or more) legs and we about have it covered. My friends and family have quit rolling their eyes whenever I stop and stare at something and then ask them to “Come look!” I don’t always have my camera with me and I’ve missed some strange critters, but not all of them have gotten away. This ground beetle was just hanging out under the carport. I would assume he is waiting for lunch to stroll by. I really can’t tell the boys from the girls so my assumption of gender may be wrong, but this is still one big bug.

5 Day old baby rabbits

Just fed 5 day old rabbits

Momma rabbits normally feed their young only twice a day. The young sleep in a nest made of hay and momma’s fur. When she hops into the nesting box to nurse, the mad scramble is on. The baby bunnies, born naked and with their eyes closed, wiggle until they come in contact with momma. At that time they flip on to their back, wiggling until they find a spigot. Since it’s going to be a long time until they eat again, they eat until they can hold no more. Once the babies turn loose, momma hops out and babies go back to their nest to sleep it off. Sometimes that takes a while due to over full bellies.

Baby rabbits are weaned at 3-4 weeks old. As long as they are eating and drinking by themselves they have no need for momma, and can actually be an awful bother to her. Just imagine spending your day having anywhere from 5-10 kids bugging you for a drink all the time. Weaning is a kindness to momma.

Goofy Goose

Mouthy Goose

Farmers have been using geese as watchdogs for a long, long time. Either a goose is totally ignorant of his duties and lets everyone close, or he’s so grouchy no one can enter his domain without being charged and threatened with a nasty pinch. Then there are a few who fall through the cracks and don’t make the grade in either category, such as this fellow. He waddles along behind us looking for attention, honking loudly to guarantee we know he’s there. When we reach for him, he ducks and honks as if we’re invading his space, but then settles into a blissful stance once the petting actually starts. He soaks up all the attention he can get until we turn to walk away, then Mushy-goose morphs into Monster-goose. Craning his neck he charges, catching pant leg, skirt bottom or skin, makes no difference to him. Evidently goose gratitude is only feather deep.

Babies in the rose bush

Every year a pair of Mockingbirds chose to build a nest in the rose bush behind the house. That hasn’t always worked out well. I trim the rose bushes in the spring, making the nest site too close to the ground. Last year we had to remove a chicken snake from the nesting site, but only after it was too late for the chicks.

Alas, this year pruning didn’t happen, giving momma & poppa bird more building space. Soon three little eggs hatched into fuzzy babies. They watched us with total indifference when we peeked into their home to visit. Even after they left the nest and hopped from branch to branch they didn’t panic when we approched. Momma & poppa learned to ignore our invasion, bringing lunch while we watched. When the babies moved on we missed the interaction we had established, but next year we’ll do it again.

Got milk?

Growing chicks

Our incubated babies are growing fast. They’ve been outside in a special pen for their protection. They are still a hoot to watch. They are quick to catch any unsuspecting bug that enters their domain. We still can’t tell the boys from the girls, but that’s just a matter of time.