3 posts tagged “wildlife”

I've had several wildlife sightings in the past few days.  First, there was a beautiful fox on Engineers Road.  He came out one side, casually loped up the road for a few seconds, then disappeared down the opposite embankment.  He had gorgeous grey / tan / red fur.

Fox

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Bobcat

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Next morning, Rich & I are in the bedroom when we hear a loud turkey gobble from what sounds like the living room.  We go there and see a huge tom, with all his feathers puffed and arrayed, on the steps about 5 feet away from the living room windows.  Of couse he started moving away as soon as we entered the room.

TurkeyWildTom

Later that day, Seamus was snoozing on the couch when we both noticed an adult ground squirrel making his way up the steps like he owned the place.  Seamus ran to the window and watched this abomination for a moment, then went to the door where I let him out.  Silently, he slipped up to the porch railing, then to the level above where the squirrel had gone, and then the chase was on!  They made several circles around a clump of bushes at breakneck speed, which was hilarious.  Then the squirrel broke for it and ran back down the steps with Seamus right behind.  Fortunately for the squirrel, Seamus was no match for him in speed on a straightaway, and he gave up about halfway down.

California_Ground_Squirrel

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That evening, before Rich got home, I noticed a tarantula on the ceiling of the hallway right behind where I was sitting.  It was about 3 inches across.  We tend to get the little (har) ones in the house, but we've seen some in our neighborhood that are 5 to 6 inches across.  (Once we found a big one crossing Engineers Road - I'd almost run over it - and we stopped to usher it the rest of the way across before someone did squash him.  Rich got a twig and approached it, but the dude literally hunkered down, dug his little heels into the ground, and was having none of this noise.  I almost expected to see it grab the twig from Rich and beat him with it!)  Anyway, it's normally Rich's job to catch stray critters in the house, but he wasn't home, so I was forced to catch it myself.  We have a large round tupperware that's perfect for this.  I was so wigged out by the time I got it outside, I just tossed the tupperware and it's cover outside, figuring the tarantula would just crawl out.  I waited 10 minutes or so, when out to collect the tupperware, and found the bug still crouched inside!  When Rich arrived, I started to tell him about the tupperware outside, and went to the screen door and saw another, even larger tarantula clinging to the screen about halfway up on the outside!  I'm flipping out by now.  Rich didn't have the heart to tell me (until the next morning) about the third tarantula he saw on the exterior wall of the house!  They're most likely out running around trying to find some action.

Tarantula

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Lastly, here at Altamira we have our own Catch & Release Program!  Seamus catches lizards, brings them into the house, then promptly proceeds to lose them.  Sometimes, Rich or I are able to catch them and release them outside.  (Here's a good trick - if you drop a damp paper towel over a lizard, it won't move and you can pick it up.)  Sometimes they find their own way out under the screen door.  There've been more lizards this year than ever - and they're big and fat, too.  I just had to catch one and let it out right now while I was typing!

Lizards

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Well, last Tuesday night, as we were coming home at 9:15 in the evening, we hit a deer with our brand-new car.  It was standing on the side of the road, just waiting for the right moment to jump right in front of us. 

Mule deer

Mule deer1

Luckily, it didn't hit the front, but we winged it pretty hard on the drivers side.  The left headlight wasn't hit, but a circle of plastic popped out from the impact.  The front bumper, left front panel, drivers door and left back panel are all pretty wrinkled.  The door makes a yoink sound every time we open it.  Took it to the body shop on Wednesday morning, and got the parts ordered.  Decided to wait until we were past the 4th of July weekend, otherwise it'd just be sitting there while we're paying for a rental car.  So we just brought it in today.  Driving a Mazda 6 rental car until it's finished.

On the holiday, we went to a neighbors house for a get-together.  Another neighbor told us about these ultra-sonic whistles you can put on your car.  When you're over a certain speed, they emit a high-pitched whistle that the deer can hear.  They either freeze or run off.  They're pretty cheap, and somewhat controversial (some folks apparently think they don't work), and we ordered one.  Hopefully it'll help.  I guess we're pretty lucky -- we've been driving that road for 4 years and this was our first deer collision.  We hope it's okay.  I figure if no bones were broken, it'll be fine -- just bruised all to hell.

I call them big bunnies, because they essentially are.  They eat salad, have large black eyes and enormous floppy ears, they boing like Tigger on springs when on the run and show you their fluffy white cottontails, they're not very bright, they have a reputation for being gentle, but can fight like hell when properly motivated.... 

Several Grey and Canada geese live at Lake Cuyamaca.  They have the run of the place, often walking or sleeping smack in the middle of access roads like they own the place, which of course they do.  Local residents and lake employees all watch out for them.  They loudly demand food on winter mornings and will quickly surround you if you're eating anything.

Geese in flight

Knothead was the leader of the flock.  He was pure snow white, with startling blue eyes, and had a marvelous way of proudly standing up very erect, his long muscular neck holding his head high.  He would even let you pet him, if you had the nerve.  Certain people he liked, he'd follow around sometimes.  He got his name because he had this knotty bulge on top of his beak.  He could trumpet louder than any of the others.  He had a delightful, ornery personality.  This animal was enormously self-possessed.

Knothead

Once a couple of years ago, one of the Grey geese was hit by a car.  She survived, but suffered a broken hip.  For the next several months, Knothead protectively hovered over her while she slowly recovered.  She walked very slowly and with a terrible limp.  Knothead was always by her side.

This morning, we found Knothead dead by the side of Highway 79, right in front of the Lake's tackle shop.  Some asshole, undoubtedly driving way too fast, came around the corner and clobbered him.  His beautiful, long, slender, muscular neck was split open from the impact.  Snowy white feathers were scattered all around.  Some Lake employees were in tears.  He was probably killed instantly.

You know, they show commercials for sports cars, zooming with confidence and ease down windy mountain roads.  Looks fantastic.  Unfortunately, they never show the driver of that sports car panicking, slamming on the brakes, swerving and spinning out, in a futile attempt to avoid running down innocent wildlife.  We have seen all sorts of beautiful animals cut down like wheat on the side of the road -- deer, lynx, skunks, raccoons, wild turkeys, coyotes, badgers, foxes, ground squirrels, little birds.  Please, people, slow down.  It's so beautiful in the mountains.  Don't create senseless tragedies in your rush to get through the area.