Fauna and other natural things

[FishProf]

*blush*

[polly_mer]

Our local emergency management office has activated the local alert system.  They are warning people to stay inside due to bears with no fear of humans wandering our neighborhood.

The claim is Fish and Wildlife is handling the situation.

People have been posting pictures of this bear family for a couple weeks.  I wonder what changed today.

[mamselle]

Someone decided it was time to activate their right to arm bears?

...Sorry, old joke.

Be safe.

M.

[polly_mer]

Someone decided it was time to activate their right to arm bears?

Nah, we're an open carry state and it's pretty common to see any firearm up to a literal machine gun in the back of a truck here in town*.  Just seeing a couple new gun owners wandering around would be unlikely to invoke any worry.

We have such a low number of human-on-human violent crimes in town that the number of animal-on-human violent acts that require hospitalization every year is more worrying from a probability standpoint.

Multiple times per year, the public schools go into lockdown because of bears, mountain lions, and other large predators spotted near the schools.

As Stephen Colbert used to put on his threatdown alert, bears are number one.


* During the specialty days at the range a couple miles from here, multiple people will indeed set up privately-owned machine guns for community use under heavily supervised conditions.

[mamselle]

One summer I temped for the state Environmental Services Department.

The big thrill on that job was a call from a summer school principle further out of town, who wanted to know what to do about the moose that had wandered into their parking lot.

It was noontime and they usually let the kids out for recess, but he thought maybe he shouldn't do that this time and wanted backup that that was the right decision...in case any parents complained.

M.

[polly_mer]

One summer I temped for the state Environmental Services Department.

The big thrill on that job was a call from a summer school principle further out of town, who wanted to know what to do about the moose that had wandered into their parking lot.

It was noontime and they usually let the kids out for recess, but he thought maybe he shouldn't do that this time and wanted backup that that was the right decision...in case any parents complained.

M.

So what did you tell him?

[mamselle]

I forwarded the call to my supervisor.

You learn triage in jobs like that....

;--}

Actually, I think they sent up a couple of Environmental Protection Officers up to check it out, but I heard later that the moose had wandered back into the woods before they got there....

M.

[Thursday's_Child]

I found a worm snake in the garden yesterday!  I knew that I should have them and am still thrilled to have finally found one - it was also thrilled, once I let it go....

[ab_grp]

I wish I could be excited about the wildlife we have.  The only kind I would like to get up close to would be the cats, but they never come near us, except for the one that flung itself through the air at us the one time.  It rained last night, and as we sat on the patio something looked awry to me over in the corner.  I asked my husband if it was a leaf or a frog.  I would have preferred a leaf.  I know, probably most of you would have preferred the frog! We let it sit there out of the rain, but I kept an eye on it.

[namazu]

We've had twin spotted fawns hunkering under the pine tree in the middle of our yard twice in the past few days.  They're adorable.

Note to self: be more vigilant about checking for ticks.  Lyme Disease wasn't too terrible the first time (thankfully), but no need for a repeat performance or a run-in with any of the other tick-borne diseases around here.



Thursday's Child: how cool about the worm snake!

[nebo113]

We've had twin spotted fawns hunkering under the pine tree in the middle of our yard twice in the past few days.  They're adorable.

Note to self: be more vigilant about checking for ticks.  Lyme Disease wasn't too terrible the first time (thankfully), but no need for a repeat performance or a run-in with any of the other tick-borne diseases around here.



Thursday's Child: how cool about the worm snake!

I sorta rescued a terrified fawn who was trying to cross a road with cars coming from both directions.  Poor little thing finally got far enough across that I could position my car to block him from going back and keep him heading into the nearby woods.  Really shook me up.

[Catherder]

Oh well done!

[polly_mer]

The bear family has been reported as being relocated out of our neighborhood.

The summer bear cams around town are still active for the entertainment of all.

[apl68]

While walking this morning I found two squirrels aplastado in the streets from the weekend (I think that second set of remains was a squirrel...).  That's one more than I've been seeing in recent weeks.  I've never seen so many road-killed squirrels.  I very nearly hit one on my bicycle a day or two ago.  They're either more numerous, more reckless, or just more unlucky than usual.

[apl68]

And I saw another poor squirrel in the street this morning.  Yesterday I came within a hairbreadth of running over another one on my bicycle.  On my morning walk I saw the squirrels very active.  I think they've gone as mad as March hares in June.