It has been awhile since I have posted a Not So Wordless Wednesday.
We visited the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge this week. Our favorite sighting was of this little guy searching for food in the tall grass.
He kept his eye on us while calmly going about his business to find his lunch. I was using my 500mm lens so we were not too close to him. At least I got some good close-ups of him because the birds were all too far away for good photos as you will see when you scroll down.
People are always telling me that raccoons are mean and nasty critters. They say they attack their pets as well. I often wonder about the situation that causes the raccoon to act that way since I have never seen one act that way. I can see one being mean if it is cornered or feels threatened by someone's pet. Our daughter was bitten by a raccoon once, but it wasn't his fault. No, I blame our next door neighbors for telling their kids and our daughter that it was okay to hand feed a wild animal especially a raccoon that carries rabies. The raccoon bit our daughter's fingers instead of the dog food. The raccoon got away so she had to take rabies shots. Lucky for her, they were using the new vaccination with less shots.
Now, these guys I would not want to find in my backyard! Can you see his teeth? I was quite happy to have a fence between us and the alligators.
I believe this is an American Kestrel. I wish he had landed a little closer. He was nothing more than a flash of color while hunting across the fields.
I really needed a professional telescope lens to get some good close-ups.
Eh!...so I just cropped these down to a decent size so you can tell it is a bird and not a bug!
On The Cutting Board
I finished eight Happy Campers and one snowman mug rug. I plan to list them in the next few days.
I know one thing. I am ready to work on something that doesn't include red and aqua in it.
I started on four new turkey mug rugs. I'll finish two within the next two weeks for a customer. The other two will get done eventually.
I want to start working on my Hawaiian turtle block again. I can't wait to see how this block will look once it is finished. Well, I better get started on those two turkeys!
Happy Quilting!
Great shots of that raccoon! And I've never heard of a Kestrel, but it's a great shot of that too. I hope you weren't too close to it.
ReplyDeleteI'm lovin' the turkey mug rugs!
Great shots of the raccoon! The alligator too, but they are a little easier to capture since they laze around most of the time. lol
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry your daughter was bit & had to go through the rabies shots. Years ago we moved into a condo that backed up to protected forest land. The previous owner had made friends with the local raccoons & fed them "breakfast" & "dinner" every day in large dog food bowls. Well, once we moved in they gave us a few days to get settled in, then they descended upon us like hungry teenagers! We tried to ignore them, hoping nature would take it's course. They weren't having any of that! They protested the imposed kitchen strike by destroying our patio furniture, & generally making their displeasure known whenever possible. Finally after a week we gave in. Went to the store, bought dry cat food, a couple of large dog bowls for food & water. That began a 2 year relationship that was truly delightful. They were so tame thanks to the previous owner; they acted like house pets. One truly sweet thing they did was bring their babies out to see us. I felt so honored they trusted us like that. When the weather was nice we'd go out & sit on the patio . . . . & here would come the racoons. A group of females would lay down in the sun right next to where we'd be sitting. Often they'd sunbathe, or play a bit, then fall asleep in the sun. We had 5 indoor-only cats then that seemed to find the raccoons mildly amusing, & there were never any escape issues. After 2 years we had an opportunity to move to a better location, so we were glad that the condo manager contacted a wildlife critter relocator company. They came & caught 11 of the raccoons & relocated them to Mt. Hood , about an hour from us, to a place where they'd be sheltered by a similar situation. I always felt very guilty about continuing what the previous owner had started, but I was glad the end result seemed to be the best thing for them. Also, I love your latest batch of Happy Campers!
ReplyDeleteWarm Regards, Lisa in Lake Oswego, Oregon
Great photos of the racoons. And the birds. Yes, a telescopic lens really is an asset. I had a 300mm when I was using a film camera....back in the olden days. Wish I could afford one now, as well as a new Nikon or Canon DSLR.
ReplyDelete