The Joys of Flora and Fauna

[Deleted]

A week ago today I saw the last of the hummingbirds and I cut my last flowers for inside today. It's supposed to get down to 29F tonight. Damn it .

[Tennesseer]

Came across this video today.

[Tennesseer]

Not flora, not fauna, but iceberg calving in western Greenland. Pretty impressive.

[Tennesseer]

Flora, Fauna, and Space!

Space shuttle Discovery's final mission (STS-133) on 2/24/2011.  Video of takeoff from Florida:




 

[Deleted]

Critter story to share for those like me that love critters

We have a huge old oak tree in the yard and this year it is loaded with acorns. Every day for about a week there have been small oak branches laying all over the yard and I rake them up and the next day there is a ton more.

There is a well used squirrel house in the tree and at first I thought the squirrels were just re-doing the nest in there, throwing out the old and putting in fresh as they do  this time of year but this went on for a week and I knew they couldn't fit that much in the little squirrel box.

Then I started to worry that the old tree was dying as I have never seen this many branches on the ground.

Last night though I heard a bunch of raccoon chattering out there so I went to get the flashlight and saw 3 baby coons under the tree and mama coon up high in the tree dropping branches down for them to get the acorns.

I guess I will be cleaning up branches here for a few weeks but relieved the tree isn't dying.

[kadee79]

What a great story Sweetdreams!

There was mention of hummers in some previous posts.  If you are in an area that doesn't get too cold or cold for very long like I am down here in SW Ga., leave your hummer feeders up for at least 2 more weeks after you think they have all left.  I've had over-wintering hummers for 2 yrs. now.  They are migrating from out west or more westerly areas.  The only one I've been able to ID was a roufus (sp?) male.  I had a guy here from a research group a couple of yrs. ago and he caught one, but when he tried to switch hands with it, it escaped and it wasn't coming back while he was here.  He was going to ID it and band it, but it didn't happen.
And one year on one of the boards I used to frequent, a lady posted a picture of a roufus that was spending the winter at her house with snow on the ground in Pa.!

[Deleted]

Well I'm kicking myself today.

Late afternoon yesterday I walked down to the river and saw a pigeon along the river bank in the water, Thought he was dead but then saw his head move. I scooped him out and put him by the compost pile hoping he'd recover. A couple hours later he was looking a little better but he was still sitting where I put him.

Went away for a few hours and it was dark when we got home and I didn't see him. This morning I found a pile of feathers.  Something got him.

I should have brought him in the garage at least for overnight. Damn it all. Sometimes I hate mother nature.

 

[Tennesseer]

insert quote here

Sept 26, 2016 13:08:32 GMT -5 @xmascookie said:

Well I'm kicking myself today.

Late afternoon yesterday I walked down to the river and saw a pigeon along the river bank in the water, Thought he was dead but then saw his head move. I scooped him out and put him by the compost pile hoping he'd recover. A couple hours later he was looking a little better but he was still sitting where I put him.

Went away for a few hours and it was dark when we got home and I didn't see him. This morning I found a pile of feathers.  Something got him.

I should have brought him in the garage at least for overnight. Damn it all. Sometimes I hate mother nature.

 

It happens. Don't kick yourself over it. Remember-nature is indifferent to man and beast. Think of it as another animal needed food.

Now with cats permanently living in the backyard, I no longer have bird feeders. One time when I did have the feeders there, I saw a hawk sitting on the fence waiting for birds to come to the feeder(s). By the back door of my home is an evergreen shrub. I opened the back door to shoo the hawk away. Unbeknownst to me, a small bird had sought a hiding place in the shrub from the hawk. The small bird fled the shrub when I walked out and flew right into the talons of the hawk. And off they flew away.

I felt bad about it but small birds are the primary food of these hawks. What I learned was to stay out of it/don't interfer with nature if at all possible. Thst is not always possible though even for me. In your case, had you not stopped to help the pigeon, it would have been food for some other mammal or fish anyway.

Your intentions were go. Nature had other plans.

[Deleted]

Sept 26, 2016 17:51:51 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

insert quote here

Sept 26, 2016 13:08:32 GMT -5 @xmascookie said:

Well I'm kicking myself today.

Late afternoon yesterday I walked down to the river and saw a pigeon along the river bank in the water, Thought he was dead but then saw his head move. I scooped him out and put him by the compost pile hoping he'd recover. A couple hours later he was looking a little better but he was still sitting where I put him.

Went away for a few hours and it was dark when we got home and I didn't see him. This morning I found a pile of feathers.  Something got him.

I should have brought him in the garage at least for overnight. Damn it all. Sometimes I hate mother nature.

 

It happens. Don't kick yourself over it. Remember-nature is indifferent to man and beast. Think of it as another animal needed food.

Now with cats permanently living in the backyard, I no longer have bird feeders. One time when I did have the feeders there, I saw a hawk sitting on the fence waiting for birds to come to the feeder(s). By the back door of my home is an evergreen shrub. I opened the back door to shoo the hawk away. Unbeknownst to me, a small bird had sought a hiding place in the shrub from the hawk. The small bird fled the shrub when I walked out and flew right into the talons of the hawk. And off they flew away.

I felt bad about it but small birds are the primary food of these hawks. What I learned was to stay out of it/don't interfer with nature if at all possible. Thst is not always possible though even for me. In your case, had you not stopped to help the pigeon, it would have been food for some other mammal or fish anyway.

Your intentions were go. Nature had other plans.

Yah, we suck sometimes but at least we tried.
If it happens again I will be more prepared and put him in garage overnight. What I would then do with a sick pigeon that doesn't recover.... no idea.
This is the second time I've seen a drowning pigeon. The first time I almost jumped in after him but thankfully he  made it to shore himself  while I was still looking for the fish net to retrieve him. He flew away a couple hours later.
Lucky hawk you had there with perfect timing.

[Tennesseer]

Sept 27, 2016 13:17:03 GMT -5 @xmascookie said:

Sept 26, 2016 17:51:51 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

It happens. Don't kick yourself over it. Remember-nature is indifferent to man and beast. Think of it as another animal needed food.

Now with cats permanently living in the backyard, I no longer have bird feeders. One time when I did have the feeders there, I saw a hawk sitting on the fence waiting for birds to come to the feeder(s). By the back door of my home is an evergreen shrub. I opened the back door to shoo the hawk away. Unbeknownst to me, a small bird had sought a hiding place in the shrub from the hawk. The small bird fled the shrub when I walked out and flew right into the talons of the hawk. And off they flew away.

I felt bad about it but small birds are the primary food of these hawks. What I learned was to stay out of it/don't interfer with nature if at all possible. Thst is not always possible though even for me. In your case, had you not stopped to help the pigeon, it would have been food for some other mammal or fish anyway.

Your intentions were go. Nature had other plans.

Yah, we suck sometimes but at least we tried.
If it happens again I will be more prepared and put him in garage overnight. What I would then do with a sick pigeon that doesn't recover.... no idea.
This is the second time I've seen a drowning pigeon. The first time I almost jumped in after him but thankfully he  made it to shore himself  while I was still looking for the fish net to retrieve him. He flew away a couple hours later.
Lucky hawk you had there with perfect timing.

Keep in mind the pigeon was still sitting on the compost pile several hours after you placed it there. That was not a good sign. Recovery and departure should have been pretty quick if it was a healthy bird other than getting wet for some reason. It may have just dropped into the water because it was sick in the first place. You did what you did and it's commendable. I have snatched caught birds out of the mouths of the cats. I place the birds into a taller evergreen shrub and hope for the best.

I felt bad for the bird I accidentally flushed out of the shrub. I can still hear its cries as it was carried away. Lesson learned for me. The hawk will depart if nothing is there to eat. Let it be. Still fascinating though just to see the hawk that close.

[Tennesseer]

Interesting (with video)


Bees taught to pull string for reward and then train others


link

[Deleted]

Fall, I love it.

[Tennesseer]

Oct 5, 2016 14:02:57 GMT -5 @joey said:

Fall, I love it.

Prettiest time of year. Also my favorite season as the heat of summer in west Tennessee is finally over too.

[Tennesseer]

While the video title says the baby whale saved its mother stuck on a sandbar, it was the tide coming back in that freed her. Still the 'baby' gets credit for trying.

[Deleted]

Good baby!

[Tennesseer]

A little science news and how much less our minuscule 'world' may be. 

The Universe May Contain 10 Times More Galaxies Than We Thought

Astronomers used to think the universe contains 100-200 billion galaxies. Now, the population estimate has jumped up to 2 trillion.

The universe just got a lot bigger. Thanks to some new data from Hubble, scientists have calculated that there must be at least 2 trillion galaxies in the universe--a massive population spike from the previous estimates of a measly 100-200 billion galaxies. We haven't yet set eyes on the vast majority of these, because they are small, faint, and very far away.

Full article here:

The Universe May Contain 10 Times More Galaxies Than We Thought

And then this estimation on the number of stars in the universe based upon the opinion there are 100 billion galaxies.

Astronomers estimate that the observable universe has more than 100 billion galaxies. Our own Milky Way is home to around 300 billion stars, but it’s not representative of galaxies in general. The Milky Way is a titan compared to abundant but faint dwarf galaxies, and it in turn is dwarfed by rare giant elliptical galaxies, which can be 20 times more massive. By measuring the number and luminosity of observable galaxies, astronomers put current estimates of the total stellar population at roughly 70 billion trillion (7 x 1022).

How many stars are there in the universe?

Now I don't even want to try and figure out how many stars there are in the universe what with the new estimate of galaxies.

[Deleted]

Oct 13, 2016 23:22:24 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

A little science news and how much less our minuscule 'world' may be. 

The Universe May Contain 10 Times More Galaxies Than We Thought

Astronomers used to think the universe contains 100-200 billion galaxies. Now, the population estimate has jumped up to 2 trillion.

The universe just got a lot bigger. Thanks to some new data from Hubble, scientists have calculated that there must be at least 2 trillion galaxies in the universe--a massive population spike from the previous estimates of a measly 100-200 billion galaxies. We haven't yet set eyes on the vast majority of these, because they are small, faint, and very far away.

Full article here:

The Universe May Contain 10 Times More Galaxies Than We Thought

And then this estimation on the number of stars in the universe based upon the opinion there are 100 billion galaxies.

Astronomers estimate that the observable universe has more than 100 billion galaxies. Our own Milky Way is home to around 300 billion stars, but it’s not representative of galaxies in general. The Milky Way is a titan compared to abundant but faint dwarf galaxies, and it in turn is dwarfed by rare giant elliptical galaxies, which can be 20 times more massive. By measuring the number and luminosity of observable galaxies, astronomers put current estimates of the total stellar population at roughly 70 billion trillion (7 x 1022).

How many stars are there in the universe?

Now I don't even want to try and figure out how many stars there are in the universe what with the new estimate of galaxies.

I sometimes wonder what's past the outer edge of our universe.

[Tennesseer]

Feb 10, 2017 15:20:20 GMT -5 @jma23 said:

Oct 13, 2016 23:22:24 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

A little science news and how much less our minuscule 'world' may be. 

The Universe May Contain 10 Times More Galaxies Than We Thought

Full article here:

The Universe May Contain 10 Times More Galaxies Than We Thought

And then this estimation on the number of stars in the universe based upon the opinion there are 100 billion galaxies.

How many stars are there in the universe?

Now I don't even want to try and figure out how many stars there are in the universe what with the new estimate of galaxies.

I sometimes wonder what's past the outer edge of our universe.

I wonder if there are multiple universes. There is discussion about it.

Parallel Universes: Theories & Evidence


And please reply-write something, anything, even a thumbs up. I was tired of seeing my name as the last one to post on this thread for the past 4 months.

[Deleted]

Feb 10, 2017 17:04:32 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Feb 10, 2017 15:20:20 GMT -5 @jma23 said:

I sometimes wonder what's past the outer edge of our universe.

I wonder if there are multiple universes. There is discussion about it.

Parallel Universes: Theories & Evidence


And please reply-write something, anything, even a thumbs up. I was tired of seeing my name as the last one to post on this thread for the past 4 months.

And what would be outside the area of these multiple universes ?  Mans inability to comprehend actual infinity ?  This really brought back the old college day discussions. 

[Deleted]

Back to flora and fauna.  Our elms have small leaves already.  The spring peepers are at full, deafening volume.  The crocuses, daffodils are in full bloom already.  I've been walking around the property with the DW just watching things come to life.  The honeysuckle is growing also, can't wait for the flowers to bloom.

[Deleted]

Now for the less pleasant fauna.  For the last couple of months I've had a rather tenacious armadillo tearing up the yard and garden, big time.  Finally heard him just before it got light our this morning.  Unfortunately all I had out there was the cheap barn revolver and a dim flashlight.  I missed the one handed 75' shot.  He bolted into the woods like a rocket.   

[Tennesseer]

Feb 24, 2017 13:27:16 GMT -5 @jma23 said:

Now for the less pleasant fauna.  For the last couple of months I've had a rather tenacious armadillo tearing up the yard and garden, big time.  Finally heard him just before it got light our this morning.  Unfortunately all I had out there was the cheap barn revolver and a dim flashlight.  I missed the one handed 75' shot.  He bolted into the woods like a rocket.   

I was having problems with an armadillo digging up my front and backyard lawns during one dry summer. None of my neighbors were watering their lawns but me. I had the healthiest worms and grubs on the block. I snuck up behind the little bugger and scared him off one morning. Never had a problem with him or others again.

Kind of messy but one reason you see armadillos dead on the road is because they jump up when startled. Car startles them and they get hit by the front grill of the car.

[Virgil Showlion]

Feb 24, 2017 13:27:16 GMT -5 @jma23 said:

Now for the less pleasant fauna.  For the last couple of months I've had a rather tenacious armadillo tearing up the yard and garden, big time.  Finally heard him just before it got light our this morning.  Unfortunately all I had out there was the cheap barn revolver and a dim flashlight.  I missed the one handed 75' shot.  He bolted into the woods like a rocket.   

Hm.

Every video game I've ever played says that armadillos are impervious to bullet fire. You have to use bombs or hammers or something. Also, watch out for their roll attack.

[Deleted]

Feb 24, 2017 19:26:58 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Feb 24, 2017 13:27:16 GMT -5 @jma23 said:

Now for the less pleasant fauna.  For the last couple of months I've had a rather tenacious armadillo tearing up the yard and garden, big time.  Finally heard him just before it got light our this morning.  Unfortunately all I had out there was the cheap barn revolver and a dim flashlight.  I missed the one handed 75' shot.  He bolted into the woods like a rocket.   

I was having problems with an armadillo digging up my front and backyard lawns during one dry summer. None of my neighbors were watering their lawns but me. I had the healthiest worms and grubs on the block. I snuck up behind the little bugger and scared him off one morning. Never had a problem with him or others again.

Kind of messy but one reason you see armadillos dead on the road is because they jump up when startled. Car startles them and they get hit by the front grill of the car.

It's been twice that I've chased him away.  It only lasts for a day or two and then he's back again.  It's about half size of the last adult I got, and very fast.  Much faster than I can run.

[Tennesseer]

Feb 25, 2017 11:49:27 GMT -5 @jma23 said:

Feb 24, 2017 19:26:58 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

I was having problems with an armadillo digging up my front and backyard lawns during one dry summer. None of my neighbors were watering their lawns but me. I had the healthiest worms and grubs on the block. I snuck up behind the little bugger and scared him off one morning. Never had a problem with him or others again.

Kind of messy but one reason you see armadillos dead on the road is because they jump up when startled. Car startles them and they get hit by the front grill of the car.

It's been twice that I've chased him away.  It only lasts for a day or two and then he's back again.  It's about half size of the last adult I got, and very fast.  Much faster than I can run.

But they cannot out run cars.

[Deleted]

The flowers are off the Bradford Pear trees already and the leaves are opening.  It's supposed to go down to 25 Saturday night.  Too bad I can't time these freezes for when the oaks have the pollinators out.  We are just overrun with American Robins right now.  They are everywhere.  The cat is in robin heaven as they run around on the ground.  He hasn't been eating much from the food dish lately.

[Tennesseer]

A bask of alligators on the move:




Man Catches Alligator Crossing Path, Then Looks Behind Him And Realizes He’s Not Alone

[Tennesseer]

I know some people don't like bugs But I would not mind raising this into adulthood.   


Lifetime of a Dynastes Hercules Rhinoceros Beetle - Incredible Metamorphosis Timelapse

[Tennesseer]

And it is a shame more readers don't visit these pages.  Some interesting stuff here.

[Tennesseer]

Neat picture.

"Synchronized Sleepers, Human/Nature Finalist. Photographer Franco Banfi and his fellow divers were following this pod of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the Caribbean Sea near the Commonwealth of Dominica, when the giants suddenly seemed to fall into a vertical slumber. This phenomenon was first studied in 2008, when a team of biologists from the UK and Japan inadvertently drifted into a group of non-responsive sperm whales floating just below the surface. Baffled by the behavior, the scientists analyzed data from tagged whales and discovered that these massive marine mammals spend about 7 percent of their time taking short (6- to 24-minute) rests in this shallow vertical position. Scientists think these brief naps may, in fact, be the only time the whales sleep."