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I was a bit hesitant and he was a small guy. I touched his shell a few times to make sure he wouldn't go for me. He just put his head inside.
When I lived in Florida, I'd see the big ones crossing the roads. Typically, one kind had a roundish shell, while the other one was more angular. One would let you move them, the other not so much. I still did it. I'd park my car and carry him over, being careful where I put my hands!
We see turtles crossing the roads here in NW Arkansas. A few times someone that is walking or on a bike will stop to get it across the road.
Just down the street is a small pond in the subdivision and especially on cloudy rainy afternoons there's a good chance to see a blue heron fishing. But the other day, for the first time, I saw a bright white bird that otherwise looked like a blue heron. It was crossing the street (!) and then went down to the water somewhat close to the blue heron. Luckily I could get the video on my phone and was able to ID it as a (white) great egret! I've seen it another time so I hope it will be a regular visitor - so elegant and striking in appearance!
Here are some stills - sorry that they are from my phone, in somewhat lower light and from a distance! https://imgur.com/a/n48m3Ks
My nature experience today was not a pleasant one. I looked out a window and saw birds going crazy at my ditch. I then saw a 4' black snake racing toward the house with the birds on it. I hurried out to make sure it did not go onto my rear patio. As I tried to heard it away it went into my garage. I suspect it was either a King or rat snake. As I started moving stuff to find it I finally did and I started trying to use my blower to make it go back out. It did not want to. After moving everything I started to poke it with a broom handle. At some point I must have stunned it as it quit trying to bite me. I was able to flip it out into my driveway where I used my blower to blow it to the end. It was not doing anything, so I moved it across the street. About 10 minutes later I checked and it was gone.
My nature experience today was not a pleasant one. I looked out a window and saw birds going crazy at my ditch. I then saw a 4' black snake racing toward the house with the birds on it. I hurried out to make sure it did not go onto my rear patio. As I tried to heard it away it went into my garage. I suspect it was either a King or rat snake. As I started moving stuff to find it I finally did and I started trying to use my blower to make it go back out. It did not want to. After moving everything I started to poke it with a broom handle. At some point I must have stunned it as it quit trying to bite me. I was able to flip it out into my driveway where I used my blower to blow it to the end. It was not doing anything, so I moved it across the street. About 10 minutes later I checked and it was gone.
Black snakes are vicious. I once had to dig one out of a closet full of wooden machine parts and it was scary.
I was a bit hesitant and he was a small guy. I touched his shell a few times to make sure he wouldn't go for me. He just put his head inside.
When I lived in Florida, I'd see the big ones crossing the roads. Typically, one kind had a roundish shell, while the other one was more angular. One would let you move them, the other not so much. I still did it. I'd park my car and carry him over, being careful where I put my hands!
With the snappers, I've learned to put my hands as close to the tail as I can. It makes it harder for the turtle to whip around and snap those jaws on your finger(s)! But oh, boy, are they strong. Their necks are especially strong. They can whip around so fast and if you're not careful, a big one can use that power to propel itself out of your hands. And into the street, unfortunately. Best to try to move them with a broom or something else, if at all possible. But yeah, we've stopped and moved them with our hands. And they weren't the slightest bit grateful.
The cowbirds have arrived and have taken over my feeders. I don't see them all the time, but toward the end of summer, they arrive in large numbers. Then they just park at the feeders all day, gabbing and munching away. I love to be outside when they are there, as they are very talkative. One of my favorite sounds they make sounds like trickling water or a tiny babbling brook. That sound just about drove me nuts one year, looking for the source of the water, until I realized the cowbirds were making it! They have plenty of other sounds they make as they chatter in what we call the Cowbird Coffee Klatch. They might as well, seeing as they offload all their baby-raising to other birds! That leaves them a lot of free time.
We have a gold fish pond on our patio. No goldfish this year, but we have tree frog tadpoles. A couple of years ago, we had the same thing, and I actually got to see one of the tree frogs. They're TINY. They make a lot of noise for being so small.
treefrogs won't stop laying their eggs in my back yard kiddie pool. i transferred hundreds of them to buckets and aquariums. it took waaaay longer than i expected for them to reach adulthood, and yes, they are tiny indeed.
In the past 24 hours we've had a rafter of turkeys, seven raccoons, two coyotes, one fox, a young bobcat, and a moose wander through. Now that the temps are cooling the wildlife is moving more.
The fox has worn a dirt path next to my home. He runs along the path at night looking for mice.
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