Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Me too - and they are North America's only marsupial.
I did work with some baby possums at a wildlife center and they were adorable. They
slept in little hammocks and went to do their business in a small kitty litter pan filled with water
(they do it away from where they eat and sleep).
I'm referencing the Waldo Canyon Fire burn scar area. The fire took place in June, 2012 of 18,247 acres (29 sq mi; 74 km2) & did enter city limits to the loss of 346 homes & killed an elderly couple who were unable to evacuate quickly enough.
As Colorado Springs & Manitou Springs are directly under/in the burn scar area this has caused some deadly flooding over the last several years due to run-off/lack of vegetation:
We were warned that this summer (2016) was supposed to be much worse & even more deadly due to the "4 year burnt tree-fall" that was supposed to occur, as falling trees/logs would clog the waterways that have already been mediated to accomodate run-off.
This prediction was based on what happened following the Hayman fire in 2002 which burned 113,114 acres.
The after fire research showed that the burned vegetation "lost-root" & fell during the 4th summer. Our burnt trees are still here:
I wonder now why did our trees not fall? Elevation affecting root hold?
I think the average elevation of the Hayman fire was 10,000+ ft while the Waldo fire was 8,000+ ft.
I walked out onto my deck the other day and there was a hawk just prancing around in the yard. He was not afraid of me at all, so I sat on a bench and watched him. He watched me... like a hawk (sorry) and I said, "Hey, HawkBoy, you look like you're wearing cute little pantaloons. Maybe jodhpurs." And then he flew up into the tree and wanted nothing more to do with me. Now I know how Tim Gunn from Project Runway feels when he gives fashion advice.
I walked out onto my deck the other day and there was a hawk just prancing around in the yard. He was not afraid of me at all, so I sat on a bench and watched him. He watched me... like a hawk (sorry) and I said, "Hey, HawkBoy, you look like you're wearing cute little pantaloons. Maybe jodhpurs." And then he flew up into the tree and wanted nothing more to do with me. Now I know how Tim Gunn from Project Runway feels when he gives fashion advice.
LOL!
We have a baby squirrel who is kind of fearless, or dumb, or both. I do worry that he or she is a bit too bold. I went out to put out bird seed this morning and Baby Squirrel was sitting on the birdbath I have on the ground. He saw me coming, but didn't budge. It wasn't until I got right up to him, within inches, that he took off. Um, not a good strategy, squirrel! But so cute. He has always had a stump tail. I wonder if he was born that way or if he lost it in a battle.
Beautiful flock of whooping cranes directly overhead, very high in the sky flying south in a huge straggly double V early this afternoon.
Only a couple minutes after stepping out to do some raking started to hear the unmistakable sound of their call, looked straight up and there they were.
After finishing raking, had to listen to Joni Mitchell sing and play Urge for Going since she captures the seasonal feeling so wonderfully well.
I don't have the stories to post much here, but today at lunch, I saw a pelican making off with a shiny, silvery fish hanging out of its mouth, followed by about a dozen seagulls, who, once they all flew past a group of palm trees, now had a huge flock of other, smaller birds swarming out and chasing them. A while later, I saw the flock of small birds all swooping back and landing in the trees again. Wonder how the whole thing played out.
I've got a huge opossum that's been coming into the small fenced portion of my back yard at night, probably because all of my bird feeders are there and he is eating the dropped seed. He is so fat and fluffy and his legs are short, but boy, can he run when he wants to! I call him the Land Cruiser. Last night the birds had picked up most of the seed and I hadn't refilled the feeders, so while he was out there I tossed out some crunchy cat food. He looked so content munching on every morsel he could find, so I put some more out tonight. I guess he (or she) will be a regular visitor from now on.
Yes, we get big, fat possums under our bird feeders, too. And yes, they can move quickly when they need to.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
