wordsfromanneli

Thoughts, ideas, photos, and stories.

Category Archives: Animals


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Cozy Winter Prep

It’s a changing season and the squirrels are feeling the need to make a warm, cozy nest to curl up in for those chilly winter nights. They have spent weeks harvesting hazelnuts for food and stashing them away. Now they are working on their next priority – shelter.

The rope you see the squirrel chewing on is holding up a float used in fishing to mark where a crab pot or a prawn trap is located under the water. Or it could be used as a bumper between boats that are tied up next to each other.

I don’t think the squirrel cares what the float was used for. It is only interested in the fuzziness of the rope, that makes it perfect for adding an insulating factor to the nest of dry leaves it has stashed away somewhere in the middle of the woodshed.

But how to get the rope away from the float? The squirrel has been working on it for days and days and days. It is almost ready to let go; only a few strands are left holding the fuzzy ball of rope to the rest of the line. Watch how he keeps rolling up the fuzzy fibers and pulling to try to get it to let go of the rope.

So far, it hasn’t worked. Just a few strands left to rip off. He’s pulling with all his might. It might be just a matter of more muscle.

He must be so frustrated. Watch his new trick where he approaches the problem from another angle. He’s quite the acrobat, holding on with his back feet.

Now you must be wondering if he ever got that piece of rope. Well, this morning when I went out to look, the fuzzy part he had chewed on was gone. The line holding up the float is getting thinner. One day both the squirrels and I will be surprised to see the float on the ground.


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A Lady of Leisure

My sister-in-law’s dog, a Coton de Tulear, would like to introduce herself to you.

 

Hi! My mom calls me Eleanor Rigby when she wants me to pay attention to her, but usually I’m just plain – well, not so plain, really – Ellie.

It’s been a trying day today,

No postman going by,

No other dogs came by to play,

And I will tell you why.

 

Today has been a holiday,

The businesses closed,

Most folks won’t go to work today,

And so for you I’ve posed.

 

I’m lying here on my day off,

Don’t need to do my job,

Of barking at each passing toff,

Or anyone who’d rob.

 

I take it easy on my couch,

That has my doggie throw,

My mistress surely is no slouch,

“A pillow? There you go!”

 

Oh, what a life this is for me,

There’s nothing that I lack,

I close my eyes and nap ’til three,

And then I’ll have a snack.

 


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Planning Ahead

Remember us?

We’re all grown up now and we’ve learned all about getting ready for winter.

The hazelnuts are falling off the trees and it’s important to get as many as possible and hide them away for the winter.

But Anneli has raked up a whole bunch of the leaves and the first hazelnuts that fell because they’re mostly the bad ones. She’s put them in this wheelbarrow. But maybe she accidentally raked up some good ones. Better check out the wheelbarrow.

What do you think? Is it worth rummaging through all that debris in case there’s a good nut in there? Oh! Wait! I think I see a good one on the ground over there.

Ahhhhh, yes! This is more like it!

Nice of Anneli to share the hazelnuts, don’t you think? We’re not greedy. We’ve left her a handful.

 


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Seafood by the Seaside

The critter in this post has beachfront property – as much as he wants.

Monty the Mink has his own wading pools which sometimes do double duty as dining areas.

He prefers to sit above the high tide line when he’s eating at his own High Tide Restaurant. He’s very tidy about his dishes, leaving them all in one place for the next tide to rinse. The seagulls sometimes help out with the leftovers.

So who is this rich guy who dines on seafood by the seaside? No, this building is not his restaurant, although he has the free run of the property. He’s a very small guy, smaller than many cats. See him in front of the log that has the “No Parking” sign on it? He is just about five feet from the left end of the log, a tiny fellow who can move very quickly, especially when he knows someone is trying to take his picture. He’d rather be blurry and incognito.

Thinking he’s safe, he sneaks up to the rock garden of the people’s restaurant (bottom left). I’m sorry he was feeling so shy and elusive today. He moved very fast and I had little chance of focusing. Maybe another day we will get a better picture of Monty Mink, a Pacific Northwest coast mink.

My weaselly cousin,

Prefers the dry land,

But I like variety,

Found near the sand.

 

Frogs, fish, and crayfish,

Or turtles, and clams,

As long as it’s meaty,

Hold back on the yams.

 

I’m tough for my size,

Taking on bigger meals,

A wandering rabbit,

Tastes good when it squeals.

 

I’m really not mean,

But I have to be tough,

A mink’s got to eat,

And it’s never enough.

 

 

 


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Bob the Cat

I’m pretty sure this is a bobcat (not a lynx – which looks very similar). If you see one of these fellows in your neighbourhood, make sure you keep your little dog or cat in the house while the big guy is prowling around.

This guy was NOT in my yard, and I’m thankful for that.

If you have Bob visiting your neighbourhood, be sure not to leave pet food outside, or have a lot of birdseed lying around your bird feeding station. You may find them interested in your fruit trees when the fruit is ripe.  A healthy bobcat probably won’t attack you. It is more interested in your favourite  squirrels that live in your woodshed.

If you’re out for a walk in the woods and you see a bobcat, it’s probably a good idea to pick up any small children you may have with you. We can never know how desperate a bobcat may be.

Robert and Roberta Cat

Say they’re bobcats and that’s that.

Bob and Bobbi hunt for squirrels,

Even one that jumps and twirls.

 

Chase them up and down the tree,

Sneaking up when they don’t see.

Evening time they have a rest,

That’s the time they like the best.

 

Snug inside their little den,

Under tree roots now and then,

Sometimes underneath a cliff,

Perched beneath a ledge to sniff.

 

They keep watch for their next meal,

Mouse or mole it’s no big deal.

And on sunny days they rest,

While they let their lunch digest. 


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Discretion and Valor

If you love fishing and camping in solitary places, you might want to scout out your surroundings, before you go too far afield.

This mama grizzly and her two cubs (probably last year’s) like fishing and hanging out in solitary places too.

The fact that she still has both cubs could possibly mean that the fishing has been good and that mother and cubs are healthy and doing fine. However, people and grizzlies in close proximity to each other are usually not a good combination. I hope, for the grizzlies’ sake, that there is no interaction that will cause them to be trapped and “dispatched.”

These bears are on Vancouver Island where grizzlies are making an appearance in the last few years. They swim over from the mainland, island hopping to shorten the distance they need to swim. It’s possible that in this case the mother is trying to keep her cubs safe from male grizzlies who would be a threat to them. In some species, the male would kill the young to gain access to the mother and “have some fun with her.” The big cats are another example of this.

This photo was taken by a friend of the Captain near a favourite fishing spot. Sometimes, discretion is the better part of valor, hence the blurry quality of the photo. If the photographer had gone closer, the picture might have been clearer, but he might not have been around long enough to send it.

I think the friend probably decided to take a raincheck on fishing that day.


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The Apple Thief

The MacIntosh is “Oh my gosh,”

The loveliest of fruit,

If Adam ponders at its wonders,

Who can blame the brute?

I don’t see trouble in the rubble,

Just a pail of yum,

The sneaky nibbles taste like kibbles, 

Hope no one will come.

You shouldn’t cheat, you shouldn’t eat,

Those apples that are picked.

But never fear, I’ll stay right here,

And then I won’t get nicked.

I just don’t care, I’m on a dare,

These apples are so good,

And anyhow, it’s too late now,

To stop me if you could.

So juicy sweet is apple meat,

It runs right down my throat,

Why don’t you grab a little dab?

And don’t just stand remote.

Come on and join, and let’s purloin,

Another tasty treat,

We’ll get right down onto the ground,

The flavour can’t be beat.

I’m in the mood to not be rude, 

And spoil the missus’ work,

You go ahead, but filled with dread,

You’ll see you’ve been a twerk.

You make me feel like such a heel,

I thought you’d have some too.

I feel so bad, now don’t be mad,

My actions I do rue.

I hope you’ve learned, a page you’ve turned,

Those Macs were not for you,

Your ear is floppy, tongue is soppy,

Learn from what you do.


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Lightning, Thunder, and Rain … at Last!

I know it’s been dry and you want it to rain,

But I saw a flash in the sky,

You tell me it’s safe and it won’t cause me pain,

But take me inside where it’s dry.

I heard a loud boom and a rumbling growl,

It sounds pretty scary to me,

I’m trying my best not to let loose and howl,

To be what you want me to be.

 


What flashes of light and that fierce rumbling boom,

My courage is fading so fast,

Let’s sit on the couch, just move over, make room,

We’ll snuggle until it is past.


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Hello World

You may remember the junco who guarded her nest in an unusual place.

My poor hanging basket had to go without its usual amount of water.

I didn’t want to drown the eggs in the nest the junco had made in the flower basket.

Today I thought I would check its progress and had a surprise. This little guy looks exhausted but he’s here.

I pecked and pecked for hours and hours,

And hoped it was not time for showers,

I know the flowers have to live,

But it’s a nest and not a sieve.

 

I slept and slept and snored and snored,

My mother left when she got bored,

It took so long to crack that shell,

But now I’m doing very well.

 

I panted, panted, smiled and smiled,

I have a brother, oh, how wild!

I’m not alone, in this big world,

Can’t wait to get my wings unfurled.


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This Place is for the Birds

This spotted towhee has been living here for quite a while.

His wife is somewhere nearby but she’s more camera shy.

She looks much like her flashy husband, but her colours are slightly muted.

They have been nesting on the ground inside my fenced garden, usually under the thick rosemary bush. But this year I cut the rosemary back quite a bit, not thinking I was making the usual nesting area less inviting.

So the towhees chose the messiest corner of the garden where I had not weeded, and put a nest in the mess. I let the poppies grow up in the raised bed, thinking it would hide the weeds until I could get to them. Little did I know I was also helping hide a towhee nest.

I sneaked in there with my camera and got a picture of one towhee baby still in the nest. Mother had flown out when I came close but she went right back after I left. Now I’m hoping the baby will make it through the next critical days and weeks.

There’s no question of catching up with my weeding in this part of the jungle now.

 

Please click on the links below if you would like to take advantage of smashwords’ e-book sale. My e-books are 50% off during July.

The Wind Weeps  

Reckoning Tide

Marlie

Julia’s Violinist

Orion’s Gift