Animals | wordsfromanneli

August 8, 2025
by wordsfromanneli 34 Comments

A Cool Snake

This carpet python is not the same one as in the previous post, but the story happened nearby. My friend noticed the snake lying near the road and wondered if it had been run over. If not, it soon could be. She dropped a stick on it to see if it would move, and as you can see, it did not. In order to move it away from the roadside, she considered picking it up, but, as these snakes can be heavy and she is not a weightlifter, she called on a friend to come and help. (I chuckle when I imagine that these are her excuses for not feeling comfortable handling a snake. I wouldn’t be either.)

As you may know, snakes don’t hibernate in the sense that mammals do, but they will den up and cuddle for warmth. As the weather cools, the snakes tend to slow down if they can’t find a sunny spot to stay warm.

This particular fellow was stranded in a cool place and his already cool blood was not able to keep him active. He was pretty much stuck. You might say he was close to having “viperthermia.”

In the photo below, notice how the snake is just dangling there, not very active. He needed to be warmed up, and what better way to get his blood flowing again than with a nice cuddle. This is what the friend is doing, trying to warm up the cool guy. He walked with the snake to a sunny patch. With about ten minutes of cuddling and two minutes of sunshine, the snake was feeling better and became more lively.

He was squirming all over the place, and although the friend was in no danger of being swallowed, he didn’t want to get nipped either. See him holding the snake’s head away, just in case.

I thank you, Sir, for warming me,

So I can make my way,

To someplace safe where sun I see,

But no one knows I stay.

For snake blood without sun is cool,

My body sluggish, slow,

I’ll lie beside the swimming pool,

But stay! No need to go!

I only want to stay mobile,

And so need to keep warm,

If I can hide in this woodpile,

I’ll be in finest form.

August 5, 2025
by wordsfromanneli 46 Comments

Carpet Python

This carpet python in Australia is very well camouflaged. His head is just to the right of the farthest fern on the left. From there, if you follow his curves along to the end of his long body, you will notice that he gets fatter and fatter. I shudder to think what little animal has been swallowed whole.

Carpet Python, photo by Leslie

Imagine walking down the steps to the back yard to put something into the compost and then, on your return, noticing that you must have walked right over a python of over six feet in length.

Luckily, these pythons are not venomous. They eat small animals like mice and rats, birds, and lizards. They can open their jaws wider than we might think, judging by the size of the head, but after an initial bite, they wrap their body around the animal to constrict its blood flow, and once the animal is unconscious, it is usually swallowed whole.

I spied my meal behind a fern,

And slithered close to see,

But Ratty didn’t even turn,

And soon was food for me.

I wrapped my “arm” around him then,

And told him not to fear,

“It’s just so you won’t feel it when

I swallow you, my dear.”

Though Ratty passed out right away,

And slipped right down my throat,

It would be wrong for me to say,

I didn’t smile and gloat.

He kicked a bit when he awoke,

He scrabbled in my gut,

And rather than to lose the bloke,

I kept my big mouth shut.

July 31, 2025
by wordsfromanneli 50 Comments

The Common Loon

On a small lake in northwestern Washington State, my friend Sonia was kayaking and had a close look at a pair of common loons. One of them is pictured here. I did some digging for information and found out that except for the difference in their size, it is not easy tell male from female at a glance. So whichever it is, he or she would like to chat you up with a poem. Beware! It may be a bit loony.

I swim on a whim

And I’m good with a dive,

I stay slim and trim,

And it keeps me alive.

Spearing fish as I wish,

Or a scared little crab,

I’ll swish a big dish,

Or a wee, tiny dab.

My feet you can’t beat,

‘Cause they paddle quite well,

So sweet and so neat,

And they never will smell.

If lost in the frost,

Time to leave for the sea,

Or be tossed with such cost,

When the cold comes to me.

At sea I feel free,

And I call to my mates,

My plea, “Come to me,”

Seems to open the gates.

July 29, 2025
by wordsfromanneli 39 Comments

Australian King Parrot

Just imagine what a thrill it would be to have one of these king parrots land on your back fence to ask for a snack. I would probably break a leg running for my camera. This photo was taken by my friend Leslie who lives in Australia. She assures me that she hasn’t broken a leg.

Maybe he’s getting ready for Christmas, wearing his best bright red and green finery.

He’s already looking for his presents in the form of a handout of seeds and any other fruit goodies that may come his way.

Eucalyptus, bolly gum.

These are foods that make me hum,

Berries make some tasty feeds,

Sometimes topped with hasty seeds.

Eating seeds of tuckeroo,

I’m a tough young buckaroo,

Nectar tasty as the seeds,

Yes, this tree fulfills my needs.

Berries of the lilly pilly,

I could eat them ’til I’m silly,

Great bush tucker for a bird,

But there’s more, don’t be absurd.

Apples, pears, bananas, figs,

Mangos have me dancing jigs,

So much fruit is good for me,

I won’t starve here, don’t you see?

But if nature’s food is low,

Always, there’s a place to go.

Folks don’t feed me out of duty,

They all love me for my beauty,

July 23, 2025
by wordsfromanneli 49 Comments

A Stupid-People Fire

Looking out from my house a couple of days ago, I saw what turned out to be a 4.5 hectare wildfire near Comox Lake, which is up in that forested area (the water in the lower part of the photo is salt water).

Luckily, the firefighters who respond to wildfires were quick to get up there, and after a while they got the fire at least to stop spreading. If not for them, it could have been very bad.

Man made, they think. These fires so often are. If it isn’t arson, then it’s carelessness and stupidity.

Campfires made where they should not be made at this time of year, and not put out properly.

A carelessly tossed cigarette.

Broken glass left lying around where the sun (scorching hot these days) can magnify and start a grass fire.

I don’t know what the cause was this time, but there’s a 99% chance it was preventable.

I worry about the poor little birds and animals who have to flee for their lives, if they can. So many of the tinier ones have no hope of going far enough away to escape the flames.

July 22, 2025
by wordsfromanneli 28 Comments

Crossbill

The red crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) is one of six species of crossbill, three of which are found in North America. I was surprised to find out they belong to the finch family. Their crossed bills are especially helpful in picking out the seeds in the cones of spruce, pine, and Douglas fir trees. A few summers ago I had a pair of them come down from the firs to visit my birdfeeder and I was able to get some photos.

Their feet are also rather unique. It’s almost as if they are what we would call “pigeon toed,” turning inward slightly so they have a parrot-like walk.

The photo below reminds me of those hidden pictures they have in children’s puzzle books. Find the female crossbill hiding in the rhodo.

*Hint: It’s near the middle.

They didn’t stay long. Maybe they were on their way to somewhere on a holiday and just stopped here for a few days. I wish they would come back. I loved having them here.

Come out of hiding, Lady Love,

Enjoy this feast with me,

I’ll watch for danger from above,

So we can quickly flee.

July 18, 2025
by wordsfromanneli 36 Comments

Tough Little Tony at the Beach

“What the heck is that I see,

Over near the shore?

Looks like twice the size of me,

Should I check some more?”

“Found some courage after all,

Show I’m not afraid,

If in trouble, I will call,

For my family’s aid.”

Tony lived across the street from us. He had a good long life there. For a while now, he has been reminiscing about his happy life and looking down on us all from doggie heaven. He is missed a lot.

July 16, 2025
by wordsfromanneli 16 Comments

Hungry Heron

It seems that herons spend a lot of time standing on one leg with their neck pulled in. This guy looks like a grandpa with his hunched over posture and his beard.

Most likely, though, while he soaks up some rays of sunshine, he is thinking about where his next meal will come from. He is quite capable of standing perfectly still, conserving his energy. He will step off his rock patio when he gets hungry and stalk that frog he’s been watching. The frog will most likely think the heron is just another rock or a shrub of some sort because it hasn’t moved in so long.

“No, please don’t spear me,” Froggie cries,

“My life has been so short.”

“But, Fred, you’re lunch,” the heron sighs,

“I don’t do this for sport!”

“Whatever shall I tell my wife,

When I’m not home on time?

It seems so cruel to take a life,

In fact, it is a crime.”

“I’ll tell you what,” the heron said,

“You need to eat as well.

Don’t worry. Eat some flies instead,

And I’ll just wait a spell.”

As Freddie Frog lapped up the flies,

The heron quick and able,

Got ready to ignore his cries,

And speared him for his table.

**Photo by Sonia from her visit to the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Delta, B.C.

July 12, 2025
by wordsfromanneli 30 Comments

Trafalgar Square

There’s Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson on his horse presiding over the square named in honour of the Battle of Trafalgar, which the British won in 1805.

Four lions guard the nearby 145 ft. 3 in.-tall Corinthian-style column (not pictured here) that supports a statue of Nelson at the top.

According to Wikipedia, Edwin Landseer, the sculptor of the bronze lions, is said to have used as a model, a lion that had died at the zoo, but it took him so long to get the pre-sculpting sketches done, that the model lion was beginning to decompose. It is said that the paws of the lions look more like cats’ feet than lions’ paws. I guess he should have worked faster.

The square is a popular tourist attraction, just a short walk from Charing Cross Station in Central London. At the time of this photo, cameras (real ones) were popular among tourists. I didn’t see a single person with a cell phone. At the time, they had only been invented four years earlier.

And the pigeons! I think there’s a good chance that the woman in the checkered skirt, on the left of the photo, had to wash her red top after having pigeons roosting on her shoulders and arms. I suppose the birds were fun to feed, but nowadays when we hear so much about bird flu, I wonder how wise it is to spend time so close to so many birds. Those poor birds! – Walking around in each other’s droppings as they eat the questionable food the tourists throw their way.

The birds were discouraged from coming there sometime after 2000. Whether we approve of the methods or not, anti-pigeon wires and regular visits by Harris hawks were used. It is now illegal to feed the pigeons at Trafalgar Square.

What do you think? Is it a good idea to let pigeons congregate in such numbers? People are obviously enjoying them, but….

July 9, 2025
by wordsfromanneli 30 Comments

Hurry up and Hide

On this rural road, I came upon a doe and two fawns. Yes, there is a second fawn in front of the one that is obvious. I had to count legs. Either there were two fawns, or one fawn had more than four legs.

Over her shoulder, the doe lowed to the fawns, “Hurry! This way!”