On Edge

 

I stood at the boundary line and watched the smoke. The fire is still a mile or so away from our boundary and thus far the winds have been in our favor. There are no homes nearby, just swamp. About 1000 acres have burned -- not necessarily a bad thing. The swamp needs fire from time to time. But still, it's hard to think of the animals out there losing their homes (at least temporarily), if not their lives. Plus, the smoke is killer.

Please keep the fire crews in mind. There are about 100 people working this incident. To our south another fire continues to burn. Over 300 people are working that one. It's hot, dirty, dangerous work. If you have some to spare, send positive energy this way...

A couple of other smoke views from a distance.

 

 

Big Bear Butt, Little Bear Feet

Odd Bird

First thing this morning, through a dirty window...I know I'm sleepy, but is that a fox?

Yep, that's a fox.

As I was getting ready to shower this morning Treebeard came back to the bathroom. He asked if I had looked out the window yet. When I looked out this is what I saw.

Increasing Radio Reception, Swamp Style

Hey Swampy, can you hear 'em now?

How about now?

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Another crazy hot day here. People get a little strange when the temperatures go up. I had my radio on scan and picked up all sorts of interesting calls.
Luckily, things were relatively calm at the work swamp...but we've got to keep our eyes and ears open. There is another wildfire out there, this one closer and to our north.
Keep your fingers crossed that we get some rain soon.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

At 4:00 a.m. the alarm clock sounded. Time to rise and shine! We had loaded the car the night before with the essentials: tally sheets, timer, thermometer, pencils, clipboard, binoculars, route sheet with GPS and physical landmarks of stops, water, and flashlights. At 4:20 a.m. we tossed in the last few things we needed - coffee, oatmeal bars, and apples - and hit the road. By 5:10 a.m. we reached our destination and had time for a quick cup of coffee before we began.
5:17 a.m. -- show time!

So what gets two relatively normal folks up and out of the house before the peep of day on a Sunday? Why the 2008 Breeding Bird Survey, of course. Fifty stops, 3 minutes per stop. Listen and look, tally the species and number of each observed. Treebeard is the official observer, I'm the assistant. Timekeeping and tallying are my jobs. Our 25-mile route goes through parts of three counties. We have found that Sunday morning is the best morning to accomplish the survey. Traffic is light and there isn't much in the way of farm equipment on the road. Since we are in the country, the people that do pass by tend to stop and see if everything is okay. We tell them what we're up to and they wish us luck and continue on. There is something reassuring about that :)

By 9:43 a.m. we're done. Time to head home and catch a nap before finishing the paperwork.

Soupy Saturday

 

Time for a little whining -- it's hot, it's humid, and it's smoky out there. We're stuck in a weather pattern that's less than pleasant. In addition, there is a huge wildfire to our south that is sending smoke up our way. And speaking of that fire, there's a good chance I may be sent south sometime soon to help work it...

Okay, I'm done. No more whining. Hope you have a great weekend!

Groovin' In The Grass

 

Yep, it's hot out there...but these eastern tailed-blues (Everes comyntas)don't seem to mind. The female will go on to oviposit on flower buds of various legumes such as vetches and clovers. When the larvae hatch they will munch out on the flowers and seeds of the hostplants.

And no, despite the fact I have posted two, uh, gettin' busy pictures in a row, this isn't turning into one of those blogs ;)

 

For the past few days we have had a visitor on the carport. This black rat snake has been hanging around -- sometimes on the back door, sometimes on the electrical box beside the back door, and sometimes on the grape arbor. He is very calm for the most part, even though he does vibrate the end of his tail if you get too close. So far he hasn't discovered the wren nest in the backpack hanging on the shop light out there. We'll keep our fingers crossed that he doesn't find it, but if he does...well, a snake's gotta eat, too.

Tattle Tails

 

Sometimes all that noise in the brush is just an overzealous brown trasher or towhee...but sometimes it's snakes gettin' busy :0

Eastern kingsnakes, Lampropeltis getula getula, busy making baby kingsnakes.

Such A Pretty Fellow

Painted lichen moths, Hypoprepia fucosa, are out and about in numbers this week. As the name suggests, the larvae feed on lichen. Bet they taste icky.

Skink Heaven

Yesterday, while checking a trail we've been working on in the work swamp, I startled four honking big skinks who were enjoying the sunshine in the newly cleared path. "Honking big" is a technical term, don't you know ;)
Most appeared to be broadhead skinks, Eumeces laticeps. We have three species of Eumeces in the work swamp and sometimes you need to hold 'em in your hand to positively ID them. Unfortunately, these lizards are quick on their feet and head for thick cover when they see you. Surprisingly, I was able to zoom in on the one in the picture after she scurried off the path.

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Hugh, over at Rock Paper Lizard, tells me that the genus for these lizards is now Plestiodon. Thanks to Hugh for keeping me current!

Tick'd Off

 

Thought I would show you just a few of the ticks I came in contact with yesterday at work. These are Lone Star ticks - both adults and nymphs. In the fall the larval stage, known as seed ticks, will be a plague.

As you can see, duct tape is a wonderful thing. A few taps along your pants leg and you can simultaneously capture and contain the little blood suckers. Awesome!

And now you must excuse me. It's time for work and I need to find another roll of tape.

Put 'Em Up

 

Don't you just love crayfish? Those claws are always at the ready. I haven't keyed this one out yet, so I can't give you an ID.

Slowly But Surely

 

Wiring is in, HVAC ductwork is in, all the windows except one are in, tubs are in, and part of the roof is on. Now we wait...

Over Easy

 

As I was poking around under a rotted piece of plywood out in the woods, I happened across these little spheres. They are snail eggs...I think. I'll have to go out this afternoon when I get home from work and check on them again. Curiosity's got me...

Pretty Boy

Swamp Darner, Epiaeschna heros
This bad boy is over three inches long with pretty blue eyes and an amber wash on his wings.

Yellow and Yellower

A little friendly competition between tweetie birds. The goldfinch is bright yellow for sure, but the prothonotary, in my opinion, is yellower still.

See what I mean?
(He's after suet, not seeds)

Pretty, But Poisonous

 

Fly Poison, Amianthium muscaetoxicum. A member of the lily family, this perennial has pretty grass-like leaves. Another common name is staggergrass. According to some texts, colonists mixed the bulb of this plant with sugar to kill flies. (Wonder who thought of doing that the first time...)