Newsletter chitchat - May 21, 2024

[Cassel]

Have you ever had a funny or cute encounter with wildlife?

Was it at home or on vacation?

Share with us and if you have photos, share those too!

[Michele]

One morning I was getting in my car to go to work when I noticed a praying mantis on my side mirror. Not wanting to hurt it, I tried to get it off with various non-contact techniques, all unsuccessful. I decided that once I started moving, it would hop off. Boy, was I wrong! I drove all the way to work (speed limit 55 mph/88kpm), and it was still there when I arrived at the office. It was gone by the end of the day, but I was very impressed with its "stick-to-it-iveness," pun fully intended. 🙃

[Clarine]

I found a little tree frog in my raspberry bushes and thought it would be a fun show-and-tell item for the little girl I nannied. I captured it in a small bowl and used plastic wrap (with a few holes punched in) to keep it contained.  I put the bowl on the counter for the next morning's trip to the girl's house.  The whole afternoon the frog chirped.  And chirped. And chirped.  So I put the bowl in the car.  The next morning, I got into the car to drive to the girl's house, only to discover that the frog was no longer in the bowl.  It had gotten thru the plastic wrap and escaped.  In my car.  I searched the whole car but did not spot it.  For the next two weeks I drove with my pants legs tucked into my socks so the hopper wouldn't surprise me crawling up my leg.  And for two weeks I left all four car doors open in the hopes it would find its way free.   It must have gotten out as I found no frog or smelled any remnants of it.  

[fiona cook]

Carole, from your email, what's a groundhog? Is it like a hedgehog?

[Ann Seeber]

12 minutes ago, fiona cook said:

Carole, from your email, what's a groundhog? Is it like a hedgehog?

No, not at all. It's more like this: 

[Cassel]

20 minutes ago, fiona cook said:

Carole, from your email, what's a groundhog? Is it like a hedgehog?

Just like Ann showed. A groundhog is about the size of a cat. In our town, we used to have an annual Groundhog festival. The groundhog is the animal that comes out on February 2nd, and if he sees his shadow, he will go back to his hole and we'll have 6 more weeks of winter. If not, it should be an early spring. If you search for "punxsutawney phil", you will see some pics of a "famous" groundhog.

[fiona cook]

Well, you live and learn. He looks like the beavers we have here in the UK that they are trying to re-establish in our waterways as their numbers were dwindling. I think they have a more rubbery tail though. He looks a bit naughty. I will look up "punxsutawney phil". (My husband's name is Phil so should be funny!)

[Cassel]

When one of my daughter's friends came to visit from Germany, we were driving in town and there was a groundhog on the lawn in a public park. He was so intrigued. He asked us to stop, and he went pretty close to take pictures. He had never seen that animal and he went on to search on the net what it was.

[fiona cook]

My husband 'Phil' knew all about the groundhog. Maybe his friends chant 'Phil' 'Phil' like they do in February! All crazy but the groundhog in the video looked so sweet.

To follow the close encounters theme. Sometimes when out walking locally I have managed to photograph animals that we have stumbled upon. The deer were so close but the Highland cattle were a bit more worrying although they are not really interested in walkers thankfully.

[fiona cook]

[fiona cook]

I have seen another deer today in the strangest of places. My friends and I passed through the very peaceful and massive, historic Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey as part of a country walk and some deer were paying their respects as well (or eating the flowers and shrubs). At this point we were in the American Military graves area. Didn't see any groundhogs!

[Ann Seeber]

1 hour ago, fiona cook said:

I have seen another deer today in the strangest of places. My friends and I passed through the very peaceful and massive, historic Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey as part of a country walk and some deer were paying their respects as well (or eating the flowers and shrubs). At this point we were in the American Military graves area. Didn't see any groundhogs!

Fiona, I went out on my front porch last evening to pick up empty cat food bowls and surprised a white-tail doe who was visiting! My daughter had come by to plant my patio container earlier and I think the doe got a bite of the newly planted flowers. I didn't have a camera handy. 

[fiona cook]

On 5/29/2024 at 7:59 PM, Ann Seeber said:

Fiona, I went out on my front porch last evening to pick up empty cat food bowls and surprised a white-tail doe who was visiting! My daughter had come by to plant my patio container earlier and I think the doe got a bite of the newly planted flowers. I didn't have a camera handy. 

Yes Ann, It's amazing when you see wild animals in your domestic situation isn't it. I used to live on my own in a mobile home and one night I felt the wall gently moving. It wasn't scary as I could tell it wasn't human intervention but it was a deer that had wandered down from nearby woods and was rubbing its back on the edge of the mobile home. Maybe it had an itch or it was a territory thing putting its smells there. I don't know.

[Julie Magerka]

On 5/24/2024 at 3:42 PM, fiona cook said:

My husband 'Phil' knew all about the groundhog. Maybe his friends chant 'Phil' 'Phil' like they do in February! All crazy but the groundhog in the video looked so sweet.

To follow the close encounters theme. Sometimes when out walking locally I have managed to photograph animals that we have stumbled upon. The deer were so close but the Highland cattle were a bit more worrying although they are not really interested in walkers thankfully.

Beautiful creature!