Tag Archives: Georgia

Snake in the Straw 2023-08-07

Snake in the pine straw by the not-a-driveway.

[Snake in the pine straw]
Snake in the pine straw

Appears to be a black racer, Coluber constrictor. It lived up to its name by vanishing in an instant.

Black racers are harmless to humans. They eat small mice and rats, and anything else they can catch, such as toads, frogs, and lizards.

The dogs never even noticed this snake.

-jsq

Pond, Dogs, Snake 2023-07-04

What kind of snake is this?

[Snake on the lily pad]
Snake on the lily pad

Probably not a moccasin, because it doesn’t have any stripes, and I’ve never seen one leave its tail sticking out like that. Usually a cottonmouth will face you and hiss.

The dogs found another snake earlier that probably was a moccasin, so we made them come along.

[Blondie joins Arrow exploring]
Blondie joins Arrow exploring

We also saw an anhinga on the surface. Usually we see them perched in a tree or flying. It did eventually fly off and perch.

[Anhinga on the pond]
Anhinga on the pond

Before

[Blondie in the bushes]
Blondie in the bushes

ItB

[Blondie and Gretchen]
Blondie and Gretchen

OWN

[Old wasp nest]
Old wasp nest

HT

[Heron tree]
Heron tree

GB

[Grinning Blondie in the boat]
Grinning Blondie in the boat

HB

[Gretchen, Honeybun]
Gretchen, Honeybun

ABH

[Arrow, Blondie, Honeybun, Gretchen]
Arrow, Blondie, Honeybun, Gretchen

Aswim

[Arrow won't admit she can swim]
Arrow won’t admit she can swim

AH

[Arrow, Honeybun, Gretchen]
Arrow, Honeybun, Gretchen

HA

[Honeybun, Arrow]
Honeybun, Arrow

HBA

[Honeybun, Arrow, Blondie]
Honeybun, Arrow, Blondie

RoalC

[Relic of a lost civilization]
Relic of a lost civilization

AgE

[Arrow goes exploring]
Arrow goes exploring

-jsq

Dig out the dog: Arrow stuck under a storage shed 2023-07-15

We came home after a day on the river and had to dig out the dog.

[Honeybun, Blondie, and Arrow stuck under a storage shed]
Honeybun, Blondie, and Arrow stuck under a storage shed

You can hardly see the little pooch, but you can sure hear her complaining about being stuck under a storage shed.

I got a shovel and dug the opening out more.

She’s fine.

No dogs were harmed in the making of this video.

How she got under there is still a mystery.

-jsq

Dogs like water 2023-06-18

Turns out dogs like water.

[Arrow, Honeybun, Blondie, at water spigot 2023-06-18]
Arrow, Honeybun, Blondie, at water spigot 2023-06-18

Especially Arrow.

Here is a YouTube video playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLk2OxkA4UvwDyXxn-2JbD8yV5vrShmCK

Facebook video version:
https://www.facebook.com/OkraParadiseFarms/posts/pfbid0LsEEoXSKQfFEztWjQcorn3g7d1nUPhGgiHmYBifQZhXmRMdQ52SNX5jzkEhVXHg5l

And some still pictures. Continue reading →

Cattle egrets 2023-06-04

These cattle egrets showed up as soon as I started mowing with the tractor.

[Walking, flying, group, cattle egrets, OPF 2023-06-04]
Walking, flying, group, cattle egrets, OPF 2023-06-04

They followed me around, eventually getting within two feet of the tractor, jockeying to snatch up bugs.

This is the best writeup I’ve found on the origin of Bubulcus ibis, which it now lives on six continents and is sometimes found in Antarctica.

Judy Lehmberg, CBS News, June 15, 2017, Nature up close: Cattle egrets, masters of emigration, Continue reading →

Bees in downed tree 2023-05-30

I could hear them well before we got there.

[Movie: Flying from downed tree (65M)]
Movie: Flying from downed tree (65M)

Video:
https://youtu.be/6cKzV1uZFto

These bees were probably living in that tree before it fell down.

Both the tree and the bees are still very much alive.

These are native bees, not imported honeybees.

-jsq