Animal signs
This morning as I was leaving the house I saw a bluebird divebombing a squirrel that was trying to run away. It would zoom down and peck the squirrel on the back, then fly straight up into the air, turn around, and zoom down for another peck. They ran and flew for about twelve yards as I watched, then I rode past and lost sight of them.
About a quarter of a mile later I saw a really small turtle walking across the road toward the creek, something else I've never seen before. The only turtles I ever see around here are the great big ones that live in vineyard reservoirs. I suppose this little one was looking for some water, but there isn't any, anymore. The creek has completely dried up already.
Back at my other house, which backed up to a different creek, there was a deep spot that usually had water until the end of summer. When it started to dry up you would see crayfish marching around in the mud with their arms straight up in the air in front of them to ward off predators, or trudging away from their evaporated homes, through the languishing water weeds and over the little sand bars in search of a new pool. A new pool I knew did not exist!
Every August I would wait for the water to go down to an inch or so, then lift up the big piece of broken cement at the edge of the hole, gather up all the crayfish that were hiding there and drop them into a five-gallon enamel stock pot full of well water. Some years there were only five or six; the last time I did it, I got almost 30. Then I would put the stock pot in the car and drive them a half mile up to the creek to a place where there was water all year round, and dump them in.
I thought about stopping to grab that turtle, but I was already late for work and I was afraid it would bite me. Now that I think of it, I should've stopped. I could've dropped it into the big creek closer to my office without even slowing down.
I wonder where that turtle is right now. I sure hope it doesn't die.
About a quarter of a mile later I saw a really small turtle walking across the road toward the creek, something else I've never seen before. The only turtles I ever see around here are the great big ones that live in vineyard reservoirs. I suppose this little one was looking for some water, but there isn't any, anymore. The creek has completely dried up already.
Back at my other house, which backed up to a different creek, there was a deep spot that usually had water until the end of summer. When it started to dry up you would see crayfish marching around in the mud with their arms straight up in the air in front of them to ward off predators, or trudging away from their evaporated homes, through the languishing water weeds and over the little sand bars in search of a new pool. A new pool I knew did not exist!
Every August I would wait for the water to go down to an inch or so, then lift up the big piece of broken cement at the edge of the hole, gather up all the crayfish that were hiding there and drop them into a five-gallon enamel stock pot full of well water. Some years there were only five or six; the last time I did it, I got almost 30. Then I would put the stock pot in the car and drive them a half mile up to the creek to a place where there was water all year round, and dump them in.
I thought about stopping to grab that turtle, but I was already late for work and I was afraid it would bite me. Now that I think of it, I should've stopped. I could've dropped it into the big creek closer to my office without even slowing down.
I wonder where that turtle is right now. I sure hope it doesn't die.
1 Comments:
That divebombing behavior you describe sounds a lot more like a blue jay than a bluebird. Blue jays are fearless and mean as hell.
As I was reading this post I kept thinking that you were going to say that you scooped up the crayfish so you could turn them into gumbo or something. I think it's the fact that you rescued them with a stock pot that made me think along those lines.
Anyway, very admirable that you saved them.
Post a Comment
<< Home