I know! I wanted to hold him and squeeze him and call him George, but I have too many pets already.
Can’t remember if I already mentioned the skunk I saw waddling in the middle of the street several days ago. I watch for Flower when I’m on that block at night now.
There is a pair of bats roosting in a huge nearby oak. If I’m sitting outside just at dusk I can see them heading out. Sometimes they circle my roof; sometimes they head in a straight line the fuck on outta there.
Concur, that’s almost certainly snail/slug slime, which is surprisingly beautiful in direct sunlight given its origins.
I saw a turkey vulture yesterday, cruising the skies over Lake Michigan’s western shore. An ornithologist I was with confirmed its identity.
Took a walk in a nearby park today, and saw a wary squirrel, several big toadstools and some beautiful Queen Anne’s Lace. Heard several birds but actually saw none.
When my kids were little we were hiking and I showed them Queen Anne’s Lace. I told them it was related to parsnips and carrots. My son thought I was teasing them and had just made up this factoid.
I yanked up a plant and offered him the root to smell. He sniffed it and his eyes bugged out.
Yesterday, saw a deer right up close to the house, within a few yards of the front door. Fortunately the dog pack was all watching TV in the other room.
Day before that, found a bat on the porch. He’s down by the baseboard, possibly having crawled in through that hole. Look at his little kitty ears! Husband put on some work gloves and relocated him to the yard.
We have a few bat houses. It’s cause for celebration when we notice bay poop under the bat house.
Several of our neighbors have bat houses, so we don’t need one. I sure do like to see them though!
Bats can eat half of their body weight in insects each night!
Saw a skunk while out on a walk after dark last night. We avoided each other.
Very young deer in the little forested area not far from the house.
I was on the allotment earlier today. The western perimeter of the land is a stream, and you exit over a small bridge and through a heavy metal gate. I was opening the gate in order to leave, and was startled by a commotion behind me - a huge heron, not 3 meters from me, had been scared by the noise and had taken flight. How could I not have noticed a bird that damn big? It was annoying to have accidentally disturbed it (but there was no way to have got out without doing so); but man, it was a spectacular sight seeing it take off like that. Close up they are very big birds.
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Was invited on a spur-of-the-moment day trip to Cade’s Cove in Tennessee yesterday. We saw two bears, one cub running away in the distance and one adult or near-adult calmly grazing on weeds maybe 50 feet from the road. There was no hope for photos of the first one. The best of the shots I got of the second were disappointing but better than nothing.
Great pics - thanks!
Saw two female deer calmly resting on a nearby house’s lawn, and a smallish (but not a baby) raccoon scurrying away from a major street, all after dark.
I was just getting on the freeway when the car in front of me on the ramp, a Porsche Carrera, managed to run over a pigeon or some other gray & white bird. I’ve never seen that happen, birds always seem to flee in time! Damned thing exploded into a cloud of feathers that I drove through (not much choice at freeway entry speeds). What a weird thing to see. Poor dumb bird. 
I’ve got Hummingbirds! First time I’ve seen them around here. May or may not be related to the explosion of Moon Plants this year.
Almost stepped on a small skunk while out walking last night, but didn’t, fortunately. Saw two goldfinches zipping around the bushes at a botanical garden today, and also carp and goldfish in a pond.
Congratulations. That’s awesome!
Well, I’m in my apartment now and don’t expect to see anything much more than people’s pets. City living. Crap. But wait, I went to pick up my order of beautiful freshly-picked, jewel-like raspberries from one of my favorite organic farms. Yes, the city is encroaching on that family farm too, especially as Covid created a bunch of hobby-farming neighbors who hold day jobs.
On the way home, I spotted an almost-mature maple tree that was already wearing fall colors on one side. Yikes. In mid-August. I am guessing that our drought situation might be part of the cause. But I don’t truly know. It was beautiful. But too soon.
I love to spot a hummingbird. The way they move is so neat.
I have never seen a hummingbird in real life! Not the kind of animal that has been introduced to Europe, unfortunately!
I am watching insects and spiders now. It’s not the same, but still quite nice. Spiders are easier, they move less. Most insects just flee when I come close with my phone (amazing what a simple phone can do nowadays, btw!). Saw many dragonflies, but they are really fast.
