Adventure Dog

[Hrairoo]

Went for a walk this morning and a little chipmunk ran across our path about 6-8ft ahead of us on the path. That was a fun sight to see, tiny little legs and tiny tail, I only caught a glimpse of the stripes on its back.

Then I saw a hawk fly over us. This time, I definitely got a good look at its wings because it drifted right over us. I think this might be a different bird from the one we saw before. The underside of its wings and its belly and head were all brown. But the wings were definitely thicker at the ends, not pointed. And I don't think the bird was too terribly big, so, my hunch is it's probably not an eagle.

 

[Hrairoo]

Today was just a bird watching kind of day.

11 a.m. walk - Saw a chickadee flying odd today. Colby and I were just about done with our walk and boarding the porch. I look out into the yard and this chickadee is fluttering in midair near the trees. It looked like it was fighting to grab something in the air, possibly a flying insect? It was too small for me to see what it was grabbing but after 3-5 seconds, it righted itself and flew to a tree branch.

12 p.m. - I'm inside eating lunch at this point. All summer and in particular lately, I've seen glimpses of yellowjackets flying around my windows. Occasionally, if I go outside and actually catch them flying around the shutters, I'll give them a spray of wasp killer. I actually don't mind wasps at all and I think they're really cool. But if you're not careful, they can get inside your wall and build a nest in there. So, I try to deter them from building anywhere on the house if I see them.

Well, today, I didn't see any but I did see a blue jay come swooping in close to my window. All day today, I caught sight of this brilliant blue bird swooping in next to the window, sunlight flashing on his pretty back as he lands in the yard right under the window, etc. I just recently learned that blue jays will actually snack on fledgling wasp nests, eating the fat queen and stealing her little comb. A lot of bird watchers and gardeners dislike blue jays but they're one of my favorite birds. They might be bullies and all but they're very stylish to look at.

4:25 p.m. - I am in the living room watching tv and I put it on mute because I hear a ruckus coming from the backyard. I step out onto the back porch and from the woods back there, a dozen crows are making noise. I can't see them but I can hear their voices echoing beyond the trees. The sun was going down, so, it was a cooling twilight, and just this overwhelming croaking and cawing from all these birds echoing from the woods. It was kinda eerie and spooky. Heh.

There are a couple of crabapple trees near the very end of the driveway and for one of our walks today, Colby got all the way to the porch and set a golf ball sized apple down on the top step. I was flabbergasted and laughed because I'd had no idea he'd had it the whole time. He must have picked it up from the grass while we were walking near those trees.

 

[Hrairoo]

I think I should maybe mow my lawn. I didn't think it was that bad but today, Colby found a snake in the grass. It was a slender buddy, didn't appear very long, but then again, I only got a look at its last 6 inches. I honestly had no idea what it even was when he first had it. I thought he was going after a cricket or grasshopper, flopping his paws on the grass and snuffling into it. I came closer to see and saw the tail slithering into the grass.

I let my partner sniff after it for another moment or two but when he suddenly grunted and reared back, it appeared he'd gotten bitten at. My boy might have mediocre success with catching frogs but I sincerely doubted his ability to win against a snake. Considering it might be biting him/at him and I didn't get a good enough look to determine what kind it was or if it was possibly poisonous, I decided we'd best leave it be. So, we moved on, leaving the slithery snake behind.

Around 5 for our early evening walk, we came out onto the porch and I swear, I thought a big brown dog was running in my yard! But no! It was a doe! I do not think this girl was very old at all. First, she wasn't terribly big but she also had no spots. Second, she ran from the front yard to the side of the house to the backyard...and stayed there, lol. I couldn't see her while standing straight on the porch but when I leaned over the railing to look into the side yard, there she was. With her back to me, a mere dozen feet away, she fluttered her tail and stared over her shoulder at me.

I said, "Hey pretty girl! What are ya doing in my yard? You eating some crabapples?"

Even with me calling to her, she didn't run. Colby couldn't see her from the porch so, I stepped off the porch and we went around the house the other way. Crossed the backyard and came into full view of the young doe standing in the yard on the side of the house. Haha! The doe was running then! Big, gorgeous white tail bobbing like a flag as she leapt into the tall grass and trees. As she went, there was this repetitive bleeting sound from far off, so, I think someone was calling her. Colby really enjoyed that, jumping and barking as we watched her go. I am not sure if we'll see her again but if we do, I'll nickname her Juno, for being bold and naive.

 

[Hrairoo]

Today was a beautiful autumn day. Very sunny and warm with deep blue sky up above, yet the scent of leaves and the long, purple shadows speaking to the lateness of the year. At one point in our walk, I looked up at some taller trees that touched the sky and the wind was blowing just so, casting a fluttering of loose leaves to dance against the sky on an updraft. As they swayed and fluttered down like snowfall, there was this whimsical magic feeling to the world. I feel really close to God during these moments of beauty.

On a later walk around 3 p.m. Colby and I were on a particular stretch wherein we could see into the woods for a little ways. There, we spied a ruffed grouse hen walking along the ground of the forest amidst the roots of the trees. Colby lunged for her, nearly tearing my arm off as he yanked me into the woods to follow but she was a quick little lady on those tiny legs of hers.

Ruffed grouse are very small, about the size of a pigeon, except fatter bottom. And they have a very nice striped pattern on their bodies. On our 5 p.m. walk, I took Colby back near those trees to see if it was just a one time thing or if she was still hanging out there. Colby saw her before I did, after a moment of staring at nothing in the woods, he's jumping and whimpering excitedly. Then I see her walking hurriedly away, and I was able to get a better look at her back pattern this time. Very nice black stripes and spots against the brown. I bet even during the daytime she'd be properly camouflaged on the forest floor, especially now with it covered in dead and brown leaves.

 

[Hrairoo]

It is gorgeous today. In southern New York, we haven't had any rain in days, nor hard winds, so, the colors are changing naturally. On our first morning walk, I was simply struck by how much variety there is right now, it looks like an earth rainbow. I snapped a couple of pics and every few days, I'll take more to show you how much it's changing.

Spoiler: color pics

 

[Hrairoo]

This morning, before we have even gone for our first walk, as we're sitting here, eating breakfast, I glance out the window and there is the bold lady, Juno. I borrowed from my brother a camera lens zoom attachment, so, while the doe was sniffing around and eating apples, I quickly got the attachment onto the lens of my ipad. Then I perched in front of the window and snapped off a couple of pics of her before she finally darted away.

I am both pleased and disappointed by the photos. On the one hand, they're still very blurry. On the other, they're much clearer than those pics I took of Abel walking under the same tree. Either way, it's a great start for the day.

Spoiler: doe pics

 

[Hrairoo]

So, it's late September here, so, freezing mornings, freezing evenings, but hot enough in the afternoon to open the windows. It's the type of weather where because of the freezing nightly chill that sometimes frosts the lawn in the morning, where I don't expect to see any more reptiles or amphibians. Especially not on a day like today where it rained overnight and stayed drippy for most of the morning(cold at night, compounded by active wetness). But apparently not!

It warmed up just a tad this afternoon and the sun came out too late in the evening to really dry anything off. On my 5 p.m. walk with Colby, since today was uneventful so far, he decided per his Adventure Dog duties, he better step up his game. As we're walking our normal route, he suddenly stops in the grass and appears to pick up something to eat. He's done this before with gross things that I'd rather he not have, so, I instructed him to drop it.

So, he did.



( ಠ __ ಠ )

Oh. Sure. Okay!

It was just a nice surprise to see one of these guys out and about, for a second, Colby almost got another chance to pick the dude up! After I took a few pics, I persuaded my pupper that I needed his help finding another one and I was able to draw him away.

This one is a darker brown than we usually see them. They're usually a bright, orangey red. I suppose this one was dressed up for fall, what with all the great camouflage of brown leaves all over the ground.

Spoiler: More Salamander pics

 

[Hrairoo]

Storytime. Colby is a rescue. Nothing bad happened with the folks before; he just spent a lot of time in a crate kennel or outside on a line all alone. The first night he slept with me, I laid down three different blankets on the floor in different spots for him to choose from. It was an anxious night for us both, this new experience, him pacing and me unable to really close my eyes right away. I didn't want him to have an accident inside during the night and he was likely used to being shut away inside a crate and left alone.

At some point, I was starting to drift off to sleep but opened my eyes and lifted my head a little to check status on him. I couldn't see him anywhere! My room doesn't have any good hiding spots and I sleep with the door closed. I said his name and he came crawling out from under the bed! That soon became his preferred spot to rest and sleep so, I put a blanket under there for him and he often sleeps with one of his favorite toys, like Lambchop or Betty Boop. I assume because of being in the crate kennel for most of his early life, he finds the close space comforting.

I got a nice pic of him today. As soon as I got down with my camera, he kept trying to come out and lick my face, lol.



Of course, today was a fairly uneventful Adventure Dog day. But even last minute, he's gotta get the sighting in. On one of our last bathroom outings for the night, 9 p.m. I had him on the ribbon leash running around the backyard. After five minutes, he was ready to come in and as we're standing at the door, off to my left by the garden, I hear this obscene hissing/scraping sound. "Sshhhk-sshhhk-sshhhk!"

I didn't see anything and it sounded like it could have been an animal but the direction was almost to the side of the house where the cars were. I didn't know if my mother or brother had come outside to the cars and was scraping something or cleaning something. So, I called out, "Is someone there? Who is that?" And no one answered but Colby barked and something went shuffling into the tall grass.

I'm pretty familiar with deer. I have been stomped at, grunted at, and bleated at by deer. I've even heard the frustrated, grating growl of a distant dominant buck that sounds like a big dog frothing and having a fit. I have never been hissed at before. But when I told my mother the story, she said it's the warning doe give after the stomping to let the other area deer know danger is afoot. I couldn't see in the dark but I wonder if that wasn't our bold gal Juno letting her friends know about me and my scary dog.

 

[NerdGirl]

What's the newest from Adventure Dog Colby? I just had so much fun reading over this thread and looking at the photos!