New Foal and Wildlife

I'm starting to get my horse and pony motors revved up again.  We're 8 weeks away from the running of the 2016 Kentucky Derby, and, last weekend, the first Chincoteague pony foal born on the Virginia end of Assateague Island.  The mare is Tunie, and she has a bay pinto baby.  Darcy Cole is the photographer who tracked them down....  She states the sire is "Hoppy," a bay.  I don't know if she's referring to Little Dolphin, or Effie's Papa Bear….   Darcy calls Effie's Papa Bear "Hoppy."

There are three expectant mares on the Maryland (Northern) end of the island.  Apparently these three did not lose their estrus cycles when darted with their annual birth control medication...

   The birds and other critters are getting the feeling that it's really Spring here in Boulder.  The mating displays can be breath-taking, even when I'm just sitting in the back yard.  Flights, plumage displays, and dancing are very common; and the squirrels are running in patterns only they can see up, down, and around tree trunks.  I stopped the car at 6:10 this morning on a normally busy street to watch three bucks, twelve does, and eight yearlings slowly walk across traffic.  

   I feel so lucky to be able to observe nature - one is not going to see a herd of mule deer crossing the street in any large city.  And, even though I frequently see elk, I am still surprised by their size and majesty.  Buffalo, or bison, are just amazing.  And I'm used to handling large horses, including draft horses and draft crosses - I guess it's because they are wild creatures.