Critters, Wild and Tame

It doesn't seem like a week since I sat down in front of a blank blog page...  All sorts of things are going on in the news and wildlife areas.  And I've been taking care of multiple houses full of critters, as people decide to vacation on a whim, without planning for pet care.  I've been running around like crazy.  I think I have two days off, Wednesday and Thursday this week, if nothing else pops up.
   I've started re-reading my Robin Hobb collection, and am currently reading Dragon Haven.  After I read her books, I'll hit my Rafael Sabatini novels, and then my un-edited editions of The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.  That should keep me busy for a little while.
  I received my National Geographic DNA information back some time ago - my Haplogroup is J1c4.  But I have recently sent my DNA for processing to both Ancestry and to 23AndMe, also.  I'm waiting to see what is reported by the other two agencies...
   We've recently had moose in North Boulder - a woman was tending her garden on the edge of Wonderland Lake, and said she "suddenly felt a presence looming over" her.  It was a mother moose with twin calves, and the mother decided the woman was threatening her babies.  She was knocked down and walked upon.  Luckily, she only had scrapes and bruises.  And another moose with a single calf was reported at the Justice Center near the end of Boulder Canyon.
   Of course it's now summer, and we're having our usual incursions of coyotes, mountain lions and black bears.  The coyotes have been grabbing small dogs who are off-leash on walking, jogging, and biking paths, as well as cats loose in neighborhoods.  The mountain lions are grabbing the mule deer and fawns.  The bears are smashing bee hives and stealing honey, as well as raiding any bird feeders they can reach.  A friend has a one-inch thick wrought iron post for her feeders, and thought they were safe - this morning the post was bent at a 70 degree angle and the bird feeders were crushed and empty on the ground.  And folks around my sister and brother-in-laws house now have teen-aged bobcats out hunting with their parents, as well.  The fox are staying under cover as much as possible.  The cottontail rabbit birth explosion is feeding most of the smaller predators.
    Tess, one of the dogs I care for, is not doing well at the moment.  She started having seizures last fall.  They began occurring every 4 days a couple of months ago, and she has finally been placed on Potassium Bromide as a daily medication. (Her owner is a very firm believer in holistic medicine and diet taking care of everything.)  The K-Bro medication has increased her appetite amazingly, as well as her thirst.  But the main side effect is ataxia, her hind legs don't support her well...  The vet told the owner that once Tess reaches her optimal medication level, she'll return to normal.  The vet told the owner it would take one month.  I read the information, and it says the optimal level is reached in three to four months...  We'll have to see.  In the meantime, the dog who always bounced and danced on her hind legs is now shuffling with her nose to the ground.  It's pretty sad...
   Still at 59 new foals on the Chincoteague NationalWildlife Refuge - 56 after the three losses.  One foal died from an umbilical infection, one foal got stuck in the marsh mud and couldn't break free, and one had a congenital defect of the forelegs, which could not be healed.  All the others are quite bouncy and bold.  As usual, there are some really stupendous pinto markings, quite a few solids with great conformation, and a few real stand-outs.  I'm happy with the foals so far...
 

Local Wildlife

Since I've been out early and late for the past week, I've been surprised at the amount of early morning wildlife I've encountered.  It's been in the teens and single digits for temperatures overnight, so I really didn't expect to see a lot of critters out and about before sunrise.  The number of birds, squirrels, rabbits and mule deer out and about was mind-boggling.  
   This morning, I was driving down a residential street - two driving lanes, and parking lanes on both sides - when I met a herd of mule deer does (no buck) who were strolling, shoulder to shoulder, lined up almost evenly, from curb to curb.  I had to stop and wait for them to part and walk around the car before I could drive on.
   The other morning, just as the first rays of light were spreading in the east, I stepped out of the car, closed the door, and heard the hoot of an owl.  Looking around, I saw the pair of great horned owls that are usually in the neighborhood during the winter.  Then I heard the "neeep, neeep" of several nut hatches, followed by the calls of chickadees.  Then a flock of more than 20 magpies flew over, making comments.  At the next house, I encountered several rufous-sided towhees, and a huge flock of sparrows.
    The cottontail rabbits are still greatly in evidence. My brother-in-law was amazed to see the local bobcat stalk, attack, kill, and eat a rabbit in his back yard garden.  The few times I've seen the foxes this fall and winter, they, too, have been chowing down on the surplus rabbits.  The mink is spotted about once a week around the neighborhood, too.
    One of our previous neighbors, who moved away, contacted me yesterday and told me that a friend of hers had purchased a home on Tamarack recently, and was very surprised to see the bobcat cross her yard two nights ago.  Risa told Tracey about my Wildlife Watch newsletter, and Tracey wanted to be signed up.   I contacted her last night, and added her to the e-mail group this morning.  I hope she appreciates the area's natural wildlife as much as I do!