Nay-est.

Says Wyoming but I think she's from much further south.

And east.

This turtle is famous here. I can't believe I got close enough to take pictures like this because despite what many think...turtles are fast. Once she got sick of me she ran like a rabbit! This was right behind my house, next to the river.

I put my sandal next to her for perspective. I wear a size 8 and a half. LOL

What kind of turtle is she?

She's some sort of softshell turtle. Maybe Midland Smooth...but none of the cursory research I've done has definitively said they should even be found in my county. She was attempting to lay eggs when I came upon her, and that was a bad spot where cars park. Maybe the rain we'd had had made the river too high for her to find any good spots nearer to the river.

That's a cool looking turtle. We don't have any like that around here, as far as I know.

Fresh turtle eggs taste pretty good.

The soft shell turtles can be pretty fast. It's the other ones that are slow.

Several years ago, there was a chipmunk population explosion here in my neck of the woods. Little fuckers were everywhere, making all sorts of odd and annoying noises, day in and day out.

One morning, I was in my garage (really just a three-sided, 24 x 24' metal shed), and heard all this furious scrabbling and scratching over in one corner. I carefully approached the sound and quickly realized it was coming from an open/empty garbage can I'd stowed in the far corner. Above the garbage can, on either wall, were high wooden shelves. Inside the garbage can, beneath the gap between the shelves, were seven - count 'em, SEVEN - freaked out chipmunks.

They'd apparently tried to jump from one shelf to the other and missed - one after the other - and fell into the garbage can below, which was too slick/tall for them to climb out of.

Proof that chipmunks do not have an effective warning / communication system.

:D

That is how fast she was the first time I saw her. Running down the grass towards the water. I was like 'WHAT'? ;)

I only found out a while ago that some people call chipmunks 'ground squirrels.' I think that's weird. Maybe it's a local thing. But it totally fucks up Alvin et all if you call them that. And don't get me started on Chippendales. (Apple core! Who's your friend?)

What about Chip and Dale?

Yep, that was my 'funny' reference. Glad someone remembers that! Makes me feel less old. ;)

You can't be old, you must be younger than me.

Nah ...you're old.

Not that that's a bad thing.

Yesterday, there was a young deer in my front yard (still had spots), and I see adult deer on my property with some regularity. I don't mind that they wander through my yard, but I'd like them to leave my fucking rose bushes alone! They eat most of them down to sticks. GRRR.

Bees...

Well living next to nature if you're a photographer/fishing boat deck hand, in Alaska. :D

Black Bear on campus. http://www.clarionledger.com/story/n...dian/14282441/

What, they let him get away without talking to coach Sherrill ! :haha:

Measuring 15 feet long and weighing in at a staggering 1,011.5 lbs, this giant alligator was pulled out of a river in Alabama on Saturday morning, becoming the largest ever caught. The woman who did so broke out her special pearl necklace to celebrate.
http://indefinitelywild.gizmodo.com/...ght-1624521405
LArgest? Maybe.

"hooked and then shot" would be more accurate than "caught."

But it's still impressive

Brother-in-law hooked it at 10:30 am Friday, presumably after fishing at least a little while. She shot it at 5 am on Saturday, then came the described difficulty getting back to their take-out point. So the family, 2 girls and 3 guys spent about 24 hrs in that 17 ft boat, most of it attached to a recalcitrant gator. :eyebrow: Can't wait for the encore.

Wanting to boat a thousand pound gator, alive, are ya?

:mg:

lordy, god must look out for fools. anybody else would have probably ended up as a snack

Twil and I were on a road trip recently. So was this guy.

Attachment 49080

Is that a Condor, or a vulture?

It's a turkey buzzard.

Apparently, he's shopping for roadkill:

It was very exciting watching him fly. He was soaring overhead, pictures through the sunroof were not very successful, and repeatedly swooping along the road, just in front of us. I stopped the car and watched and took his picture. He was right there, like he was playing chicken (there's a chicken joke in there somewhere...).

neat pic BigV...

Imma guess Vulture

Good catch.

The best view I ever had of a Turkey Vulture was in SD when I was driving from Hot Springs to Edgemont.
It was in the road, presumably scavenging, and showed a marked reluctance to fly as I approached.
I slowed right down and off he went in his own time, affording me a wonderful view.
It was what is known in ornithological circles on this side of the Atlantic as a big bugga.

I saw a road kill bald eagle recently. They love the scraps of dead critters so I guess it makes sense. (shitloads of bald eagles around here now so don't freak out.)

Used to see a lot of vultures when we fished in southern Delaware. They were especially dense around the big chicken farms of Purdue and Tyson. If they were eating roadkill and saw us coming, they would waddle to the shoulder of the road and glare at us while we went by. I always thought if they could they would fold their wings like an angry schoolmarm folds her arms. :haha:

Yesterday, on my way home, I saw like ten or more buzzards circling over the old folks home down the road.

Had a private chuckle at that.

you could just LOL, y'know. they probably can't hear you.

But Karma hears you, Karma hears everything. :haha:

Oh noes...Hornets!

I see what you did there...

...but, who'd blow a hornet?

Hornette.

Living with nature often means trying to avoid running into it... getting tougher, too.
It's a jungle out there so be careful, the fender you save may be your own.

http://cellar.org/2014/collision1.jpg


Hooray for us, hooray for you, PA jumped from 5 to 2, go team!

http://cellar.org/2014/collision2.jpg

I knew they were working together. :eyebrow:

http://cellar.org/2014/collision3.jpg

Is that 1 in 85 drivers will hit a deer in a year?

I only personally know one person who has hit a deer. He's actually hit two of them, and he lives in PA. I'm aware that it happens, but I would have thought it it was much rarer than 1 in 85.

Or is that 1 in 85 accidents involves a deer?

It must be 1 in 85 accidents involves a deer. That sounds more in line with my observations.

I have a friend in Doylestown PA who drives A LOT! He has personally hit at least three. His wife one and he tells me frequently about people hitting them - we have a standing joke about venison jerky...

Oh, I hit one in DE when I was 16 and my daughter hit one a few years ago.

I've hit two. The PA Game Commission is utterly incompetent when it comes to controlling deer population.

How about some oceanic mammals?

http://cellar.org/2014/hawg1.jpg

Hawg. Outside of my window, at work

Whistlepig!

Nice Buck

http://s15.postimg.org/c5npdjnm3/Sandhill_Crane.jpg

Big buggers, aren't they?

If he can make it here, he can make it anywhere.

Attachment 49448

Kentucky Sandhill Crane Hunting Season Dates: Dec 13 2014 - Jan 11 2015.

Just sayin'.

I surprised one going out the front door today.

I was going out the door, not the Chuck.

Was he wearing the tophat and monocle?

Groundhogs wear tophats and monocles when people ain't around.

What? I assumed everyone knew that.

So that's what he stuffed in his briefcase before he split. :idea:

Osprey full tilt boogie...

Place yer hands together, and prey.

ETA: I just noticed that bird is banded.

Oh shit Oh shit Oh shit
http://cellar.org/2014/dogbear.jpg

No, you aren't a bird dog.
http://cellar.org/2014/doghawk.jpg

Hey Squirrel, get a load of this badass.
http://cellar.org/2014/dogmoose.jpg

Fantastic pics! I have no fabulous pics to contribute, just a sighting of Mr. Bambi crossing my driveway, trotting up the property line, and stopping to give me a long look (sorry, but I knew that if I moved for my phone he'd be gone instantly) ... the MOST gorgeous, cutest young buck ever, rambling around my few acres. He's just a baby, his rack isn't worth anyone's wall. I hope he finds deep cover before Thanksgiving. What a treat this morning, though.

This Bald Eagle has been hanging around all day. I will try to get a better pic. My friend took that with his iPhone.