Sunday, May 30, 2004

This has been a great wildlife week.

1. I actually got to scratch a squirrel behind the earsfor a good solid minute the other day. I took advantage of squirrels' inability to drop a nut once it's in their little jaws, combined with the inability to leave a newly offered nut behind. This creates a mental conflict whereby the squirrel will sit there juggling two peanuts and trying desperately to stuff both in its mouth at once. It takes while for them to make the agonizing decision to leave one behind while running off to bury the other, which can be valuable squirrel-touching time. Of course, these are relatively tame campus squirrels, not tough street squirrels or woodland squirrels. But still...

2. Yesterday I saw a bluebird sitting on Simon's fence. It's the first time I've seen one in Michigan, though I knew that theoretically their territory extended here. Yep, there it sat plain as day, just being--bluebirdish... bright blue on the top half and rosy/white on the breast. If my day hadn't already been made, it would have been by that.

3 comments:

Gwen said...

Hi Liz,
When you invited me to subscribe to your blog, I took a quick glance and got the fish photos - I thought, oh my god, I'm being courted by PETA. Anyway, yes, I think I will link to DoctorLizardo - how can I pass up a friend to squirrels. As long as you really want someone from the Canadian Prairies peeking at you way down there in Michigan. I may even pin a cat to your map.

liz said...

I'm so used to thinking of myself as being in the Northern Wilds, relatively speaking...I am reminded that I am actually smack in the middle of the balmy south.

No, nothing so organized as PETA, just couldn't bear to watch them gasping to death right before my eyes! (Of course, I am still moderately carnivorous, so I guess that makes me a huge hypocrite.)

liz said...

This post was so full of disagreeing tenses and subjects and whatnot, it actually hurt to write it.