Posted on February 12, 2008 by virgotex
Valentines, shmalentines! Do something that really matters - take part in the upcoming Great Backyard Bird Count, sponsored by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society.
The count dates are February 15–18, as in this upcoming Friday through Monday.
Anybody can do it. You don’t have to be an expert, you can do [...]
Filed under: America, Birds, Nature, Science, Wildlife | 2 Comments »
Posted on July 30, 2007 by virgotex
It’s a difficult, and ultimately pointless, exercise to pick a favorite from the local avian wildlife but I will say I’m awfully fond of the roadrunner. Look at him! Isn’t he a magnificent creature?
As some of you may know, roadrunners are in the cuckoo family. The Peterson’s entry begins thusly:
The cuckoo that [...]
Filed under: Birds, Photography, Texas, Wildlife | 3 Comments »
Posted on June 30, 2007 by virgotex
Nests are first constructed from spiderwebs and moss, then twigs, leaves and other material are added on the outside for camouflage.
Filed under: Nature, Texas, Wildlife | No Comments »
Posted on June 11, 2007 by virgotex
White-tailed deer are ubiquitous where I live, like pigeons in Manhattan. It’s easy to get so accustomed to them that you don’t notice them, other than when they are eating the landscaping or jumping in front of the car.
But then comes fawn season….
It’s all about the legs, baby.
A friend of mine [...]
Filed under: Nature, Wildlife | 4 Comments »
Posted on May 27, 2007 by virgotex
Ira! He’s pretty much completely shed his winter coat.
Sceloporus olivaceus, aka Texas Spiny Lizard. Actually, this was taken at the same intersection as the Ron Paul sign, just a day later. These are wonderful lizards, primarily found in trees or on roofs, getting up to a maximum of 11 inches in length. This [...]
Filed under: Cats, Wildlife | 3 Comments »
Posted on May 20, 2007 by virgotex
As noted before, I’ve allowed my spare lot to run rampant this spring, and while the thistles are, at chest-high, admittedly ungainly and unkempt, it’s like a Luby’s cafeteria after Sunday church out there! The patch is crowded with bees, their hind legs packed full of pollen, their buzzing audible from a distance, and I’ve [...]
Filed under: Photography, Wildlife | No Comments »
Posted on May 19, 2007 by virgotex
Here’s a sample of the offspring of those battered and ragged travelers that arrived from Mexico during March and April: a large, perfect young Monarch. Its estimated lifespan is possibly five to six weeks, likely much shorter.
Filed under: Photography, Wildlife | No Comments »
Posted on April 30, 2007 by virgotex
SAN ANTONIO — Police turned on their sirens, then tried to soothe the troublemaker with a lullaby, but this was one stubborn traffic problem on the freeway.
“I don’t remember any of this in the academy,” said Officer Albert Silva, the first to arrive on the scene of the traffic jam. “As far as I know, [...]
Filed under: News, Wildlife | No Comments »
Posted on April 30, 2007 by virgotex
Being a sub-sub-consonant level blogger, I have only the most humble response to Atrios and Unqualified Offering speculating on this gossip. Rather than opine, I offer only this key bit of research, gleaned from the video below:
“Heavy-drinking monkeys seem to make better leaders than alcoholic humans, and also seem to enjoy greater respect.”
Thanks to [...]
Filed under: Bush, Television, Video, Wildlife | No Comments »
Posted on April 13, 2007 by virgotex
“And as the dead came back in the sprouting corn, so they might be thought to return in the spring flowers, waked from their long sleep by the soft vernal airs. They had been laid to their rest under the sod. What more natural than to imagine that the violets and the hyacinths, the roses [...]
Filed under: Photography, Poetry, Wildlife | No Comments »