Church's Artistry

Biggest migration flight in a decade!

2010-11-01T08:50:00.005-04:00

I haven't posted here in a few days because I have been very busy with working and getting out to get some photos. This past weekend was especially great because we had the biggest migration fallout in a decade! The streets were literally carpeted with sparrows, yellow-rumped warblers, woodcock, etc. It took me 4 times longer to get to work because I had to drive no more then 20mph to avoid hitting the birds. There were many causalities, but luckily it is no longer tourist season here, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Everywhere you looked the trees and shrubs were just covered in birds trying to frantically feed so they could continue their journey south. Some birds were so exhausted that it was possible to just pick them up. The raptors all had very large crops...so full that they could barely see past them! They were treating the huge songbird fallout like a never-ending buffet. Here are some highlights from the weekend.

Great Black-Backed Gull eating an American Coot he killed

Partially albino Red-Tail Hawk

Yellow-Rumped Warbler looking for berries and insects

The flocks of Tree Swallows were huge!

Ruby-Crowned Kinglets are very curious

Flock of American Coots

Exhausted Yellow-Rumped Warbler that I ended up picking up off the sidewalk and placing somewhere safer.

Cooper's Hawk and other birds

2010-10-26T22:29:00.003-04:00

Peregrine Falcon

Great Black-Backed Gull

Double-crested Cormorant

Cooper's Hawk

Cooper's Hawk looking for a meal

Blue Grosbeak (with two juvenile White-Crowned Sparrows)

Photos of the Day

2010-10-23T22:22:00.004-04:00

It was quite a long day today, so I am exhausted and don't have the energy to write too much. However, I thought I would post a few photos for your enjoyment.

White-throated Sparrow

Turkey Vulture

Savannah Sparrow

Adult Cooper's Hawk

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

A Very Exciting Day!

2010-10-19T00:08:00.004-04:00

Today was the most exciting day so far this fall! We got our first Golden Eagle fly-over of the season (I didn't see it of course, because I was at lunch), we saw our first Northern Goshawk of the season, and the raptor banders caught a juvenile Bald Eagle and brought it to my workplace so everyone could see it!

Also, many more migrants are showing up each day including many varieties of sparrows and finches including Pine Siskins (not photographed yet)

White-Crowned Sparrow (1st winter plumage)

Red-Tailed Hawk

Purple Finch

Painted Turtle (sunning on a log)

Juvenile Bald Eagle (1st year bird)

Fish

Red-Tailed Hawk (left), Cooper's Hawk (right)

Carolina Chickadee (hanging upside down)

Whimbrel

2010-10-15T18:50:00.001-04:00

Praying Mantis

2010-10-12T22:34:00.004-04:00

Yellow-Rumped Warblers

2010-10-11T18:27:00.003-04:00

This weekend's migration flights brought many Yellow-Rumped Warblers into town and they are everywhere! Their nickname is "Butter-butt", and I am sure you can see why.

Green Herons and a Fish Crow

2010-10-05T19:37:00.000-04:00

Twilight Walk in the Meadows

2010-09-23T17:12:00.001-04:00

Butterflies!

2010-09-19T19:00:00.005-04:00

Today was an epic Monarch butterfly migration day. The air was just filled with little specks as far as the eye could see along the dunes. The Monarch masses were so thick that not only did the birders have problems seeing birds, but the birds also had trouble flying without smacking into the butterflies! During my lunch break I took my camera for a walk and got some decent pictures.Red Admiral butterfly

Northern Pintail

Cape May Warbler

Buckeye butterflies

Buckeye

The face of a Buckeye

Blue-winged Teal showing its colors.

Tree Swallows!

2010-09-18T20:53:00.004-04:00

Today was a very good day bird-wise, but unfortunately I was so busy helping people with identification of the birds and helping them find birds that other people saw that I didn't get too much of a chance to take pictures of anything. Here are two pictures that I did get to sneak in, and they both just happened to be the two major events of the day.

This morning the air was just filled with Tree Swallows by the 10,000s! For a little while this is all you could see when you looked up.

A Clay-colored Sparrow was found hanging out with the House Sparrows. Unfortunately I was at a bad angle for the available lighting, so this is the best photo I could get.

Eagle vs. Osprey vs. Eagle

2010-09-17T19:16:00.009-04:00

This morning started very slowly. Not too many hawks migrating, and when they did come over they were in small spurts. I did get to see a Merlin munching on a dragonfly while flying which was very interesting. I guess if humans can eat a hamburger while walking, then a Merlin can eat a snack while flying.
However, at about 3:45pm today a very dramatic scene played out right in front of the observing platform. First, we saw an Osprey coming by with a fairly large fish in its talons, then an adult Bald Eagle came out of nowhere and tried multiple times to knock the fish out of the Osprey's talons. Finally, the Bald Eagle knocked the fish out of the Osprey's grasp, and when the fish fell the Bald Eagle went after it, but the Eagle missed the fish and it fell in the pond. The Eagle then circled low over the pond a few times until it found the fish and plucked it out of the water. Now satisfied, the Eagle perched on a clump of grass and mud sticking out of the pond and started to pick at the fish.
Thinking that the drama was now over, I started to turn away...but then I heard someone yell "look! there is another one!" Out of the sky came a second adult Bald Eagle who was after the fish that the first Bald Eagle had stolen from the Osprey. The two Bald Eagles chased each other around and around until the fish eventually dropped into the pond. At this point both of the Eagles were too tired to go retrieve the fish, so they both landed on clumps of soil that were sticking out of the pond, and rested for a bit (they were both breathing pretty hard) before flying off. The following are some photos I was able to capture of the spectacle.

The chase! The Bald Eagle on the left has the fish in his beak.

The chase continued

Loosing the fish

Landing for a rest.

Eagle flying away.

The End.

Adventures in Hawk Banding

2010-09-16T09:25:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to hang out with the hawk banders. If you are not familiar with bird banding in general, the basic idea is that we catch the birds, take down information on size, sex, species, weight, etc., then put a uniquely numbered metal band gently around their leg right above the foot. The metal band is free to move up and down the leg, but is not loose enough to slide off the foot or to get caught on anything. I was luckily enough to hold and release a Cooper's Hawk and a Merlin!

Merlin

I'm holding a Cooper's Hawk! (you can see it's brand new band!)

Birds and a Reptile!

2010-09-14T19:23:00.005-04:00

The last few days have been pretty hectic with fall migration picking up, so please excuse my lack of posts. However, amongst all the hustle and bustle I was able to snag a few photos of the highlights.

Yellow Warbler

Virginia Rail (hit by a car and brought to my workplace)

Great Blue Heron

Northern Harrier

Carolina Wren (singing)

Black Rat Snake

Warbler-palooza!

2010-09-11T18:36:00.004-04:00

Prairie Warbler (side view)

Prairie Warbler

Palm Warbler (feeding on thistle seeds)

Palm Warbler (noticeable field mark is bright yellow undertail coverts)

Morning Walk

2010-09-09T11:29:00.004-04:00

After waking up at the crack of dawn with the rest of my housemates to hopefully catch the end of the mass songbird migration that happened last night, I decided to take a walk on some trails at the local state park that wind through many different habitat types. These photos are just the highlights of what I saw.

Yellow Warbler

Thistle flower

Redstart

Underside of Monarch butterfly

Close-up of Monarch body

Dragonfly

Sunset Beach

2010-09-08T17:19:00.004-04:00

Today was one of my days off and so I took the opportunity to do some chores around the house and then spent some time walking on a local beach taking photos and looking for the King Eider that has been hanging around. Although I didn't get to see the King Eider I did take some great photos:

Waves breaking

Wet pebbles on the beach

Seafoam on the beach

Sanderling

Double-Crested Cormorants

Look closely for clear stones. They are very clear pieces of Quartz that have been tossed around by the waves. If they are cut like a diamond people claim that they have just as much sparkle as a real diamond.

The Birds

2010-09-06T20:50:00.005-04:00

Today was eventful in terms of variety of birds seen, but not much in quantity....except for the tree swallows who flocked up very suddenly and decided to strip a certain shrub of all its berries within a 3 minute time span.

I got to check off a few birds from my life list in the past 2 days: Tri-colored Heron, Merlin, Glossy Ibis, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and Ruddy Turnstone. It seems that each day I am able to check off at least one more due to the diversity where I am working. Today the Merlin (small falcon) decided to give us a little show by trying to agitate every large bird in sight including the Fish Crows who were not even harassing it like normal. The little falcon even tried to knock a Laughing Gull out of the air. Fortunately for the Laughing Gull, he was much bigger then the Merlin and was able to overpower it.
Yesterday morning I was dragged out to a popular bird watching spot at sunrise and got this photo of some Eastern Kingbirds. There was actually a larger flock of them, but these were the only two individuals who got close enough for photographing.

After such an early morning, and working in the blazing sun for 9 hours I sure was glad to finally see the sunset over the meadows (although this brought on the hordes of mosquitoes).

Osprey!

2010-09-04T18:10:00.004-04:00

Not too much going on today bird-wise. Got a few more shorebirds on my life list though. If nothing else, I am very happy with the Osprey photos I got this morning:

Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks (and other sightings)

2010-09-03T14:34:00.004-04:00

The hurricane is finally here, but luckily is passing far enough offshore that we have not seen much rain, just some stronger winds now and then. However, the effects of the hurricane on bird sightings has started to become evident. This morning we were alerted to a sighting of 4 Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks, but when we arrived at the sighting location they were gone. Luckily there was another birder at that location who told us which direction they flew in so we were able to track them down by visiting every pond in that direction. These ducks are a rare sighting this far North, so we were very excited to finally see them!

Black-Bellied Whistling Duck showing off the white wing patches

Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks

Mallard on left, with unusual blonde version of Mallard on right.

Waves influenced by Hurricane Earl

Royal Terns everywhere!

2010-09-02T16:24:00.004-04:00

Today was not a good day for the songbirds or raptors, but it sure was good for spotting Royal Terns! There were so many that they were covering the beach in places. It seems that a lot of them are starting to hunker down for the approaching hurricane (Earl) which is supposed to be about 100mi offshore tomorrow. Here are some of the highlights from my walk today:

Sanderlings (entering winter plumage)

Common Tern (immature)

Male Goldfinch on Thistle

Royal Tern (chick still begging parent for food!)

Royal Terns

Goldfinchs and Monarchs

2010-09-01T15:37:00.005-04:00

This morning there were large flocks of Bobolinks migrating overhead! As someone explained it, they are the "R2D2" birds because that is what they sound like as they pass by, and that is exactly right. Later in the day we saw American Kestrels, a Bald Eagle, some Osprey, Northern Harriers, and many other migrants. Unfortunately I was only able to get two decent photos due to having to attend some training for my job. American Goldfinches were hanging out in the meadows most of the day:

Monarchs are starting to migrate in larger and larger numbers everyday. Here is one that finally sat still long enough for me to focus on it.

Hello from the New Jersey shore!

2010-08-30T23:30:00.004-04:00

I know I haven't been posting here very often but I have been very busy with work and finishing my masters. However, I just landed a job on the New Jersey shore which allows me to explore the beaches and adjacent habitats on a daily basis. So stay tuned for updates on all my adventures and pictures! Here are a few photos from my first day out.

Sanderling

Oystercatcher

Immature Black Skimmer

Herring Gull

Great Black-Backed Gull

Black Skimmers

Beach Scene

Young Horseshoe Crab

It's Summertime!

2010-06-01T19:23:00.003-04:00

So far it has been a busy summer between trying to finish my thesis and working full-time. However, this past weekend I was able to finally get out and try the new lens I recently obtained.

It has been an exciting week....

2010-04-22T20:00:00.007-04:00

This week started out with an opportunity to get up close and personal with the local Crows who have a nest very close to my favorite photo shooting location.

Yesterday all the ducklings hatched at the local pond! One mother had 15 of them!!!

I know this isn't really wildlife related, but it was a neat experience that I wanted to share. Today an Apache helicopter visited the area and landed in a local field, giving everyone the opportunity to sit in it and check it out up close. Here is the video from its takeoff.

Spring has sprung!

2010-04-11T20:47:00.006-04:00

Yellow Primroses!

Daffodils

Can't forget our squirrel friends. This one had an itch on her arm.

Of course the bumblebees are out in full force on all the flowering trees.

Peek-A-Boo Chipmunk

2010-04-05T20:23:00.003-04:00

It's springtime here in central Pennsylvania and critters are popping up everywhere!

Peek-A-Boo!

2010-04-04T19:08:00.002-04:00

Featured in an Etsy Treasury!

2010-03-17T21:57:00.004-04:00

Today I was notified that I was featured in an Etsy Treasury! If you don't know what Etsy is, it is an online marketplace where crafters can buy and sell handmade items as well as supplies and vintage goods. Treasuries are created by buyers and sellers on Etsy and are usually based on a theme or concept...basically, they are just collections of items that are currently for sale that a user likes and fits a theme of their choosing. However, treasuries are only visible for a short amount of time (1-3 days), so I took a screenshot of the Treasury I am a part of today!
My photo is in the first column, second row.

First Squirrel of Spring

2010-03-13T16:16:00.006-05:00

It has finally started to get warm here and the baby squirrels are now starting to come out of the trees and learn how to beg food off of humans. They still have the very fluffy baby fur rather then the sleeker adult fur. I guess this one's tail was tired...it was using the tree to prop it up.

First Signs of Spring

2010-03-11T16:49:00.002-05:00

Female Mallard Duck happily taking a mid-afternoon bath.

Earliest Snowfall on record ...

2009-10-17T23:47:00.005-04:00

This past weekend has been pretty crazy weather-wise. On Friday when I was walking to my morning class it was chilly and raining. Two hours later it was snowing. It is still snowing as I write this post. For my town this is the earliest snowfall on record! The trees have just started to turn color last week and now they are full of snow. Makes for a very pretty but bizarre picture. Here are a few pictures I took with my point-and-shoot on the way from class to my office.

The trees have just started to turn color...

So much for the fall mums...

The trees that have already turned color were so pretty with the snow on them

Kinda sad.....

Tree damage was extensive...the tree crews on campus were going up in cherry picker buckets and shaking the snow off the branches of the large trees. Here are just some examples of the damage.

Mallard drake

2009-10-11T22:22:00.002-04:00

Did you ever look a turtle in the eye?

2009-08-23T17:14:00.001-04:00

Now you have!

One of my photos was picked...

2009-08-15T00:52:00.003-04:00

Today I found out that one of my photos was picked for a post on the Photographers Of Etsy (POE) blog!!! If you click on the link below it is the second photo (Waiting for the Wind):

http://photographersofetsy.blogspot.com/2009/08/new-works_14.html

Look at Me!!!

2009-08-08T14:00:00.002-04:00

Isn't he CUTE????

Thanks for the Bread!!!

2009-07-26T20:47:00.001-04:00

Back to Pennsylvania

2009-07-25T20:11:00.004-04:00

Well, I am now back in Pennsylvania, and will be starting my 2nd year of graduate school very soon. I intend on keeping this blog updated, but when things start getting busy there will probably be less posts.
On the way to my office yesterday I managed to take some cute shots of the wildlife on-campus. Below is the cutest one. This squirrel was licking all the sweet maple sap off the bark!

Photo of the Day - Crab

2009-07-14T18:44:00.002-04:00

Finally found a crab today. It's about time! Last day in Maine.

Photos of the Day - Wild Blueberries

2009-07-13T18:36:00.004-04:00

After snacking on wild blueberries (lowbush variety) for about a week now it finally occurred to me that I should take a photo of these small, but flavorful berries.

Wild lowbush Blueberries

This time with my fingers to show size.

Photo of the Day - Snowshoe Hare, Summer coat

2009-07-12T22:28:00.001-04:00

Photos of the Day - The best surprise yet!

2009-07-09T19:32:00.003-04:00

I have been wanting to see a seal up-close since I arrived in Maine in May. Now, a week before I am scheduled to leave, I find a seal on the shore about 1/2 mi from where I am staying. That is called luck!

Photos of the Day - Nighthawk...and a surprise!

2009-07-08T23:22:00.004-04:00

Nighthawk

Nighthawk chicks!!!! I immediately knew that there had to be some chicks around the area because the mother (seen above), was "hissing" at us and doing the "broken wing" trick.

Photos of the Day - Little Tunk Lake

2009-07-07T00:00:00.003-04:00

A Beaver swimming in the lake

A Loon

Black Mountain over Little Tunk Lake

Lilypad beginning to bloom

Beautiful butterfly with broken wings

Photo of the Day - Preening Herring Gull

2009-07-04T20:52:00.002-04:00

Photo of the Day - Black-backed Gull

2009-07-03T21:41:00.006-04:00

Black-backed Gull flying over Cadillac Mountain on Mount Desert Island, Maine

Photos of the Day - Moths

2009-06-29T13:20:00.006-04:00

I found both of these moths on the same day right outside my door!

Luna Moth

Pachysphinx modesta - Modest Sphinx

Close-up of the Antennae

Photos of the Day - Pitcher Plant with Flower and Green Frog

2009-06-26T10:50:00.003-04:00

Photo of the Day - White colored Pink Lady's Slipper Orchid

2009-06-23T21:52:00.002-04:00

Photo of the Day - Painted Turtle

2009-06-22T21:32:00.001-04:00

Photos of the Day - Woodpecker Holes and Snake

2009-06-19T21:49:00.003-04:00

Near one of our research plots we discovered these very large woodpecker holes in all the dead trees. They are presumably from a Pilated Woodpecker which is quite large. My intern is holding up her hand to show the size.

Pilated Woodpecker Holes

This Garter Snake was about 1.5 ft long! The biggest we have seen yet. It was apparently trying to make itself look like part of the bark it was trying to hide in (away from me and my persistence in photo-taking)

Photo of the Day - Sunset

2009-06-17T00:22:00.002-04:00

Maine sunset as viewed from the top of Schoodic Head (>400ft elevation)

Details: FL = 34mm; Exp. = 1/640; Ap. = f/7.1; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 200

Photos of the Day - Neat Bog Things

2009-06-15T23:48:00.004-04:00

Some sort of intensely orange flower

Details: FL = 55mm; Exp. = 1/800; Ap. = f/5.6; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 200

Gray Treefrog on an old railroad rail

Details: FL = 55mm; Exp. = 1/400; Ap. = f/7.1; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 200

Water Iris

Details: FL = 32mm; Exp. = 1/400; Ap. = f/7.1; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 200

Leopard Frog

Details: FL = 55mm; Exp. = 1/400; Ap. = f/7.1; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 800

Gray Treefrog - see how it blends in so well!

Details: FL = 55mm; Exp. = 1/800; Ap. = f/7.1; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 450

The Gray Treefrog thought I was a tree and wanted to hang out on my hand.

Details: FL = 55mm; Exp. = 1/800; Ap. = f/7.1; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 200

Daisy!

Details: FL = 55mm; Exp. = 1/1000; Ap. = f/7.1; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 200

Bullfrog in the Bog

Details: FL = 55mm; Exp. = 1/640; Ap. = f/7.1; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 450

British Soldier Lichen (at least that is what someone told me it is called)

Details: FL = 55mm; Exp. = 1/1000; Ap. = f/7.1; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 500

Photos of the Day - Tucker Mountain

2009-06-14T20:28:00.005-04:00

View from the top of Tucker Mountain, Maine

Ant's perspective of Moss on Tucker Mountain

Lettuce-like Lichen on a tree on Tucker Mountain

Greenish Lichen at the top of Tucker Mountain - This stuff is everywhere!

Rough Terrain - This is what we have to hike up to get to the top of Tucker Mountain

Photos of the Day - Turtles, Salamanders and an Orchid

2009-06-14T00:03:00.006-04:00

Baby salamanders in an egg mass

Painted Turtle laying eggs

Wild Orchid - Native to North America and a rare find!

Snapping Turtle laying eggs

Photo of the Day - Tipped Tree

2009-06-11T20:53:00.002-04:00

This tree was found deep in the woods of Downeast Maine. It seems to have established itself over the rocks you see in the foreground, but just couldn't seem to hold on any longer and simply tipped over. To give you an idea of size, the very top of the root sticking up is about 9-10ft off the ground!

Photo of the Day - Rain Over Black Mountain

2009-06-10T21:06:00.002-04:00

View of Black Mountain over Little Tunk Lake on a rainy/foggy day.

Photos of the Day - Schoodic and Tucker Mountains

2009-06-08T19:40:00.005-04:00

Here are the interesting things I saw today!

A huge old tree on Tucker Mountain, Maine

Smooth Green Snake amongst some Sundews. I was hoping that we would get to see one of these snakes soon! If you are not familiar with Sundews, they are the pinkish plants in the photo, and they are a type of carnivorous plant.

View of Schoodic Mountain from the old railroad track

The flower of a Pitcher Plant! Such a beautiful deep maroon color. In case you are wondering, I did no color correction on this photo...the mountain is really that green, the sky is really that blue and the flower is exactly that color. Stay tuned for future photos of the lilypads that are beginning to bloom nearby!

Find the tadpoles! If you can find them, there are at least 2 American Toad tadpoles in this photo! They were living in a ditch by the side of an old railroad bed.

Photos of the Day - Further onto the mainland

2009-06-07T16:41:00.004-04:00

We just started working on some research plots that are on properties further inland from the peninsula (we have been working pretty far out on the peninsula up until now) Not only are the rock formations absolutely dramatic (more on this in the coming weeks), but the glacial landforms are amazing!

The locals have speculated that this could be a Kettle Lake

but more specific studies would need to be done in order to confirm.

A Glacial Erratic! This one is about 6ft by 6ft.

A bird egg...Know what kind it is?

Photos of the Day - Exploring Rt. 1

2009-06-06T22:32:00.019-04:00

It was a loooong day today. We started out fairly early and then walked a 3 mile loop through one property to do
some research-related things, then we had an appointment with one of the locals to show us around another property that we will need to start working on tomorrow. However, we had a little time to kill before our meeting so we decided to do a little sight-seeing. Here are some photos of what we saw

Tidal Falls - The falls switch direction with the tides!

Monument to Paul Dudley Sargent
The link I have given here is to the bio of this person. You will need to scroll down pretty far on the resulting page to see the bio.

Photos of the Day - Tidal Falls visit

2009-06-05T20:17:00.005-04:00

Today we had to take a trip out to Tidal Falls in Hancock County, ME to run an errand, so we took the time to spend a little time looking around. First I noticed these beautiful flowers that were covering some bushes that had been planted to make the place look "landscaped". I want to say they are roses of some sort, but the leaves don't really look right for a rose. If you know what they are, please post a comment!

"Powerfully Pink Petals"

Details: FL = 210mm; Exp. = 1/200; Ap. = f/5.6; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 560

I think the most exciting thing that happened is that my intern spotted a Seal fishing in the bay! It would only pop its head out of the water very briefly, so I only got one shot of it and although it isn't a very good shot, I decided to post it here anyway. This is the first Seal we have seen since we came to Maine on May 15th! Hopefully we will see more another day.

Photos of the Day - Field Photos

2009-06-05T00:10:00.004-04:00

Today we stayed in most of the day and went out near sunset to listen for frog calls as part of my masters thesis research. On the way to our listening site I happened to see a flash of red, white and black in the shrubbery...which was quite different from anything I had seen before! It turned out to be a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak! The lighting wasn't the best since we were in dense shrubbery and the sun was starting to set, but I did get a few pictures.

When we finally got to the open water of the Heath we are studying the view was gorgeous!
Then, as we sat on a large boulder listening for frogs and toads to start vocalizing I spotted an Otter! I had seen it pop out of the water like a tiny loch ness monster. He was fully aware that we were studying him and he came just close enough to check us out too! Then he went back out to the deeper water and continued to fish. When he finally caught his dinner he came relatively close to us and seemed to show us his catch! It was a fairly sizable fish...about 10 inches long. He finally swam away with his fish and disappeared somewhere on the other side of the lake.

Photos of the Day - Some Neat Things

2009-06-03T20:47:00.005-04:00

Today was another loooong day in the field, but we came across a few interesting things. Unfortunately my "good" camera is too heavy to take with me into the field, so I am sorry for the low quality of these images since I had to take them using my trusty point-and-shoot.

This is a Pink Lady's Slipper. It is rare to find these in the wild, so I was really surprised to find this one. It is in the Orchid family and has an alternate name of "Moccasin Flower".

The active Beaver hut

Porcupine pelt. This is all that was left after something ate the Porcupine (occurred sometime within the last 3 days). We assume that a Fisher is roaming the woods because that is the only animal that actively hunts and eats Porcupines. They kill them by attacking the quill-free belly of the Porcupine. This is the second pelt we have found so far in the past 2 weeks.

Photos of the Day -View from Schoodic Head, Etc.

2009-06-02T16:53:00.006-04:00

Today was a day off from work, so I decided to take a trip to the nearest small town and do a little sightseeing on the way. When I say "sightseeing" I mean enjoying the scenery through the lens of my camera. I have also decided to start including the settings I used for each photo. This is not only so I can remember how I got the best shots, but also so others can learn from the information.
Enjoy!

"Sky Stripes"

Details: FL = 30mm; Exp. = 1/800; Ap. = f/11; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 200

"Sky Over Ocean"

Details: FL = 18mm; Exp. = 1/800; Ap. = f/11; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 200

"Mount Desert Island from Schoodic Head"
Elev. of Schoodic Head: 440ft
Details: FL = 70mm; Exp. = 1/1000; Ap. = f/11; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 800

"Dandelion Puff"

Details: FL = 190mm; Exp. = 1/1000; Ap. = f/4.8; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 400

"Jack Pine Bud"
Details: FL = 55mm; Exp. = 1/640; Ap. = f/5.6; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 220

"Maine Coast and Sky"

Details: FL = 31mm; Exp. = 1/4000; Ap. = f/11; Exp. Comp = 0; ISO = 800

Photo of the Day - Shelf Mushroom aka "Polypore"

2009-06-02T10:33:00.001-04:00

Photos of the Day - Schoodic Scenery

2009-06-01T17:12:00.004-04:00

Which one is your favorite? Please feel free to post a comment.

Photos of the Day - Wood Frog and scenery

2009-05-31T23:38:00.005-04:00

Today I went for another walk on the Sundew trail at Schoodic point, Maine and got some gorgeous photos! Which one is YOUR favorite?

Wood Frog peeking out of the water

Bunchberry (thanks to fourwindsphotojournal for identifying)

Part of the trail

The rain clouds were rolling in...time to go home

Photos of the Day - Fog and Angry Seas

2009-05-30T21:57:00.005-04:00

On my way back to my basecamp this evening I noticed the fog just starting to roll onto the Schoodic peninsula so I stopped to take a few shots. Also, since it has been raining for the past three days and Tropical Depression One is hanging out to the east of my location, the ocean has been much more aggravated then normal. Enjoy!

Great Blue Heron (Unfortunately with the fog I couldn't get a very sharp shot)

Photo of the Day - Intertidal Zone

2009-05-29T12:50:00.006-04:00

Intertidal zone draped in seaweed with Frenchman Bay and Mount Desert Island in the background. Schoodic peninsula, Maine

Photos of the Day - Snake!

2009-05-27T17:48:00.005-04:00

Today my intern and I were walking along a trail and she nearly ran into me when I stopped short. The reason I stopped is posted below! It appears to be a Maritime Garter Snake. We had seen a much smaller version of this snake earlier in the week, but this one was super aggressive and was trying to strike at my boot!

Snakeskin Pattern

Snake with AA Battery to show size

Photo of the Day - Maine Night Sky

2009-05-26T16:39:00.002-04:00

Last night I was feeling sort of creative and very bored since I had already washed all the dishes, read all my books, took a looooong shower, and did everything else I could think of . With no TV, no internet and no cell service, and very little resources it is easy to run out of things to do.

So I set up my tripod, and braved the cold, pitch dark outdoors to try my hand at long-exposure photography. The sheer number of stars that can be seen from just my parking lot here on the tip of the Schoodic peninsula is just staggering! No, that is not dust on your screen....those are stars...billions of them!

Photos of the Day - Pitcher Plants

2009-05-24T12:52:00.002-04:00

Yesterday my masters thesis advisor visited me here in Maine and we went on an adventure through the wilds of "Downeast" Maine. I only could carry my small point-and-shoot camera with me into the field, so sorry for the low quality of these pictures, but they are the best I could get in the conditions.
Posted below are two pictures of the carnivorous "Pitcher Plant" which is considered to be a rare plant to find in the wild. Nearby there were also some "Sundews" which are another carnivorous plant, but I couldn't seem to get a decent picture of them. Maybe next time!

Photos of the Day - Sundew Trail

2009-05-21T15:17:00.004-04:00

Today my intern and I decided to take the day off from research activities and explore the Sundew Trail which winds through Schoodic point and has 3 diversions out onto the shores of West Pond Bay and the intertidal zone of the ocean. The large mountain in the background is Mount Desert Island where most of Acadia National Park is located.
I was originally planning on posting only one picture, but since the area is so diverse I just couldn't settle on just one picture that would capture all the things I experienced today.

Tidal Pool

Small Inlet

Baby Shrimp

Intertidal to Ocean, with Mount Desert Island in the background

Photo of the Day-Great Blue Heron

2009-05-20T18:26:00.002-04:00

This Great Blue Heron was hunting for sea creatures on the edge of the Schoodic Peninsula, ME.

A Summer in Maine

2009-05-17T16:30:00.012-04:00

I am now in Maine for the next 2 months. The reason I am here is to do the fieldwork necessary for my masters thesis in wildlife conservation.
Therefore, I will be spending a lot of time in the great outdoors and hopefully will get a lot of great photos. I will try to post some of the best photos here regularly. Here are my first photos of the region.

Looking towards Schoodic Point

Today was a frustrating day....so I took a walk

2009-05-11T18:21:00.009-04:00

Currently I am in the midst of trying to get everything together before I leave for Maine on Friday. I have been planning for this 2 month trip since February, but it has finally hit me that it will actually happen. I have already put both my Etsy shops on vacation mode until July 16th at which time I will reopen them.
While in Maine I will be collecting data on the presence of wildlife near Acadia National Park. This work is for my masters thesis which I will be writing next year. I hope to also get lots of great photos while I am in Maine and I hope to be able to post a few of them per week here on this blog, so be sure to "follow" me for photographic updates on how my trip is going.
However, as of today I don't really have a solid plan of how the wildlife sampling will go, and so I was getting frustrated with the whole thing. What did I do? I took a walk to the nearest pond to see if the ducklings had hatched yet this year.
Not only did the ducklings hatch already, but there are about 5-7 batches of them running around! Last year there were only about 3-4
batches of these chirpy balls of fluff. Some of them are more talkative then the others....

There are so many Mallard ducks at the pond now that fights often break out. The female Mallards sure are courageous fighters!

There was one very exciting thing that happened while I was sitting very still and watching the ducklings peck at the spots on my shoes.....I saw a LIVE Indigo Bunting! The last time I saw one of these birds was on the side of a road and it had been hit by a car. This one was actually comfortable enough to take a bath while I shot many photos of him.

To finish off my exciting outing I captured an elusive chipmunk munching on something and then the sun started to get low in the sky and everyone was starting to get sleepy...

Newest Listing - from the New Jersey shore

2009-04-26T08:30:00.004-04:00

Last weekend I went on a class trip to the New Jersey shore/Pinelands and took a bunch of amazing photos! Slowly I will start listing them, and once I am not so busy I will write a story here of my adventures in the Pinelands of New Jersey. Here is the photo I just listed today: "Beach Solitude"

P.S. In about 2 weeks I will be putting my Etsy shops on vacation mode until about mid-July since I will be traveling to Maine to do the fieldwork for my masters thesis and will not have access to my stock during this time.

It's springtime!

2009-04-03T22:41:00.003-04:00

I have been really busy lately, but I was finally able to list a new photo in my Etsy shop!

"Imperfection"

Adventures at the Arnold Sports Festival

2009-03-10T10:26:00.006-04:00

This past weekend I attended the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, OH which is hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The festival is a 3 day event that encompasses all sorts of fitness competitions including gymnastics, weightlifting, bodybuilding, table tennis, dancesport, fencing, race walking, etc.
Since I was competing in the Dancesport competition I unfortunately did not get to see most of the festival. However, I did manage to tear myself away from the ballroom and attend the Fitness Expo and some of the dead weight lift competitions. The Expo itself was absolutely overwhelming...so many people and "fitness" vendors. I never knew there were so many "fitness" drinks, vitamins, gadgets, etc. on the market! Of course each vendor had their spokesmodels standing around. I have never seen so many muscles in one place before!
The dead weight lifting contest was amazing...I saw a guy lift 749lbs....

I think the coolest thing about the entire weekend was getting to see Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. He stopped by the dancesport competition for a little bit and of course I ran right up to the stage like the paparazzi and started taking pictures. Most of them turned out really dark because the organizers made Arnold sit in the shadows for most of the time and I did not have time to readjust all my camera settings...I had to get in there quick before the press shoved me out. But with a little Photoshop magic I was able to correct some of the pictures like this one.

While Arnold was visiting us some of the junior competitors and a special guest performed for him. The special guest was Ms. Lauren Powers who is famous for her bodybuilding achievements and is known as the "All American Wonderwoman". As part of a documentary that is being produced about her transition from a bodybuilder to a pro-am dancesport enthusiast, she performed a Cha-Cha for Arnold. Even though she lost 30 lbs of muscle while learning how to dance, her muscles are definitely still noticeable!

Hopefully I will be able to go back again next year!

Etsy Item of the Day - Animal Gift Tags

2009-02-07T12:54:00.005-05:00

I decided that today I would feature an item from one of my favorite Etsy sellers. This seller has two shops on Etsy: http://ara133photography.etsy.com and http://ara133.etsy.com
She is a wonderful photographer who just happens to live in the same town as I do, and has some of the cutest animal pictures!
I have chosen to showcase the animal gift tags from her Pretty Little Things shop:

(click on the image to be taken to the listing on Etsy)

These gift tags are just soooo cute, and perfect to attach to a gift for an animal lover. Guess which one is MY favorite????? (Hint: It's a rodent)

I Was Featured Today!!!

2009-02-02T09:16:00.003-05:00

Today definitely started off on a good note! Why?
Well, because Michelle from Urban Junkies Photography featured my Etsy shop A Squirrel's Tale on her blog today!

You can read her post here: Urban Junkies Artist Lounge

In addition, today is Groundhog Day AND National Wetlands Day!

Squirrel Story #2

2009-01-31T13:48:00.002-05:00

This story is from a long time ago, but it is still just as hilarious!!!! On the 27th of September, 2003 Penn State University had a football game against the University of Minnesota and I was lucky enough to get a seat in the stands. By the fourth quarter, Penn State was loosing 20-14, and all the PSU fans were kinda bummed. Then some girl in my section shouted "look! There is a squirrel on the field!" All attention was immediately directed towards the end zone OPPOSITE where the teams were playing at the moment. I have no idea where the squirrel came from.....it just appeared. The refs decided to do something about the squirrel on the field, so one of them started to chase the squirrel. After a bit the poor creature finally ran "out of bounds" and the refs left it alone.
It is important to remind you that Minnesota's mascot just happens to be the "Golden Gopher" which looks more like an oversized chipmunk (no offense to the Minnesota fans). At the moment when the squirrel seemed to be getting it's bearings and was looking for a way off the field, Minnesota scored, and the Gopher ran right at the squirrel (it was in it's "flag-carrying path"). Of course, the squirrel went balistic! What would YOU do if you were a small, young squirrel and a gigantic "gopher" came after you?
The squirrel finally calmed down a bit and hopped up into the stands. I never knew what happened to it after that, but I did see quite a few fans suddenly stand up and look under their seats. I am sure that squirrel had quite a story to tell his/herbuddies!!!!!

Squirrel Story #1

2009-01-30T15:34:00.003-05:00

One day a squirrel ran down a tree and about halfway down the trunk took a GIANT leap and dove straight into a nearby trashcan! The thought was...I hope it isn't hurt! Then the squirrel popped it's head out of the trashcan with red stuff all over it's face! It was seriously injured! But wait, no, it's holding a french fry! That red stuff is ketchup! Thank God!

2009-01-24T13:19:00.004-05:00

Just released another photo for sale. This one is of a Yellow Canary and is titled "Feathered Sunshine". The poor bird was trying to nap while I was trying to take his picture, but the photo came out great anyway!

Aquarium Update

2009-01-18T14:15:00.006-05:00

Quite a while ago I had posted a story about my aquarium and the snail that had come with it. Well, a lot has changed since then, so I thought an update on the evolution of my aquarium would be fun.
First, the large apple snail died :-( but I have no idea how old it was, so it might have just been time. The female betta also past away right after Christmas...I also have no idea how old she was. The algae eater is still doing very well, but has gotten lazy and no longer eats algae off the tank.
Since the algae eater became ineffective, and I had no way to control the algae, I went and got one ramshorn snail at the local pet shop (I heard they were great at algae control). When I acquired this single snail I was warned by the pet shop owner that one snail can quickly turn into thousands since reproduction only requires one snail.

She was right....within a few weeks I was overwhelmed by snails!!!!!! The only good part was that every single piece of algae was gone from the tank....but so were most of the leaves from my plants.What a mess. However, I did learned that not only do these snails crawl everywhere, but they also can swim freely which is what the one in the above pictures was doing.
To make a long story shorter, I finally got the snail population down to only a few in the tank, and have been able to control the numbers by squishing all snail eggs I can find.
I also acquired three dwarf sky-blue gouramis which are supposed to eat snails (and they look so pretty when the light shines on them). Although I have not actually seen one of the gouramis eating a snail, I have see them picking at and eating specks that are on the new plants in the tank, and I assume those specks are newborn snails. Hopefully the gouramis can keep up with the snails. Now all I have to do is maintain the water temperature and quality....which hasn't been a problem since I got rid of all the snails.

Packaging Options

2009-01-17T10:20:00.005-05:00

Over the past 2 years I have been both a buyer and seller on Etsy. During this time I have received many packages from various sellers, and I am always intrigued by the different ways in which my items are packaged. Some have been unceremoniously dropped into an envelope, either with or without a business card and shipped off without any concern for what might happen to that item in the mail. Luckily, I only had one problem with a shipment like this, but the loss wasn't too great.
On the other hand, I have gotten some great items that were wrapped in pretty paper, with lots of padding and a beautiful business card and perhaps a little thank you note. Funnily enough, I tend to keep the business cards (for future referencec) that fall out of a nicely wrapped package, whereas I may not do so with other packages. Of course, every shop has their own style and way of shipping items that may best that suite their products, but one of the neatest forms of packaging I have come across is that of a "pillow box".
In fact, I have chosen this type of packaging for all the small items that I sell in both my shops. Not only do these little boxes lay flat for easy storage, but when assembled and packaged properly, they also help to prevent the item inside from being crushed in the mail. I have used them for everything from earrings to magnets. In addition, when a customer gets an item packaged this way, it is almost like getting a gift...like Christmas morning!
Once I started making these cute little boxes, I just couldn't stop, so now I am offering my extras to you in the Three Squirrels Designs shop
Go here to explore the different sizes I have available.

Squirrels are So Expressive!

2009-01-16T19:33:00.003-05:00

Young squirrels are sooooo expressive sometimes. The picture below, titled "Curious" says it all. I was actually laying on the ground when I took this shot.

New Listings Today!!!

2009-01-15T13:36:00.008-05:00

This week I have been working on listing some of the photos that came out of my Thanksgiving weekend trip to the Cincinnati Zoo! When I take photographs of animals I always try to capture their expressions, and not just the animal itself. I think that the following two photographs do this well. The White-Handed Gibbon on the left was definitely sucking his/her thumb which I thought was extremely human-like! The Polar Bear on the right just looked plain old boooooored....I guess being on display in a zoo can be quite boring.
Click on the picture to visit the actual listing in my Etsy shop.

The Birth of a Bun Cover

2009-01-12T21:57:00.010-05:00

When I was a child, I loved to make clothing and other accessories for my Barbie dolls. One day I was trying to make a bun in my Barbie's hair, and was getting frustrated because I could not get that darned hair to stay put especially since when you try to make a bun on a Barbie, it turns out being bigger then the dolls head!
So I came up with an idea to crochet a "bun cover" that would hold all the Barbie's hair firmly in place and get rid of all those pesky loose ends for good! After seeing what I had created for my Barbie, my mother suggested that perhaps I should try to make the some sort of accessory for myself (I have always had waist-long hair). With a little help from mom, I successfully made my first "bun cover" which was made from Acrylic yarn and featured an elastic band around the bottom to hold it on.
To help develop my entrepreneurial spirit, my mom then took me to the local dance shops and helped me to convince the owners that they needed to carry these bun covers in their shops. The bun covers were a hit!
Eventually, when I got a little older, my mom and I designed a more elegant form of the bun cover using bedspread weight crochet thread and a more open pattern. The elastic base was also replaced with a satin ribbon to ensure a more customized fit, and Small, Medium, and Large sizes were created. Now, some of the bun covers even have beads worked into them for a little sparkle!
Currently, these beaded bun covers are available through my Etsy shop: Three Squirrels Designs
Here are the colors we currently have available, but custom and bulk orders are certainly welcome. Clicking on the pictures will take you to the item in my Etsy shop.

The Story of an Aquarium...and the Snail

2008-10-09T01:00:00.010-04:00

Back in about June of this year I acquired (from a student who was moving out of town) a small fish tank and all the accessories that went with it. Also included was an Apple Snail. These things get HUGE!
When I first got this tank, I added a female Betta fish just to get it started and to have a colorful fish swimming around to complement the snail. I chose to have a female Betta fish in the tank because the male Bettas are usually very aggressive to other fish (hence the nickname "Siamese Fighting Fish").
It seems that I had gotten a very curious Betta who liked to test things out in her environment by doing a taste test. By the next day, the snail had lost half of one of its looooong antennae! The most interesting thing about this whole situation was that the Betta never touched the snail ever again...perhaps it tasted bad? Everything ended well though because the snail eventually grew its antenna back, and is doing well.
Here is one photo of the snail when it was crawling around the tank late at night:

It seems as though the long accordion-like tube that is sticking out of the snail is a breathing tube that it sticks out of the water while making a pumping action with the rest of its body. Perhaps it stores oxygen somewhere under the shell?
The snail seems to like the environment of the tank....it has grown over an inch in size since I got it just a few months ago. In the following picture (which isn't super clear, but ok for this purpose), you can actually see the line in its shell where it started its growth spurt.
Long Live The Snail!!!!!!!!

Pre-Matted Photos are Picture Perfect!

2008-08-19T00:06:00.009-04:00

Yesterday I listed a new item in my Etsy shop! It is a 4x6 print of my print "Caught Red-Pawed" but is already matted in a solid red mat with a finished size of 5x7.
This is the perfect option for someone who has a hard time figuring out which color mat looks best with the photo, or who wants a print that is ready to hang, or slip into a frame.
There are many other pre-matted photos in my shop just waiting to be put on your wall!

A Caving Adventure

2008-08-04T20:02:00.026-04:00

This past weekend my parents came over to visit and so we took a trip out to Indian Caverns in Pennsylvania, one of the 9 commercialized caves in the state. The region is composed of limestone bedrock which creates lots of sinkholes and grandiose limestone caves. There are over 100 caves in PA, but most of them are only open to spelunking hobbyists with 9 of them being commercialized and open to the public with daily tours.
When we first arrived at Indian Caverns we were greeted by a friendly older gentleman who told us that the next tour didn't leave for another hour, but in the meantime we could entertain ourselves by feeding the fish in Spruce Creek. Those fish (mostly rainbow trout) were HUGE!!! Whenever they weren't eating they would automatically line up next to each other and all face upstream which was pretty cool.
They all had really large mouths as well. Some of fish liked to make large splashes in the water when they were gobbling up the food we offered them. There were even beautiful green damsel flies flying around the stream.
By the time we were done feeding the fish the tour of the cave was ready to start. This was definitely one of the smaller caves I have been in, but the formations inside were just as spectacular. There were some really awesome large stalactite/stalagmite formations (aka columns) that I just had to capture.
One of the best formations looked like an Native American female ghost. There was also the "Frozen Niagara"
One of the most impressive things I saw in the cave was a hanging wall that just looked like a sheet of rock stuck in the cave at an angle and was supposedly many times stronger then steel!

Along the walls, ceiling, and in some untouched places along the floor there were many examples of "cave bacon", "columns", "stalactites"

and something I like to call "cave snakes" or "dreadlocks".
Near the end of the tour our guide pointed out a rock which was found when the cave was being developed in 1929....this rock had Native American writing on it which includes the symbol of the Mohawk nation (they were the last tribe to use the cave).
There was also a display case in the cave that housed the Native American items found in the cave including pottery shards and arrowheads to name a few.
If you are interested in purchasing any of the pictures shown above (matting available), please contact me via my email: asquirrelstale@gmail.com or through my Etsy shop: A Squirrels Tale

Beaded Beads Add Sparkle to Any Jewelry Project

2008-07-19T14:15:00.009-04:00

As a beadweaver, I am always looking for new ways to weave together tiny little seed beads to create beautiful adornments. About 8 years ago I discovered a method to bead over an existing bead that was both beautiful and secure with lots of options for variation.
I prefer to use wooden beads as my base because they are not too slippery and so hold the glass seed beads in place while I am working, plus a wooden bead will not break if dropped or banged against something.
Here are some examples of the beaded beads I have made:

Recently, a wonderful jewelry seller on Etsy (Earthdream) purchased one of my beaded beads and created an absolutely beautiful bracelet using it as a focal point.If you are interested in any of my beaded beads, please contact me through Etsy:
Three Squirrels Designs

If you are interested in purchasing the beautiful bracelet shown above, please go here:

Gorgeous Turquoise Coral Beaded Bracelet

2008-07-07T14:19:00.006-04:00

Wow...I have been so busy lately with non-Etsy work that I haven't had a chance to blog! I finally got around to renewing a few items in my Bushytail3 shop like this seagreen and white wide beaded cuff:

I am still deciding whether or not to bother relisting this Purple Passion necklace shown at right.
It has gotten a lot of attention and love over the 8 months I have had it listed, but no takers.

I have been trying to find the time to create some new designs and color combinations, but for now I need to devote all my spare moments to creating a custom order necklace and earrings that are similar to these:

Hopefully soon I will be able to come out with some new designs to dazzle!

The Iris of my Eye

2008-06-21T10:45:00.006-04:00

In central Pennsylvania, Iris flowers are blooming everywhere and they are catching my eye!
I have always thought that Iris flowers were beautiful, and they have a unique scent that is pleasant, yet not overpowering when brought inside as a cut flower.

One of the great things about this plant is that the blooms come in so many different colors and shapes. It is almost impossible to not find a color or shape that goes with your current garden needs/theme.
These pictures are some of the Iris flowers I have come across this summer so far and just had to photograph.

Treasury!

2008-06-16T15:21:00.003-04:00

Today I was looking through the Treasuries on Etsy and randomly found myself in one of them! Here is a screenshot:I am in the 3rd column, 3rd row down...the Got Nuts? picture.
It is always exciting when someone decides to put one of your items in their treasury!
Don't know what a treasury is? A treasury is a collection of items that a registered user of Etsy has put together in the format shown in the picture above. Sometimes the treasuries are themed, sometimes they are simply someone's favorite items. Regardless, they are just as much fun to look through as to create.

Nature's Birthday Present!

2008-06-14T11:39:00.006-04:00

That's right! I am a year older today! When I woke up the sun was struggling to win over the clouds...the clouds won. I was thinking that this is just going to be a gray dreary day, but then I went to check on my bean plants.
I squatted down to see how the plants are doing, and suddenly I heard a very loud buzzing sound very close to me. It sounded like the jet plane of the insect world.
Of course, this scared the daylights out of me, and I immediately start looking around to see what I was up against (I have seen a European queen Hornet in this same spot before....and they are about 40cm long!).
Suddenly I look up to see a female hummingbird hovering about 18 inches from my face checking me out! She had come by to have some nectar from the feeder that is near the bean plants and decided that I was harmless. I have never seen a hummer that close before! What a great birthday present!
Here are some pictures of her that I had taken out of the window about 2 weeks ago. The window screen was in the way, so they are not great pictures, but good enough to show here.

A Squirrel's Progression to Naptime

2008-06-13T14:14:00.011-04:00

A few days ago when it finally turned hot and humid here (mid to upper 90s), I decided to take a walk to see how the animals were faring in the heat. I cannot even express how glad I was that I had the mind to take my camera!
It all started when I was standing in the shade of a tree to cool off after the long trek to my favorite pond. There was suddenly movement above me, so I looked up and spotted a young male squirrel. He looked like he was really dragging, and flopped down on a tree branch while examining me.

After he decided that I was not a threat, he changed positions and started to doze off.

I guess that was not a comfortable enough position, so he got up and switched positions once again to lay on his side. Unfortunately I could not climb the tree to get a picture from above, but I did get his foot and draped tail.This little foot peeking over the tree branch was so cute, so I just had to stick around a bit to see what other positions this youngster might get himself into. I am so glad that I waited because in a very short time, he changed position once more and was fast asleep. Notice that he has balled up his front paws and curled up on his side right on a tree branch. The mystery of how and where squirrels sleep on hot summer afternoons has now been solved!

Welcome to my blog!

2008-06-12T15:58:00.003-04:00

Welcome to my brand new blog! I plan to update this blog regulary with information on new works in progress, exciting things that happen in my life, and other musings. Please don't hesitate to post as many comments as you like here and come back often.