Not A Cat

A change of pace for today. Happy now, LL?

Friday CritterBlogging

Here is a big critter we saw on the trail between Takakkaw Falls and Yoho Lake in Canada last summer. He was so quiet we almost missed him.

Bugs

Can't have Critter Week without bugs.



Katydids sing to us on summer nights. And they're kind of cute.



Mantids look scary, but they eat other bugs. Cool by me.



This one's looking at me.



Cicadas make a huge racket on hot summer days. This one just molted and is drying its wings. They are large bugs, which is really fun when one gets in the house. Fun for the cats. Not the humans.



Bees are always welcome in the garden.

Accipiter Striatus

The resident hawk in my neighborhood, photographed this winter in my back yard. I hope he doesn't eat Pythagoras. Or my cats.

I still hear the barred owls calling to each other, but I haven't seen them lately. They must be nesting farther away this year. The only raptor I ever see is this hawk.

First Annual CritterBlogging Week!!

After posting the snake photos, I've decided to make this whole week a CritterBlogging Extravaganza. No cats, just critters. Today's installment: "Hang In There"



No doubt the cats had something to do with this chipmunk's predicament. It was clinging to my house for over an hour. No worries... we rescued it. And promptly found another one in the back yard treed by the feline tag team of Zima and Silvio. Zima was fully prepared to wait it out, but I called off the dogs... erm, I mean, cats.

Happy Snake

Pythagoras is a happy snake. This is his rock den. I like the little guy.

Meet Pythagoras

This little guy (or gal?) has taken up residence in a small rock pile near our mailbox. I first noticed it when I was doing some gardening around there and Zima tried to eat it. The snake wasn't really thrilled about this option, but it is pretty small compared to the cat and was unable to discourage her. So I saved it. And then fetched my camera. I've checked on it every day since, and it seems perfectly happy and safe in the rock pile. We figured if it was gonna stick around, it was only right to give it a name. Meet Pythagoras. Cute, innit?

(Look LL, no cats!)

Costumed CritterBlogging

Do you dress up for Halloween? How about your pets? I loved this article - the pets just look so... earnest.

Bat Country

...now includes my attic. While I appreciate the fact that the bats spend their time eating mosquitos, I'm not exactly thrilled at the prospect of my attic filling up with bat guano. And I am wondering if they are the reason the attic fan isn't working very well.

Any ideas how to encourage them to find another place to roost? Should I get a bat house?

Friday CritterBlogging

This little chipmunk got himself stuck in our birdfeeder. Surprised the hell out of me when I took the top off to refill it. I expect to see a bug or two in there, not a small mammal!