The whole day today was spent recording myself talking, so there’s not much news from around here.
Hawk gazing at its arch enemy
Okay, there was lots of bird drama, but just imaging “caw, caw, hoot, hoot, screech” and you’ll get the idea.
The arch enemy, Great Horned Owl. You can see the branches it’s perched on in the above photo. Not shown: murder of crows.
The drama has me so on edge that when I heard the sound of dozens of starlings flying right over my head, I was kind of creeped out.
Zoom in and you can see the last wave of starlings
My point today is that I want all of you to remember there are kind, good, and caring people in this world. You are among them. I am so touched by the sweet things some of you say to me after reading one of my rants or about moments of sadness. My gratitude for you, friends, both known and unknown, is immense. You matter. Very much.
Other than taking a brisk walk for a break, I worked all day. I got some photos of the strip where the condos are.
It’s nice on this end of Ocean Blvd. A pretty beachside parkSome hotels have nice landscaping Very tropical (hibiscus, croton, caladium, etc.)I like the edging with oyster shells in the concreteOur building is at right. The empty lot had excellent weeds. Condo Land
However, we did manage to sneak back to Brookgreen Gardens to their Low Country Zoo before it closed for the day. I really enjoy that place. It’s lush and cool, plus it’s covered in native plants. Score!
Now, that’s a tree. Zoo pathLady fern I thinkSwampy areaMmm, damp. No idea what it is. The zoo setting
I really didn’t see many of the animals, but this horse was friendly. And attractive.
I enjoyed his smell.
Lee and I always enjoy looking at the bird exhibits, so we said hi to the hawks and owls, then wandered down to the aviaries.
Red tailed hawks
The swampy area with the black-crowned night herons and ibises was beautiful. Lee thought some were statues. Then one caught a fish!
TurtleFish caught!Heron pond
Then we enjoyed the river otters a long time, because, well, otters are incredibly fun to watch. They were in their glasses-in area, so no photos, but you can imagine all the fun. Eventually we headed to the duck pond, where much cuteness was waiting.
Count the ducks. Our friend the whistling duck!Red headDoing yogaRuddy ducksPintail familyShe has her ducks in a row Duck Time
You know me, I spent a lot of time looking at the “free” exhibits, like insects and spiders. I saw some new ones, too.
Golden silk spider coupleLook at those legsA smaller oneToothed Skink. Not sure what kind. Perhaps a bar-winged skimmerBeautiful great blue skimmer
Ok. The reason we actually drove back here was to see their newest exhibit.
Eeee! Red wolves!
The zoo has acquired a pair of red wolves that they hope will breed more little wolves that can be re-introduced into the wild. I knew that people were trying to build the population back up, but never thought I’d get to actually see some of these critically endangered canines. What luck that they just opened the exhibit! Rather than type all the info out, I’ll let you read the signs I photographed so I could refer to them.
Click to learn more about the wolves.
They built a beautiful space for them “where the deer used to be” as the people giving directions said. It will eventually be large enough to roam around in, too. And yes, we were lucky enough to get to see them both, just lounging around by the fence.
Wolves at rest
They seem much smaller than gray wolves, but maybe these are still young? I hope the program works out! Oh, and there was something else in the exhibit, the part they are still working on. There were two wild turkeys just wandering around eating. They were not captive. They were just there!
I can see why turkey vultures got their name. Only the blue head helped me ID it from a distance.
We had dinner in Murrell’s Inlet, where all the restaurants are. It was fine, and I enjoyed the marsh view, but there weren’t many birds. One tree did gradually fill up with pelicans. A new one glided in every five minutes or so. I guess that tree is a favorite roost.
You can sorta see pelican heads in the most distant tree (or bush).
I’m really glad we got out. I needed it, especially the quiet. The zoo was so quiet at times that it was eerie. Here at the condo there’s always background noise of air conditioning, waves, or screeching kids. The quiet was a balm to my heart and soul.
It’s the time of year when the lush grass of spring becomes the forage of autumn. Just yesterday we were riding the horses through the tall grass, up past Fiona’s belly. Today it looks like this:
I like how the silage bales look like mirrors of the clouds.
While my friends and I were out frolicking in Temple and eating great food (Megg’s), the Vrazels had baled a lot of silage. Silage is hay that ferments a bit. Cattle love it.
Blooming Temple Festival. Pretty tame, but pleasant.
They did our whole meadow, which delighted the dogs. They can run without having to bound like deer, which they cannot do amid all those wildflowers in front of the house.
Whee! We can run free! Four out of five dogs prefer short grass.
The other residents who love baling season are the raptors. When I was driving back from horse riding, the air and ground were both full of hawks. I counted eight red-tails as well as the harrier. I saw a hawk leap in the air and land on a creature. Boom.
Hawk, as seen from my car.
I hope there weren’t too many nests of the local sparrows destroyed. I remember finding one last year, but haven’t seen any today. I also worry about turtles. Spice nearly stepped on one yesterday!
I guess that’s how it goes here in ranching land. Life and death.
I must say that the baling machine is cool. It picks up a round hay bale, then spins it round and round as it wraps it in plastic. And that’s a life and death thing, too.
Make that five out of five dogs! Hi Alfred.
Where does that plastic end up? Lots of it’s in landfills. Even organic farms use the stuff. I just hope the advantages of silage over hay are worth the cost.
But wait, nowadays hay tends to be baled in netting, not with wire. That’s a mess, too. I’ll have to look into this more.
The Hermits' Rest 