Discouraging news

For several years we have had a resident beaver in our little creek, affectionately known as Bob the Builder. He graced me with his presence once, unfortunately on a day a day I did not have my camera. His head popped up in the creek and he stared at me for several seconds before continuing on. Yesterday I was told that our PID 6 officer said Bob had been killed by some kids in the park. We are trying to educate the people who live around this park that we are fortunate to have this wildlife refuge within suburbia but ignorance and sometimes just plain cruelty occur. Snakes are routinely killed by too many people here. I was also told that the Supervisor of the crew that mowed our tall grass prairie wants to "clean out" all the undergrowth along the creek, the briars and the growth that protects and feeds so many of our wild creatures. We will have to stay alert to protect this environment. Apparently the crew that was here to mow the grassland also went into other areas and took down bushes and cattails where turtles had gone to lay their eggs. Sometimes it is very frustrating...

On the other side of things, there were a lot of birds in the park today. The Red-tailed Hawk seemed to be appreciative of the mowed grasslands that now made it even easier to spot prey. There were many Myrtle yellow-rumped Warblers, Carolina Chicadees, American Goldfinch, and Mallards along with the usual Blue Jays, Mockingbirds, Robins, Cardinals, and White-winged Doves. I am hearing a lot of bird songs that I don't recognize. If I could learn these songs I am sure there are many birds I have not had the luck to photograph yet. I also had the opportunity to teach my 9 year old grandson that we don't need to kill even a millipede here in the park, that this is its home and it is no threat to us.

Posted on 04 de janeiro de 2013, 04:46 PM by taogirl