Tuesday, February 27, 2007

It was da BOMB!



Word of the Day:

ambit \AM-bit\, noun:
1. Circuit or compass.
2. The boundaries or limits of a district or place.
3. An area in which something acts, operates, or has power or control; extent; sphere; scope.


The weather was actually nice enough to go outside and have a look around the yard:

deer skull
The deer skull still rests just outside our fenceline. I have posted about this pile of bones before.
dead prairie
The prairie sleeps...but soon, it will grow up tall and create shelter once again for snakes and mice and bugs. I plan on expanding it this year, to maybe twice its length and depth. The blackberry bramble I planted two years ago is getting nice and tall and we can expect more than two berries this year. (Blackberries grow on last year's growth)
birdbath planter
Our original birdbath, one of the catalysts for me becoming a birder sprung a leak some time back, so I turned it into a planter. All that is there right now is moss and fungus.
Boomer workin the Nylabone
Boomer has been working on the same Nylabone since he came back. I think I will send it along when he goes to the foster home.
towhee workin a seed
I soaked in the juncos, white-throated sparrows and the solitary towhee today. Soon they will be gone, not to be seen until next winter.
Now, my bird trip today:
one of my really awful digiscope shots
Oh My God, my digiscoping skills stink.
I went out to a park today (Geoff and I decided that I shouldn't say which one I went to, and I will explain why in a minute)
the geese that aren't snow geese
Here are the geese that aren't snow geese.
a flock of gulls
And a slew of gulls, mostly ring-billed.
flock of ducks
Thank goodness I had the scope today. On the far side of the lake, there were a zillion ducks:
Wood ducks
Ring-billed ducks
Black ducks
Mallards
Northern Pintails
Lesser scaups
Buffleheads
Hooded mergansers
Goldeneyes...
And probably lots more, but this ranger decided to come through on his little boat:
The ranger who scared off the ducks
...and flushed them all.
The weird package
This is why I am not saying which park:
I was getting ready to leave the park, and stopped to look at a raptor soaring above. I never did figure out what it was, because this package caught my attention. This package, wrapped as a Christmas present, was just sitting next to the parking lot. My first thought was "Is this Candid Camera or something?". Then I thought, "Holy sh**. What if that is a bomb?"
I hightailed it out of there and went to the Ranger's Station to report it. I felt stupid doing so, but what he told me made me glad that I did. He said that they have found rudimentary bombs in the park before.
Alright, then.
I will be watching the news, in case it's mentioned.




10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sh*t Susan!!!!! There are some sick people out there. Was that freakin' present supposed to attract a kid or. . . just freakin' sick. Please let us know if anything comes of it. And don't ever feel stupid for anything like this. I mean if they can pat my ass down at the airport over a mechanical pencil. . .
Glad you saw soooo many cool bewds though! I'm lovin' the natural habitat you have going on around your home!

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

That box is SOOO creepy! I would have tucked tail and run out of there too. Sounds like it was a good birding day. I like your moss bowl- like a mini garden, and can't wait to see your growing prairie!

Mary said...

Susan, how do you find this stuff? You never cease to amaze me... It's as if you are on a hunt every day and you succeed! I saw a Towhee once, "Drink your tea", and that photo is great.

That moss bowl is quite interesting. See what happens to it when your weather warms...

I'd love to hug Boomer before he goes - you know I'm partial to him!

What's all this cussin' up there from Pam??? I think we are all ready for a cussin party. Let's get it ready for Cape May!

LauraHinNJ said...

Leave it to you to find a bomb in the woods.

;-)

Were the rangers gonna do anything? Or just leave it there to unwrap itself?

Anonymous said...

Mary - all that cussin' from me was she or anyone else could have gotten blown up just standing there takin' a picture of da bomb! I'm such a chicken I would have been out of there so fast!
I like Laura's comment, "or just leave it there to unwrap itself?"
So tell us Susan, what happened to it? Inquiring minds want to know!

Mary said...

Don't forget to let us know what was in the box.

Susan Gets Native said...

I haven't heard anything on the news about a bomb scare in the park. I guess no news is good news.
I don't know if I will ever know what was in there. I would feel weird calling and asking the park ranger.

Never a dull moment! I look for birds and find what may or may not be a incendiary device.

Susan Gets Native said...

BTW:
I am going to a "Rodent Run" at RAPTOR tonight, so if I post at all, it will be late.
A Rodent Run is where we get donated mice and rats (already dead) and bag and freeze them. Last time I helped out, it took 2 hours. There were something like 25 full garbage bags of them.
Yummy!

Anonymous said...

Wow - 25 garbage bags of rodents - where do they get so many from to make 25 bags?

Glad you didn't hear anything about "the package."

Anonymous said...

How ambit is that finding a package like that laying around! So glad you didn't go over there and picked it up. For sure reporting it to ranger was the best thing! That Towhee shot is wonderful and only wish they would come visit me again! Also, love all the ducks that you came across! Only a matter of time till I see great ducks moving through like that!