Bored Musings

**Taceas** · 10-18-07, 02:32 AM

Since I've not done much with my corns, here's a recent picture of my Psalmopoeus irminia tarantula, fresh from a molt and just in time for Halloween.

I've also been increasingly addicted to Guild Wars, an RPG computer game. Anyone else around here play? It's pretty much my husband and I, but when he's at work and I sit down to play its pretty much just me, and questing by yourself gets old fast.

We're finally getting some rain, thank goodness. Although tomorrow we've got a significant chance for severe weather. The local meteorologists are saying its a situation similar to November 2005 where we had a deadly tornado that killed 20 people. While I'm excited to see some storms, we've had a dire lack of anything all year, I don't care to experience tornadoes.

It's been so utterly dry around here vegetation has been dying and domestic and wild animals are suffering. There's been a deer disease going around killing lots of whitetail in the area, and it's also put pressure on predators to seek out easier sources of food.

I've live trapped a few raccoons and opossums, and we've had a couple of chickens to go missing....probably the coyote we caught in the yard last weekend boldly walking through the yard while the chickens were out. It was so thin and mangy looking, and was so focused on the chickens...he didn't even pay any attention to a window opening. Matthew shot at it, but I don't think he got it. Hopefully it learned a lesson.

Sadly one of the chickens that disappeared was Uno. It was only a matter of time, as she'd been wandering farther back in the woods to avoid the rooster attention. I'd told myself that I was going to hook her up in the garden so she couldn't wander off next time, but she never came back that evening.

**Nanci** · 10-18-07, 10:04 AM

That's a very beautiful spider.

Nanci

**Joni Garcia** · 10-18-07, 04:46 PM

Wow... gorgeous! Think that's got to be one of my favorites.

**Taceas** · 11-13-07, 12:22 AM

Fall has finally settled in around here, thankfully. I couldn't possibly take much more record triple digit heat and drought. Now its cooler and crisp out, wetter and prettier.

It's also the time of year for all sorts of critters in the yard, mostly deer though. Right now the oak trees in the front yard are putting down a good crop of acorns this year, and we have deer in the front yard almost the entire day. Most of these were taken within 20ft of the front door.

And I caught another hawk in the live trap after one of my pigeons ended up missing a chunk of neck last week. This one I think is a Sharp Shinned Hawk, it was pretty small compared to the last couple I've caught.

It was released in a metropolitan area about 30 miles south from here in the hopes it would find the pigeon menu there a bit better than my own. I need to find a nondescript way to mark these guys so I can identify if its the same ones coming back, or different ones. Maybe plastic leg bands you buy for domestic poultry.

Sadly her choice of perch was a poor one, I found her yesterday beheaded and pulled through the two layers of wire, so the ol' trap is set again. I think I'm going to have to put hardware cloth over the entire pen, as the spaces of wire on there now obviously aren't working.

**hardwired** · 11-13-07, 08:42 AM

Holy cow comes to mind! Those are some great picks. Thanks for the glimpse in to your world. Where I live we have hot, really hot, hot and wet and kinda cool for seasons. I am jealous of your wildlife. I hope your animals stay safe anyway.

galenwbritt · 11-13-07, 08:47 AM

Good to see your back (for now) Misty, I enjoy your posts and overall participation.......when it's around. Still waiting on the "cool down" here in Texas as well. Supposed to be 90 tomorrow.

Originally Posted by Taceas

I need to find a nondescript way to mark these guys so I can identify if its the same ones coming back, or different ones. Maybe plastic leg bands you buy for domestic poultry.

You could pick up some multi-colored tie-wraps (zip-ties) at Home Depot or Lowes and just keep a notebook on which color was used for which bird released. I think they have smaller packs with 5 or 6 different colors for under $5. You would just have to install them (loosely) and cut off the excess piece.

Sorry to hear about your latest pigeon......wire mesh would most definitely be the way to go it seems.

G

**Javen** · 11-13-07, 06:29 PM

Originally Posted by Taceas

Since I've not done much with my corns, here's a recent picture of my Psalmopoeus irminia tarantula, fresh from a molt and just in time for Halloween.

I've also been increasingly addicted to Guild Wars, an RPG computer game. Anyone else around here play? It's pretty much my husband and I, but when he's at work and I sit down to play its pretty much just me, and questing by yourself gets old fast.

We're finally getting some rain, thank goodness. Although tomorrow we've got a significant chance for severe weather. The local meteorologists are saying its a situation similar to November 2005 where we had a deadly tornado that killed 20 people. While I'm excited to see some storms, we've had a dire lack of anything all year, I don't care to experience tornadoes.

It's been so utterly dry around here vegetation has been dying and domestic and wild animals are suffering. There's been a deer disease going around killing lots of whitetail in the area, and it's also put pressure on predators to seek out easier sources of food.

I've live trapped a few raccoons and opossums, and we've had a couple of chickens to go missing....probably the coyote we caught in the yard last weekend boldly walking through the yard while the chickens were out. It was so thin and mangy looking, and was so focused on the chickens...he didn't even pay any attention to a window opening. Matthew shot at it, but I don't think he got it. Hopefully it learned a lesson.

Sadly one of the chickens that disappeared was Uno. It was only a matter of time, as she'd been wandering farther back in the woods to avoid the rooster attention. I'd told myself that I was going to hook her up in the garden so she couldn't wander off next time, but she never came back that evening.

Psst....

I play Guild Wars...

**Taceas** · 11-15-07, 01:50 AM

Originally Posted by galenwbritt

Good to see your back (for now) Misty, I enjoy your posts and overall participation.......when it's around.

I've been getting burned out on the hobby. I've got more snakes than I want right now and can't seem to move them out. Plus ever since getting sick last year I don't have near the energy I used to. The snakes seem to take more effort to take care of than any of the other animals I've got. Especially when its not set up as I'd like and it's more labor intensive than just pulling a "drawer" out. I'm just getting burned out right now. I haven't really cared to talk about snakes much, and I haven't taken a snake picture for just the fun in months...so why stick around when all I do is post wildlife, chicken, or other off-topic posts? Ya know?

Originally Posted by GWB

You could pick up some multi-colored tie-wraps (zip-ties) at Home Depot or Lowes and just keep a notebook on which color was used for which bird released. I think they have smaller packs with 5 or 6 different colors for under $5. You would just have to install them (loosely) and cut off the excess piece.

Yeah, I'd thought about that after seeing a combo-pack of zip-ties in various sizes and colors in Radio Shack the other day. They're not much different than most poultry leg rings. Although I'm worried about it potentially snagging on something, although I think that would be extremely rare if it's not too loose, or too snug. I'll have to look to see if there are break-away style rings available. I just have a feeling most of these are the same birds I've caught and released before, same MO's, same spots I find dead birds in the pen, and harder to catch after a recent release when they normally take their kill the next day if I put it out...

Originally Posted by GWB

Sorry to hear about your latest pigeon......wire mesh would most definitely be the way to go it seems.

Yeah, I've got a different type of wire stretched over the back of the cage where the shelf and roosts are, but even that wasn't enough this time. I think because the hawk itself was smaller and had smaller feet.