 |
Wild and Not So Wild World |
Jungle Trader
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 04, 2003
Posts: 3693
From: Trader's Jungle Outpost, Turlock, Ca.
|  Posted: 2009-04-20 11:10 pm Permalink
Some of you know a few years ago I introduced toads to my pond and surrounding landscape. A red-eared slider also showed up last year on it's own. I suspect it came from my neighbors pond 2 doors down. How the turtle found my pond, I don't know. Last year on Mother's Day I found hundreds upon hundreds of tadpoles attached to the algae with their mouths. I created bogs to protect them from the hungry koi and thus had a few more toads living around the property this year. Just last week I went out to check on things and noticed foam floating around. Foam is a sign of spawning. I thought it was little early for the koi and soon saw a toad trying to hide from me underwater. Toads only go in the water to spawn. So I'm walking around the edge and I hear what sounds like a bird call. It's not. It's the toads calling. I imitated them and sat back very still in a chair to see what would happen. Sure enough 2 toads make a beeline towards me and stopped at the edge. One checks me out for a few minutes and turns around. The other must've watched me straight on for 10 minutes, about 10 ft. away, before he lost interest. It was kinda funny. I know full well what that toad wanted to do to me. Go ahead call me The Toad Whisperer I don't care. Now I gotta find me some frogs. FYI frogs and toads are 2 different things. Frogs live in the water most of the time while toads live out of the water and just go in to spawn. I'm sure you wanted to know that. I've also seen a young red-tailed hawk land on the top of my rootball tiki, checkin out my fish.
If you have stories of encounters with the wild, or not-so wild tell it here. Just don't say to me "Jungle, I knew Steve Irwin, and you're no Steve Irwin". I'll bet Chongolio's got some great stories living on the island.
[ This Message was edited by: Jungle Trader 2011-10-03 21:37 ]
|
Son-of-Kelbo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 03, 2004
Posts: 590
From: NOHO, CA
| Posted: 2009-04-20 11:30 pm Permalink
Truly, the Jungle Trader is aptly named.
Me, I kill Black Widows at night with a hand-held propane torch. Ah, California... The mockingbirds just love 'em toasted, and the outback Bar-B-Que's are a lot less stressful. 
_________________
"Don't let it be forgot,
That once there was a Spot,
Where Blowfish all wore sunglasses,
and Tiki-times were hot..."
SOK
|
Jungle Trader
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 04, 2003
Posts: 3693
From: Trader's Jungle Outpost, Turlock, Ca.
| Posted: 2009-04-21 07:30 am Permalink
uh-huh, don't forget beer for your snails.
|
AlohaStation
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 27, 2004
Posts: 2014
From: So FL
| Posted: 2009-04-21 12:46 pm Permalink
Living in South FL is like living in the Wild Kingdom. Frogs, Toads, Iguanas, geckos, snakes, burrowing owls, osprey, hawks, eagles, cranes, ibis, and alligators just to mention a (very) few. Just recently I have waged war on non-native species on my little patch of suburbia. We have what are called "curly-tailed" lizards that were introduced to eat insects some time in the 50s/60s. They are starting to take over and eating the native lizards that actually eat bugs. I carve on the side of my house and noticed one had set up shop in one of my rock gardens. Unacceptable!! So for the past month I have set a few traps with no luck. Catching these guys by hand is impossible - I'm just too big and slow. I went and purchased a wrist rocket slingshot in the hopes of taking out this pest. My aim is not that great and still needs more practice. I hit him once but it was not a direct hit and he looked at me like I was the pest. Last night I was out there showing my brother a tiki when he asked what the blur in the garden was. I explained and showed him my toy. He started to laugh when showed me that there were actually two!!
So while you are trying grow with nature I want to stop the growth. I'll get those little bastards. I can't help but think of myself as Elmer Fudd. "Huntin Wizards!!"
|
leleliz
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Sep 02, 2008
Posts: 1981
From: NorCal
| Posted: 2009-04-21 6:20 pm Permalink
Vic sounds like you been hanging out by that pond for a litttttle too long!
Remember you can love nature..just don't LOVE nature!
[ This Message was edited by: leleliz 2009-04-21 18:20 ]
|
Jungle Trader
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 04, 2003
Posts: 3693
From: Trader's Jungle Outpost, Turlock, Ca.
| Posted: 2009-04-22 07:33 am Permalink
Some mornings when I kick back in my hot tub I watch the avian super highway above me. Sparrows, swallows, magpies, pigeons, crows, blue jays, mockingbirds, finches, morning doves, waxwings, warblers crisscrossing the sky. Mockingbirds harrassing the crows, crows harrassing the hawks, hawks just trying to eat, all of them just trying to survive.
|
Son-of-Kelbo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 03, 2004
Posts: 590
From: NOHO, CA
| Posted: 2009-04-22 11:45 am Permalink
Quote:
|
On 2009-04-21 07:30, Jungle Trader wrote:
uh-huh, don't forget beer for your snails.
|
|
They won't touch it, the wee snobs. They will, however, go for thimble-full of chilled Chardonnay and a bit of toasted brie (I do not offer them any rum). Thank goodness the 'possums around here seem to find 'em tasty. Just how tasty the 'possums are I have yet to find out, but if another one of 'em gets into my office this summer, he'll very likely find himself in the stew. 'Til then I'll just toss another budgie on the barbie and drink the beer meself (until sundown). As to the avian crowd around here, I shooed a Cooper's Hawk out of my next door neighbor's garage a while back (absolutely gorgeous bird). Not exactly sure what he likes to eat, but I'm keepin' a close eye on our rabbit, you betcha, now that I know he's in the neighborhood.
Slan juh va!
_________________
"Don't let it be forgot,
That once there was a Spot,
Where Blowfish all wore sunglasses,
and Tiki-times were hot..."
SOK
|
lucas vigor
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 12, 2004
Posts: 3453
From: "I've chopped my way through real jungle
| Posted: 2009-04-22 12:30 pm Permalink
Lets see, coming home from working the polls one night in Trabuco Canyon, had a Bobcat run right in front of my car.
Also, saw both a deer and a coyote in broad daylight, in the santa ana river right next to Anaheim stadium.
|
Jungle Trader
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 04, 2003
Posts: 3693
From: Trader's Jungle Outpost, Turlock, Ca.
| Posted: 2009-04-27 11:17 pm Permalink
Today I saw a house cat and a gopher hole.
|
Hakalugi
Site Administrator
Joined: Aug 10, 2004
Posts: 2816
From: Redondo Beach, CA
| Posted: 2009-04-27 11:28 pm Permalink
From an old thread;
Captured by hand in my backyard-
No I myself did not do the catching by hand, do you think I'm crazy?
|
cheekytiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 09, 2004
Posts: 1088
From: The Haole Hut, London, UK
| Posted: 2009-04-28 06:13 am Permalink
I saw a frog in central london the other night on my way home, I picked it off the road and took it to a park.
(I am talking about a real frog not a french person)
|
lucas vigor
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 12, 2004
Posts: 3453
From: "I've chopped my way through real jungle
| Posted: 2009-04-28 07:03 am Permalink
Quote:
|
On 2009-04-27 23:28, Hakalugi wrote:
From an old thread;
Captured by hand in my backyard-
No I myself did not do the catching by hand, do you think I'm crazy?
|
|
That's a mean one!
I hope you were wearing welding gloves!
|
Jungle Trader
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 04, 2003
Posts: 3693
From: Trader's Jungle Outpost, Turlock, Ca.
| Posted: 2009-04-28 07:36 am Permalink
cheeky, did you take a picnic basket to share?
That possum reminds me I found a baby possum in the dog pen,....dead. It was about 4 inches long. Dogs voted death penalty for trying to steal their food.
_________________
Oki NiKsoKoWa
(Hello all my relatives)
TikiJungle.com
|
Son-of-Kelbo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 03, 2004
Posts: 590
From: NOHO, CA
| Posted: 2009-04-28 10:29 am Permalink
Looks very much like the 'possum I pulled out of my office last summer. The little horror had found a spot behind the laser printer, and I was wondering why my dog was acting so bent, until I saw that hairy back tufting up behind the paper cartridge. Eeek. Had to put on a pair of welding gloves, screw my courage to the sticking-place, and hope I could nab him in one grab, which thank God I did. I caged him and then let him go over at the drastically overgrown, "creepy house" in our neighborhood, figuring he'd fit in just fine with the other feral lifeforms lurking there.
I've been wondering how he may have tasted ever since Bohemiann posted that pic of "Canned 'Possum" a while back --
Yum. Didn't have the heart to 'Que him up tho. But if his little brother comes back this summer, well...
_________________
"Don't let it be forgot,
That once there was a Spot,
Where Blowfish all wore sunglasses,
and Tiki-times were hot..."
SOK
|
GROG
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Jun 21, 2006
Posts: 6262
From: Tujunga
| Posted: 2009-04-28 10:56 am Permalink
GROG live in mountains. GROG see coyotes, raccoons, hawks,and deer often. Nearly hit deer on GROG' murdercycle a couple of weeks ago, it was close one. GROG hear owls pretty often, but only saw one in daytime once while on hike. Seen a bobcat years ago not too far from home. GROG see two mountain lion walking on side of road about 8 miles from house a couple of years ago. GROG had to throw lizard out of house last week. Usually GROG find lizard in garage, but mostly outside in garden or by jacuzzi. Heard bigfoot once, and smelled bigfoot another time. Lots of ground squirrels, and regular tree squirrels around, sometimes see them flattened in road. Got many humming birds come to GROG garden. Some sort of weird dark bird keep landing on window sill and flirt with reflection. GROG have to chase it away because it make too much noise when GROG watching TV. GROG also have damned loud mocking birds that wake GROG up some mornings.(GROG can hear damned mocking bird right now.) GROG seen a few snakes while hiking up fireroad behind GROG' house. Baby rattlesnakes lay still and look like stick. Have to watch where you walk. Only see opossum rarely, but have seen some around. Only saw baby bear once, but that was up in northern California, and it run across road in front of car. GROG hear lots of frog in neighbor's ponds. A few times GROG find them in drive way at night, must be looking for crickets. GROG have a good amount of doves, grackles, and various other birds around house. Sometimes GROG see some sort of tall waterfowl in wash below GROG' house. Other than GROG' roommate, that most of wildflife GROG see around GROG' house.
_________________
GROG miss Tiki-Kate
|
|
