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Wild and Not So Wild World |
Jungle Trader
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 04, 2003
Posts: 3691
From: Trader's Jungle Outpost, Turlock, Ca.
|  Posted: 2012-03-08 9:19 pm Permalink
TikiRootsRocka, Yellowstone is definitely on my Bucket List. Thanks!
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TikiRootsRocka
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 15, 2011
Posts: 151
From: Los Angeles, California
| Posted: 2012-03-09 11:04 am Permalink
MDM - I bet that would've been delicious  Catch and release in that part of Yellowstone, the fishing rules are pretty strict there.
Station - It almost didn't get away. Out of all things, a pelican, yes, a pelican in Yellowstone, spotted my dad realing it in and tried to make a go for it when we released it.
JT - Definitely on my "to-do-again" list.
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AlohaStation
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 27, 2004
Posts: 2003
From: So FL
| Posted: 2012-03-24 3:14 pm Permalink
Found this guy laying on a trail at my local park. He was crispy almost a complete skeleton.
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komohana
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 08, 2010
Posts: 348
From: western australia
| Posted: 2012-03-27 08:16 am Permalink
if you ever are planning a trip to southern western australia,
autumn would be my choice.
anyhow, i was just outside in the cool and heard the familiar call
of a mopoke or southern boobook owl in our lemon gum, you can see its
eyes as a pair of bright dots about a half inch to the left of centre in picture.
here you can hear its call
http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/Ninox-novaeseelandiae
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AlohaStation
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 27, 2004
Posts: 2003
From: So FL
| Posted: 2012-04-02 07:45 am Permalink
Another close encounter - this time it was worse than ever - it happened to my wife and daughters (I had to hear them scream and squeel for hours after). We are redoing our flower beds in the front yard and while I was at the store buying mulch. My wife and daughters encountered one of the Cuban Anoles. While these guys are very timid they have quite an intimidating presence. This guy climbed out of a tree and was making his way to another location when my family saw him. Of course my wife immediatley grabs her phone and gets closer to take a picture. The problem was that she got too close! The lizard must have thought she was tree and jumped right on her. I can only imagine the reaction (once again I missed the good stuff). When I got home all three were huddled together inside the house with all the doors locked and they had a broom ready to fend off any rabid lizards. I had to go outside and make sure the coast was clear before they would come outside. It took most of the day to convince them to help with garden project.
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MadDogMike
Grand Member (3 years) 
Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 6403
From: The Anvil of the Sun
| Posted: 2012-04-02 1:52 pm Permalink
Tom, you got any American Anoles (the little green ones)? Pack them up and send them to me, I want to start a colony of them in my tiki garden 
_________________
Clay, the oldest and most divine art media;
"And now, from the clay of the ground, the Lord God formed man" Genesis 2:7
Pirate Ship Tree House
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komohana
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 08, 2010
Posts: 348
From: western australia
| Posted: 2012-04-02 5:44 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2012-04-02 07:45, AlohaStation wrote:
missed the good stuff |
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AlohaStation
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 27, 2004
Posts: 2003
From: So FL
| Posted: 2012-04-03 08:25 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2012-04-02 13:52, MadDogMike wrote:
you got any American Anoles (the little green ones)?
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There are lizards everywhere down here. Come to Hukilau and you can take a suitcase full back. Some people probably take them home without knowing.
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Club Nouméa
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 03, 2010
Posts: 326
From: Wanganui
| Posted: 2012-04-12 01:05 am Permalink
HOGS!!!!
Well, hedgehogs anyway, spotted on my drive the other night.
Hog 1:
I used the camera flash on this little guy, but decided it was too alarming, so I used a flashlight to illuminate his pal.
Hog 2:
Hedgehogs were introduced to New Zealand, and are one of the few welcome species introduced by the Acclimatisation Society back in Victorian times. They do a wonderful job of eating slugs and snails around the garden, and sometimes I gather snails from my garden and give them a free feast.
Unlike in Europe, hedgehogs in New Zealand do not hibernate, as it is not cold enough in winter, so you see them all year round.
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Toto, j'ai l'impression que nous ne sommes plus au Kansas !
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MadDogMike
Grand Member (3 years)
Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 6403
From: The Anvil of the Sun
| Posted: 2012-04-12 05:56 am Permalink
Cute little farts!
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komohana
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 08, 2010
Posts: 348
From: western australia
| Posted: 2012-04-12 06:51 am Permalink
i'm wondering what the least welcome species introduced by the "Acclimatisation Society" is?
there is a thriving export industry to france involving snails - from western australia of
all places.
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Jungle Trader
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 04, 2003
Posts: 3691
From: Trader's Jungle Outpost, Turlock, Ca.
| Posted: 2012-04-12 11:53 am Permalink
Just yesterday my wife asked me if frogs eat snails. No. We have frogs. We have no critters that eat snails except perhaps possum that might wander thru once ina while. She told me to do research and find out what animal eats snails. I found my answer on TC without any "research". Hedgehogs. Now to get one.
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Club Nouméa
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 03, 2010
Posts: 326
From: Wanganui
| Posted: 2012-04-12 7:20 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2012-04-12 06:51, komohana wrote:
i'm wondering what the least welcome species introduced by the "Acclimatisation Society" is?
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It's hard to say - deer and rabbits were a bad idea. Australian opossums are also considered pests here - they destroy native flora and fauna (including kiwi nests) and are a general nuisance. If they get into your roof you have real problems. A large percentage of them also carry TB, because they can't handle the wetter climate in New Zealand.
In terms of plants; gorse, thistle and South African box thorn were a very bad idea. It took me 2 1/2 years to clear my property of box thorn. It is tenacious, and has poisoned thorns which break off and go septic under your skin. Some idiot in Taranaki in the 1880s decided it would be great for hedges, but because of the milder climate here it grows like crazy.
Someone told me that the snails that eat my lettuces are the edible variety - I haven't put it to the test though.
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Toto, j'ai l'impression que nous ne sommes plus au Kansas !
[ This Message was edited by: Club Nouméa 2012-04-12 19:27 ]
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komohana
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 08, 2010
Posts: 348
From: western australia
| Posted: 2012-04-12 9:52 pm Permalink
yes, we have huge problems with introduced pests as well, rabbits were in plague
proportions (not so bad now after the release of calicivirus), foxes are common
around here etc... not to mention cane toads, that are already in the n.t. and making
in-roads to w.a...i believe a few have been found hitching a ride on trucks across the
nullarbor also.
anyhow, yep, the common old brown garden snails are being sent to france for escargot,
theirs are too polluted it seems, never cooked any at home but have tried them twice at
restaurants... only slightly more palatable than they look, in my opinion.
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Club Nouméa
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 03, 2010
Posts: 326
From: Wanganui
| Posted: 2012-04-15 9:41 pm Permalink
No foxes here, but they did introduce stoats, weasels and ferrets to control the rabbits they introduced. Unfortunately, the stoats, weasels and ferrets did more harm to native bird life here than to the rabbits.
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Toto, j'ai l'impression que nous ne sommes plus au Kansas !
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