Nature Literature discussion

John:
You mentioned cyclones--what environmental extremes is your area in Australia subject to?

Here, you know-- we are faced with fires, smoke, and running out of water.

Turtles. Last week in a central Wisconsin forest I saw where a coyote dug up and ate two turtle eggs, left a paw 🐾 print, and two scat deposits in a wetland gravel road. Insult to injury! It looked as if a few eggs might be whole at the bottom of the hole, so I gently filled the hole again. This week in SE Minnesota where I live, I saw a tiny infant snapping turtle on a wetland grassy trail. It was the size of my fingertip-from the top knuckle to the tip. Such a joy to see one that hatched after the ransacked nest the week before!

John wrote: "Hi Sher,

Apart from cyclones we can get some pretty violent thunderstorms. Then, like you, there are fires and smoke, and in droughts dust storms. Running out of water is not an issue here due to ..."

Actually John- that is a lot of extremes to report. In the middle of the US -- areas that have frequent tornadoes / cyclones have cellars to get into when there is a tornado watch. It gives me an idea fo what you face there...

Wow, that is a great story Julie. And, I can't imagine an infant snapping turtle. So much to imagine in that paragraph --thanks.

I'm staying down in the barn apartment which is on the third story of the 19th C barn, so I have a great view of the paddocks and fields.

The friendly coyote was just below the greenhouse and the garden-- jumping and diving and running quickly, then stopping a jumping straight up into the air- seemed like all play to me. Kitten activity. Very fun to watch. Probably he was practicing his hunting moves.

Meanwhile the donkey was snorting and snorting at something he saw off in the other direction in the oak savannah--Ziggy knew the coyote was near the garden, but the dokey was fixated on something I could not see in a direction away from coyote. Cougar?

Heavy smoke in our area today-- air purifier running on high.

We own a 150-acre farm about 40 miles from our home. It has a stone cabin and a lake and is a piece of heaven on earth. I love the occasional glimpses I get of deer, wild turkey, and the majestic heron that has built its nest across the lake. But snakes freak me out.

Yesterday, when I stepped out of the cabin, I saw a black snake curled up on the stone step, sunning herself. I surprised myself by how calm I was. I used a stick to prod the snake away from the cabin door. It slithered away down the steps and along the outside cabin wall. I chased after it because I wanted to prod it back to the fields behind the cabin to get it away from the cabin. But it was moving very fast. It suddenly dawned on me the snake must be terrified of me. And for some very weird reason, I suddenly had an image of an old woman trying to scuttle her way out of danger. I found myself feeling very worried about her and wanting to help her. Weird, I know.

The snake slithered up the lattice at the back of the cabin until it went out of sight on the roof. I hope it doesn’t get inside the cabin because I don’t know how I’ll react if I find a snake curled up on the cabin floor. I guess snakes outside are one thing. But snakes inside are quite another.

Hi Tamara-- if that is a real black snake not just a black colored snake- I don't think they are a real worry; they get large though. My brother and his wife life on a 19th C farm in Va-- and they find the Blake snakes outside and in the basement where the laundry room is. My sister in Law in a biology teacher, and she does a great job shuttling them through the room and out the door with a broom. The last one they video taped--while she did this was bout 5 - 5.5 long. Huge!

Your experience and visions had a bit of a fairy tale element to them. :).

hmm well, maybe place towels against the doors and any place you think an opening exists that a snake could enter. Good luck...

We have bull snakes -- that look like rattlesnakes, but they are not venomous ---

Sher wrote: "Hi Tamara-- if that is a real black snake not just a black colored snake- I don't think they are a real worry; they get large though. My brother and his wife life on a 19th C farm in Va-- and they ..."

Sher, I googled black snakes and black colored snakes, but I'm not sure I know the difference. I think the one I saw was a black snake. It was about 5-6 feet long. If I ever find one inside the cabin, I'll use a broom like your sister-in-law to shuttle it out. Either that or I'll freak out and make a hasty exist.

I think the image of an old lady scuttling off must somehow be related to my interest in mythology. In mythology, snakes are associated with the feminine because a woman "sheds" her skin every month just as a snake sheds its skin and is born anew. I'm guessing that's why I "saw" the snake as an old woman. The image was very vivid.

Tamara wrote: "Sher wrote: "Hi Tamara-- if that is a real black snake not just a black colored snake- I don't think they are a real worry; they get large though. My brother and his wife life on a 19th C farm in V..."

Tamara -- Interesting connection with mythology as your imagination is primed for mythological interpretations. This image of the old woman and the shedding of snakeskin captures my writer's imagination!

Hello Everyone-- what is happening in September around your place.

I have a miracle to report: Rain! It started raining about 5 a.m., and I got up to see and feel the rare event. I don't think we have experienced a drop of rain since last early spring sometime. Remember I am in dry eastern Oregon - well the Columbia Basin they call it.

All of you in the Pacific Northwest how are you feeling today?

Otherwise -- what will be shifting nature wise as September depends. Favorite birds migrating? Or...?

Which season is your favorite and why?

Hi folks! September in London has been rather funny. Summer came in a bit later (we've just had a burst of hot weather - which, growing up in SoCal and Philippines meant rather normal for me) but now the grey clouds have appeared again and we've been having some rain.

I've always liked Fall (October birthday month, yay!), and the rowan tree outside our flat is showing autumnal colours already which cheers me up. The promise of pumpkin spice and root crops and cinnamon awaits.

It's also fungi and urban fox season (or at least where we tend to go). As mentioned on another thread, we have quite a number of urban foxes where we live and they are a delight to watch.

More about urban foxes here >> https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-se...

Sher wrote: "Hello Everyone-- what is happening in September around your place.

I have a miracle to report: Rain! It started raining about 5 a.m., and I got up to see and feel the rare event. I don't think we ..."

Rain in Idaho too! Definitely a miracle as Autumn is not rainy season. I hope this will help settle fires in the Northwest.

About black snakes—they’re great if they don’t surprise me. If they linger somewhere that I would rather they weren’t I toss an ice cube or two towards them and they usually move off.

Pam wrote: "About black snakes—they’re great if they don’t surprise me. If they linger somewhere that I would rather they weren’t I toss an ice cube or two towards them and they usually move off..."

Thanks, Pam. I'll arm myself with a broom and ice cubes the next time I see one. I hope it's not any time soon, though :)

Hello Everyone:
What's happening in your neighborhood in October?

We will have our first hard freeze tonight. I've put out row covers onto some of the flowers. This freeze is early. Some of the farmers are scrambling-- as my neighbor put it.

I'm wondering what type of winter we will have.

My donkey is getting a very thick coat on. Does he know something I don't?

Ha! That sounds great John. I forgot that Bruce said we are in for a La Nina too-- meaning more wet. But, I am unsure if it will come in the form of snow or rain...

We will be starting the wood stove, and you will be opening your windows - a wide world. :)

Here in the USA Midwest, October is much warmer and drier than normal. I'm in a hardwood forest, and the fall colors are beautiful. The oaks are the last to turn color. They are still very green because we have not had a frost yet, which is unusual for October.

Here on the upper Chesapeake Bay, the days are starting to be chilly. Moving back and forth from shorts to pants, maybe a sweater. Lots of clouds and rain. There's a sunny forecast tomorrow and we finally have all our chores done and our parts fixed so we can cast off our lines to embark on our southern journey.

John - thinking of you the other day as we watched a juvenile Great Blue Heron fish at the end of our dock. What a beautiful bird!

We have a month to wander through coastal North Carolina visiting some National Wildlife Refuges and various preserves that are accessible by water. Once we reach Beaufort NC, we'll wait for the weather and head out to sea for 1-2 days to Charleston SC.

Internet and phone connectivity will be non-existent for some of the next month, but I'll try to get the November book somewhere along the way.

I've not joined the October reading because I wanted to catch up on some of my backlog (as well as ready the boat for cruising). Read Where the Crawdads Sing and The Puma Years: A Memoir of Love and Transformation in the Bolivian Jungle. Reading What It's Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing—What Birds Are Doing, and Why and Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay.

Julie and Cindy Ann- thanks for your place updates. It's really good too hear what is happening elsewhere ... Cindy Ann-- I wonder what birds you will see in N Carolina ...? Cranes?

Here is a quote from Albert Camus-- you will recall him as a novelist, but he apparently wrote some poetry too--

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is in flower"

I like this perspective.... Julie has the fall color for sure!

Two days ago my husband and I saw --a white morph of a Great Blue Heron. A huge white heron that came to our one acre pond-- and then flew across the farm. I have never seen a white heron before, and it was special.

In native culture the sighting of this bird would be some sort of omen.

Does anyone have snow yet?

Our primary winter bird the dark-eyed junco arrived this past weekend. No going back now-- winter is coming ...
Eastern Oregon

We have full fall color in the Piedmont of NC but warmer than usual weather. Supposedly warm will be the trend December through March. I saw a fox run between houses in my suburban neighborhood a few days ago. I take that as a sign of good luck.

Hi Pam,
Thank you for the report. I have never heard of seeing a fox as a sign of good luck, but it's neat to see a fox for sure. Coyote yes, but I have never seen a fox here in Eastern, Oregon.

Just my personal feeling. 😊

Pam wrote: "Just my personal feeling. 😊"

Then seeing that fox is definitely good luck! Perfect.

Here in Southern California we've just come out of Santa Ana (hot, windy) conditions and now have lovely November weather for a few days. Waiting for rain.

I've been gardening and spotted a hummingbird nectaring on our Mexican Sage, a large grasshopper hiding in my kumquat tree, and more western fence lizards than ever. A raccoon comes through now and then, leaving piles of scat and digging into the garden in search of grubs.

It's a nice place to live.

Hi P-- thanks for sharing some observations from your environment. Roughly how many inches of rainfall per year does your region receive? Here in E Oregon we get 16, and it is quite dry. I don't have sagebrush or kumquat trees though-- we have scrub oak, some Ponderosa pine, and alligator lizards plus Pacific tree frogs.

I just returned from 4 days on the Oregon Coast- and I had forgotten what it was like to experience gale force winds, torrential downpours and ferns and moss everywhere.

Everyone preparing (US members), as best you can, for Thanksgiving? Any special items on the table that come from the land around you?

As some of you know we raise bird dogs and hunt upland birds and waterfowl. I will be smoking ducks for Thanksgiving. We enjoy this very special treat with a homemade hot mustard sauce. Appetizer before turkey.

Vegans, vegetarians, omnivores? What on your menu that is special-- a regional specialty.

Carrots! 🥕🧑‍🌾🥕 I’m bringing veggies & dip to munch while we smell the Turkey baking. One dip will be curried carrot & white bean.

We had a lovely, slow trip down the North Carolina coast earlier this month, anchoring overnight in some very isolated creeks, and a nice passage in the Atlantic from Beaufort NC to Charleston SC last week.

This isn't nature, per se, but on one of my night watches, I happened to witness a piece of SpaceX junk re-enter the atmosphere and light up the entire sector of sky for a brief time. It was amazing! I learned what it was from the US Coast Guard. So many of us reported the light show on the VHF, they talked NASA to confirm that's what it was.

Here in Charleston, we are staying at the county-run marina in a huge wetlands (but also next door to a container ship port on one side and a coal terminal on the other side). The wetlands are full of life that seems to ignore the massive, noisy, bright infrastructure all around. I've logged 47 species of birds here in just a week. There are alligators here as well, big ones!

The weather has been very nice most of this time, (light jackets or shirt sleeves) but today has gone all windy and cold on us.

I'm bringing Brussels sprouts :) Most of my family will walk on by them---they don't know what they're missing! I'm also bringing pumpkin pie, my favorite. The only thing from the land that I can offer for our Thanksgiving table is some parsley I grew in my first kitchen garden this past summer :)

Sher, smoking ducks with your homemade hot mustard sauce sounds amazing! And, Julie, your curried carrot & white bean dip sounds yum!

Hello Everyone:

A couple of items -- Fruit Flies! It is so warm and moist here, the fruit flies have come back to life in my kitchen! Unheard of- they are always gone by September. I hate to jump to conclusions, but I wondered if this is what I have to look forward to with warming.

And, I am suddenly seeing a few house flies that have come back to life. Strange -- slightly annoying.

For this up north MN, WI-- what is the story with the maple syrup issue? Is it serious and related to climate change? Julie/Amanda?

finally, I will be loading a new thread in this folder after the first of the year that will take this thread's place. An expanded theme for us.

I think everyone will enjoy it and be able to participate more often.

A gift for the New Year!

I spotted a bald eagle in a park near my house and they aren't common in the area (SE Wisconsin). Really hoping he/she sticks around and makes additional appearances.

Hi Hayley-- the bald eagle is very cool-- what was it doing? Sitting, circling? Silent..., or...? Their white heads really draw attention. We occasionally see bald eagles and sometimes golden eagles circling above our farm.We are about four miles from the Columbia River where they are often found.

Hope I can find a home in this discussion group.

I'm living in the northern range of the Swiss Alps. The ranges are tight upon each other. That means the valleys are narrow and steep.

The bottom of the valleys with the lakes and rivers are about 500 meters above sea level and the ridge lines about 1500-2000 meters above sea level. That all makes for a big elevation change immediately in the observer's face.

First snowfall. The snow is non-existent in the summer. In late fall there comes a snow line. The snow line on the mountain faces is the elevation where below which snow no longer sticks. Snowing up high and rain in the valley.

In fall the snow line comes and gos. But then as happened two days ago the first big snow hits the valley floor. Twenty-twenty five centimeters of large fluffy flakes that stuck on all the trees and shrubs.

That was a dream come true. But the ground was not frozen, so after 12 hours of snowfall, the warm earth melted it all in the following two days. This was great drama for me. I get my inspiration from the shape-shifting blend of weather and landscape

Hello Edward-- welcome to Nature Literature- we are glad you are here.

Your landscape and weather sounds dramatic and full of inspiring extremes. I lives in Southeast Alaska for many years where the residents who lived on the islands experienced storms from October - February that folks in the lower United States would have define as hurricane.

I have iconic memories in my mind of the Swiss Alps -- alpine meadows and wildflowers and jagged peaks with deep snow. I have not been to Switzerland --but we had an exchange student who lived with my husband's family. And, so I have some direct connection of Swiss through Sam. Good memories.

I hope you enjoy the group-- search around- you will see we have a book of the month read and discussion and we also have occasional Side Reads chosen by members. We have one going on now about the Cairngorms in Scotland The Living Mountain

Becky will be posting a call for January nominations soon.

Thank you for the welcome and introduction to the wider community.

Welcome, Edward!

Thanks for sharing your habitat! It sounds beautiful and very inspiring.

I'm in the US and just crossed the country for the 3rd time this year, by train this time - from Charleston SC on the east coast to Los Angeles CA on the west coast, with a stop in Chicago IL on the way. Went from 20 degrees to -1 degrees to 18 degrees in a week. I'll take the higher numbers anytime.

Looking forward to reading with you.

Sounds like a fine rail trip--coast to coast.

Well, I figure the temperatures you experienced are in ℉ and that is pretty cold. Chicago suburbs was where my dad taught me if I wanted to spend money, I had to earn money. So when I was in the early teens, I delivered morning newspapers 7/7 and winters were tough--below zero ℉ is tough on the cheeks. Numbness. Then the pain when they warm up. I don't miss that!

Oh, sorry, I should have clarified. Those were Celsius temps. It’s not that cold here yet.
I try to integrate with the rest of the world on temperature, ever since I worked with colleagues in India.
Can’t chat about the weather while waiting for the meeting to start if you aren’t all on the same page. Although I did have to explain to one colleague that there actually are negative temperatures in Celsius and that it was indeed -14 that morning in New York where I lived.

I hear you!

Winter means icy, snowy and slippery pavements. Don't like that. But there are upsides.

Aside from the forests and snow, the most attractive black and white in our winter landscape is the magpie, the Eurasian magpie, Pica pica. They have a large, active nest nearby in the top of a huge linden tree, Tilia cordata. When the first winter snowfall arrived the nest got so snowed in…neither the nest nor its magpies were visible.

Edward- this is the magpie species we see near our farm-- it seems similar to the Eurasian but perhaps is larger?

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/B...

At any rate-- we are bracing for a snowfall, and we have not been able to get our studded tires on, so we are driving where we need to go today, so we can beat the snow, which may force us home for some days.

How many of you will have a white Christmas? We have a 40% chance.

We have had two snowfalls, but today is 60*+ (F) and the brown and grey landscape is reappearing. Our weather has been rollercoastering in temperature fluctuations about every week. Unusual.

It is always interesting to compare similar birds from different continents. More on Eurasian magpies here:

https://www.vogelwarte.ch/en/birds/bi...

With or without snow, Seasons greetings and Merry Christmas.

Very cool! I saw my first Yellow-billed Magpie yesterday at a beautiful vineyard in Paso Robles, California. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Y...
Magnificent birds! I love how birds connect our world.

Hello Edward! Have you seen the magpies since the snow?

Last night, very strange for December in Minnesota, we had a thunderstorm with extremely high winds and tornadoes. We did have to go to the safest room in the basement for awhile. The power went out for 1 1/2 hours. The wind howled and gusted all night. The temperature dropped from 65* to 27* F.

This morning, our buildings seem intact. Need coffee before checking all roofs. Whew! Climate change is so brutal.

Julie, now that the snow has melted, I see the magpies active as ever.

Julie- that is quite the story. I agree these fluctuations are unsettling, but we are trying to adjust. We received 5 inches of snow yesterday and today it has warmed to the low forties and everything is melting. The warm up after snow in December is unusual -- a bit.

Edward-- thanks for sharing the website covering birds of Switzerland; I bookmarked it for future reference.

Cindy Ann- a fun report on the yellow-billed magpie.

I don’t have magpies where I live, so thanks all for chatting about them.

Hello!
How is everyone?

Our weather reporter said we would get 5.5 inches of snow-- we got 1. 5 feet! Wow, did they get it wrong, and we did not put the blade on the big tractor, so --- we are snowed in (driveway 1 mile long), because we can't get to the blade. Also, we have had regional power outages--, which we don't often have. The canyon next to ours was out of power over 12 hours. We 4. 5 hours. A friend over there said they had a generator running a heater in the house and the coffee pot!

Anyway -- the snow is gorgeous, and it is almost 40 degrees -- very comfortable working outside feeding animals and mucking stalls.

I see that a downy woodpecker is visiting my suet. I want to say my downy woodpecker, because he/she comes every year during the snow storms. It must be the same bird right? :)

I am curious what will you cook for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

We always have prime rib--vegetables, mashed potatoes--cranberries-- and for years I made Margaret Atwood's Lemon Custard pudding Cake-- yes-- THE Margaret Atwood... :)

This year, I will be baking apple pie...

Some people have had to cancel their holiday gatherings -- sorry-- I know that is very hard.

Please write and let us know what is happening there.... may your holidays be bright...