The wet year we’ve had so far has brought back the frogs’ song in many parts of town. From one of my River Road adventures a while back, I thought I’d provide another link to the frogs enjoying a cool North Dakota evening.
Category Archives: Wildlife
US Bank et al provide free housing to some needy residents
I don’t have any birds nestling above my motion sensors on my house or garage this year, since the upgraded ones are too small to support a nest. I do, however, have some great pictures and video of last year’s robins feeding their babies! I should dig those up and post them; I don’t think I ever got around to it last spring.
What all the buzz was about over lunch yesterday
New neighbors
I don’t know what drew them, what’s keeping them, or how long they’ll be there. All I know is that they’re quite a sight! Check them out while they’re in town.
Alright. That’s it. It’s ON
So far this year I’ve been stymied by the Great Blue Heron. Nevertheless, I will be carefully watching the few backwater areas where I know they have staked their territorial claim. Maybe I’ll make good on all those promises to buy a blind and set up to wait for them, although patience has never been one of my most noteworthy qualities. In any case, the game’s afoot. Hopefully I’ll have some decent heron photos to post here soon.
Oh deer. Again.
Wild horses couldn’t drag me away
While the loop road through the park is still closed, some of the horses stray close enough to the open roads to be worth the short hike to chase them. In this case they didn’t really do anything spectacular. It was neat to get up close to them, though. I’ve hiked a long ways out into the middle of the park in the summer while chasing these beasts, but never in the crusty snow. Before this past weekend, that is. Thankfully they weren’t far away. It was COLD! Trudging through crusted ice and snow in the Badlands’ already uneven terrain is one heck of a workout as well.
Hey, I found your missing pheasants
This is good news for any hunters who worried about the heavy snowfall preventing the pheasants from getting to their food. Apparently they’re still doing quite alright.
Bismarck-Mandan homeless numbers skyrocket in late October
Progress brings bad along with the good. In this case, it’s the pigeons who got their world rocked, especially when those explosives went off! I’m told the crew attempted to scare the pigeons away before blowing the bridge, but there’s really nothing you can do. Even with the bridge reduced to a few remaining beams strewn about the ground below, you still can’t drive those pigeons away. Naturally there was some collateral damage during the explosions. The birds who survived need to find another place soon, as winter is bearing down on us!
Peek-a-boo
The cats were lined up along the windows and fence because it was just about dinner time for them. No, not because my two little boys and I were on the other side of the glass. The zoo staff were running around on their golf carts, delivering chow. These cats heard things banging around over at the bear exhibit, and I’m guessing they have been conditioned to expect their meat soon after.
Zoo hours are already cut dramatically, to only a few hours a day on a select few days. Gates are open from 1pm to 5pm, Friday through Sunday, weather permitting. I still haven’t seen the snow leopards. Time’s a-wasting!