Ben and Joy

European Starlings

2012-02-13T14:23:00.002-05:00

I enjoy watching Starlings like I enjoy the smell of Japanese Honeysuckle. Well, maybe not that much. I know they don't belong here and cause many problems, but I am sure they are here for as long as we are. They do have classy markings in the winter and seem to be so full of life. They sometimes come in large flocks to my feeder, but usually they come singly or in pairs. When they are on the platform feeder, it is a toss-up whether they will boss a Blue Jay off the feeder. Unless they come in numbers. The Starlings also like the suet feeder and do a pretty good job hanging there.

Introducing Laney Hess

2012-02-09T18:17:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, Ben and I went down to Bloomington Animal Shelter in search for a new family member... a dog! We had originally thought we might get a puppy, but when none of the puppies at the shelter were quite the right fit, we decided to look at a couple adult dogs. When we were looking on Petfinder, "Matilda" looked really sweet and cute to me, so she was one of the dogs we requested to see. After much consideration over all the dogs we saw, we decided to adopt "Matilda" who we have now named Laney! Laney is a lab mix and is about two years old. It is very apparent that she was someone's pet before, even though she was brought to the shelter as a stray. She is very attentive and takes correction pretty well. She is super sweet and loving, and she is already house trained and hardly ever barks. We don't know much more about her past, but we hope she will have a long future with us! Here are some pictures:

Laney on the drive home from the shelter.

Getting her belly rubbed. She loves attention!

After a walk on the Pennsy Trail.

She is very interested in Kelso. She is not sure why we have a "squirrel" in our house! Kelso doesn't seem to mind her much and feels safe in his cage.

She is such a cutie! We love the contrast of her white chest streak against her black fur.

One last side note: We were very impressed with the Bloomington Animal Shelter. If you are looking to adopt and are in the area, it's a great place to look!

Fez (March 7, 2011 - January 21, 2012)

2012-02-01T14:48:00.001-05:00

Late last month, we said goodbye to one of our pet rats. Fez was one of the two boys in our litter of twelve. He was all black except for a large white streak on his belly. He and his brother Kelso were kept separate from their sisters very early on. Because of this, the two brothers were very close. Fez was not very dominant, even though he was bigger than his brother. His love of food and treats probably contributed a little bit to his size. Fez loved spending time with us. He and his brother always looked forward to their evening play time, when they would bounce around on the couch and play with us. Fez was very easy going and loved getting back scratches. Although he was a little more reserved than Kelso, he loved being with you and was a very social rat. He loved attention and affection, more than the average rat. One of our favorite memories of Fez highlights his love for affection.

One day I (Joy) was holding Kelso in my arms. I was scratching his back, and Kelso was holding still (which is unusual for him). Ben was watching from a distance and we saw Fez walk out of the cage and look up at me petting Kelso. What we saw in Fez’s eyes/mannerisms could only be described as jealousy. It was obvious he wanted to be petted. Next thing we know, Fez jumped over to where I was sitting, and climbed up in my arms. He then proceeded to climb over Kelso so that he was directly on top of him, strategically placed so that he would get petted instead of Kelso!

About a week before Christmas, Ben noticed that Fez had a small tumor under his arm. Unfortunately, it grew rapidly, seeming to double in size every week. We always say that rats get sweeter as they age. Even in his young age, Fez was about as sweet as they come. Maybe somehow he knew that his time with us would be short.

We love you Fezzy, and you are missed!

Click here for more pictures of Fez.

NOCA

2012-01-22T15:02:00.002-05:00

Our resident Cardinals nested in our hedge last summer. We usually only have one pair of Cardinals at a time at the feeder.

Parids

2012-01-21T16:48:00.002-05:00

The Tufted Titmouse and Carolina Chickadee are feeder royalty. I love to watch these little guys. I put bird seed on the kitchen window sill, and both of these birds will come down and eat there. The only other birds that regularly eat on the sill are Juncos.

Bug Guide

2012-01-11T20:15:00.006-05:00

I used bugguide.net for the first time today and was impressed with the how quick and easy it was. I had meant to try it out, since it had been highly recommended. I submitted a picture of some eggs I found on a twig and got a response fairly quickly. Turns out that they were katydid eggs. Check out the site here.

Blue Jay

2012-01-08T00:01:00.000-05:00

Blue Jays are a little bit of a sunflower hog, but they are so pretty that I don't mind. Sometimes they come to the feeder in a band of three or four.

House Finches

2012-01-07T00:01:00.001-05:00

Several male House Finches like to visit my feeder. I haven't seen a female visit yet, though.

Mutinus caninus

2012-01-06T00:01:00.000-05:00

This strange-looking fungus came up in our flowerbed this fall. I had never seen one before...

Mutinus caninus is in the Phallaceae family. The common name is Dog Stinkhorn. Its common name in French, Phallus de Chien, hints at its resemblance. To read more about the etymology of the scientific name, visit its wikipedia page.

Odd Winter Visitor - Chipping Sparrow

2012-01-05T00:01:00.000-05:00

I have taken quite a bit of joy from my bird feeders, when I get to stay home and observe them. I plan to start a series of posts with pictures of some of the visitors, as I happen to catch them on film.

Two tiny sparrows have been hanging out at our feeder through the fall and winter. I do not recall ever seeing Chipping Sparrows this late (or early) in the year. Since I knew Chipping Sparrows don't hang around, I kept trying to make them into other sparrows. Unless the angle is right, you cannot see the red cap. The strong, dark eyeline separates them from our other Spizellas. According to the map in my Sibley, the closest wintering grounds is TN.

Yellowwood State Forest

2012-01-04T17:19:00.002-05:00

Last Wednesday, Dad, Regan, Dylan, and I went for a hike in Brown County around Yellowwood Lake. They seem to be pretty much done with their dredging project, so things are back to normal.

It was a nice, chilly December walk. Here Dylan is showing off his creek-jumping skills.

Father and son, making their way back to the Jackson Creek Trailhead.

The Nutcracker Story (Hess edition)

2011-12-19T10:03:00.005-05:00

I found a Rat King Nutcracker at the store the other day, and had to get it...

Here is Kelso paying homage to the Great Rat King
by kissing his hand.

Fez getting instructions from the Rat King...
Take down the Nutcracker!

Kelso sizing up the enemy. He is almost as tall as the Nutcracker!

Fez is going for the sword and Kelso is taking out his feet!

Success! The Nutcracker is down!
Fez is checking to see if he is still breathing...

The Rats win! The Nutcracker is dead!

The Rat King proudly proclaims the accomplishment of his servants.

The rats posing for their victory photo... Smile for the camera!

And now you know how the Nutcracker Story really ended.

Merry Christmas from Ben and Joy!

Point

2011-12-07T20:47:00.002-05:00

I found this while up near Bluffton. I liked the color.

Mt. Comfort Snowy Owl

2011-12-03T10:50:00.002-05:00

A tip on facebook sent us out looking for a Snowy Owl at Mt. Comfort Airport. He wasn't hard to spot, with the other birders out with scopes. He was sitting on a hanger, and eventually flew to another hanger. We watched him for an hour. None of the photos capture how piercingly yellow his eyes were. He seemed to be going to sleep when we left. We also so American Kestrels, Tundra and Trumpeter Swans, a Northern Harrier, and Ring-billed Gulls.

Red Fox

2011-11-30T19:21:00.004-05:00

We spotted this fox while working in northern Indiana. We followed him for a while in the car. He could sure run fast across the wet, snowy, and muddy fields.

Fall Herp Wrap-up

2011-11-25T16:26:00.007-05:00

I was digging a soil pit on the edge of an agricultural field near Crawfordsville, IN, when this Western Chorus Frog caught my eye. I thought it was interesting to see it outside of breeding season.

I run across Spring Peepers quite regularly while walking in the woods, but I less frequently see Wood Frogs. This Wood Frog was near beautiful wooded wetland in south central Michigan.

This Gray Treefrog seems to be transitioning from green to gray. Maybe that is the color it wanted to be. It would have been fun to observe to see if it was changing and in which direction.

A Gray Treefrog rests on a Boneset leaf.

This full Garter Snake was relaxing on an island in the Kalamazoo River.

This large (~5')snake was out on a warm October day on reclaimed mine land near Terre Haute. I didn't get a great look at it before it disappeared, but I am pretty sure it was a Black Rat Snake*.

*Much thanks to Kelly for his identification of this Racer. I stared at pictures for a while without coming to anything definitive. It was quite a large Racer.

Deam Oak

2011-11-14T19:45:00.002-05:00

The Deam Oak just north of Bluffton.
Quite an impressive Hoosier.
Search Plants Database for Deam

Autumn Rats

2011-11-03T13:40:00.006-04:00

A lack of posts for October doesn't represent an absence of activity, but rather the opposite. We took some fall pictures of the rats before Halloween, but we hadn't gotten to them to post. We let all seven of the girls play on the porch, followed by the boys. Some of them enjoy getting to explore more than others. Louie is by far the most intrepid explorer for all the rats. While quite cautious, she'll nevertheless go anywhere she can. Since she weighs barely anything and is quite strong, she can get places, too. Belle and Maple are the next most outgoing. Emi is the most retiring. Of the boys, Kelso wants to go everywhere and Fez would rather stay. Given their size, they aren't as much of a handful, though.

One of the girls checking out a pumpkin.

Buttercup

Maple on the straw bale.

Louie pausing for a brief second

One of the black girls (Mishka, Belle, or Oreo). Probably Belle.

Likely Belle peaking over the pumpkin.

Emi cautiously exploring the straw bale.

Fez beside the pumpkin. The size difference between the boys and the girls might not be as obvious in the picture, but it is in person.

Fez behind the pumpkin.

Kelso peaking out from behind the bale.

My favorite picture, Kelso posing as he peers over the pumpkin.

Leaving the Tetons

2011-09-27T00:01:00.001-04:00

Friday was our last day in the park. After a good breakfast at the lodge, we headed south towards Salt Lake City. We stopped at the Snake River overlook on the way.

I liked how this panorama turned out.

String Lake and Jenny Lake

2011-09-26T00:01:00.001-04:00

A herd of Elk viewed from the Willow Flats. The picture was primarily of the mountains, not the elk. If you enlarge the picture, you can see spots in front of the dark shrubs on the left side of the picture.
Mount Moran from the Oxbow. We went to the Oxbow several times early in the morning and in the evening to see wildlife, but never saw anything bigger than a swan.
After I hiked back around Jenny Lake (Joy took the ferry), we went for a walk along String Lake. It was here that we saw our fox.
The afternoon was sunny and warm, so I decided to go for a swim after the hike. The water was much colder than at Moose Falls. I eased in and swam around for a while. It was not the coldest water I have been in, but it certainly wasn't warm. A group of four Germans were swimming next to us, and even though we don't speak German, we all laughed with them at their antics in the cold water.

After my swim, we did the Jenny Lake drive. Here is a view of Cascade Canyon from across the lake.

Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point

2011-09-25T00:01:00.002-04:00

Thursday morning we headed to the Jenny Lake trailhead to hike to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. Jenny Lake sits right at the base of the Teton range, and Hidden Falls and Inspiration point are on the far side of the lake in Cascade Canyon. Here is Cascade Creek.
I believe that this is an Aconitum, or Monk's Hood. This flower was very showy and common in the canyon.

Hidden Falls

I spent more time looking for pikas than at Hidden Falls. I saw a couple, but they did not stay out long enough for me to show them to Joy.
After Hidden Falls, the trail curved around a promontory to Inspiration Point, with a nice view of Jenny Lake.

The view of the peaks for Inspiration Point.

Sitting at Inspiration Point, taking in the view.

It was when we were coming back down from Inspiration Point when we had our moose encounter.

Welcome to Grand Tetons

2011-09-24T14:51:00.003-04:00

Now for some posts to wrap up our vacation from the end of August and beginning of September. We arrived at the Grand Tetons from Yellowstone on Wednesday. There were scattered showers and big clouds, but that did not stop us from taking a picture of the range from every angle presented to us.

The Grand Teton

After setting up our site at the Coulter Bay campground, we went for a drive up Signal Mountain, which presented some nice views of the mountains and Jackson Lake.
There were many trails along Jackson Lake by the campground. Here is Joy on the shoreline, taking in the sun, lake, and mountains.

The sunset on the Grand Teton from our campground

Mesa Falls Marathon

2011-09-19T00:01:00.001-04:00

Part of our vacation was participate in the Mesa Falls Marathon in Ashton, Idaho. The race had been recommended to me by another runner that I talked to last year. Ashton is a small agricultural town in eastern Idaho, straight west of the Tetons and Yellowstone. One of the best things about the marathon was how well it was run. The race is small and rural, but they took care of the runners very well. We took nice (the kind with bathrooms and leg room) chartered buses to the start in the middle of nowhere in the national forest. The race started early (6:30), which was nice. They even let us stay on the bus until the start, so there was no cooling off. It wasn't cold at all for running, maybe in the upper 40's. The first 9+ miles were on empty dirt roads through the national forest. Perfect for relaxing and easing into a pace.

I carried a disposable camera with me while running. The pictures aren't high-quality, but I enjoyed looking at them. The next four miles were along a scenic highway, capped off by the overlook for the Lower Mesa Falls.

After the halfway point, the course turned on to a dirt path that followed along a river. It was scenic. The temps were rising, but it was still pretty comfortable in the woods.

At about mile 17, the course left the path and started to climb out of the valley. This hill lasted three miles and gained about three hundred feet. The hill slowed me down, but it didn't kill me. I came out feeling decent.

We left all shade behind by about mile 19, entering rolling wheat and potato fields.

The sun feels more intense out west to me. It started to get pretty hot and dry. I worked hard to try to keep hydrated and fueled. I spent the last three miles run/walking, but I was still happy to finish with a 4:38. The post race food was nice as well.

Cody, WY towards the Grand Tetons

2011-09-18T00:01:00.000-04:00

When we got cleaned up and settled at Cody, we went out and found some great buffalo burgers and headed to the rodeo. Joy had never been to a rodeo before, so it was fun to take her.
It was a nice evening to sit and watch the sunset behind the mountains. The rodeo was occasionally entertaining. I could have done with less clowns. Nighthawks came out when it got dark and hunted around the lights.
The next day we headed west towards Yellowstone Lake. We had skipped the West Thumb area on the previous drive through, so we stopped to take it in.

A nice massing of Monkeyflower in the thermal area.

Lewis falls was one of our stops on the road south towards the Tetons.

We also took a short walk to Moose Falls, just north of the southern entrance.

When we got there, some folks were swimming down below the falls. It looked too good to pass up. The falls plunged into a deep pool, and you could swim behind the falls into a screened off room. The water was even comfortable after getting used to it.

Sunlight Creek and Dead Indian Pass

2011-09-17T00:01:00.003-04:00

From the Northeast entrance to Yellowstone, we headed towards Cody along the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway.

There was a pull-off at the Sunlight Creek bridge. The bridge and the view was incredible. The bridge is the highest in Wyoming and spans the Sunlight Gorge.

The highway climbs after crossing the gorge up to Dead Indian Pass. I thought this was one of the prettier spots we had visited.

Panoramic

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone to Mamoth to the Lamar Valley

2011-09-16T00:01:00.002-04:00

I went for a short, easy run one evening at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. About five minutes in, I did a double-take to my left. A bright pink snake was along the side of the road. I stopped and knelt down to check it out more closely. I didn't know that Rubber Boa's (Charina bottae) were found at Yellowstone, so I wasn't even sure what it was at first. I picked him up to check out his yellow-green belly. I was so mad that I didn't have my camera, but such is life. I didn't want to move him from his habitat, so I reluctantly put him back and headed on down the road.

(This photo is from the State of Utah Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife Resources site)

I think this is a Metalmark.

After our last morning at the Canyon campground, we had one more trail that we wanted to take by the lower falls. We enjoyed this trail to the brink of the lower falls.
Joy found the only other snake on our trip. This Wandering Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans vagrans) was along the trail to the Sheepeater Cliff. I was a little sad that I didn't get to see Joy's snake dance. ;)

A view from a short trail in the Lamar Valley.

Midway Geyser Basin & Whiskey Flats

2011-09-15T00:01:00.001-04:00

After feeling a little burnt out on geothermal features at Old Faithful, we were glad that we still stopped at the Midway Geyser Basin.
This is Excelsior Geyser. It used to be a geyser, but the whole area exploded leaving a crater. The blue-colored pool was very pretty.

Looking up the boardwalk towards the Grand Prismatic Spring.

Grand Prismatic Spring got my vote for the prettiest pool/hot spring.

A Gray Jay watched us set up for a picnic.

We stopped for a peaceful picnic at the Whiskey Flat picnic area. It was nice to be somewhere that didn't feel like a theme park after being at Old Faithful.

Old Faithful Geyser Basin

2011-09-14T00:01:00.000-04:00

We spent several hours in the Old Faithful area. We were glad to see the sights, but it was crowded, hot, and dry. We had our fill of geothermal features by the time we were done. Here is the Morning Glory Pool. Signs at the pool said that they have to clean out the debris every year from people throwing trash. Hard to imagine.
Gentians blooming in the thermal areas. A lot of the flora around the geysers reminded me of Indiana's fens.

Castle Geyser

Old Faithful

Hayden Valley to Kepler Falls

2011-09-13T00:01:00.003-04:00

Least Chipmunk eating the seeds out of flower.

Dragon's Mouth
We had to wait at the trailhead here for the Bison to move off the trail. I saw some Red Crossbills while I was waiting. They were doing something at a mudhole. I had wanted to see this feature since I remembered it as a boy. It was still very cool and easy to imagine a large dragon inside the cave.

A curious Red Squirrel. We enjoyed watching squirrels and chipmunks.

A Spiranthes orchid growing in a sedge meadow on the way to Natural Bridge.

Natural Bridge was a cool feature down a one mile trail. It made for a nice walk.

Kepler Falls was located just east of the Old Faithful area.

Hayden Valley Bison Herd

2011-09-12T00:01:00.002-04:00

Before going to Yellowstone, I would have thought a traffic jam for a Bison herd would be a cliche experience; tourists gawking at the last vestiges of a once mighty species. First-hand, it was a very fun and fascinating experience.

The Bison herd was quite large and was very unconcerned by the vehicles on the road. The herd was crossing the road, coming up from the Yellowstone River. All we could do was to wait patiently for the herd amble on.

They were so close to the vehicle at times that we could have reached out and smacked their backside. We somehow managed to restrain ourselves.

We were amazed at a guy in the car in front of us who got out and walked along with the Bison. I thought we were going to see some natural selection in action.

It was hard to describe the sounds these guys made. Definitely not 'mooing'. Closer to a rumbling snort. I liked this big guy sticking his tongue out.

Hayden Valley

2011-09-11T00:01:00.001-04:00

Monday morning we headed south from the canyon towards Yellowstone Lake, crossing the Hayden valley. Seeing a mass of humanity parked at an overlook, we stopped to see what was their focus.
A gallery of spotting scopes and high-powered cameras were all pointing off into the distance. In the top picture, between the Yellowstone River and the dark green of the woods is a bison carcass. Joy took these pictures through a spotting scope.
A Grizzly Bear with two cubs stand over the kill. According to bystanders, the wolf pack took down the Bison the day before, and the bear drove them off in the morning. We could see some of the wolves skulking around waiting.

Bison herd in the Hayden valley

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone - Artist's Point and Inspiration Point

2011-09-10T00:01:00.001-04:00

Lower Falls from Inspiration Point

Three Osprey chicks on a nest in the canyon. Many Osprey were hunting up and down the river.

Looking down the canyon from Inspiration Point on the north rim.

Morning mist rises from the Yellowstone River just upstream of the upper falls.

We enjoyed Artist's Point so much on Sunday evening, that we decided to come back early in the morning. It was fun to see it just after sunrise and we had the overlook to ourselves.

Sunrise on the lower falls

A Bison along the road on the way to Artist's Point.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone - Upper Falls Brink to Uncle Tom's Trail

2011-09-09T00:01:00.002-04:00

Sunday evening we stopped by the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone to see it around sunset. Joy loved the falls and the canyon.

View of the upper falls. We hiked down to the brink of the upper falls. It is very powerful to see, hear, and feel the water plunging over the edge. Hard to capture on film, though.
Joy near the top of Uncle Tom's Trail. Joy found the inner reserves to make it down and back up all of the 328 steps.
Stairs and more stairs. They actually could make it longer, since it doesn't extend all the way to the bottom of the falls.
The lower falls from near the bottom of the trail.
The next two photos are views down the canyon from near the top of the stairs.

Canyon Junction to Tower Falls

2011-09-08T00:01:00.001-04:00

Sunday, after setting up camp at the Canyon Campground, we decided to just do part of the northern loop in Yellowstone. Heading north towards Mt. Washburn, I had to turn back around to check out our first Bison. We eventually had our fill of Bison and didn't feel the need to stop and look at every single one we saw, but these were our first in the park. Later, we'd feel like veterans passing the newbies pulled over for a single Bison.

We didn't have time to do the Mt. Washburn trail. That will have to stay on my list for the future. We did stop and scan the hillside for Grizzlies, since we had heard it was a likely spot to see them. It was scenic even without a bear.

Tower Falls

A herd of Elk was grazing in the valley near Canyon junction.

Ashton to Yellowstone

2011-09-07T00:01:00.003-04:00

Sunday we left Ashton, ID and headed to Yellowstone NP via the West Yellowstone entrance. I think this Campanula is C. rotundifolia. It was one of the most prolific blooms throughout the park. (along with the Asters.)
Once we got into the park, we pulled off at the trailhead for Harlequin Lake to stretch our legs. An Osprey was calling from a nest along the Madison River. I was excited for wildlife, so I was scanning everything with my binoculars, when I looked at the dark green bulrush patch in the center of the picture.
Amazingly, two moose (calves?) were hiding in the bulrushes. Their flicking ears caught my attention first. One raised its head up for a brief moment.
A nice view of Harlequin Lake. No Harlequin Ducks, though, which are supposed to breed at the park.
We took a detour to see Firehole Falls on the Firehole River. Waterfalls were a guaranteed stop on our trip.
A Raven at our picnic spot. The crowds were not bad at Yellowstone. Of course it was busy at the main attractions, but we usually could find a picnic area to ourselves.

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel

Gibbon Falls

Idaho Waterfalls

2011-09-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday afternoon we drove around the Ashton, ID area to check out some waterfalls. The first one that we stopped at was Cave Falls. Cave Falls is actually located in Yellowstone, but it is not accessible by road from the main part of the park.

This Western Admiral landed in a pine briefly while we were hiking up to the falls overlook.

Another view of Cave Falls. The cave that lends its name to the falls is immediately left of the falls. It was closed due to several rock falls in the area, so we didn't get to check out the cave. It was a shame, but the falls were still pretty in their own right.

Here is a view looking down on the 65' tall Lower Mesa Falls. There wasn't any official way to get closer. It was quite tempting to try to find a way. The Mesa Falls Marathon ran past this overlook.

Upper Mesa Falls is taller (114') and wider (200') than the lower, but is a simpler waterfall. There was a park by the falls with several paths and overlooks, including one right on the brink of the falls. There was even a wedding on one of the overlooks earlier in the day. I don't know how anyone could have heard the service, but maybe that was all right.

Salt Lake City to Ashton

2011-09-05T17:42:00.003-04:00

We flew into Salt Lake City on Thursday and headed up towards Pocatello, ID. We stopped at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (UT) to stretch our legs. The facility was very nice, but it wasn't a good time for birds. Some ibis and cormorants flew over, and some young coots were in the marsh. Seeing a flock of Bank Swallows perched on a power line was a highlight for me. (I find it very challenging to see detail on a swallow in flight.)

Close-up of a Thistle flower

After spending the night in Pocatello and running around the Idaho State University campus, we headed towards the black canyon of the Bear River, near Grace, ID.

The river is popular for its rapids, with a class 5 rapids and a class 4 run overall.

After heading northeast to Alpine, WY, we followed the Snake River back towards Rexburg, ID. This view of the Snake River was from an overlook along US26

Grand Teton Red Fox

2011-09-04T20:36:00.005-04:00

Later in the day, we drove to the String Lake trailhead at the Grand Teton National Park. While driving, Joy spotted this gorgeous dark morph Red Fox. I snapped a couple pictures, but the fox disappeared into the woods.

We hiked around the String Lake area, before running into the same fox again, further down the trail. This time, I could get some closer pictures. I had not seen any other color phases of Red Foxes before, so it was a treat to see this one. He was obviously used to people, but he was still fairly wary and soon headed off into the woods.

Joy by the String Lake trail.

Moose!

2011-09-03T11:44:00.001-04:00

Joy and I had a great time exploring Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Look for more blog posts here shortly as we process our pictures.

While staying at the Grand Teton National Park, we took a hike around Jenny Lake to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. To get back down from Inspiration Point, we took a less traveled trail towards the boat dock. I had just thought, 'Lord, open my eyes and show me something incredible', when I looked up and saw a moose standing there about thirty feet away!

Joy was up ahead of me on the trail a short bit. I called her and she came back and we watched as the cow started lumbering towards us. We stood still and just watched as she crossed the trail and nonchalantly headed off down the hill.

Blue Racer

2011-08-17T15:55:00.003-04:00

I found this guy at Eagle Creek this morning. Every time I find a board or piece of roofing that could shelter a snake, I like to see what might be underneath. This guy proved to be too quick, but I got a blurry picture in before he took off. Blue Racers (Coluber constrictor foxii) are quite attractive snakes.

Platanthera lacera

2011-08-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

I hear that Green Fringed Orchid is one of the more weedy and common orchids in northern Indiana, but this was the first time that I had seen it in bloom. I ran across this one on the edge of a mesic woods in LaPorte County.

Bird Feeder

2011-08-07T10:48:00.002-04:00

We have been enjoying our hawk feeder out the kitchen window. We stock it mostly with House Sparrows. Several times we have seen a Cooper's Hawk come to the feeder. This guy landed in the Crab Apple right beside the feeder. I enjoy seeing them come around.

We also get some Cardinals, Chickadees, Mourning Doves, Chipping Sparrows, Song Sparrows, House Finches, and Catbirds coming to the feeder.

Oatmeal for breakfast

2011-08-03T00:01:00.000-04:00

Almost every morning, Ben has oatmeal for breakfast. After he is finished, he graciously shares his bowl with the girls. They love licking out bowls, and are often waiting for Ben's bowl in the morning. One morning, Ben left a little more oatmeal in the bowl that he usually does, so I took some pictures while they were all gathered around it. They look like little pigs around a trough.

The Ratmobile

2011-08-02T14:12:00.006-04:00

The rats love playing in boxes. We had one box that they would peek out of and it looked like they were sitting in a car. So Ben thought it would be fun to make a box that looked like a bus. So I accepted the challenge and constructed a vehicle for them. The end result turned out to be more like a van then a bus, but it is still fun and the girls love playing in it!

"Hey! Out of the way! We're trying to drive here!!"

Buttercup taking the van for a spin.

View of the side of the van.

Back of the van, complete with a custom license plate.

"Stupid crosswalks! When will this light change!?"

Emi looks so cute behind the wheel. :)

"Hey, do you know how to get to the Cheesecake Factory?"

Stemonitis

2011-08-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

I was walking through a bush honeysuckle infested area near Cincinnati (That will help narrow down my location.) when I spied this growing on a dead tree. I had never seen anything like it before. It looked like a brown koosh ball. The strands were very thin near the base. I did not touch it, but blew on it instead, producing a puff of spores. I thought it must be some kind of fungus. Later, Dr. Ruch corrected me, it is a slime mold from the genus Stemonitis. At one point, I would have been correct calling a slime mold a fungus, but now they are considered part of the kingdom Protista.

Great Basin Flowers part 10

2011-07-31T00:01:00.001-04:00

I figure this will probably wrap up the Great Basin Flower series. There were many more flowers, but I hit the highlights. I also didn't want to do consecutive flower posts.
Hydrophyllum capitatum was growing along the road to the Success Summit, north of Cave Lake state park.

Lithophragma was growing with the Balsalmroot near the Mather Overlook in the NP.

All week in the valley I kept looking for the prickly pear to be flowering. Found it along the road to the NP in Snake Valley.

This was one of the more interesting shrubs in the valley. It wasn't ever abundant, but individuals would be scattered. Tetradymia canescens or horsebrush

I find I like Zigadenus more just because it is called Death Camas.

Western Fence Lizard

2011-07-30T00:01:00.000-04:00

Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) or Blue-bellies were more common in June than in May. (Conversely, the Sagebrush Lizards were everywhere, even when the air temps were only slightly above 40.) I ran across this large fellow perched on top of a rock face looking out over the Steptoe Valley towards the setting sun.

I had spent the evening hiking up the Twisted Pines trail at Cave Lake. This fence lizard was near my turn-around point. Here is a decent map of the area that I just found.

This large fence lizard was at Great Basin NP. It seemed to be posing by the flowers.

Great Basin Flowers part 9

2011-07-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

I'll try not to stretch out this flower series too far, but there are still a lot of flower species that I want to share.

We first saw Townsendia in the valley at the beginning of May, but it was pretty common during my June trip. It looked like a very short daisy.

Stanleya pinnata (Showy Prince's Plume) grew in the southern part of the valley in which we were working, where the soil was a little more sandy, and usually near the Astragalus toanus. Quite a pretty mustard.

Globe Mallow was one of the first flowers that I noticed while driving west on I80 from Salt Lake City, the brilliant orange stood out even at highway speeds. Sphaeralcea always looked pretty as a splash of color from a distance.

The next two flower species, Mentzelia (above) and Malacothrix (below) were two of the common yellow flowers in the valley. Although they look nothing alike, it was a challenge at first to keep both names in my head at the same time. One name would drive the other out of my head.

Mentzelia was much smaller than Malacothrix, which reminded me of hawkweed back home.

Twenty-one species of Erigeron have been reported for White Pine County, NV. We saw several species, and all were quite cute.

Great Basin Snakes

2011-07-28T00:01:00.002-04:00

I was excited about the prospect of visiting Nevada when there might be snakes out. Sure enough, everyone was around was talking about how they were seeing rattlesnakes every day, and how careful we'd have to be. I looked under many a promising bush, drove slowly along the roads scanning the shoulders, all to no avail. I never got to see the Great Basin Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis lutosis) alive. I did see one road killed specimen.

Here is another road kill specimen, the gorgeous Great Basin Gophersnake (Pituophis cantifer). I heard that they were common, but we only saw roadkill. One snake did take off through the brush while we were walking in the valley, and we think it was this guy.

The last day, while driving to the airport, I found this Wandering Gartersnake (Thamnophis elegans) on the road. I took some pictures, and then relocated it to a safer place.

Some people would agree with this photo. ;)

Great Basin Flowers part 8

2011-07-27T00:01:00.002-04:00

I liked the common and scientific name for this flower; Chaenactis or Dustymaidens. Might be C. douglasii.

Ephedra viridis (Mormon Tea) in bloom.

This Monkeyflower was tiny! Mimulus suksdorfii was apparently named after the botanist Wilhelm Suksdorf.

The plant couldn't have been more than an inch tall.

Kirch Lizards

2011-07-26T00:01:00.000-04:00

While visiting a Parish Phacelia site near the Kirch WMA south of Lund, Nevada, I got to see several lizards that I never saw in Spring Valley. (I believe the name of the playa was Sunnyside playa, named after the nearby town.)

The first two pictures are of a Great Basin Whiptail (Cnemidophorus tigris), I believe. These guys were everywhere throughout the valley.

The last two pictures are of a Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii), I believe. The whiptail looks like it has a longer nose, but common names can be like that. I only found one of these guys. More information can be found here.

Great Basin Flowers part 7

2011-07-25T00:01:00.002-04:00

This Calochortus was the only Mariposa lily we saw blooming in the valley.

Several plants seemed to have the strategy of having ground-hugging leaves that were very curly-edged. This is Glyptopleura marginata.

Probably the showiest flower in the foothills of the Schell Creek range was this showy Penstemon. The flower stalks were up to 2 feet tall, with a large incredible blue flower.

We saw several species of this Jewelflower or Streptanthus. What an interesting mustard. There was one that grew in the valley and a different one in the hills.

Great Basin Grab Bag 2

2011-07-24T00:01:00.002-04:00

On the Friday before we left, we drove on up to Rose Guano Cave to spend the evening and watch the sun start to set across the valley. Up to the left of the cave is an arch, and I wanted to visit it. No rock climbing was needed, but it was still a steep slope covered with loose rocks. I didn't realize how high the arch was above the cave. I passed several White-throated Swift nests, whose screaming cry added a nice ambiance. The Cliffrose was blooming along the way, and Saxifrage was blooming under the arch.

This wide angle shot show where the arch is in relation to the cave. When I got up under the arch, I realized that I could continue up through the passage into a small box canyon that kept sloping up. When I got to the end of the box canyon, I realized that I could just scramble up some rocks and be on the ledge that was level with the top of the arch. The drop down towards the arch was impressive enough, but it didn't compare to the drop in the other direction. While I was up on this ledge, I heard a falcon calling. Carefully looking up (since I was standing on a narrow rock) I saw a Peregrine falcon fly to its nest! I watched them for a while and enjoyed the location before coming down.

A view of the mountains from the campgrounds at ten thousand feet in the NP.

A strange fungi that was growing in the alpine forest. It was glowing orange.

A rushing stream along the Timber Creek trail.

Great Basin Flowers part 6

2011-07-23T00:01:00.001-04:00

This milkvetch is Astragalus toanus. There were a lot of different milkvetches in the area. This one was probably the third most common in our section of Spring Valley. I have been told that it is a selenium indicator. It grew primarily on the far southern end of the project.

This Balsalmroot (Balsamorhiza hookeri) and the one following were both growing near the Mather overlook at the national park.

Balsamorhiza serrata had similar flowers, but quite different leaves.

This hedgehog cactus was growing along the entrance to the park. I took quite a many photos. Bees would just disappear into the flowers and come out covered with pollen. You can just make out one in the last picture.

Aspens and Bluebells

2011-07-22T00:01:00.001-04:00

While hiking along the Timber Creek trail in the Great Basin National Park last month, I came upon a stream valley that was full of aspens that were just leafing out above masses of bluebells. The sun was setting, and everywhere I looked was breathtakingly beautiful. Several rushing mountain streams converge in the area near Baker Creek trailhead. It would have been nice to stay there a while, but the sun was setting... The photos do not capture the spirit of the place, but I still like them. You need to add soaring peaks, the sound of snowmelt streams, and a sunset to start to get the full effect.

Great Basin Flowers part 5

2011-07-21T00:01:00.000-04:00

The onion flowers were fairly uncommon throughout the valley, so it was fun to find them. I've been told that the identification comes down to the pattern on the skin around the bulb. These top two pictures could be the same species, or they could be different. Still, they are pretty only if I know the genus. ;)

Saskatoon Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) was fairly common along streams. It was no where as near as common as the chokecherries though. I didn't get to try the fruit to see if it was as good as our juneberries.

I don't know which Arctostaphylos or bearberry this is. It was blooming at at 10,000 feet on Mount Wheeler.

I think this pricklypoppie is Argemone munita. It was blooming outside the entrance to the NP.

Mama Mishka

2011-07-20T15:47:00.005-04:00

Even though you have already "met" Mishka, I wanted to have another individual post for her. When we first adopted Mishka she was very pregnant, so it was sort of hard to get to know her right away. From the start, she seemed very timid and submissive, but sweet. It has been fun to watch her personality grow. Mishka (or Mama) is still very sweet, but she has become less timid as she has gotten to know us more. We were wondering if she would be dominated by her baby girls, because she seemed so submissive at first, but she is actually one of the more dominating rats. Mama has quite a personality. She is usually one of the first to come to you when you open the cage door, and she loves getting treats. She even waits for Ben's oatmeal bowl in the morning and often boxes out the other rats in an effort to have the bowl all to herself. She loves stashing things and will take almost anything you offer her, including rocks and coins. We have never had a stasher like her. Another funny thing is that she sleeps really hard. When she was nursing the babies, we would often find her stretched out in the cage, almost looking like she was dead (which was very alarming!), but she would just be asleep! Nursing 12 babies was a lot of hard work! But even now, she is still hard to wake up at times. Now that her babies are as big as her, we can only tell them apart from either their personalities or their belly markings. It is amazing how different rats can be!

Mama peeking out from the cage.

Hanging out in the little cage. She would often retreat there for some peace and quiet.

Mishka's handiwork- she lined up these rocks in a row!

Looking around.

Exploring. Her little prance is cute.

Showing off her belly markings.

Saying hi to the camera.

Great Basin Grab Bag

2011-07-13T20:17:00.003-04:00

Here are some random pictures from around the valleys. I was in the habit of flipping cow patties while walk around the valley just to see what I could find. Sometimes I would find a scorpion if I was lucky. One time, I found this bizarre creature. I had never seen a Jerusalem Cricket before. Pretty cool looking. Apparently, people do not like these potato bugs.

I do not usually notice 'arrowheads' while walking around. This stood out to me. It took some discipline to follow the BLM requirement that artifacts remain in place. Quite a beautiful piece.

Another view of Wheeler from Spring Valley.

A view out across Comins Lake in the morning.

I kept looking during the whole trip to find the prickly pear blooming. I found this Opuntia polycantha along the road in Snake Valley.

Great Basin Flowers part 4

2011-07-12T00:01:00.000-04:00

These were all flowers that were blooming in hillsides above the valley.
The Paintbrush was still in all its glory in June. Especially when the setting sun would catch the bracts.

After seeing the bush during winter and reading about it, I was looking forward to seeing it in flower. This is Cliffrose (Cowania mexicana). This one was blooming up by Rose Guano Cave.

This buckwheat (Eriogonum cespitosum) was common up the Twisted Pines trail at Cave Lake State Park.

I was hiking back down the mountain at Cave Lake, trying to beat the sunset, when I spied this little lily on the trail. I had never seen it before. After finding the first one, my eyes were opened and I realized that they were everywhere. They sure don't stand out at first. This graceful lily is Fritillaria atropurpurea.

This Broomrape (Orobanche fasiculata)is a parasite on the roots of sagebrush.

Pole Canyon

2011-07-11T19:37:00.004-04:00

I am getting behind blogging the latest Nevada trip. On my last Saturday, we all went to the national park to get in some hiking, botanizing, and birding. It was a glorious day, but my coworkers decided to leave by four o'clock. That seemed like a great time for a six mile hike to me. The evening hours were beautiful and I had the trail to myself. The first half was continuous uphill through Pole Canyon. Near the top of the canyon, the valley opened up onto an alpine meadow. I even caught a glance of an elk. Somehow, he was much more majestic encountering him here than seeing one from a vehicle.

Firecracker Penstemon (Penstemon eatonii) was blooming profusely at the bottom of Pole Canyon.

A wide angle shot of where the elk was grazing.

Catching sight through the aspens.

Looking back down into the valley before climbing out over the ridge to Timber Creek.

Marmot Babies

2011-07-04T00:01:00.000-04:00

As I was heading back from my hike at the Great Basin National Park, I spotted a lone Yellow-bellied Marmot sitting up on a rock pile by the road. He seemed to be just enjoying the sunset. I stopped to watch for a while and four popped out. They must have felt pretty secure in their rock pile, since they let met get a road's width away as I passed on by. This sign was a little further down the road.

Great Basin Flowers part 3

2011-07-03T00:01:00.001-04:00

As we moved across the playa wetlands where the Parish Phacelia was growing, we came to an emergent wetland community. Aquilegia formosa was blooming beside some open water. Two photos of the same flower from different angles.

I believe this shooting star is Dodecatheon pulchellum. There were so many of them that they turned the marsh purple/pink.

I believe this heliotrope is Heliotropium curassavicum. Gorgeous little flowers.

We were excited to find this member of the Hydrophyllacea. I believe this is Hesperochiron pumilus. It was growing in the open part of the wetland.

This Monkeyflower was blooming beside the Columbine in the wetland. I believe this is Mimulus guttatus. As with all of these flowers, feel free to comment with ID corrections.

Introducing Kelso

2011-07-02T00:01:00.002-04:00

Kelso is our brown agouti rat and the lone brother of Fez. He and Fez get a long really well. It is sweet to see them cuddle together and groom each other. They hardly ever fight, but will occasionally play wrestle. Kelso's fur is so soft and handsome. He enjoys rearranging the bedding in his cage and sleeping in his hammock. He is usually a little more energetic (than Fez) and loves to bounce around on your lap. He also enjoys exploring new places.

Baby Kelso

Ready to go!

Chillin' in the sock hammock.

Waving at the camera.

Begging to be picked up.

Exploring the mantle.

Acting shy.

Great Basin Birds part 2

2011-07-02T00:01:00.001-04:00

On this latest trip to Nevada, nesting birds were in full swing. Even without actively looking for them, we found quite a few nests, like this one belonging to a Brewers Sparrow. The nests were very expertly hidden, but we knew there was a nest nearby if we saw a bird scuttling off along the ground furtively.

This Golden Eagle was sitting on the entrance drive up to the Great Basin National Park. After he flew off, I got to watch a raven chase him around.

I enjoy getting to see swallows up close and sitting still. Especially Cliff Swallows. Commins Lake usually had quite a mix of swallows scooping up insects.

Introducing Fez

2011-07-01T00:01:00.004-04:00

When Mishka had her babies, she had two boys out of 12 babies. We were a little surprised that the boys were so out numbered, but we were glad that we at least had a pair, so they could keep each other company. We hoped that we might be able to find a good home for the boys, but alas, we couldn't, so we ended up keeping them too. I am glad we did, because it would have been hard to give up two sweet, pudgy boys. In the past, we have had both girl and boy rats (at separate times) so we were already aware of the differences in the genders. Now, having both genders side by side, their differences even more apparent. The boys are much more lazy and tend to sleep more. The girls are crazy hyper and much more active, but both genders are fun in their own way.

Fez is our black boy. He is the bigger of the two, and because of that, he is a little more dominant. But he is very subdued and not too bossy when it comes to his lone brother. He enjoys sleeping in his hammock and getting an occasional neck rub. He is not very adventurous, but does enjoy chasing my hand.

I am not positive this is Fez, but it sort of looks like him. For some reason, I don't have a baby pic that shows his belly. :(

Fez playing on the table.

Showing off his handsome belly markings.

Making a cute pose.

Snacking on some cheerios.

Look at how big he is now!

Great Basin Flowers part 2

2011-07-01T00:01:00.001-04:00

Here are some of the common plants that we would see in Spring Valley. Of course there is a lot of Sagebrush and Greasewood. Some Saltbrush and Winterfat. But the Spiny Hopsage (Grayia spinosa) sure was attractive this time of year with its red bracts.

T
here is quite the diversity of Astragalus species out in the Great Basin. This one was fairly common and widely distributed throughout the area. It was fun to look at the different patterns on the pods. Some where all red, some green, and many in between.

One of the more common native grasses was Elymus elymoides, or Squirreltail. The scientific name always made me wonder. Of course it is an 'elymus-like elymus'.

This Eriogonum (ovalifolium) was one of the more common ones in the valley. It was very short, but the flowering heads were very showy. A rough count of Eriogonum species (Polygonaceae) in Nevada totals 82 species.

This was one of the highly-invasive species in the valley, Halogeton glomeratus or Saltlover. It thrived on disturbance, and would grow along two-tracks and in cattle-trampled areas, forming thick mats. Initially, careful attention had to be paid to tell this from fresh sprouts of Greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus) and from young Tumbleweed (Salsola tragus). Halogeton has a spiny tip to the leaves.

Great Basin Birds part 1

2011-06-30T00:01:00.001-04:00

We had been watching this Raven pair for quite a while this spring. They had all ready had a clutch fail. This one seems to be doing pretty well. Those nestling ravens look almost full size, and could beg quite loudly.

Kestrels seem pretty skittish when cameras are around, so I always appreciate a chance to take a picture that doesn't have sky for a bright sky for background.

I have seen Western Tanagers previously, but they still captivate my attention whenever one flies by. This guy was singing in the evening while I was finishing up my hike at the Great Basin National Park. He even obliged by staying put while I climbed steep hillside so that I could look across at him.

Great Basin Flowers part 1

2011-06-29T08:59:00.010-04:00

Scarlet Gilia was a car-stopper kind of flower. Driving across the valley towards the cedar swamps, we spotted this flower growing in the playa/wetlands. I think I took a picture of every clump I came across. Now it is considered to be Ipomopsis aggregata instead of Gilia.

Here is our target plant in all of its glory, Phacelia parishii. This annual grows in dry, crumbly-soil lake beds. We got to see it at two sites. Where the conditions were right, it was abundant this year. Some years it never comes up.

A view of a playa covered with the phacelia. A very tall plant might have been 3" tall.

Allenrolfea occidentalis is a shrub from the Chenopodiaceae family. Named Iodine Bush, it grows in saline playas. We found this shrub everywhere we found Parish's Phacelia. I was curious about the genus, apparently it was named for an English botanist by the name of Robert Allen Rolfe.

Great Basin Mammals

2011-06-28T18:43:00.002-04:00

I am a little late on sharing pictures from my Nevada trip in the middle of June. It was great to get to go back and see everything in its spring glory.

One morning, while driving through the valley, I spotted this badger walking along side the road. I stopped the truck and scrambled like mad to get my camera out and taking photos. Apparently, badgers respond to pishing as well, turning his head, before disappearing into the cheatgrass.

Jack rabbits still acted like jack rabbits, occasionally allowing very close approach. Maybe because there were multiple people, they didn't know what to do. I liked this photo, because it looks like the jack isn't aware of me.

I got a closer look at a Rock Squirrel up in the national park.

Introducing Oreo

2011-06-23T21:19:00.004-04:00

Oreo is another one of our black sweeties. She looks a lot like Belle, but her white belly marking is a little bit longer than Belle's, and Oreo has a white tip on her tail (like her mama). We named her Oreo because when you hold her sideways, her fur sort of looks like an Oreo. When she was younger, I loved to pick her up and rub her soft belly. She would relax and go limp in my hands and let me pet her. Even now, she is still pretty calm when I pick her up. Oreo is sweet and submissive, but she is also very fast and loves to chase my hand when we are playing.

Oreo at 16 days.

Being sweet and shy in the corner.

Showing off her "double stuffed Oreo" belly.

A cute close-up shot.

Introducing Maple

2011-06-22T13:39:00.004-04:00

Maple is our brown agouti girl. When she was a baby, she was a little pudgy and her fur was super soft. She still has a soft pudgy belly even as an adult. We think that might have something to do with the fact that she loves to eat! We named her Maple because her brown agouti fur reminded us of tree bark and nature, and she is sweet like maple syrup! She is sort of a loner and usually the last rat to come when called. I often find her sleeping by herself in a tube or small nest, but she also seems to spend a lot of time with Emi too.

Maple at 16 days old.

Maple in the sock tube hanging out with her buddy Emi.

You can see her pudgy belly in the picture. It's so soft too!

Cutie face.

One last pose.

Introducing Louisiana

2011-06-18T22:45:00.005-04:00

Louisiana (or Louie) is one of the first rats we named. In the beginning, we would distinguish them all by some physical characteristic, since we didn't want to give them official names until we knew which ones we were keeping. There were two blond hoodies in our liter, and Ben called Louie, "Louisiana" because her markings on her back looked like the state Louisiana. Once we determined that we were going to keep her, the name just stuck. Louie is a rat that likes to be on the go. She is usually the first to come to you and the first to investigate something new. She is definitely the leader of the pack.

Louie at 9 days old.

Such a cutie and a little more fuzzy at 23 days.

All grow up, but you can still see "Louisiana" on her back.

Here she is begging to be picked up to go somewhere!

Let's go!

Introducing Emi

2011-06-16T21:54:00.003-04:00

Emi is a very special rat. In the past, we have always picked out hooded rats, so they hold a special place in our hearts. When Mishka had her babies, she had only one dark hooded rat out of 12 pups. So very early on, Emi was one of our favorites. The name Emi means "blessed with beauty," which fit our sweet agouti hoodie perfectly. She is very submissive and enjoys getting her ears rubbed. Although she is a little lower on the totem pole in our mischief of rats, she gets plenty of treats, since she is such a cutie!

Emi at 18 days old

Her beauty marks.

Another sweet pic at 24 days old

All grown up!

Introducing Buttercup

2011-06-14T16:29:00.003-04:00

Buttercup is our solid blond rat. She was named Buttercup because of her buttery coloring and her sweet personality. From the moment the rats could crawl up our arms, Buttercup would always be the first on your shoulder and the last out of your sleeve. She loves to be with you.

Baby Buttercup. This was before her eyes opened. So cute.

One of her favorite spots.

Playing on the rope.

Begging to be picked up.

Introducing Belle

2011-06-13T17:19:00.004-04:00

So remember awhile ago, when we brought home a pregnant rat and had 12 baby rats? Well, we were able to find a home for 4 of them (Thanks Jen!), so that left us with 9 rats. Not exactly the number we were hoping to be left with, but now that they are 3 months old, we have named them all and claimed them as our own. It would be hard to give them up now that we have gotten to know them! So... we wanted to introduce them all to you!

First up is Belle, also known as Belly. She obtained this name very early on because of the white marking on the lower part of her stomach. When she was little, it made her look like a little teddy bear. She is a little shy, but very sweet. She loves being with her sisters and adores Mama (Mishka). She follows Mishka everywhere.

Belly's belly when she was little.

She loves cheerios!

What a sweet smile.

This is what her belly marking looks like now. It almost looks like a little white bear.

More introductions coming soon!

Bell's Vireo

2011-06-06T10:10:00.002-04:00

Bell's Vireo is a bird species that I am not too familiar with. They are more common to the west of Indiana in the plains states. I was down in Pike County on Friday, and one area had a large number of them singing from the scrub. I recognized the song, but I did not have my binoculars with me. The photos just helped to confirm the identification.

The best birthday presents are pets!

2011-06-03T14:43:00.007-04:00

Last time we were in Columbus, we celebrated my nephew James' birthday. Since we aren't typically around to celebrate each of my nieces' and nephew's birthday, I usually give them all birthday presents at one time. This year our presents had a theme... RATS! :) Since we had plenty of baby rats to give away, my sister decided to take four of them! One for each kid, plus one for herself! :) The rats were definitely a hit!

Celebrating James!

Silly pose!

I love this picture! They all look so happy! I wish I would have video taped them opening their rat themed presents. They were thrilled! Who knew a jar of cheerios and a toilet paper pyramid would be so exciting!

Here they are with their new pet rats!

The kids made lots of clubhouses for the rats to play in.

Hide out for Rats Only!

So excited to have a rat of her very own!

Great Basin Grab Bag

2011-05-16T10:32:00.005-04:00

This post has no theme other than photos I liked from my visit to Nevada. Whenever I could fit in time after work and running to go hiking, I would head up to Cave Lake State Park. On the evening I took this picture, the wind whistling through the pines and junipers died down for a couple minutes, I could hear silence.

View of the hill where Rose Guano Cave is located.

One of the butterflies I got to look at up close. I also saw what looked like Cabbage Whites, Mourning Cloaks, and Question Marks, in addition to little brown butterflies that I have no experience with.

This is the Snake Creek Road in Great Basin National Park where I saw the above butterfly.

I was excited to find an honest-to-goodness scorpion my last week. The little guy mostly wanted to get away and find somewhere dark. I was snapping the picture, looking at the camera, then I looked down at my hand and he was gone. That was a little disconcerting. I shook out my sleeve and my glove, and looked around, but I couldn't find him again.

The infamous raven pair, nesting in on a transmission pole.

Here is a photo Brad took of me climbing down from Rose Guano Cave. Climbing up was much easier. Getting down wasn't bad, once I got started.

We knew there were badgers in the valley. We kept finding active burrows and recent excavations, but had not seen a badger. Finally, one of our trail cameras caught this on film.

Great Basin Birds part 3

2011-05-14T00:01:00.002-04:00

A flurry of last minute birding in Nevada netted two more life birds. The Nevada version of the Tufted Titmouse is the Juniper Titmouse (no photo). This bird used to be called the Plain Titmouse, and it is easy to see why. This bird did not raise its short crest.

Townsend's Solitaire

Solitaire posing

View from the trail at Cave Lake State Park on Friday morning. Between 7:30 and 8:00, all the birds started signing. Juncos, Juniper Titmice, Bushtits, Scrub Jays, Mountain Chickadees, Black-throated Gray Warblers, Chipping Sparrows, and Spotted Towhees where all around. Shortly after that, they pretty much all went quiet.

You don't get warblers as a life bird too often. Even before I got a look at the Black-throated Gray Warbler, I was pretty sure that is what it was. They never sat still, and they didn't sing from an exposed perch for more than a couple seconds. This guy landed in front of me, but the autofocus didn't work. Still, it shows the gorgeous plumage.

I had seen my first Bushtit at the Great Basin National Park, but I did not get a picture. For being fairly drab, they have a distinctive, musical call.

Rose Guano Cave

2011-05-13T00:01:00.001-04:00

Rose Guano Cave has been staring at me the whole time I have been working in Spring Valley. There is a dirt road heading up to it right off US50/6. I had to try and make a visit. The road is very rocky, steep, and narrow. Don't pass a turn off unless you feel very comfortable backing up on a very rock, steep, narrow road, because there is nowhere to turn around.

Just to the left of the cave is an arch. Quite attractive looking. Don't let the picture deceive you, it is very steep on loose rock up to the arch.

I did not go into the cave, just stood in the entrance to look inside. Guano was everywhere and the cave kept opening up bigger and deeper the further it went inside.

Brad enjoying the sun on the mountain side, watching me scrambling up to the cave.

White-throated Swifts were screaming around the entrance. It is weird to hear swifts make any noise other than twittering.

Great Basin Birds part 2

2011-05-12T00:01:00.002-04:00

Yellow Warbler
For being a fairly common warbler, I have had bad luck photographing these attractive guys. They were the first warbler I remember identifying as a kid. This guy paused for an instant to check me out from the willows along Pruess Lake, south of Garrison, UT.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Here is another common Indiana bird in an different setting. Their little buzzy calls mean spring to me.

Dark-eyed Junco
This Gray-headed Dark-eyed Junco was along the scenic drive up Mount Wheeler.

Loggerhead Shrike
It is a pleasure to get to regularly see shrikes around the valley. There are at least several pairs. This one is sitting with the Fortification Range in the background.

Sage Grouse
We visited the lek again, this time finding sixteen birds. There were at least 12 males displaying, and we counted 16 birds total when several of the groups flushed. The lek seemed to have spread a bit to the east, or maybe leks become more diffuse as the season goes along.

One of the groups flushing from the lek. They do not allow a close approach.

Great Basin Birds part 1

2011-05-11T00:01:00.001-04:00

Here is an assorted collection of bird photos from my travels in Nevada (and just across the border in Utah).

Ruby-crowned Kinglet
I hold kinglet pictures to a different standard than other bird pictures. Kinglets are shy, but they never sit still on an exposed perch. I was very happy to get one that actually captured its ruby crown.

Horned Lark
Horned Larks might be the most common bird in the valley right now. They certainly had that distinction in March and April. Now Brewer's Sparrows might have edged them out. This lark posed for me with the mountains for a backdrop.

Western Kingbird
This guy was sitting on the fence that marked the border between Nevada and Utah. I still haven't seen a kingbird entirely in Nevada. There were several in Garrison, UT, on the way back.

Western Grebe
I managed to get pretty close to a flotilla of grebes on Pruess Lake, south of Garrison, UT.

Long-billed Curlew
This was one bird species I really wanted to see while out in Nevada. One flew overhead on my first trip out, but I did not get good looks until this trip. Many were feeding in a cattle pasture near Ruby Lake. This lone bird was feeding in an upland field just outside of the national park.

Lexington Arch

2011-05-10T00:01:00.001-04:00

Lexington Arch is within Great Basin National Park, but it is not located off the main entrance. The trailhead is 25 miles from Baker, and 11 miles are on a narrow, dirt road. The park is right near the Utah border, and the road to Lexington Arch starts in Utah. This cabin was in a picturesque location.

The trailhead is at 7440' and the trail headed right up the mountain via switchbacks. The view back down Lexington Canyon towards the Snake Valley was great.

The highlight of the first stretch of the trail was getting to see a Blue Grouse. I am disappointed that I did not get a picture.

As the trail climbed higher, it kept cutting across a snowfield that got larger and larger. When it leveled off at 8270', the mountain side was completely snow covered. The snow was firm enough to walk on, but the downside of this was that it was very challenging to follow tracks. Also, in some places it was icy. I completely lost the trail at the top. After scouting around, I saw the arch in the distance and made my way towards it.

Lexington Arch is one of the largest limestone arches in the western US. It is six stories tall. I didn't make it to the arch, because the trail led to a place where the snowpack was icy and sloped towards the edge of a canyon.

Eastern Nevada Flowers part 1

2011-05-09T00:01:00.000-04:00

I have not had time to figure out the wild flowers yet. Feel free to comment with suggestions and check back at the blog to see updates. It is fun to see flowers in the desert.

Bastard Toadflax (Comandra umbellata)
I never realized how widespread the bastard is. It has been reported from every state except Hawaii, Louisiana, and Florida. I have seen it in fens in Indiana.

I feel like someone is watching me...
These little cacti are scattered vary sparsely across the valley. I usually only see one a day; each day walking many miles looking down. I have tried for a while to figure out what species this is. I haven't even gotten consistently to the same genus.

Cassin's Finches and a Mountain Bluebird

2011-05-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

When I was driving back down from Mount Wheeler, I spotted a tree with two pairs of Cassin's Finches and a Mountain Bluebird. They all just seemed to be sitting there enjoying the sunshine.

The Bluebird stretching his wings. Mountain Bluebirds are relatively common in the area, but I have had a hard time getting a picture of one.

Cassin's Finches are very similar to Purple Finches. Cassin's females have stronger wing bars, a less distinct white eyebrow, and more streaking on the back.

Wheeler from Mather Overlook

2011-05-07T00:01:00.002-04:00

After spending the day hiking at the Great Basin National Park, I stopped by the visitors center. The ranger told me that the scenic drive up to Wheeler was open all the way to the Mather Overlook, which is above 9000 feet. The last time I was there, the road was closed at 7500 feet because of snow. It was late in the evening, but I had to check it out. When I came around the corner of the mountain near the overlook, I almost stopped my car in the middle of the road to jump out and look at the peak. It was breathtaking. As an aside, stopping in the middle of the road would usually be bad. In this case, I spent the whole day at the park and did not see a single soul besides the ranger at the visitors center.

The overlook has a great view out over the Snake Valley and the Nevada/Utah state line.

The overlook is roughly halfway up the mountain. The valley floor is in the 5000' range and Wheeler is over 13,000'. If I get the chance, I cannot wait to take the trail to the top.

Having fun playing with photostitch. My car thermometer said that it was 36 degrees at 5:00 pm. The sun was shining and there was no wind; it felt wonderful out. I was very tempted to stay and watch the sunset behind the mountains.

Desert Paintbrush

2011-05-06T00:01:00.001-04:00

The Desert Paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa) was blooming gloriously in the foothills. I had a hard time restraining myself from spending all day taking pictures of the flowers in different settings. The red just seemed to glow and there were flowers all over the hillside.

Brewer's Blackbird

2011-05-05T00:01:00.000-04:00

Thomas Mayo Brewer would have been proud of us today, I imagine, since we saw both of his birds. Brewer's Sparrows are very common now, and this afternoon a flock of Brewer's Blackbirds landed in the valley. The female (top photo) is not quite as pretty and shiny as the males.

Love that iridescence!

Great Basin Mammals

2011-05-04T00:01:00.001-04:00

The rare, the elusive Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis)! From a trail camera comes photographic evidence of their long suspected presence. The rumor is that they will be listed at some point in the near future.

Here is some information from The Guide to the Mammals of Great Basin National Park by Rickart and Robson.

Description: The smallest North American rabbit, this species is distinguishable from cottontails (Sylvilagus) by its smaller size, relatively short ears, and tail which lacks a white underside.

Ecology and diet: The Pygmy rabbit is a habitat specialist, essentially restricted to areas dominated by mature sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata). They construct burrows and are principally nocturnal. Sagebrush constitutes most of their year-round diet, but a variety of green vegetation is consumed when available. Historically, their geographic range has been diminished along with loss of sagebrush habitat.

Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
This Black-tailed Deer is their equivalent of our White-tail.

Black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus)
I am seeing more and more of these guys. They have to be pretty thick out here, and we see plenty of sign, but we usually only kick up one or two a day.

Jack Rabbit number two. Jack Rabbits seem pretty goofy. They clearly have running and leaping skills, but they seem to have questionable judgment. Sometimes they'll run like crazy out of good cover into the open when they weren't even seen. Sometimes they'll freeze, although clearly they are in the open and seen, like this guy. Sure, sure, I still wouldn't be able to catch him, but he just sat there and never ran off.

Piute ground squirrel (Spermophilus mollis)

White-tailed antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus)
We have seen these guys running around several times. Maybe I'll get a better picture.

I think this is a Least chipmunk (Tamias minimus), but I couldn't get him to venture out from his little hole. He was about 8500' up the mountain side.

Rock squirrel (Spermophilus variegatus)

Lark Sparrow

2011-05-03T00:01:00.001-04:00

This gorgeous sparrow didn't seem too concerned by my presence. He stayed about ten feet away and kept looking for caterpillars. He has one in his beak in the fourth picture.

Swainson's Hawk

2011-05-02T00:01:00.000-04:00

Taking photos of a hawk in flight sure can be hit-or-miss. Here are three that are more hit than miss.

Ah, for the ones that got away...

Short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi)

2011-05-01T00:01:00.001-04:00

I was super excited to find some 'horned toads' in Spring Valley. We found and caught three of them. There are two species in the area. Now I'll have to keep my eyes open for the Desert Horned lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos).

Here is the species information from the Great Basin National Park site.
Unique Characteristics: Small dagger-like head spines (horns).
Description: Beige, brown, gray, or reddish above, rear of throat and chest buff or yellowish orange, 1.75-4.3 inches (4.4-10.8 cm).
Similar Species: Desert horned lizard has longer horns.
Habitat: Found on loose soils in sagebrush and pinyon/juniper habitats, below 11,000 feet.
Range: Found in Spring and Steptoe valleys.
Food: Ants, spiders, snails, insects.
Reproduction: Oviviparous, 5-36 young born July-September.

Brewer's Sparrow

2011-04-30T00:01:00.001-04:00

Our Easter Egg hunt in the valley continues. It is quite a challenge to actually find an active nest in the scrub.

Brewer's Sparrows have moved in and are very common now. These little brown birds are closely related to our Chipping Sparrows. They are almost distinctive in their small, drabness.

For being relatively nondescript after hatching, they sure sport some stylish colors on their egg. The low greasewood shrub has been parted; it would be almost impossible to see the nest otherwise.

Ruby Lake Ducks

2011-04-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

Here are some more birds from my visit to Ruby Lake. As you can see from their list, they get a good variety of ducks. These were just some of the duck pictures I like.

Lesser Scaup

A beautiful male Ruddy Duck with the ever-present Coot. This old boy kept diving underwater every time I tried to take a shot. I finally got him.

Cinnamon Teal couple

Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge

2011-04-28T00:01:00.000-04:00

I swung by the NWR on my way to Ely. The weather wasn't perfect, but it was still worthwhile visiting. The birds were very good, considering the scattered downpours, high winds, and occasional snow flurries. The refuge is a marsh at the base of the Ruby Mountains, and attracts large numbers of waterfowl.

Some of the fields were full of Long-billed Curlews. Nothing close enough to the road to photograph. I still have these guys on my 'wanted' list.

At first I thought it must be unusual to see a Yellow-rump in the marsh, but then I kept seeing dozens of them in the reeds. I love the colors on these Audubon's Warblers.

View out across the lake/marsh. There is an excellent auto tour trail that traverses a dike.

There were several Sandhills at the park. This guy was doing a courtship dance right near the road; he was singing, picking up sticks, and leaping into the air.

White-faced Ibis

2011-04-27T22:10:00.003-04:00

One of the highlights of Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge was the large numbers of White-faced Ibis. I saw several from a distance, but then a large flock flew in and landed in the marsh by the road.

Two Nevada Scrophs

2011-04-26T23:38:00.002-04:00

These two members of the Scrophulariaceae family were blooming today. I am looking forward to more flowers popping up! The first (I believe) is Desert Paintbrush, Castilleja chromosa. It fits the blooming dates and leaf description. It is not red like most of this species, but that is not uncommon. It was blooming in the valley.

The second I believe to be Dwarf Lousewort, Pedicularis centranthera. It was blooming on the hillside at Cave Lake State Park.

Red River Gorge, Spring '11

2011-04-21T06:30:00.000-04:00

We had a good group of people for the annual spring hike at the Red River Gorge. Like many of the spring hikes, it poured Friday night. I enjoyed testing out getting into my hammock with the my sleeping bag and sleeping bag cover. Managed to do that trick without getting wet. I love to listen to the rain and whip-poor-wills. The waterfall is near camp on the Rough Trail.

The streams were quite swollen from the previous nights rain. Usually, we can hop on rocks across this creek. Instead, a couple of us had a fun challenge of crossing by hanging under the tree. I crossed fine, but did not realize my car key fell out of my pocket. However, the Lord blessed me by helping me find it in the bottom of the creek, over eight hours later! Here you can see Mark demonstrating the crossing technique.

I rarely think to try to take panoramic pictures, but this overlook was impossible to capture in one picture. There are three levels, several waterfalls, incredible vertical interest, and lush vegetation that makes it appear surreal.

This waterfall was behind Gray's Arch. The colors of the rocks were striking. Each waterfall, cliff, cove, cave, arch, and stream makes you want to show someone the amazing thing you have found, but then you come to another place just as amazing. Each hike at the Red River Gorge feels like a discovery.

Gray's Arch

2011-04-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

The destination for our hike at the Red River Gorge, Kentucky. There are some downsides to camping in a downpour and to hiking on undeveloped trails right after a downpour, but the plus side is that there are many waterfalls. Here is the rockshelter and cove at Gray's Arch.

View of the arch and waterfall from under the rockshelter. I still do not have any concept of how to take pictures of landscapes that vary from very low light to very bright light.

The waterfall coming down over the cliff. The Tuliptree growing near the base of the waterfall was impressive, itself, with its height and straightness.

Mark and Brandon sitting under the arch, enjoying the view.

View of the arch from the backside

The view of the waterfall and the cove

Gray's Arch is very impressive, but the waterfall was equally spectacular. It was only about a half mile hike from the arch to the parking lot where we were getting picked up.

Galearis spectabilis

2011-04-19T00:01:00.002-04:00

I was very excited to find Showy Orchid blooming alongside the trail while hiking in the Red River Gorge, Kentucky. I had not seen this orchid in bloom previously. While not focusing on flowers, we saw a nice number of orchids, although not in bloom. The wildflowers were great.

White-hair Goldenrod (Solidago albopilosa) is a Federally Threatened flower that is found only in Kentucky. It was growing fairly profusely in the rock shelters. USFWS Page