Obstructions

Paul Myron Hobson

carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
> On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
> A chinook was blowing today, so I was riding in my shorts and keeping
> alert in case one of the ramshackle magpie nests up in the bare
> cottonwoods turned out to be a porcupine.
>
> I used to see several porcupines every year until I bought my camera,
> whereupon they became shy and stealthy.
>
> Anyway, I spotted this great horned porcupine in a side gully:
>
> http://i18.tinypic.com/6sb6t5e.jpg
>
[snip]

Thanks, Carl. They are simply magnificent and fascinating creatures.
About this time last year, I developed a fancy for owls and made this
out of boredom during my Thanksgiving break away from my first (and
hardest) semester at graduate school:
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gtg611a/pics/owl.JPG

Not quite as good as seeing the real thing, but my parents' house in
Birmingham can be pretty boring. Here's the puppy you barely see in the
top:
http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gtg611a/pics/puppy.JPG

He protects you from flat tires.
\\paul

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Sat, 01 Dec 2007 19:16:29 -0700, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

>On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
>
>[snip]
>
>A chinook was blowing today, so I was riding in my shorts and keeping
>alert in case one of the ramshackle magpie nests up in the bare
>cottonwoods turned out to be a porcupine.
>
>I used to see several porcupines every year until I bought my camera,
>whereupon they became shy and stealthy.
>
>Anyway, I spotted this great horned porcupine in a side gully:
>
> http://i18.tinypic.com/6sb6t5e.jpg
>
>Usually they just flash silently past me when I'm walking up the
>juniper and cottonwood gullies eroded into the shale bluffs above the
>Arkansas River. Unless they warn me by hooting, they startle the
>bejesus out of me, since they go past only a few feet away, doing
>twenty or thirty mph.
>
>This one just sat in its cottonwood and let me take bad pictures from
>various angles. This photo shows how well their camouflage blends in
>to cottonwood bark:
>
> http://i7.tinypic.com/6p529s8.jpg
>
>The tree is down in the shadows of a deep gully on a sunny afternoon,
>so it's not really as dark as it looks. Another angle:
>
> http://i13.tinypic.com/6y55ap2.jpg
>
>After a few minutes, it flew off. It's easy to see in this snap shot:
>
> http://i4.tinypic.com/8e6gpw7.jpg
>
>But a moment later, it's practically vanished in mid air:
>
> http://i6.tinypic.com/89q437o.jpg
>
>Can't see it? Same picture with helpful red circle:
>
> http://i17.tinypic.com/8f1osxh.jpg
>
>(I ended up taking more pictures from next to the rabbit brush bush on
>the upper left.)
>
>By sheer luck, the camera caught it a second later in the sunlight
>coming down yet another gully, as it zoomed up to land on the cliff:
>
> http://i10.tinypic.com/6ycyclk.jpg
>
>It glared at me from the shadow under the walking-stick cactus for a
>few more pictures before it vanished down the gully without a hoot:
>
> http://i18.tinypic.com/817ow3m.jpg
>
> http://i11.tinypic.com/6jxw3fc.jpg
>
>"When you call me that, smile!" --Bubo virginianus
>
>Cheers,
>
>Carl Fogel

More fine weather today on my ride, so I was watching for hawks
sitting on fence posts or flocks of the magpies that are slowly
returning after West Nile wiped them out.

Instead this flock posed for me, about forty strong:

http://i6.tinypic.com/6tx61ll.jpg

They were spread out so far that I couldn't fit them all in the
picture. That stretch of the Wet Mountains is about 10,000 feet high.

A few stragglers were to the left, below the more picturesque south
end of the range, where the Greenhorn is over 12,000 feet and the snow
is visible:

http://i2.tinypic.com/733dqpw.jpg

Sometimes it's hard to tell which are cactus and which aren't:

http://i10.tinypic.com/6ty1qgn.jpg

The cactus doesn't crawl under barb-wire fences, make odd barking
noises, turn to stare at you, or outrun cars.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

datakoll

dems coyote?

Wildlife? If I get a camera for whale photos, I'll upload a group shot
of prostitutes coming across the superduper parking lot. They crawl
underfences and operate SUV's, for the day.

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Dec 3, 5:18 pm, datakoll <datak...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> dems coyote?

Dear Gene,

No, coyotes howl and sing, but they rarely make any noise like a bark.
They can't outrun cars and are low enough to slip under barb-wire
fences without crawling. Other subtle distinguishing marks include
long tails, a lack of horns, and a tendency to be seen vanishing
rapidly toward the horizon.

Pronghorns, on the other hand, make an odd barking noise, crawl under
fences instead of leaping them, can outrun cars, cast horn sheaths,
and are known for 'satiable curiosity that rivals the elephant's
child--they stand and stare at you as you approach.

Long ago, the Plains Indians hunted pronghorns by the simple ruse of
lying on the ground, thrashing about, and then letting fly with bow
and arrow at the curious pronghorns, who would walk up to see what was
going on. Nowadays, pronghorns are fewer and warier, but still easy
targets.

This picture shows the horn sheaths still in place on the bone, along
with the huge eye sockets (42 mm at the opening for a 100-lb beast)
that lets them watch for the extinct cheetahs that used to prey on
them:

http://i12.tinypic.com/717newm.jpg

The first prongs on both horn sheaths were gnawed off by rodents after
the funeral. The remnants change from smooth black to split brown in
the sun, which makes old ones hard to notice--they look a lot like
broken-off juniper branches.

Dogs (and possibly coyotes) love to chew on cast sheaths, which are
tough and springy. My dog was quite indignant when I insisted that I
found the skull, so its horn sheaths were mine, not his.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

>[snip]

It was too cold and snowy to ride for fun today, but if I _had_ gone
for a ride, the road would have been obstructed by these two foxes,
who were playing and running around in circles:

http://i6.tinypic.com/6qbly6t.jpg

Foxes are very wary and well-camouflaged, so here's the same picture
trimmed to show them in opposite corners:

http://i19.tinypic.com/7x44e41.jpg

Here two foxes are hiding behind a tree, but only one is visible:

http://i4.tinypic.com/6jyc22g.jpg

Yes, two of them:

http://i11.tinypic.com/6nvm39e.jpg

Their camouflage makes them almost invisible against the ruts in the
snow:

http://i3.tinypic.com/7wuaoh2.jpg

The camouflage works just as well in the other direction:

http://i18.tinypic.com/7x9rz34.jpg

http://i1.tinypic.com/6siw8cx.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Sat, 08 Dec 2007 17:16:03 -0700, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

>On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
>
>>[snip]
>
>It was too cold and snowy to ride for fun today, but if I _had_ gone
>for a ride, the road would have been obstructed by these two foxes,
>who were playing and running around in circles:
>
> http://i6.tinypic.com/6qbly6t.jpg
>
>Foxes are very wary and well-camouflaged, so here's the same picture
>trimmed to show them in opposite corners:
>
> http://i19.tinypic.com/7x44e41.jpg
>
>Here two foxes are hiding behind a tree, but only one is visible:
>
> http://i4.tinypic.com/6jyc22g.jpg
>
>Yes, two of them:
>
> http://i11.tinypic.com/6nvm39e.jpg
>
>Their camouflage makes them almost invisible against the ruts in the
>snow:
>
> http://i3.tinypic.com/7wuaoh2.jpg
>
>The camouflage works just as well in the other direction:
>
> http://i18.tinypic.com/7x9rz34.jpg
>
> http://i1.tinypic.com/6siw8cx.jpg
>
>Cheers,
>
>Carl Fogel

A few days ago the same two foxes were down in a gully, watching ducks
on a pond.

This one noticed me first and ran off:

http://i12.tinypic.com/8esfsew.jpg

This one was just below me and puzzled by its companion's flight:

http://i4.tinypic.com/8bpz7td.jpg

Eventually it noticed me and fled:

http://i16.tinypic.com/8dwo2m9.jpg

Today was too cold and snowpacked to bicycle, so I walked my dog out
my daily route. A pair of redtail hawks decided to tease me by
swooping overhead or heading into the wind and hanging motionless, but
then disappearing whenever I got my camera out.

This is as close as I got to a photo of them together:

http://i13.tinypic.com/8207uxl.jpg

http://i10.tinypic.com/8fkjcjm.jpg

And this is as good as I got of just one:

http://i7.tinypic.com/8ei8qa1.jpg

After half an hour I began to suspect that the pair was just hunting
back and forth along the bluffs and amusing themselves by seeing if
they could make me fall over backward as I tried to take their picture
when they zoomed overhead, briefly visible through the trees.

Once the snow melts, I can bicycle again and won't have to watch the
silly things overhead.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

[snip]

Ah, the joys of bicycling through the countryside and seeing wildlife
in its natural habitat! How I pity RBT posters condemned to see
nothing but buildings and alleys!

This beast trotted across the road as I came around a corner, but it
didn't see me, so I fumbled out my camera and managed a few pictures.

http://i12.tinypic.com/85orjfl.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/8e9l0k6.jpg
http://i7.tinypic.com/8245tus.jpg
http://i6.tinypic.com/82ixy5g.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Ryan Cousineau

In article <n6q5n3t0oaidkiuqr9mcj89avnnrhc51fs@4ax.com>,
carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

> On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
> Ah, the joys of bicycling through the countryside and seeing wildlife
> in its natural habitat! How I pity RBT posters condemned to see
> nothing but buildings and alleys!
>
> This beast trotted across the road as I came around a corner, but it
> didn't see me, so I fumbled out my camera and managed a few pictures.
>
> http://i12.tinypic.com/85orjfl.jpg
> http://i3.tinypic.com/8e9l0k6.jpg
> http://i7.tinypic.com/8245tus.jpg
> http://i6.tinypic.com/82ixy5g.jpg

That is clearly a domestic trashcan (ratis purgamentum), which has sadly
been felled by one of its many natural enemies. Owing to the location
and how the poor creature has been left, this was likely either the work
of vulpes vulpes or carruca domesticus.

It might also have been carruca alienus, an introduced species which has
been remarkably successful throughout the Americas.

Was completely surprised to find that I had trash service today,

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.wiredcola.com/
"My scenarios may give the impression I could be an excellent crook.
Not true - I am a talented lawyer." - Sandy in rec.bicycles.racing

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Thu, 27 Dec 2007 01:24:05 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <rcousine@sfu.ca>
wrote:

>In article <n6q5n3t0oaidkiuqr9mcj89avnnrhc51fs@4ax.com>,
> carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
>>
>> [snip]
>>
>> Ah, the joys of bicycling through the countryside and seeing wildlife
>> in its natural habitat! How I pity RBT posters condemned to see
>> nothing but buildings and alleys!
>>
>> This beast trotted across the road as I came around a corner, but it
>> didn't see me, so I fumbled out my camera and managed a few pictures.
>>
>> http://i12.tinypic.com/85orjfl.jpg
>> http://i3.tinypic.com/8e9l0k6.jpg
>> http://i7.tinypic.com/8245tus.jpg
>> http://i6.tinypic.com/82ixy5g.jpg
>
>That is clearly a domestic trashcan (ratis purgamentum), which has sadly
>been felled by one of its many natural enemies. Owing to the location
>and how the poor creature has been left, this was likely either the work
>of vulpes vulpes or carruca domesticus.
>
>It might also have been carruca alienus, an introduced species which has
>been remarkably successful throughout the Americas.
>
>Was completely surprised to find that I had trash service today,

Dear Ryan,

An email just asked me (quite seriously) why I'm taking pictures of
toppled trash cans, citing your post and asking what my point was.

Some trimmed views for those who saw only prone garbage cans:
http://i9.tinypic.com/81gazq9.jpg
http://i6.tinypic.com/6jwzsw6.jpg
http://i4.tinypic.com/73li39i.jpg
http://i1.tinypic.com/7xm886e.jpg

Sometimes I wonder if everyone knows how to view images full size.

And no, before I get any other puzzled emails, that isn't a squirrel
with a red coat, white ruff, black forelegs, and white-tipped tail.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Ryan Cousineau

In article <7106n3lldsfmhg4dq0cg54gsm8d6qah5m3@4ax.com>,
carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

> On Thu, 27 Dec 2007 01:24:05 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <rcousine@sfu.ca>
> wrote:
>
> >In article <n6q5n3t0oaidkiuqr9mcj89avnnrhc51fs@4ax.com>,
> > carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
> >
> >> On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
> >>
> >> [snip]
> >>
> >> Ah, the joys of bicycling through the countryside and seeing wildlife
> >> in its natural habitat! How I pity RBT posters condemned to see
> >> nothing but buildings and alleys!
> >>
> >> This beast trotted across the road as I came around a corner, but it
> >> didn't see me, so I fumbled out my camera and managed a few pictures.
> >>
> >> http://i12.tinypic.com/85orjfl.jpg
> >> http://i3.tinypic.com/8e9l0k6.jpg
> >> http://i7.tinypic.com/8245tus.jpg
> >> http://i6.tinypic.com/82ixy5g.jpg
> >
> >That is clearly a domestic trashcan (ratis purgamentum), which has sadly
> >been felled by one of its many natural enemies. Owing to the location
> >and how the poor creature has been left, this was likely either the work
> >of vulpes vulpes or carruca domesticus.
> >
> >It might also have been carruca alienus, an introduced species which has
> >been remarkably successful throughout the Americas.
> >
> >Was completely surprised to find that I had trash service today,
>
> Dear Ryan,
>
> An email just asked me (quite seriously) why I'm taking pictures of
> toppled trash cans, citing your post and asking what my point was.

My work here is done.

> Some trimmed views for those who saw only prone garbage cans:
> http://i9.tinypic.com/81gazq9.jpg
> http://i6.tinypic.com/6jwzsw6.jpg
> http://i4.tinypic.com/73li39i.jpg
> http://i1.tinypic.com/7xm886e.jpg

You're only making trouble for yourself by leaving the ratis prugamentum
in frame along with the vulpes vulpes.

> Sometimes I wonder if everyone knows how to view images full size.

That was a really small fox! Or perhaps it was just far away.

> And no, before I get any other puzzled emails, that isn't a squirrel
> with a red coat, white ruff, black forelegs, and white-tipped tail.

Of course not. It's a red heeler:

<http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/images7..._Red_Griffy.jpg
>
<http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/australiancattledogphotos.htm>

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.wiredcola.com/
"My scenarios may give the impression I could be an excellent crook.
Not true - I am a talented lawyer." - Sandy in rec.bicycles.racing

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Thu, 27 Dec 2007 02:56:09 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <rcousine@sfu.ca>
wrote:


>That was a really small fox! Or perhaps it was just far away.

Dear Ryan,

When it trotted unconcernedly across the road in front of me, it was a
large dog fox. A picture of that would have been wonderful, but my
camera was naturally zipped up where it couldn't be damaged or be of
any use.

By the time I unlimbered my camera, pushed the buttons to turn it on
and extend its snout for 4x magnification, and stepped into the alley,
the fox had trotted almost a city block.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

still just me

On Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:05:50 -0700, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

>This beast trotted across the road as I came around a corner, but it
>didn't see me, so I fumbled out my camera and managed a few pictures.

Best to get yourself a handlebar mounted, thought actuated camera to
take those photos next time. Your reaction time was seconds beyond
what it should have been to get quality photos.

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

[snip]

Instead of posing for Post Office ads or perching on dead cottonwoods
down at the reservoir where it could get some fish, this obstruction
was circling up a prairie thermal on an unseasonally warm day,
flaunting its white head and white tail feathers.

Here's a full-size photo, with it flying to the right:
http://i25.tinypic.com/mk7uht.jpg

Trimmed pictures:
http://i25.tinypic.com/14mq2c5.jpg
http://i25.tinypic.com/1040w2s.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/if1rep.jpg
http://i26.tinypic.com/2zs1uo5.jpg

Next thermal, a few hundred yards over:
http://i25.tinypic.com/s59q3p.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/211uu6d.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/k04xtw.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/vybd78.jpg

Some day, I'll sneak up on one of them sitting on a cottonwood and get
a decent picture, like this redtail at a later intersection:
http://i26.tinypic.com/10cntc3.jpg

Well, at least you can see the red tail and gnarly feet.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

>On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:15:27 -0700, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
>
>[snip]
>
>I thought that I recognized this shell as I went by, but I thought
>that it was empty.
>
>When I went back, the obstruction turned out to be live, so I picked
>it up, brought it home, and took its picture:
>
>http://i21.tinypic.com/al6qac.jpg
>
>Cheers,
>
>Carl Fogel

Today the chinook winds eased up, but it hit 72F, forcing me to ride
in shorts and a ventilated t-shirt in winter in Colorado.

Ice in the shady places down in the river bottom slowed me down, but
not as much as stopping to take pictures of these obstructions as they
ambled out of the junipers and on to the right, eventually posing
against the red rocks on the back of the Pueblo dam:
http://i26.tinypic.com/wk1yll.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/2ajayjd.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/2eltsh2.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel