Day 11 – Critters!
Well, today was “Critter Day,” no question about it.
First, the long-anticipated swallows have returned to Paradise Valley. Capistrano, eat your heart out. No matter how spectacular your swallows are, or in what infinite numbers they possess, or how “miraculous” they are, or how huge of a fan base they have, there is no swallow on this earth that is more appreciated than the dozen that return every year to Mudflats Mission Command.
After I heard their trilling song outside, I laid down on the deck, and just watched them for a long time, swooping in huge circles, and a figure eight, then a flutter, then a dive, then soaring again. I don’t know whether their song meant, “We’re home!” or “Tasty bug!” or “Why the hell is there still snow on the ground?” but all I heard was joy. I wonder if birds look at us land-bound creatures and wonder why it is that we choose to lumber around down there, instead of leaping up and occupying the skies with them.
And as I lay there, lost in my musings, I felt a little tickle on my arm. Was it a raindrop? I raised my arm up, and my head up, and looked. Lo, and behold, it was the Alaska State Bird, perched right there on my forearm. Yes, I speak of the mosquito. It was a holdover from last year, massive and sluggish, and slow. The ones later in the year, the new crop, will be lean, mean blood-sucking machines. They will be fast, and ruthless, and you will be victimized and abandoned before you know what happened.
But the old guys have been frozen for more than half a year, and it’s kind of amazing that they’re here at all. They are geriatric and senile, and someone should take away their flying license before they kill themselves.
They will land on you, and rest. And then they will think a while…
“This feels warm. Ahhhh… Radiant floor heating. It’s nice on the feet. And the carbon dioxide cloud is pleasant and intoxicating. Where am I? I shouldn’t think… I should just enjoy. But something tells me I should be doing something. Now, what was that? It had something to do with this long protuberance on my face, I think. Like I’m supposed to put it somewhere… Maybe I’m supposed to stick it in this warm thing. Yes, I think that’s it! But I’m so tired… Maybe I’ll just nap for a little while.”
I can never bring myself to swat the old guys. So, I blew him off my arm thinking that he will probably enjoy a few last hours, and then become Swallow Chow. The circle of life.
And if it wasn’t enough that I could check off two springtime indicators on my checklist of Day 8, later that night I got another treat!
The dog barked. I’m pretty good at Dogspeak, but I had never heard this word. I reviewed the vocabulary:
Let me out: *dancy paws and pathetic stare at door*
Let me in: *prolonged stare,* if no action, one bark.
People are home: Ears up, race to front door, dancy paws.
Moose: Series of low assertive barks, followed by half-hearted howl.
Lynx: Stealthy cat goes undetected.
Bear: Growly, gutteral, energetic woofing. Hackles raise.
Wolf: Half-bark, half-scream, scary growl, hackles from hell, trembling.
Hikers: Buf. Buf. Buf. Buf. Buf. Buf. Buf. Buf. SHUT UP! ……….. Buf. Buf. Buf., etc.
But this bark was like a moose, but higher pitched, with a little bear thrown in.
I looked outside, and saw a lynx! I ran for the camera, and by the time I got back to the door, it was standing profile and I realized it was not a lynx at all, but a coyote! I’d heard coyotes from the house before, but this is the first one I actually saw. He was a handsome fellow, traveling solo, and didn’t seem to mind the barking coming from the house. I managed to snap a couple shots with the wrong lens, through the glass, so not perfect, but you’ll get the idea.
Mikey is right. Coyotes are strange. As is the Native custom hereabouts, I always talk to them when they show up, letting them know that I know what they are up to, and that they ain’t fooling me. It helps if you get these things established early on in the conversation. About two weeks ago, on the road south of town, I saw Coyote running along the side of the road with his nose firmly down in the dirt. “Coyote”, I said, “You’re going to just knock your nose off if you keep that up.” Two days later, same place, and I see a little round black thing scurrying along the side of the road. It was Coyote’s nose (or else a small black mouse that looked just like it.) “Coyote,” I said, “I warned you about this!” But Coyote doesn’t listen, to me or to any of the other animals.
mikey the magnificent marriiage manipulator. Don’t know if it is due to my good looks and electric personality or the male Oriole’s lovely singing,but there is a femme fatale chick Oriole supping grape jelly and she has that knowing look in her smoky,bedroom eyes when she glances my way. Probably should be afraid for my life. Gonna be too hot to run from her shortly. Should I surrender to her desires?
Go for it, Mikey!
So happy for you that springo is upon you. I thought skeeters only lived for 48 hours. Did you mean old larvae that hatched? Coyotes are a much maligned animal, I think they are quite handsome also. Enjoy your swallows!
lovely visitor, that coyote
Oh, the ruminations of a geriatric mosquito. Perfect pitch, MKR !! n
Had first hummingbird at oriole feeder last evening. Today it is 81 and windy/overcast. Tomorrow supposed to be 95 and sunny. Rest of the week upper 70s low 80s. Philly abortion provider for cash only guilty of three counts first degree murder. He rates as a critter IMHO,maybe a sub-critter.
Wow! How cool is that?! A coyote.
Folks hear and see them here infrequently but I never have.
Thanks for sharing AKM, “wrong” lens and all.
I’m glad the swallows have returned there 🙂
I can help you with this one. There are at least three dead and presumably moldy coyotes lying in road ditches within a couple miles of mikey. At your earliest convenience I would have them shipped your way. Probably died of lead poisoning. Just say the word and they are yours.(I had nothing to do with their demise). I am glad someone is thinning them out because they won’t tolerate red foxes anywhere around them and I prefer foxes-two legged or four.
if you’ve got cats, keep them inside… they make tasty snacks for coyotes, as an acquaintance of mine found out, unfotunately…
Ain’t it peculiar(and politically incorrect) that coyotes prefer to keep cats insides,too?
bhahahahahaha!!!!!
If Coyote is back, Roadrunner can’t be far behind.
Wonderful …!!
According to Native American lore,coyotes can shape-shift. Maybe this was the lynx.
Hate to mention this on Mothers Day,but it is the female skeeter that sucks blood. Males are essentially worthless. Now I can get it fromk both sides.
Yes, and my totem the dragonfly eats them both, in massive quantities.