What animals did you see today?

[Torch]

Three bloody, mangled, dead woodpeckers.

 

[Dark.Green.Feathers]

Three bloody, mangled, dead woodpeckers.

do you know what killed them?

 

[Dark.Green.Feathers]

Three European green woodpeckers at once, foraging in the ground after recently-cut meadow grass. Never seen anything like it, they were together and must have been a family. They arrived shortly after I received some good news, which is kinda fun even if it isn't magic.

wow, that’s about how many of those I’ve seen ever, cool! always fun to spot those birds

 

[Applecore]

wow, that’s about how many of those I’ve seen ever, cool! always fun to spot those birds

Exactly! I only started actively looking for birds and animals to spot out in nature around 15 years ago, which was part of self-help from intrusive thoughts and rumination. Green woodpeckers along with kingfishers were a rare treat because they are so shy and elusive. Even when being in the constant lookout seen in a flash (of lime green or turquoise, respectively) about once per year or less. I'd probably seen about 15 in my life to this point. And then suddenly there are these three about 8 meters away behaving more like a carefree, confident family of crows, rummaging through the earth looking for bugs.

It appears that it was a woodpecker tutorial for the young about how to look after yourself away from the nest, including divergence and improvisation from the norm (in this case, earth instead of wood). Empowerment.

It was a very nice parallel to the human world, and my mother was visiting, so I showed her what was out the window. And it took place shortly after I got good news that a big life problem is getting fixed; and that problem started 20 years ago because I was too close to my troubled family, and not acting independently enough. And I am solving the problem independently.

Anyway, enough rambling already. Seeing lovely Marsh Tits (or Willow Tits?) in this area too. Absolute joy.

 

[Torch]

do you know what killed them?

A flower field wolf

 

[user27357]

about 50 different turkey buzzards. I went to an air show and you spend a lot of time watching the horizon looking for the next approaching aircraft- is that an F14 out there lining up another high speed pass? nope. Turkey buzzard, 200 yards out, fifty feet up at 6 mph. keep looking.

 

[Applecore]

A flock of long-tailed tits. A few seconds later, a goldcrest resting in a grapevine looking exhausted - perhaps it was a break on a migratory flight. It was about 5 cm from the living room window, seemingly oblivious to my presence, so photos.

The day before that was a European black woodpecker (second sighting in my life) and a fluffy, bulky, healthy-looking fox out in remote countryside - so possibly a hunter rather than a scavenger. He stared at me and my friend from a distance, and we stared back.

 

[Lost in the Woods]

Lulu the wonder dog.

 

[ms spock]

Butcher bird

 

[Lost in the Woods]

The day before yesterday I saw a bobcat hanging out in front of my place. Hopefully is wasn’t waiting for Lulu to come out.

 

[Dark.Green.Feathers]

I saw a cormorant! Flew right past me

 

[Friday]

I saw a cormorant! Flew right past me

I’m not sure if I could even recognize a cormorant if they’re not drying off their wings?