Author: Steve

Henry‘s issue is, he’s got the poops, and has for a while.  Other than that, you couldn’t tell that he isn’t perfectly healthy.  He runs, plays, eats, and sleeps just like normal.  The vet doped him up and ran some tests to see if we could determine the cause of his digestive issue.  We got the test results back today and so far, everything looks good for a little guy getting up there in years (he’s 14), except for his pancreas; that’s running a little hot.  Pancreases (pancreai?) can be sensitive to fat.  We’ll feed him a special prescription low-fat diet for a while and see if that cools things off.

He went to the vet today for some tests and they gave him the good stuff.  He’s still a little stoned.

A view of the border wall from the north.

A view from the south, the other side.

There are gaps.

It’s U.S. property on both sides of the wall.  It’s not unusual to pass through a gap while walking and birding.

It looks like this close to the river.

Good habitat.

And this, right on the river.

…from under the house.

(When I take pictures with my phone, I’m just guessing.  I can’t tell if I’ve got the focus right or not on that little screen.)

When we first discovered a possum under the house, Donald was good enough to seal up every possible entrance.  That means no more possums can get in, and any that are already in can’t get out.  We set a second trap just in case and after a couple failed attempts, we caught another.

Fresh bait in the trap, a yummy home-grown grapefruit, and we’ll see if there are any more.

With a large salt lake in the middle.

The lake has no outlet and sits on top of a giant salt dome.  It’s up to 10 times as salty as the ocean, depending on how much water is in it.

It is surprising how many land animals and birds survive in this unforgiving salty environment.  In addition though, there is a tiny freshwater oasis right above it.

I think it’s a natural seep, with a little help from human hands to make it perennial.

Sal del Rey National Wildlife Refuge.