A nice walk along the river outside Redding, CA.
I just like the picture.
I just like the picture. Up close and personal
With a Nutria.
Nutria are large semi-aquatic rodents from South America.
The orange teeth are not an aberration. There is more iron in the enamel on the front of the tooth (causing the orange color). The part of the tooth with iron in it wears down slower than the rest of the tooth, causing it to stay chisel-sharp.
They like to hang out in marshes in South Texas and eat a lot of vegetation; about 25% of their body weight every day. Their primary purpose in life here seems to be gator fodder. Perfectly camouflaged
…as a stick; a branch; a giant grass stalk.
Standing motionless
…until it’s time to ambush some hapless creature.
American Bittern. I had to gas up the Mazda
Already. I tanked up in April 2015, then we left on a long summer trip. I filled up again in November when we came home. Then I didn’t drive again for three months. So here we are, February 2016 for the next tank. It cost $18. Now I’ve got 500 miles to the next empty. I wonder if I can use this tank up before we come around full-circle to April 2016. Never have I had a car that got such good mileage or got used so little.
A ladder-backed woodpecker
Hard at work.
