Upland Chorus Frog (Pseudacris feriarum)

He turned up at the house – at least we think it’s the same frog – several years ago and lives in one of the water-filled planters on the patio. He and his friends probably made their way from the small pools that survive after the stream on the neighboring property dry up each year and which have served as breeding pools. His friends took up residence in a water-filled bathtub that serves as a planter in the greenhouse. Some came over to the house one year but seem to have left. He is alone.

He calls every year – as early as January – until the end of the breeding season in March. At the moment, he is calling during the warm of the afternoon and often into the evening. Not continuously, but in ‘waves’ – calling for a while, taking a break, and then calling again. I have also heard him calling in the early morning as I leave for work in the dark.

He usually stops calling when we walk out the front door and doesn’t start again until we have left the area. If we tried to walk over to the planter, he would bob under the water. This afternoon was different. I walked over to the planter and peered all around the edge of the planter, not expecting to see him. But there he was. His body was half out of the water. Maybe he thought I couldn’t see him if he didn’t call.

I had my camera with me, so I took a few photos using the zoom lens. Then I tried a shot with the flash, fully expecting that the light would be reflected and show nothing. Having taken all the shots I planned, I took a chance and switched to the macro setting. I leaned all the way down to him and took another shot. To my surprise, he stayed above water. Surprisingly, the shot taken with the flash didn’t reflect the light but showed his body underwater.

Neat!

P.S. Pseudacris feriarum (Upland Chorus Frog; now called Southeastern Chorus Frog) is found in the Southeastern United States. It's range and call can be found here.

Snow Day, 2009

I love Snow Days. I love to go out and see the countryside covered with snow. Usually, it is sunny and the colors are more intense than normal.

First, a walk around the field following the same route as the day before. The freezing temperatures had transformed the compressed snow by the cars into a treacherous ice field that had to be crossed with much care. Where the snow had not been compressed, a firm crust had formed. It was safer to walk on the snow than on the car tracks that were covered with slick ice. It took some effort to break through the crust but then my feet easily sank down to hard ground underneath and then considerable effort to pull them out again. A great workout.

The weight of the snow had bent the bamboo over completely. Culms that were normally 20-30 feet high were bent over and were barely 4 feet ‘high.’ The tops of the fence posts and bird nest boxes had 4 inches of snow perched on top of them. One of the Loropetalum bushes had snapped off; hopefully it will sprout again. The butterfly bush had also bent over flat to the ground.

Then venturing out to see the countryside. There is a practical side to going out. What are the road conditions like? Could I have gone to work or was the decision not to go a good one? What will the conditions be like the next day when I will go to work? Will there still be ice on the roads? What route will I use?

Our local road still had thick patches of ice that cracked loudly under the tires. The roads over to the local highway were mostly clear. A lone snowplow was still working clearing the edges of the highway. The back roads over to the main highway still had thick patches of ice that extended on to the road, leaving only a single car-width of clear pavement in some sections. A large pine tree had fallen across the road; crews had just cleared the road as we arrived around noon. Wouldn’t have gotten through on my usual route.

The Alcovy River was running high; it had flooded the river bottom just upstream from where I cross it. Guess this shouldn’t have been surprising given that we had had the equivalent of 3 inches of rain. The nearby reservoir on Beaverdam Creek was muddy from the fresh inflow of water. A lone pair of mallards was swimming and feeding close to the road. On the other side of the road a few small grebes were bobbing up and down on the waves.

A least half a dozen cars had been abandoned by the side of the road – testimony to the slippery conditions the night before or early this morning. Some appeared to have been driven off the pavement and parked deliberately. Others had obviously spun out and become stuck. One was sitting perpendicular to the road and straddling the ditch. That must have been an exciting ride.

Conclusion: The decision to declare a Snow Day this year was a wise one.

Snow Day!

We don’t get snow very often down here. It can be a treat because we don't get it that often. It can also be a curse because it is disruptive. This one was a curse. We were told this was coming. But we don’t always believe it. In most cases, we get some snow that sticks but melts out quickly either because the ground is warm enough or because the snowfall is followed immediately by a warning trend that melts it quite quickly.

The worst possible scenario is that we have a snowfall that accumulates and is followed by a cold front that freezes everything solid. Sunday’s snowfall was one of those.

The rain started on Saturday – about 2 inches during the day and overnight. The snow started just after noon on Sunday. Big, big flakes. Wet and heavy. Bending boughs on pines and cedars. Bending the bamboo canes down to the ground. Flattening daffodils that had just started to bloom. Breaking limbs from trees. Weighing down power and telephone lines. Shorting power lines. An accumulation of 4-5 inches; equivalent to another inch of rain. Flickering lights threatening power outages. Loss of phone service for 24 hours.

Since I have to leave for work at 5:00 am, I have to decide the night before whether to go to work in the morning. It’s not a problem getting out of here but the condition of the roads getting to ‘work’ an hours drive away. All roads around ‘work’ involve negotiating at least one steep hill and a parking lot at ‘work’ can be also be slippery.

The major highways are plowed but local governments don't have the equipment to keep the minor highways and side roads plowed and sanded. W and I normally go out and check the road conditions late afternoon to decide if I should think about trying to get to work in the morning. Sunday’s run was made in 4-wheel drive. It was mushy and slippery in places. The local sheriff’s department had closed the highway north of us. Not sure why. Just north of us, however, the highway winds down a long, not-to-steep but winding road to the county line. The fact that an 18-wheeler detoured and took another road back to the south suggests that the road conditions were not good.

Snow Day!

Zen: Sunset

Amidst Death and Destruction: Wildlife Rescue

Nothing can compensate for the devastating loss of human life and property in the Victorian bushfires. It is also estimated that the loss of wildlife has also been enormous – more than a million marsupials, reptiles, and birds. Their habitat has also been destroyed.

Sam was rescued by CFA firefighter David Tree while he was fighting the fire at Mirboo North. She has since become an international celebrity via video footage and slideshows. The video shows Sam drinking a bottle of water; reports confirm that she drank a total of three bottles of water. This is remarkable since koalas do not normally drink water but obtain moisture from eucalypt leaves and water droplets on the foliage. Sam is recovering at Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter in Rawson where she has been befriended by a male koala, Bob.


According to reports, Sam is one of 22 koalas, 14 ringtail possums, several wallabies and eastern grey kangaroos that are being cared for in Gippsland.

Another wildlife ‘save’ was a baby sugar glider which was rescued by Yarra Glen CFA firefighter Darren Thompson. We haven’t heard any more about this glider. Hopefully it is recovering also.

Bushfires: Victoria, Australia

The Australian bush is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The grandeur of gum and wattle trees contrasts with the dry, brown grasses in the summer. But this beauty belies its dark side. Grass fires spread fast and far. Most of the plants and trees are rich in volatile oils that protect them against dry conditions but fuel fierce bushfires when the conditions are right. And the conditions were right. Temperatures reached as high as 117 F and the winds reached 60 mph. Perfect conditions to fan fires that move at breakneck speed. Fires erupted throughout Victoria and firefighters, many of whom are volunteers, are currently battling 31 fires. Fires jump containment lines. Firefighters can only get out of the way and retreat to another place to fight again.















The toll so far: 108 people dead and at least 78 people hospitalized – many in critical condition. Hospitals have run out of morphine to treat burn victims. More than 3700 people have registered with the Red Cross. These numbers may be conservative estimates.
















The destruction is extensive. In some areas, towns have been completely or almost completely destroyed. The images of the fires and destruction are overwhelming.

More than 750 homes have been destroyed. In addition to homes, farmers have lost dairies, sheds, equipment, livestock and feed. Where livestock survived, they are left with little or no feed and will have to be sold or moved to other properties in areas not affected by the fires.

Stories of firefighters who lost loved ones while they were fighting the fires, loved ones lost when they unable to flee or trying to save animals, loved ones lost when trying to flee but being trapped in their cars in the flames. These fires are merciless. The extent of the tragedy is only beginning to emerge.

Photo collections:
- Gippsland fires
- Victoria’s Killer Fires
- Reader’s Photos
- Volunteer Firefighter’s Photos
- Day of Mourning
- Aussie Spirit
- Victoria Still Burning: Fires at Upwey, Warburton and Daylesford
- ABC News: Bushfire Emergency
- ABC News: User-submitted Photos

Updates:
Fatalities: 173

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Since the trees lost their leaves, the grass turned brown and there are no more butterflies, you tend to notice other things. I didn’t really notice hawks until recently. I’d seen them around but hadn’t noticed them on the power lines on my commute home until recently. I’d started to see this one frequently on power lines on the same section of road. When I first tried to stop and take photos he flew off. Gradually he became used to my stopping and has let me get closer. This is about as close as I can get – across the road and almost level with him. He looks a little ruffled and so he should. The temperature was in the low 30s F and the wind was measured at about 17 mph with gusts up to 27 mph this afternoon. I don’t think the hunting was good; I doubt many rodents were out and about. Sometimes being ‘free as a bird’ isn't all it’s cracked up to be.