Donkeys

Here are some pictures of our donkeys for you, Savannah!

Millie (Mildred) and Billy (Hillbilly)

Billy Boy at 1 year and 6 months

Willie (William)

Quarreling

I'm offended!

And I will bite you!

Oh, sorry.

Mr. Kochin

Sir Tucky

The rascal!!

The Fossa of Madagascar

           A slender-bodied, quizzical-looking creature, slinking along the forest floor; bounding through tree tops at an amazing rate (so fast that scientists have a hard time observing it); almost flying after lemurs and birds…This is the Fossa of Madagascar.

The largest carnivore (meat eater) in Madagascar, the Fossa is truly a one-of-a-kind predator. The tail is almost as long as the elongated, muscular body and provides balance when jumping through tree tops.  A surprisingly short snout and small head add a curious look to this animal.  The fur is very short and reddish to golden brown in color. And the extra small ears might make you think you are looking at a weasel. Though similar in appearance to a feline (for their body shape and face), monkey (for their long, long tail and agility in trees), and weasels (look at those little round ears!) they are actually related to mongooses and civets. Male Fossas usually weigh from 13 to 22 pounds and measure 31 inches long. Females are somewhat smaller, weighing 11 to 15 pounds and measuring 27 inches long.

 This unique species has some more interesting features, including semi-retractable claws (You know how a cat can pull in its claws? Fossas can only pull them in part of the way), and flexible wrists, which make it a lot easier to climb down a tree head-first. They are comfortable running along the ground like a bear, however.

Another interesting feature is the laughing, grunting sounds that they make when they are happy. Fossas also chirp and purr.

Fossas are usually forest dwellers, sometimes living in deciduous forests, sometimes in rainforests, and occasionally in spiny forests. They hunt by day or night. They can fly through the treetops like monkeys, and often do their hunting there. Lemurs make up more than 50% of the diet of forest dwelling animals, but insects, crabs, reptiles, birds (including ground birds), and rodents may all become prey. Fossas are the only predator in Madagascar able to prey on adult lemurs. The largest of these lemurs can be up to 90% of the Fossas weight.  They ambush their prey, pouncing on it with their front feet and killing it like a cat would.

            One to six (typically two to four) blind and toothless baby Fossas, called pups, are born after 3 months in the womb. The mother will make a den underground, in a rock crevice, hollow tree, or old termite mound just before the pups are born. They usually weigh from 3 to 3 ½ oz.  They are very dependent on their mother at first, drinking her milk for food, and depending on her for protection and shelter. Their eyes open after 15 to 25 days, and they will be weaned after 4½ months. Fossa pups are very slow to develop, and will not leave their den until they are four months of age. They will stay with their mother for up to a year. Fossas are solitary creatures, and after the pups leave home they will scent mark an area to be their home. The size of the area will vary according to the amount of prey in that climate. They will usually stay there, sleeping in a different place every night, though it is known that they can travel up to 16 miles a day. These pups will keep growing until they are two years old, and when they are four years old they will start their own family.  

      

            Fossas live only in Madagascar. Though you can find a few in nearly every forest, they are rare. In 2,000, there were less than 2,500, and their numbers today are unknown. Fossa habitat destruction plays a major role in the decline of their numbers. Fossas also occasionally kill chickens, and so locals kill them. Sometimes they have to compete with introduced animals, such as civets, for their food. 

Click here to hear sounds of the Fossa

Is He important to you?
When we are buffeted about,
With trials and hardships sore,
We know we could not live without Him,
We feel our need for Him more and more.
But what of the lulls in the storm?
Do you love Him with all that you are?
Do you die to yourself every morn?
Does this peace your relationship mar?


When the sea is as soft a shadow,
And as still as a marble floor,
And the sun seems to shine as bright as
A ray from heavens open door;
Then what is the song of your heart?
Is Jesus the love of your life?
Do you feel from Him far apart?
Do you feel need for Him in your life?


By Emerald Dew

The Shoebill

Let’s peek for a moment into the life of an extraordinary bird. We will fix our eyes on a papyrus marsh in eastern Africa, and specifically on a female Shoebill who lives there alone (these birds are solitary creatures). She is about 4 ½ ft tall, weighs around 12 lbs, and is slate grey all over. There are feathers sticking out of the back of her head that lend to the image of an unruly cowlick. Her legs rather resemble a heron’s legs, and in some ways she looks like a stork, or a pelican. And then, of course, there is that impossible bill, a massive thing,  being 9 inches long and 4 inches broad (can you see why they call them Shoebills?), with a vicious hook on the end. This bird is an interesting sight, don’t you think?

 Since Shoebills are nocturnal, her days are spent sleeping. Come evening, however, our Shoebill is standing motionless, tucked away in the reeds, waiting for an African Lungfish (her favorite food) to swim by. She is not exactly graceful as she attacks and grapples it, but then again, that’s not the point. The point is to swallow the fish, which is something her clog of a bill can certainly accomplish. A few other things on the menu for our lady are baby crocodiles, rats, waterfowl, other fish, frogs and other amphibians, small turtles, and water snakes.

There is no specific season when Mrs. Shoebill will lay her eggs, but she will probably wait until the onset of the dry season, when the nest is less likely to be flooded. Anyway, about once a year, 1 to 3 eggs will be laid on a flat nest of sticks in the swamp grass, and after about one month the babies will hatch. Amazingly, they will not be able to stand up until they are 2 ½ months old! I suppose those spindly legs take awhile to develop. They will not be able to hunt for themselves until they are 3 ½ months old.

It is thought that there are 5,000 to 8,000 Shoebills in the world today, living in swamps and wetlands from Sudan and western Ethiopia all the way down to Zambia. The main threat to this species is destruction of habitat, illegal hunting and trapping, and the drying up of the marshes where they live.

                 Oh, and one more thing: Did you know that mother Shoebills will sometimes fill their bill with water and pour it over their overheated nestlings?

Wondernose

What mammal chews holes in trees and pulls out grubs to eat with its long middle finger?

Sounds similar to a Woodpecker, you say? True, both creatures extract insects from trees and eat them, but this animal is not a Woodpecker, for, Wondernose, birds don’t chew. No, it is a mammal. And it does not only eat grubs, either. This little lemur is an omnivore (meaning it eats animal and vegetable matter), feasting on fruit, nectar, seeds, small animals, and, obviously, grubs. Since they have a taste for cultivated fruits they are sometimes treated as pests. This little creature is nocturnal or a night creature, by the way. He spends all day sleeping in a cozy nest of sticks high in a tree. Now you are really curious, aren’t you? A mammal that chews holes in trees and sleeps all day?

Our mystery primate lives only in Madagascar and a few surrounding islands. It hangs out in forests, both deciduous and tropical. And you haven’t even heard half of the story yet, Wondernose, for I haven’t told you how he looks! He is almost frightening, with his leathery, bat-like ears, extremely long and thin fingers, big, yellow eyes, rodent like face and huge, bushy tail. The third finger is so skinny that it appears to be skin and bone, with no flesh! Their thick coat is anywhere from gray to brown, and has a grizzled look, due to white-tipped guard hairs. Their body is about one foot long, and the tail more than doubles their body length, ranging from 17 to 20 in!

I suppose I should describe in more detail how they go about extracting grubs from trees, Wondernose, as you probably want to know. First, he taps around on the tree with his fingers and listens with his big ears, to see if he can find a cavity in the tree where a grub is hiding. When he is sure he has found one, he bites into the tree with his teeth until there is a hole big enough for his finger to go into. Then he reaches in with his skin-and-bone finger, hooks his nail into the grub, pulls it out and eats it. It’s that easy (for him, I mean). His long fingers with bear-like nails are also used for scraping the meat out of coconuts and other fruits.

Females do not have a specific season when they give birth, and sometimes wait 3 years between babies. When they do decide to have children they only have one at a time. The little one stays in the nest for 2 months before it ventures out to explore the world. Once they grow up they do not live with any other of their kind, as they are solitary creatures.

I have told you a lot about our mystery creature, but most likely you have no idea what it is called, as you may never have heard of him before. His name is supposed to sound like natives of Madagascar in distress. Wondernose, what would you think if a spooky looking creature came and stole some coconuts you were growing? And suppose this largest of all nocturnal primates was considered an ill omen in your tribe. What would you do? You would probably scream “Aye aye!”  And so this mammal was named the Aye-Aye (the name could also have something to do with the fact that sometimes Aye-Ayes make a sound similar to aye aye). And so now you know all I can tell you about the bizarre Aye-Aye. Why don’t you see if your friends can guess what mammal chews holes in trees and looks like a cross between a bat and a rat?


Note: Wondernose is the title of a series of stories in Nature Friend Magazine, and I wrote this article to submit to them, hence all the references to Wondernose.

Just some pictures

A few photos of life around here.

Our messy building site.

A portion of our flock of birds.

They're lookin' at me!

Miss Salty

Mr. Cayenne

Sir Tucky

Chicken teaser, Clawed by name.

Mr. Cochin and two of his ladies

Mighty Tricki

Some experimental shots

Mr. Cochin and Guinea Gawker

As clean as the Snow on the Ground

When outside it is snowing,
And the cold wind is blowing,
And white flakes are swirling around,
Then I think of Jesus,
And pray Him to make me,
As clean as the snow on the ground.

When the sun is shining,
And white clouds it's rays lining,
And Sparrows are warbling their songs,
Then I pray to my Father,
In praise of His love,
And with those Sparrows I sing along.

By Emerald Dew

Nature Friend Magazine

If you don't get Nature Friend, then you are missing something. It is a Christian, no evolution, nature magazine for kids. Don't pass it up!
Click Here!

Photosynthesis

How do plants make food? God designed a special process called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis?  What does that mean?  Basically, it means putting together with light.  Photo means light, and synthesis means to put together.

                I will tell you how it works in a moment, but first you need to know about Stomata. Stoma is a Greek word that means mouth, and Stomata are like little leaf mouths. You didn’t know leafs had mouths, did you? Well, they do. There are lots of them on the bottom of every leaf, and they open every morning and close every evening (because plants don’t do photosynthesis at night). Their job is to absorb a chemical called Carbon Dioxide from the air, and to release oxygen from the plant. Oxygen is a product of photosynthesis. Stomata also absorb harmful chemicals from the air so we don’t have to breathe them.

Plants must have sugar to eat in order to live, and that sugar is made right inside the leaf! This is the process of photosynthesis. Water from the roots and Carbon Dioxide from the air are combined inside the leaf to make sugar for the plant. This is done with energy taken from the sun. Then this sap runs down to the rest of the plant.

In order for a leaf to be able to do photosynthesis, a special substance called chlorophyll absorbs the sunlight, and then changes it into something usable for the plant. Chlorophyll is what makes leaves green. In the fall when leaves turn different colors it is because they are dying and losing their chlorophyll, so you can see their true colors.

The Duck Pond

Come with me, my friend, I have somewhere I want to show you. It’s a place where I love to sit and think, to lie on the ground in the warm sun, to study, to play, to observe nature, and to talk with God. It’s a place where it’s hard to be angry, and where there are plenty of animals to keep me company.

Do you see all the bright yellow dandelions dotting our path? I guess they forgot it is fall. Look at the flaming blue sky, with those lovely wisps of clouds. Feel the soft crunch of crisp, brown, maple leaves under our feet, and the loud snap of the stubborn oak leaves being trodden on. Here, let's pick these old dandelions and blow their seeds to the wind, it’s so much fun! And look at that Red-Headed Woodpecker in the Oak tree. I don’t think he likes us, he certainly doesn’t sound very happy! And oh, how I love cold breezes blowing on my face. They smell so fresh. See that Junco flitting across our path? It is so cute!

Now, we are almost there. See that pond? That is our destination. Ah, it looks like the ducks have left the water for a few minutes to feast on tiny acorns. They won't forsake the water for more than five minutes, though. Oh, no. They are too devout swimmers for that. Even now they are filing back into the water. Look! About one-third of the pond is iced over. Oh, this is hilarious! Two of the ducks are going ice-skating!  Not intentionally, of course. And they don’t seem to be enjoying themselves too much, either. Poor things!

Finally, all the ducks are reunited in the water. They quack out their joy. Here, sit down on the grass, and lets watch them, for they have started diving, and it will be lots of fun.

Thank you for coming with me to my Duck Pond, and letting me share what I enjoy so much. And thank you to Jesus, who has made all these things for our  pleasure.

The Crimson Thorns

        It is a wet, foggy morning in late November. The smell of freshness and rain is everywhere, and a gentle morning breeze blows. I can hear a variety of sounds, from the leaves which are softly falling, to a bird’s faint chirping and the crows loud cawing. Turning towards a tree bare of leaves, I notice clear drops of water hanging like crystals at the end of each twig.

            I stoop to investigate a small thorny plant growing nearby. It is a blackberry plant, and has a crimson stem. Adding still more to its beauty, the leaves are framed with the same color as the stem. With a little amazement I notice that a mixture of groundcover and plantain grows underneath the slightly tall plant. Plantain is round-leafed, with no thorns. As I look, it dawns on me that here is an obvious lesson. The thorns are trials. They are stained with crimson-blood. They are thorny. They hurt. That is not all, though. Underneath are comforting, soft and beautiful blessings. “All things work together for good to those who love God; to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 

The Wood Stork

It was a rather cold and rainy day for a vacation at the beach, but my family and I were making the most of it that we possibly could.  As we walked along in the park grounds just behind De Soto beach, one of us noticed a strange and most interesting looking bird. Its bald, almost ugly, head sat on top of a body covered in silky white feathers. Out from underneath those feathers stuck two long, spindly legs, designating it as a stork. As my brother Dublin and I took turns taking pictures of this Wood Stork, it slowly flapped its huge wings and flew away. Though we did not realize it at the time of the sighting, a ranger later informed us that we had seen a very rare and endangered bird.

            Despite its bald head, sparsely feathered neck, and large curved bill (which all makes for a shocking appearance), the Wood Stork can be very graceful when gliding, and sometimes soars on thermals for up to 80 miles going from nesting to feeding areas. They have a wingspan of 5 to 5 1\2 feet, and are 45 inches tall.

            Wood Storks are the only true storks in the United States. Yet, even these beautiful rarities were allowed to go to waste for many years. Due to increasing pollution and habitat destruction, their numbers decreased from 18,000 birds in the 1970’s to 10,000 in the 1980’s. There are only about 4,000-5,000 Wood Storks in southern Florida right now, and historically there were up to 20,000! They were placed on the endangered list in 1984.

            These birds are quite vulnerable when it comes to habitat loss because of their fishing methods. They need shallow water, salt or fresh, to catch their meals in. They stick their open bill in the water, and wait patiently for an unsuspecting fish to touch their bill. When this touch is felt, they snap their bill shut, in about one-fifth of a second. And there’s dinner! However, it’s not always that easy. The hunting grounds of the Wood Stork are drained away into the ocean, due to human water management. Then, where are they supposed to find food? And if there isn’t a large enough supply of food to feed everyone through the breeding season, they won’t breed. A pair of Wood Storks and their young eat over 400 pounds of food during the breeding season. Can you see why the numbers decrease so rapidly?

            The Wood Stork’s featherless head has earned him a number of nicknames; Flinthead, Ironhead, Gourdhead, Spanish Buzzard… uncomplimentary, perhaps? Some other names for him include Wood Ibis and Preacher, perhaps because of his dignified air.

            These big birds choose to breed in cypress, and sometimes mangrove, swamps, preferably on or near the coast. They nest in huge colonies, which can number up to 10,000 birds. However, since there has recently been such a loss of habitat and decline in numbers, the numbers are probably not quite so striking anymore. They lay two or three white eggs on a stick platform in the cypress trees, and there are usually several nests in each tree. Usually only two young survive from each nest.      

            They have no muscles attached to their voice box, and so they are usually very quiet, but occasionally they will make a dull croak or a snake-like hiss. The young make lots of clattering with their bills.

            From reading through these facts, you can see what fascinating birds Wood Storks are. I am so glad God made so many interesting creatures, even though sometimes we can’t see the beauty in their featherless heads!

A Spring Mornings Frolic

It was a bright, sunny morning in April. The sky was a crystal blue and the budding trees bordered it with a living green. My brother, my dad, and I marched happily along between two waving green fields, the soft spring grass underneath us muffling the sound of our steps. Buttercups shouted that smiles are necessary. Birds twittered and laughter prevailed. Joy was everywhere.

We turned off the grassy path that borders our property, onto our neighbors gravel drive, and tramped through a wet, sweet smelling, marsh of a cow pasture. I held my breath as we picked our way over strong smelling cow manure, and watched timidly as a huge, red, bull stared at us.

Now a bright yellow patch of sun-fallen-to-earth claimed everyone’s attention. We had reached our destination. Quick as a wink my brother and I were deep inside the maze of wild yellow turnip flowers; but it did not take long for our gusto to wear down a bit. We had discovered that charging headlong through the tangled mass of green and yellow was no easy task. As we slowed down we were better able to appreciate the intricate design of what surrounded us. A brown spider was beautiful against the bright green of the ground cover. His web was sparkling with morning jewels of dew. The far off pond reflected the glory of the sky. The “Peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) was everywhere. 

Who Am I

        See if you can guess what animal these paragraphs speaks of.

       

Hi! Welcome to the woods, and welcome to my rock den. Actually, this is not my main den, only one of my several auxiliary, or shelter, dens. My three kittens, which were born in Mid-June, are in the main den. Now that they are two months old they are beginning to eat solid foods. So here I am trying to catch them a Mouse or Rabbit, or whatever will come in my reach.

I am about three feet long, and two feet high. I am usually yellow brown, with a short, heavily spotted, coat. I have short tufts on my pointed, upright ears, and my tail is short with a black tip. My family lives in Southern Canada, Central and Western USA, and throughout Northern Mexico.

 Well, I guess I better keep on a-huntin’. Can you guess who I am?

Our Friend, the Elk

Excitement ran high in our household as we prepared our camping gear, bedding, clothes, and all the rest. We were going camping at the Buffalo River! We were going to spend time with some very dear friends on this camping trip. We talked of the fun we would have, the things we would do, and how good it would be to spend three days with friends. After we successfully stuffed everything into our minivan, we finally drove away. And the fun began.

A few hours later we met our friends and crossed Bull Shoals Lake (in Arkansas) on a ferry. Shortly afterwards we stopped for a delicious picnic overlooking the lake.

As we drove along the dirt road near the river bed, we noticed that there was not even a puddle in it! Our plan was to canoe to our campsite, but it would take a lot of pushing and pulling to make any headway on that river! Obviously we had to be content with the regular campground. (We later learned that stretches of the Buffalo River go underground in the driest part of the year. However there was some slow-flowing water behind our camp.)

We arrived at our campsite shortly before sundown and set up camp before it got dark. As we were putting up the tents, someone noticed that there was an Elk roaming around our neighbor’s camp. All of the children ran over to see him, and we chuckled with glee as he smelled the dishes, startled the horses, and finally, surprised the lady of the camp by rounding a corner and staring at her from a few feet away. It was a young Elk, probably a yearling, or Spike. He hung out around the campground all that evening. After a wonderful evening around the campfire and an after-dark walk to the river, we retired to our tents.

          We awoke that morning ready for fun, and we got lots of it as the day progressed! Early that morning, before breakfast, and while the fog was still rising from the water, some of us went down into the woods behind our camp a little ways. There we found my Dad, who is an avid photographer, getting some close-up pictures of the Elk we had seen the previous night. As long as we didn’t surround him or get to close, he didn’t really mind our presence. After tarrying at the waters edge for a little while, we went back up to our much desired breakfast.

          We enjoyed a nice Sabbath hike that morning, and greatly enjoyed the view from a cliff called the “Narrows”. This massive rock is rightly named, for it is extremely narrow! It rose up straight from the river on one side, and our trail hugged it on the other. Our band of exploring boys found a way to safely climb on top of this cliff, and most of us followed. It was indeed very, very, skinny. One section, I noticed, was only about three feet wide and a sheer drop on both sides. Needless to say we didn’t go there. Still, it was only a few feet wide where we were standing. From our lofty perch we could see two majestic cave openings. A Bald Eagle flew over our heads in the clear blue sky.

           We returned to camp and partook of a delicious lunch. My Brother Dublin discovered the Elk behind our camp. He was laying down chewing his cud. Apparently he liked our company. Dublin sat down near him and slowly got closer and closer to him until he was only a few inches away. The Elk didn’t seem to mind at all. Soon he was scratching him under the chin and behind the ears and he acted like he was enjoying it. One by one we all took turns rubbing, scratching and loving on him until everyone had gotten a turn, and then we did it all over again. While my Mom and I were petting him he laid his head in her lap and fell asleep. The crickets and cicadas were singing, and the younger children played in the sand. He stayed in that comfortable position for quite a while, and we all sat around and visited while he enjoyed our human company. After some time he slowly unfolded himself and walked a few feet into the woods, where he started eating. Needless to say, he got more portraits taken in that short amount of time than many people do in their whole lives!

          We wonder if perhaps this Elk was hand raised, or at least had some association with people before we saw him. We may never know, but we are glad we were able to have such a wonderful time with him!

          Our Heavenly Father loves to make us happy, and he will give you special experiences in nature if you let him. This is exactly the type of experience we can have in heaven every day if we follow Jesus.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I will mainly be posting stories that I have written about my nature experiences, and occasionally some photos. My two brothers and I are home-schooled, and I plan to post articles that I write for school.
Happy Holidays!

Emerald