More animal sightings & sounds . . . & readings

Cicada

First "c-i," then "c-r," then "k-a” – or “cicada, cricket, katydid,” for the alphabetical order of lovelorn singing insects outside right now.  Cicadas call during the day, crickets start around dusk and katydids take over from late night till dawn’s early light.  It’s all about insect love, and the male choruses are out there with imploring surround sound.  

So, relatively small critters head up the list of animals we can easily spot, or hear, this month.  Fireflies – aka lightning bugs – were around last month, although they seemed to be fewer in number and here for a shorter stay. 

                                                                                     George Ross/Getty pic

Monarch butterflies found our milkweed bushes on July 17, right after flowers appeared.  Basically orange, patterned and beautiful, they need milkweed in transit, and found it here before flying on. 

Spider webs seem to have proliferated this summer, stretching long distances (often inconvenient for gardeners) and displaying spiders’ trapped prey.  A groundhog – the first ever spotted in our yard – visited for a while last week, while on sunny afternoons the bird bath still attracts what I’ve decided are paper wasps.

https://www.nytimes.com/article/paper-wasps-yellowjackets.html?campaign_id=34&emc=edit_sc_20200721&instance_id=20480&nl=science-times&regi_id=20760274&segment_id=33950&te=1&user_id=a360dad7b26df61ea65737080d3deedd

Nor can we ignore the far less welcome Japanese beetles and the dreaded spotted lanternfly, “an invasive insect that can suck the life out of some trees and continues to destroy crops like vines used for wine grapes,” according to the local paper.  (Citizen tipsters can report lanternfly sightings to this hotline number: 833-223-2840.)

Snakes’ bad rap

                               Pete Oxford pic
Timber rattlesnake's rattle

From as far back as Genesis, and up to the snake-pit scene in True Grit, snakes are not seen as friends of humans.  In fact, “our culture has taught us to associate serpents not only with danger but also with evil.”  

The sight of a snake typically prompts people to shriek or run.  We don’t usually give them credit for being shy or scared themselves. 

And yet, a recent article makes a good case for snakes – minding their own business and not attacking unless they’re threatened first.  In the case of a young timber rattlesnake the writer encountered on Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau, it stayed still and quiet (no rattling sound!), right where it was spotted.

She later learned that “The rattle is a last-ditch defensive strategy against predators. They’d much rather hunker down and wait for trouble [in this case, two humans] to leave.”

Like so many other animals, snakes are losing habitat and being killed, needlessly, by humans.  But one key point to remember about them is that they can be dangerous, yet still pose very little threat to people.  

Education about snakes and other reptiles is believed to be the best way to stop snake-killing and promote co-existence.  The Orianne Society (https://www.oriannesociety.org/), a conservation non-profit, can help.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/22/opinion/rattlesnakes.html?campaign_id=39&emc=edit_ty_20200622&instance_id=19607&nl=opinion-today&regi_id=20760274&segment_id=31539&te=1&user_id=a360dad7b26df61ea65737080d3deedd

Save the chickens!

White Leghorn Hen

Although I had read the review of Barn 8 (Graywolf Press), by Deb Olin Unferth, the book caught me by (very pleasant) surprise.  True, it’s about family, friendship and eventual growing up . . . but it’s also about countless chickens.  The details about how most of them “live” these days hit hardest.

No wonder so many of Unferth’s quirky characters set out to “remove” or “rescue” a million layer hens.  The story of how they decide on this mission, then with meticulous plans and an army of  volunteers, carry it out is part fantasy, part hilarious and all animal love. 

If this book is representative of Unferth’s work, I’m hurrying back for more!

Tiger Day

Wednesday, July 29 is International Tiger Day – a time to raise awareness for the conservation of wild tigers and preservation of their habitats, as well as the suffering of tigers in captivity.  

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For animals, it’s just not a ‘sunshine & roses’ world

“My simple message would be if you find something that you feel very strong about, stand up, speak up, speak out, give it your all.  Push, pull and . . . never ever give up or give in or give out.” – John R. Lewis, civil rights titan and “Conscience of Congress” (1940-2020) 

Thanks, but . . . 

Although I was elated by the comments after my last post (https://1moreonce.blogspot.com/2020/07/what-i-did-last-pandemic.html), I concluding they came in reaction to positive topics – no viruses, bats, live-animal markets, wildlife trade, etc.  I had focused for a change on familiar and lovable animals that we can see and enjoy.  

That’s very nice, and in future, I’ll try lighten up more often.  But we all know that for innumerable animals, the world is a cruel and dangerous place, largely because of humans.  That’s why we’re animal advocates.

So, getting back to the downside of animal news, I’m linking here to “Out of the Wild,” a recent NYTimes Magazine article that neatly, convincingly sums up the situation. Its opening is mysterious: “It might have started like this: One afternoon last year, somewhere in China’s mountainous Yunnan province, a hunter entered a limestone cave. . .” 

But its subhead leaves no doubt: “As humanity degrades animal habitats, reduces biodiversity and reaches ever deeper into the wilderness for resources, we’re all but certain to unleash more diseases like Covid-19.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/magazine/animal-disease-covid.html

“Down, boy!”

Along with the public health issues widely studied and discussed today, public safety is another crucial topic currently, with police not the only ones whose approach is being re-considered.  Police dogs – and their specialized training “to bite hard, use all their teeth and bite multiple times” -- are also being discussed.

The Washington Post column linked below argues that “we have normalized -- and subsidized -- police departments’ use of dogs to attack human beings,” with Blacks and Latinxs** disproportionately being victimized.  

She also says that “’criminal apprehension’ dogs used to find and bite whomever the police tell them to need to be part of the national conversation about ending unnecessary force.”  That they sometimes attack the wrong person and/or don’t stop biting on command is worrisome, at least.   

Still other problems with police dogs, “one of the most brutal, unnecessary and radicalized parts of policing,” are detailed.

 ** plural form of gender-neutral “Latinx” -- a person of Latin American cultural or ethnic identity in the US  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/06/police-dogs-are-problem-that-needs-fixing/?utm_campaign=wp_opinions_pm&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_popns

Got hairballs?  

                                                                                                      Catster pic

“Cats can ingest upward of a third of the amount of hair they shed,” warns an expert, and the result of summer shedding and consuming is . . . hairballs – unless cat parents provide regular baths, combing and brushing.  The Catster article linked below names shedding as the first of 4 summer dangers for cats, pointing out that indoor cats really don’t need haircuts, only if . . . !

Sunscreen is the second danger.  Because there isn’t a sunscreen just for cats and because felines are “fastidious lickers, products that are left on the skin should be avoided.”  

Heatstroke is the third danger, especially for older cats and kittens.  Watch for panting and be alert to lethargy and difficulty walking.

                                         Catster pic

Finally, bites and stings from parasites, bugs, reptiles and anything with teeth can endanger cats.  

(For those hardy enough to travel with cats right now, this article is followed by travel tips.)

https://www.catster.com/cat-health-care/summer-dangers-for-cats?utm_source=WhatCountsEmail&utm_medium=Catster%20Ful%20List30%20Day%20Engaged%20All&utm_campaign=CED20200708

Comic, or climbing, relief?

Finally, harking back to two domestic animals we love, this Dodo story about a dog and mistaken identity.  (And how about that refrigerator stance?!)

https://thedodo.createsend1.com/t/ViewEmail/d/E61EBB33E6B78B2B2540EF23F30FEDED/B430F3161C52921ADCCB6820C4466A74

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‘What I did last . . . pandemic’

Wasp

I may never join the countless others who have already written about how they’ve made it through this Covid-19 quarantine period.  (It’s not over yet, alas!)  Anyway, I probably did little out of the ordinary: some cooking and baking, some reading, some exercise cycling . . .  

Looking back on highlights since March, I’m not surprised to realize that animals have played a large role in what has made me happy.  The trigger for my realizing this was wasps in the birdbath.  You read it right: day after summer day, while checking on gardening projects outside, I’ve often seen a few wasps at the edge of the water in the birdbath.  They looked to be delicately taking sips before getting on with their afternoons.  

 

I’ve tried to sneak up on them to be sure they are in fact wasps (and not hornets or bees), but at that, they take to the air and drift away.  They’re skinny, though, with waistlines and yellow stripes, so I think I’m calling a wasp a wasp here.

Female & male house finches

Then came “the house finch festival.“  To the delight of our cats, whose mornings include looking out our bedroom windows, dozens of house finches one day began flying from the tree out front to various parts of our roof, and back, and back.  They had a great time, as did Billy, in particular, following their moves with head and tail.  For days after the finch fly-in occurred (possibly because of bird seed spilled out front), poor Billy kept hoping and watching for them.   But no encores.

Next: the groundhogs along the border of the park nearby.  It was a novelty to see spring-born babies munching along with the adults.  Cuddlesome-looking junior versions of the big guys, they seem to have picked right up on eating their greens.  

 

Groundhogs

And the squirrels, both gray and black, have simply kept up our winter custom: They hear the garage door open or see the car pull in, and they get into position near a big bush to claim their daily salt-free peanuts in shells.  They’re very winsome.  And obviously well-fed.

So far, small creatures.  Then as the quarantine continued, deer became more widely visible, in places where I hadn’t seen them before.  One example, a row of vivid petunias in front of a clubhouse.  Make that “formerly vivid.”  Another: on the verge of the park (and probably more plentiful throughout it too), usually frequented only by (human) animals walking or bike-riding. 

The biggest surprise came recently: a fox, casually sitting in the middle of the road (that happens to run next to the park).  I had seen something there while driving that way, but then made out a fox . . . showing no inclination to move.   So I pulled up next to her/him and suggested getting out of the street.   Languidly, s/he moved to the curb. 

Urban fox

When I looked back a block or so later, the fox was back on the road, suggesting what my advice had been worth.   (BTW, to me the fox looked healthy enough, not fierce or rabid-seeming at all, although I didn’t get out of the car for a close-up chat.)

All of which brings me to the animals I live with and eagerly return to after being out: Harry and Billy, our beloved cats, now 15 and 13 years old, still spirited and with it and fun.  They are always consolations and inspirations, and I can only hope they get as much joy from having me and Joe live with them as we get from their being in our family.

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Harry Summers

Billy Summers

What animals are you encountering, and enjoying, now more than before?  I hope to hear from you about them.  To comment, please go to 1moreonce.blogspot.com.

We may like fireworks, but animals don't!

Wishes for a happy, healthy holiday weekend to all, and of course that goes for animals too!  But because fireworks are part of Independence Day celebrations, and they've been going on all over the country lately besides, the following message is especially important.

A special message from the Animal Protection League of New Jersey   

We all love holidays.  But when those holidays include fireworks, animals can have a difficult time.  If you don't like fireworks either, you're not alone.

Both nonhuman and human animals can exhibit stress and anxiety when the fireworks go off, especially the ones causing the most noise and sudden flashes of light.  Some animals also experience pain.  Most animals have a heightened sense of hearing and sight - human hearing is only a third of the capacity of dogs.  This level of acuity is one of the reasons firecrackers can produce fear, anxiety, and stress in dogs.  Click below to read more about how fireworks impact many different species in the wild as well.

https://www.animal-ethics.org/how-fireworks-harm-nonhuman-animals/#:~:text=There%20is%20also%20a%20risk,residue%20of%20fireworks%20and%20firecrackers.&text=The%20proximity%20of%20the%20animals,respiratory%20diseases%20such%20as%20asthma.

                                                          Animal Sheltering Magazine 'Scoop'

There are posts all over social media about "silent fireworks," but this is misleading.  The fireworks are not fully silent.  They are less noisy than typical fireworks and while APLNJ opposes the use of fireworks, whether less noisy, using lasers, or otherwise, we welcome this move in the right direction.

 In the meantime, we must do all we can to minimize the effect of fireworks on animals in our care:

 ·        Walk your dogs during the daylight hours to avoid the time fireworks are typically set off.

·        Never take dogs to fireworks.

·        Close windows, curtains, and shades to help muffle the sounds.

·        Create a quiet space or hiding spots to ease stress.

·        Use music or TV to help mask the sounds.

·        For animals who live outside, do what you can to help those animals cope with the sounds and stress.  Modify enclosures to minimize sound and make sure the enclosures are secure.

·        Use a comforting and soothing voice.

·        Use play or toys as a distraction. It can often take several days for animals to recover, so giving them extra love and attention during this time can help to minimize PTSD symptoms. Let's work to find ways to celebrate in ways that are fun, entertaining, and joyful without harming anyone.

 

And here’s a link to a long but useful article on recovering lost dogs.

http://clocktimelesspets.fisites.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2017/07/ASPCA-Fireworks-and-Lost-Dogs.pdf

                                                                                 Animal Sheltering Magazine 'Mouthpiece'

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