Showing posts with label Extinction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Extinction. Show all posts

Monday, December 31, 2012

THE VERY LAST 24 HOURS OF 2012! HOW WILL YOU SPEND IT?

Its 8:30 in the morning here on Prince Edward Island. We've had a dump of snow over the weekend and have a few feet now. The island is under a wind warning with winds coming from the west at 21 mph; a change from 7 am this morning from, northwest 19 mph. To step outside is to get blown off your feet by a cold, snowy blast!
Yard in snow
My lonely little mailbox is out there ~ somewhere ~ in that vast expanse of newly dumped snow
In less than 24 hours, this day and the year of 2012, will become extinct! You will retire to bed in one year and wake in the next. What will you remember about this passing year? I have kept personal diaries for years and its fascinating to look back, years ago, on what was happening in my life on this date. 

What earth-shattering, life changing events will you perform on this last day of 2012...

Mine are humble and in preparation for 2013. Inventory all groceries in the house and rearrange my cupboards to make them more 'user-friendly', order a tank of oil and clean the house; after that its cleaning out the fridge and putting the washing away. Course the biggest thing will be taking down the tree and storing all that stuff for the end of the new year, in about 365 days. 

Putting things in order and planning for January; working on my budget... seems like a sensible way to spend the last day of this year.

Catspaw   


  

Friday, May 11, 2012

Owls ~ The Other Birds Of Prey

What's your favorite bird? I mean, if you had to think about it and choose, which one would you consider your fav.


One of my favorites is the Owl. Just because they are so unique and different from other birds of prey. Check these out and you'll see why.

Twin owls

Aside from looking distinctly different from all the other birds in the world, you have to love that 'head rotation' thing they do to 'hear' you better. I wonder if that occurred to the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood?


flying barn owl

With a mighty wing span and near perfectly silent flight, cats and dogs are far safer inside at night, for although they hunt smaller prey, to them your kitten, cat or small dog IS smaller prey. 

hunting owl
From a cat or dog's point of view, this would be terrifying! 

Keep in mind however that, like most animals, they are only fighting to survive and it is a daily fight with the odds not necessarily in their favor. A missed meal is a matter, quite literally, of life and death for him, his mate and their owlets. That could also mean another species on the endangered list as well. 

Its also the reason why I put cat collar with bell on all my cats as a warning to the birds, mice, voles and other smaller animals they hunt ~~ another animal or bird needs them more than my cats need to kill them for sport or to pass the time when they are bored outside and looking for something to do. 

Something to consider when watching your cats and dogs playing at stalking outdoors. We need to take more responsibility and not allow our pets to damage our environment. I realize most people don't even give this a second thought, let alone a first and none of us take into account that maybe we should be more aware of what transpires in our own backyards; instead of taking it for granted that our pets only catch a 'few' small critters ~~ really how much of a dent can it make. Over time, it can mean the decrease in population of these small animals that the birds of prey depend on for their only food source. In the end, what you do does make the difference; are you contributing to something good or something that will help another animal to extinction? 

It always starts small...


Catspaw