I finally gave in and installed a hummingbird feeder in my backyard. I wasn't hesitating out of lack of interest--I've been bird-watching as a hobby for decades. I suppose it was the result of a sort of inertia, waiting until I knew what was going to happen with the vet school project.
Now that I've decided to stay here in Oregon (daily proving to be a good decision), I've also decided to stay put in the same house I've been renting for the past two years. The rent is rather high, the house is old, it has no AC, and the heating sources in the winter are expensive. These are compensated by two important things: I feel like the amount of space is just right, and the fenced part of the yard is enormous, a luxury in a rental house. Of course, the latter implies regular mowing duties, which in the Pacific NW begin in February, but the dogs just love all that space to run around and play.
Back to the point. I feel a bit more settled now. So I put up a hummingbird feeder.
In Texas, I had only one species of hummer visit my feeder: ruby-throated. The challenge there was to identify the number of mated pairs that visited. Here, I have FIVE species that frequent my feeder. Taking into consideration the males and females of each, you are potentially looking at ten variations on little, busy, buzzy, greenish birds to identify.
To keep the feeder in shade as long as possible, I mounted it across the yard in a location that is visible from my kitchen window and back door. I keep a pair of binoculars and a bookmarked copy of Peterson's handy.
So far I have definitively identified male and female black-chinned hummers, male and female Anna's hummers, male rufous hummers (they are the most shy of all the species), male Allen's hummers, female Allen's/rufous hummers (can't be distinguished in the field but I probably have both since I've seen males of both species), and most exciting of all, a female Calliope hummer. I've not seen her mate. Maybe he keeps watch while she feeds. She visits every day so I suspect he's around, just shy/vigilant.
Calliopes are the smallest North American hummers and described as "uncommon". The first time I saw the female, I wasn't entirely sure of the identification. But after weeks of observation, there is no doubt that at least one Calliope female is visiting my feeder. She is significantly smaller than the other species, so small that her wingtips extend past her tail feathers when she is at rest, and she has to stretch from the perch to reach the feeder.
My little flock maintains regular feeding hours but there is never really a crowd and none of them seems to guard the feeder. I see birds land every few minutes throughout the day, with rush hours at dawn and dusk, but rarely see more than one at a time. Lots of people in this area put up feeders (for example, my next-door neighbor has one hanging outside his living room windows) so I think we can assume that resources aren't terribly limited for them.
The species spatially segregate. The black-chinned hummers always approach from and leave in the same direction while the Anna's males arrive and depart from another direction. I can now usually tell which species is arriving simply from the direction of their approach!
Except for the rufous males, the birds have become quite bold, even cheeky. They check out the dogs all the time, and often perch in the forsythia inches above a dog stretched out in the grass napping in the sun. I did have to work a bit with Azza to convince her not to chase the hummers the same way she chases bees and moths and such. She's been very good and now barely lifts an eyebrow as they buzz right over her head.
Sorry, no pictures. No camera in my possession can take pictures of such small birds from such a distance.
Showing posts with label birds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birds. Show all posts
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Doves 0, Harry and Mimi 10 and counting
In this part of Saudi Arabia (the Eastern Province), wildlife diversity is quite low. It's not a surprise, of course, as people couldn't even live here without modern technology and petroleum products.
Birds are more diverse than other types of animals but that isn't saying a lot. Indian mynahs, white-cheeked bulbuls, sparrows, hoopoes, ring-necked doves, and rosy doves pretty much cover the list.
Every couple of months I spot a hawk cruising camp for a snack--the giveaway is always the group of agitated mynahs dive bombing it. There are several indigenous species of hawks, eagles, and falcons in Saudi Arabia but most live in the mountains to the west so a sighting here in the east is special. A very large community of bright green parrots, numbering into the thousands, noisily moves around camp but like the hoopoes, they are migrants that decided to stay for the water and shelter. Out by "Lake Lanhart," the sewage reclamation pond south of camp, you can see dozens of different types of migratory water birds, particularly in the winter. They almost never even fly over camp so unless you make a special trip out there (battling the flies and the smell), the average resident doesn't see them.
The small birds are fully integrated into the housing areas. I often see the mynahs in particular dumpster-diving. And freshly mowed grassy areas with lots of disturbed insects are just heaven for hoopoes and bulbuls.
Although we do have two or three kinds of more or less normal trees with limbs and leaves, most of the small birds seem to prefer to nest in the palm trees, some of which are more than 20 feet tall. (Hoopoes are an exception; they prefer to nest in holes in rocky soil.) I'm always surprised by the carnage of eggs and nestlings after big wind storms, which are common throughout the year (except for July through September when we are desperate for any breath of moving air). Either because they are exceptionally fecund and there is just a lot of them or because they make crummy nests, the doves seem to be the most common windfall species.
And now we turn the conversational corner. Those young doves tossed from their nests? They don't stand a chance with the ever-vigilant Harry and Mimi. I'm of two minds about this, of course. Even though the terriers are hard-wired for this behavior, it seems a bit cruel. On the other hand, if Harry or Mimi don't get them, the feral cats will, so the outcome is fixed no matter who does the actual deed.
Mimi in particular has shown some skill in taking down even adult doves, who of course didn't fall from a nest but were just stupid and careless (she's always on a leash so it isn't like she stalks and chases them). And I do have to admire their efficiency. Thankfully, neither dog has any desire to actually eat these poor birds. Once the dogs kill them, the fun is over. Sure, there is plenty of sniffing, and I usually have to pull some feathers out of their mouths, but that's pretty much it. I leave the carcasses for the feral cats and the ants.
Birds are more diverse than other types of animals but that isn't saying a lot. Indian mynahs, white-cheeked bulbuls, sparrows, hoopoes, ring-necked doves, and rosy doves pretty much cover the list.
 |
| White cheeked bulbul. |
 |
| The noisy, gregarious indian mynah. |
 |
| Eurasian hoopoe. They hiss and throw their crest up when the dogs get too close (the crest feathers are normally tucked down). They are not woodpeckers. They eat bugs that they spear out of the ground with their long beaks. |
Every couple of months I spot a hawk cruising camp for a snack--the giveaway is always the group of agitated mynahs dive bombing it. There are several indigenous species of hawks, eagles, and falcons in Saudi Arabia but most live in the mountains to the west so a sighting here in the east is special. A very large community of bright green parrots, numbering into the thousands, noisily moves around camp but like the hoopoes, they are migrants that decided to stay for the water and shelter. Out by "Lake Lanhart," the sewage reclamation pond south of camp, you can see dozens of different types of migratory water birds, particularly in the winter. They almost never even fly over camp so unless you make a special trip out there (battling the flies and the smell), the average resident doesn't see them.
The small birds are fully integrated into the housing areas. I often see the mynahs in particular dumpster-diving. And freshly mowed grassy areas with lots of disturbed insects are just heaven for hoopoes and bulbuls.
Although we do have two or three kinds of more or less normal trees with limbs and leaves, most of the small birds seem to prefer to nest in the palm trees, some of which are more than 20 feet tall. (Hoopoes are an exception; they prefer to nest in holes in rocky soil.) I'm always surprised by the carnage of eggs and nestlings after big wind storms, which are common throughout the year (except for July through September when we are desperate for any breath of moving air). Either because they are exceptionally fecund and there is just a lot of them or because they make crummy nests, the doves seem to be the most common windfall species.
And now we turn the conversational corner. Those young doves tossed from their nests? They don't stand a chance with the ever-vigilant Harry and Mimi. I'm of two minds about this, of course. Even though the terriers are hard-wired for this behavior, it seems a bit cruel. On the other hand, if Harry or Mimi don't get them, the feral cats will, so the outcome is fixed no matter who does the actual deed.
Mimi in particular has shown some skill in taking down even adult doves, who of course didn't fall from a nest but were just stupid and careless (she's always on a leash so it isn't like she stalks and chases them). And I do have to admire their efficiency. Thankfully, neither dog has any desire to actually eat these poor birds. Once the dogs kill them, the fun is over. Sure, there is plenty of sniffing, and I usually have to pull some feathers out of their mouths, but that's pretty much it. I leave the carcasses for the feral cats and the ants.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Catching Up
It's been a crazy couple of weeks at work. I've got a thousand things to post about but here are some highlights:
The bee eaters are back! These birds have remarkably bright feathers that are hard to miss in the tan landscape we have here. And boy are they noisy! They migrate from Europe to Africa, using Dhahran as a winter stopover. I've only seen then up close twice; usually I spot them in the evenings flying very high across camp, going to wherever it is that they sleep at night. It seems that I always see them in pairs or groups, never just one by itself.
My dog classes have started. DOG-101 is overfilled with 10 people but I suspect a couple will drop out in a week or two, leaving me with the 8 that I wanted in the first place. And my DOG-201 Rally class is underway with just 5 of us. I'm happy with that since teaching rally is a new experience for me. I'm definitely going to post more on this later.
Even though I just got back from visiting all of you in the US, I'm already preparing for my next trip out. This one will be my repat, my very first one. Aramco gives us a repat payment equal to the price of a roundtrip ticket from Dhahran to our point of origin (in this case, mine is Dallas, Texas). We are required to be OOK for 14 consecutive days every year. I get four extra vacation days just to use for the repat. I'll be spending most of my four weeks in France.
Upul survived Hurricane Mimi with minimal damage. He's even agreed to look after the dogs while I'm out on repat. For the August trip, I borrowed a twin bed from a friend and pushed it up next to mine in my bedroom. Didn't leave much room up there but I thought that Upul could sleep on the twin bed and the dogs could sleep on my bed.
Well, the dogs had other ideas. By the second night, they were snuggled up next to poor Upul on the twin bed. He was surprised but I think that he got used to it after a while. Not that he had a say in the matter.
When I was discussing my repat dates with him, I said, Upul, no matter where you sleep, the dogs are going to sleep with you. So I think you should just sleep in my bed in November. You'll have more room, the dogs will be happy, it should work out better. Oh yes, he agreed. That will be better.
Turns out Upul learned the hard way not to leave food out on the counter. He left some plain crackers out and Hurricane Mimi consumed them. He said the bag was on the floor torn up but not a crumb of cracker was left. He was pretty surprised that the dogs could get to the top of the counter but I told him about the pecan pie and the chocolate sheet cake. They have no problem with it, I assured him. He thought about this for a second, then said, maybe you should put up a camera to see how long it takes them to do it!
Ha!! I think he's really warming to my crazed beasts.
I'm coming up on my 1 year anniversary with Aramco. It's not been an easy year. New culture, new country, giving up so many of the things that I loved most. But I'm trying to adapt and find joy where I can.
Decanting my first batch of red whine tonight. It still has to sit for a few weeks to clarify but at least it is grape juice with alcohol in it.
The bee eaters are back! These birds have remarkably bright feathers that are hard to miss in the tan landscape we have here. And boy are they noisy! They migrate from Europe to Africa, using Dhahran as a winter stopover. I've only seen then up close twice; usually I spot them in the evenings flying very high across camp, going to wherever it is that they sleep at night. It seems that I always see them in pairs or groups, never just one by itself.
My dog classes have started. DOG-101 is overfilled with 10 people but I suspect a couple will drop out in a week or two, leaving me with the 8 that I wanted in the first place. And my DOG-201 Rally class is underway with just 5 of us. I'm happy with that since teaching rally is a new experience for me. I'm definitely going to post more on this later.
Even though I just got back from visiting all of you in the US, I'm already preparing for my next trip out. This one will be my repat, my very first one. Aramco gives us a repat payment equal to the price of a roundtrip ticket from Dhahran to our point of origin (in this case, mine is Dallas, Texas). We are required to be OOK for 14 consecutive days every year. I get four extra vacation days just to use for the repat. I'll be spending most of my four weeks in France.
Upul survived Hurricane Mimi with minimal damage. He's even agreed to look after the dogs while I'm out on repat. For the August trip, I borrowed a twin bed from a friend and pushed it up next to mine in my bedroom. Didn't leave much room up there but I thought that Upul could sleep on the twin bed and the dogs could sleep on my bed.
Well, the dogs had other ideas. By the second night, they were snuggled up next to poor Upul on the twin bed. He was surprised but I think that he got used to it after a while. Not that he had a say in the matter.
When I was discussing my repat dates with him, I said, Upul, no matter where you sleep, the dogs are going to sleep with you. So I think you should just sleep in my bed in November. You'll have more room, the dogs will be happy, it should work out better. Oh yes, he agreed. That will be better.
Turns out Upul learned the hard way not to leave food out on the counter. He left some plain crackers out and Hurricane Mimi consumed them. He said the bag was on the floor torn up but not a crumb of cracker was left. He was pretty surprised that the dogs could get to the top of the counter but I told him about the pecan pie and the chocolate sheet cake. They have no problem with it, I assured him. He thought about this for a second, then said, maybe you should put up a camera to see how long it takes them to do it!
Ha!! I think he's really warming to my crazed beasts.
I'm coming up on my 1 year anniversary with Aramco. It's not been an easy year. New culture, new country, giving up so many of the things that I loved most. But I'm trying to adapt and find joy where I can.
Decanting my first batch of red whine tonight. It still has to sit for a few weeks to clarify but at least it is grape juice with alcohol in it.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Hoopoes!
Okay, you folks are a bunch of jokers! That photo on the beach was staged! Purely the result of having Martin there to take the pic for me. And as long as I am tall and fair and relatively light haired, I'll never be invisible here. But remember, it's all about the illusion of invisibility, not the actual super power itself.
In other news, I went to Bahrain today. Total anticlimax. Can't see much reason to return since most of the same stores are in the expensive Al Rashid mall in Khobar. And all of them full of things I have no desire to purchase. Well, I can drink alcohol and eat pork, I can drive, and I can wear whatever the hell I want in Bahrain so it may have some small redeeming qualities. Regardless of these charms, I had to leave KSA to activate my multiple exit visa so that is now mission accomplished.
Re the title of the post: I checked a couple of bird books out of the camp library. That lovely, exotic little bird with the thin bill and head crest I mentioned a couple of posts ago? That is a hoopoe. They usually migrate across the Arabian peninsula from Africa to India but apparently some have set up permanent homes here in Dhahran. On a warm, sunny morning and again around sunset, I've seen as many as 8 or 10 around my apartment building. They aren't terribly afraid of people but they are small and hard to photograph. Here's my best attempt. Once you see them, you never mistake them for anything else. Striking markings.
I've also got some photos of the Aramco beach at Ras Tanura on the Persian Gulf. Ras Tanura is an Aramco camp like Dhahran but very small, only a few hundred people. It is located about 10-12 miles north of Khobar which is basically right outside Dhahran camp. The beach is restricted to Aramco employees only (note the restriction in the photo below on slaughtering sheep, which is apparently a common practice on the public beaches...ew). There are Aramco buses that run between DHA and RT daily. Based on our view of the trash-draped scrub on the other side of the fences, the RT beach is somewhat reminiscent of Disneyland. Still, it was a nice place to spend the morning. Martin and I decided that we'd like to return--with flip flops, a good book, and a cooler of juice drinks.
Aramco beach rules...NO slaughtering sheep.
My friend Martin.
Looking back down the Ras Tanura camp beach to Khobar in the far distance.
In other news, I went to Bahrain today. Total anticlimax. Can't see much reason to return since most of the same stores are in the expensive Al Rashid mall in Khobar. And all of them full of things I have no desire to purchase. Well, I can drink alcohol and eat pork, I can drive, and I can wear whatever the hell I want in Bahrain so it may have some small redeeming qualities. Regardless of these charms, I had to leave KSA to activate my multiple exit visa so that is now mission accomplished.
Re the title of the post: I checked a couple of bird books out of the camp library. That lovely, exotic little bird with the thin bill and head crest I mentioned a couple of posts ago? That is a hoopoe. They usually migrate across the Arabian peninsula from Africa to India but apparently some have set up permanent homes here in Dhahran. On a warm, sunny morning and again around sunset, I've seen as many as 8 or 10 around my apartment building. They aren't terribly afraid of people but they are small and hard to photograph. Here's my best attempt. Once you see them, you never mistake them for anything else. Striking markings.
I've also got some photos of the Aramco beach at Ras Tanura on the Persian Gulf. Ras Tanura is an Aramco camp like Dhahran but very small, only a few hundred people. It is located about 10-12 miles north of Khobar which is basically right outside Dhahran camp. The beach is restricted to Aramco employees only (note the restriction in the photo below on slaughtering sheep, which is apparently a common practice on the public beaches...ew). There are Aramco buses that run between DHA and RT daily. Based on our view of the trash-draped scrub on the other side of the fences, the RT beach is somewhat reminiscent of Disneyland. Still, it was a nice place to spend the morning. Martin and I decided that we'd like to return--with flip flops, a good book, and a cooler of juice drinks.
Aramco beach rules...NO slaughtering sheep.
My friend Martin.
Looking back down the Ras Tanura camp beach to Khobar in the far distance.Thursday, November 19, 2009
Birds, Chiggers, and Grit
It's too bad Mohammed wasn't more into natural history because the Saudis themselves might be more interested in the world around them as a result. Like all nomadic groups, the Bedouins of course had to know about the plants and animals around them but only a relatively small percentage of Saudis are of true Bedouin heritage, they did not have a strong tradition of writing down their history and cultural knowledge, and there are not any truly nomadic Bedouins left anymore anyway. (Oddly, while many Saudis admire and romanticize the Bedouin lifestyle and history, the ruling family has some Bedu blood but not much. Some Bedouin sheiks hold positions of significant authority, but they don't sit at the tops of ministries.)
But to the point, in many publications that originate here, you'll find a brief statement like this: "There are small birds in the interior oases." That pretty much summarizes the general view of the wildlife.
But I am a natural history buff. Until I get my hands on a good birding guide (and there are some out there published mainly by the Brits that I've put on my Amazon wish list), I've developed my own short list of the birds and the plants that I see. Keep in mind that this list applies to this short fall season and my observations in the summertime may be different.
The plants that grow on camp are not characteristic of what can grow here in KSA. They have been artificially selected because they need to have a high saline tolerance. All of the green landscaping on camp is irrigated with raw water. So there are some species of euphorbia (a type of succulent) that are native to parts of KSA but that can't be grown on camp unless you protect them from the raw water irrigation (i.e., grow them in pots on your patio, not planted in the ground) and hand-water them with sweet water.
What does grow here? Acacias, oleanders, frangipani, some type of green hedge that gets 20-30 feet tall that can get little fragrant white flowers on it, petunias, marigolds (where will marigolds not grow?), impatiens, geraniums, bougainvillea (I've seen orange, pink, and white varieties), many types of agave, at least half a dozen different types of bunch grass, and lots of small unidentified shrubs with tiny leaves. There are at least two types of trees that I have not yet identified at all. The grass is some sort of zoysia. I've been told that St Augustine grass will grow here but I've not seen any yet.
The camp is crawling with feral cats. None of them are very large so I think that either very few reach full adulthood or they are just naturally small (pressure from poor resources and extreme heat in summer, perhaps). They obviously reach sexual maturity because they are everywhere. The food resources are probably decent because our communal trash areas contain open barrels. This means there are more of them than should actually be supported by normal resources. I was told that every few years Aramco arranges for a culling of the ferals. Trap, neuter, and release is not an option here. It is not within the cultural mindset to do something like that on a large scale. I noticed that Khobar is also crawling with feral cats so this is not just a camp problem.
I mentioned the wild dogs. I've never heard anyone talk about them coming into camp but they are widely known to live in the desert areas fringing camp. In the early mornings, I can see tracks and trails in the sand made by small critters such as jerboas and the like. Those seem sort of small to support something the size of those wild dogs that I saw but perhaps they snack on a few straying feral cats as well.
Most of us have geckos that live on our porches but I've not seen any other lizards or snakes or even what I would recognize as a lizard or snake track in the sand. Probably the feral cats and dogs keep the snake and lizard population around camp artificially low.
I have yet to see a spider despite being assured by an expert that you are never more than 10 feet from a spider no matter where you are in the world (except the ice caps). I suspect that the spiders here don't spin large webs. Webs take a lot of moisture resources. Desert spiders in the US often dig holes so maybe that's what some of them here do as well.
There are lots of scorpions in the desert but I haven't seen one yet. As in the US, these are almost certainly nocturnal.
Mimi is covered with bites. Not fleas, as there are none here. It was either something in the grass or the sand. Harry has a few of the same type of bites but I have none. Poor Meems is a mass of tiny itchy scabs. I know from past experience that she is relatively sensitive to insect bites so some of her situation is an overreaction of her histamine system. Anyway, after asking around, we decided the problem was nanochiggers in the grass. In desperation, I brewed up a natural insect repellent made from orange and lemon peels and some mint. Mixed with isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle, this stuff is non-toxic and would hopefully give Mimi some relief by repelling, not killing, the biting insects. Rubbing alcohol is not available in KSA so I ended up using some ethanol instead (yes, that would be drinking alcohol; long story for another post). It seems to be working. Mimi hasn't had a new bite in two days although her shoulders where she can't lick it off later are a bit sticky and she smells orangey.
I haven't seen wasps or bees or butterflies and only a few very small moths. None of the flowering plants around here produces a lot of nectar so some of these pollen and nectar eaters would find a poor living here. Making nectar uses up precious water resources and probably isn't a workable solution for this climate.
As a result, I haven't seen any birds that I'd say are nectar eaters either. The great majority of the birds that I see eat bugs from the grass and seeds from the ground. There are doves, sparrows, a tiny sparrow-sized version of quail, some odd, very talkative birds that remind me of a cross between a redwing blackbird and a mynah with white neck rings, and these really cool birds with crests on their heads and super long narrow bills that you'd think would be just perfect for pushing into a flower but instead I only see them hunting bugs in the grass. There are white egrets that stalk around freshly watered grassy areas, and I did see what I thought had to be some sort of falcon or buteo soaring high in the sky the other day. That list isn't terribly long, is it?
It is fall here now so the temps are starting to cool off. Mornings are particularly fine. When I arrived, lows were still around 80 F and highs were around 90-95 F. Now one month later I believe lows are around 70 F and highs no more than 90 F (I really need to acquire a nice digital thermometer for outside; maybe that will be my first test of the US Postal Service delivery here to Dhahran). I am amused to see some people walking the circum-golf course trail in the morning in long pants and sweaters! I am still in shorts and Tshirt. It will take quite a while before I think 70 F warrants a sweater!
We are only a few miles from the Persian Gulf so the humidity can be very high during the summer. In this fall season, humidity will spike for 12 hours or so then it gets dry again. The horizon-blurring haze that is present all the time consists of small amounts of water vapour and mostly very fine dust. I've seen some SEM photos--the dust grains are about 1-5 nanometers across. The dominant regional weather pattern here in what is called the Eastern Province is comprised of strong winds that blow the dust down from Iran.
Keeping the apartment clean is an exercise in grit management. We don't track in sand because there really isn't true sand here. The grains are too small. We live in a sea of silt and dust.
But to the point, in many publications that originate here, you'll find a brief statement like this: "There are small birds in the interior oases." That pretty much summarizes the general view of the wildlife.
But I am a natural history buff. Until I get my hands on a good birding guide (and there are some out there published mainly by the Brits that I've put on my Amazon wish list), I've developed my own short list of the birds and the plants that I see. Keep in mind that this list applies to this short fall season and my observations in the summertime may be different.
The plants that grow on camp are not characteristic of what can grow here in KSA. They have been artificially selected because they need to have a high saline tolerance. All of the green landscaping on camp is irrigated with raw water. So there are some species of euphorbia (a type of succulent) that are native to parts of KSA but that can't be grown on camp unless you protect them from the raw water irrigation (i.e., grow them in pots on your patio, not planted in the ground) and hand-water them with sweet water.
What does grow here? Acacias, oleanders, frangipani, some type of green hedge that gets 20-30 feet tall that can get little fragrant white flowers on it, petunias, marigolds (where will marigolds not grow?), impatiens, geraniums, bougainvillea (I've seen orange, pink, and white varieties), many types of agave, at least half a dozen different types of bunch grass, and lots of small unidentified shrubs with tiny leaves. There are at least two types of trees that I have not yet identified at all. The grass is some sort of zoysia. I've been told that St Augustine grass will grow here but I've not seen any yet.
The camp is crawling with feral cats. None of them are very large so I think that either very few reach full adulthood or they are just naturally small (pressure from poor resources and extreme heat in summer, perhaps). They obviously reach sexual maturity because they are everywhere. The food resources are probably decent because our communal trash areas contain open barrels. This means there are more of them than should actually be supported by normal resources. I was told that every few years Aramco arranges for a culling of the ferals. Trap, neuter, and release is not an option here. It is not within the cultural mindset to do something like that on a large scale. I noticed that Khobar is also crawling with feral cats so this is not just a camp problem.
I mentioned the wild dogs. I've never heard anyone talk about them coming into camp but they are widely known to live in the desert areas fringing camp. In the early mornings, I can see tracks and trails in the sand made by small critters such as jerboas and the like. Those seem sort of small to support something the size of those wild dogs that I saw but perhaps they snack on a few straying feral cats as well.
Most of us have geckos that live on our porches but I've not seen any other lizards or snakes or even what I would recognize as a lizard or snake track in the sand. Probably the feral cats and dogs keep the snake and lizard population around camp artificially low.
I have yet to see a spider despite being assured by an expert that you are never more than 10 feet from a spider no matter where you are in the world (except the ice caps). I suspect that the spiders here don't spin large webs. Webs take a lot of moisture resources. Desert spiders in the US often dig holes so maybe that's what some of them here do as well.
There are lots of scorpions in the desert but I haven't seen one yet. As in the US, these are almost certainly nocturnal.
Mimi is covered with bites. Not fleas, as there are none here. It was either something in the grass or the sand. Harry has a few of the same type of bites but I have none. Poor Meems is a mass of tiny itchy scabs. I know from past experience that she is relatively sensitive to insect bites so some of her situation is an overreaction of her histamine system. Anyway, after asking around, we decided the problem was nanochiggers in the grass. In desperation, I brewed up a natural insect repellent made from orange and lemon peels and some mint. Mixed with isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle, this stuff is non-toxic and would hopefully give Mimi some relief by repelling, not killing, the biting insects. Rubbing alcohol is not available in KSA so I ended up using some ethanol instead (yes, that would be drinking alcohol; long story for another post). It seems to be working. Mimi hasn't had a new bite in two days although her shoulders where she can't lick it off later are a bit sticky and she smells orangey.
I haven't seen wasps or bees or butterflies and only a few very small moths. None of the flowering plants around here produces a lot of nectar so some of these pollen and nectar eaters would find a poor living here. Making nectar uses up precious water resources and probably isn't a workable solution for this climate.
As a result, I haven't seen any birds that I'd say are nectar eaters either. The great majority of the birds that I see eat bugs from the grass and seeds from the ground. There are doves, sparrows, a tiny sparrow-sized version of quail, some odd, very talkative birds that remind me of a cross between a redwing blackbird and a mynah with white neck rings, and these really cool birds with crests on their heads and super long narrow bills that you'd think would be just perfect for pushing into a flower but instead I only see them hunting bugs in the grass. There are white egrets that stalk around freshly watered grassy areas, and I did see what I thought had to be some sort of falcon or buteo soaring high in the sky the other day. That list isn't terribly long, is it?
It is fall here now so the temps are starting to cool off. Mornings are particularly fine. When I arrived, lows were still around 80 F and highs were around 90-95 F. Now one month later I believe lows are around 70 F and highs no more than 90 F (I really need to acquire a nice digital thermometer for outside; maybe that will be my first test of the US Postal Service delivery here to Dhahran). I am amused to see some people walking the circum-golf course trail in the morning in long pants and sweaters! I am still in shorts and Tshirt. It will take quite a while before I think 70 F warrants a sweater!
We are only a few miles from the Persian Gulf so the humidity can be very high during the summer. In this fall season, humidity will spike for 12 hours or so then it gets dry again. The horizon-blurring haze that is present all the time consists of small amounts of water vapour and mostly very fine dust. I've seen some SEM photos--the dust grains are about 1-5 nanometers across. The dominant regional weather pattern here in what is called the Eastern Province is comprised of strong winds that blow the dust down from Iran.
Keeping the apartment clean is an exercise in grit management. We don't track in sand because there really isn't true sand here. The grains are too small. We live in a sea of silt and dust.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Four Short Stories
1. Organic Gardening
Five of these giant mushroom colonies grew up around my seedless mulberry. I pulled them all up and put them in my compost bin.
2. Co-lateral Squirrel Damage
I live in a fairly densely wooded area. Most of the trees are 20+ years old and support a prolific squirrel population. I also keep a bird feeder, a Squirrel Buster, which I can say truly does work as advertised, but the birds are picky and thus messy and the squirrels (and the doves and other ground feeders) eat the seeds that get tossed onto the ground. I'd have squirrels running around anyway, but the free food does tend to attract them. Imagine my horror last weekend when I discovered a piece of siding that had been either pulled out or that had fallen from under one of my roof eaves. It could only mean squirrels were now romping and procreating in my attic! Oh my god. I called a wildlife removal service that offers humane solutions, not traps or poisons. Two guys showed up this morning, one a new trainee. They poked around my roof for a while, then asked to get into the attic. The primary access is from the garage. The trainee proceeded to step off the staircase right through the ceiling of my garage.
At least it was the garage and not the living room or my bedroom so clean up was easy. This is a fixable problem and I didn't get terribly wound up about it. And thankfully, there was no evidence that squirrels, or god forbid, raccoons et al., had taken up residence inside my attic. The hole under the eave is now fixed. The hole in my garage ceiling will be fixed in a couple of days (paid for of course by the wildlife removal company).
3. Who Needs Throw Pillows?
I don't have cable or satellite TV. I don't watch enough TV to justify the expense. But I do watch TV sometimes. And when I sit down on the couch, I am immediately surrounded by dogs and cats all vying for the prime position of my lap. As a result, none of them actually get to sit in my lap. So Gracie and Lola have come up with the best compromise by taking spots on the back of the couch. Lola tucks in behind my neck (a warm, furry, purring pillow) and Gracie likes to drape her front paws and head over my shoulder.
4. Amazing Gracie
In class on Monday night, Gracie got introduced to an Aframe contact. Debbie is having us backchain contact performance. That is, they didn't do the entire Aframe, only the last few feet of it. We either lifted them up and put them on the down side of the Aframe or we lured them up. There was a target on the ground at the bottom of the contact. Because my own Aframe is currently being rehabbed (details to come), I've only worked Gracie at home on a 12" wide plank on the ground. So she'd not seen a slanted contact before. She happily jumped up on it, turned around, and raced down to the target, dropping into the most beautiful down with her front paws on the target, lined up perfectly straight on the obstacle, and repeatedly offered a nose touch for multiple click/treats. I released her with my command "okay!" and she came running off towards me. I turned and stepped into her with the intent of slipping her collar/leash back on, but I've been doing a lot of flat work with her and she interpreted my movement differently. She turned when I turned, ran back up the contact, spun around, ran to the bottom, and dropped into a down, paws on the target. It happened so quickly that I could hardly get treats out fast enough. How can I characterize this sort of learning? It happened in a single session. Gracie is apparently just as scary smart as her sister Mimi but WAAAAY more focused on me from the outset.
So tonight, I decided to test what she actually did learn. I propped one end of my 12" wide training plank up--a terribly shaky set up to be sure. Nothing was tied down or particularly solid. This plank is a 1/2" by 12" board that I nailed some slats to and then painted with primer and sand. Nothing fancy. But it's a versatile training tool to work contacts.
Gracie wasn't sure that a wobbly 12" board was at all the same as a nice, wide, stable Aframe. So I lured her up the board twice, then had her turn on the board--make a 180degree turn on that 12" wide wobbly board, not a trivial move by any means--and when she saw the target on the ground at the end, she SHOT to the end of the board and dropped into a down, paws on the target. Amazing. I didn't get any pics of her on the board but here's my little set up.
I'm going to have to get a personal exercise trainer to keep up with these sisters if they both proceed to make all this potential the real deal.
Five of these giant mushroom colonies grew up around my seedless mulberry. I pulled them all up and put them in my compost bin.
2. Co-lateral Squirrel Damage
I live in a fairly densely wooded area. Most of the trees are 20+ years old and support a prolific squirrel population. I also keep a bird feeder, a Squirrel Buster, which I can say truly does work as advertised, but the birds are picky and thus messy and the squirrels (and the doves and other ground feeders) eat the seeds that get tossed onto the ground. I'd have squirrels running around anyway, but the free food does tend to attract them. Imagine my horror last weekend when I discovered a piece of siding that had been either pulled out or that had fallen from under one of my roof eaves. It could only mean squirrels were now romping and procreating in my attic! Oh my god. I called a wildlife removal service that offers humane solutions, not traps or poisons. Two guys showed up this morning, one a new trainee. They poked around my roof for a while, then asked to get into the attic. The primary access is from the garage. The trainee proceeded to step off the staircase right through the ceiling of my garage.
At least it was the garage and not the living room or my bedroom so clean up was easy. This is a fixable problem and I didn't get terribly wound up about it. And thankfully, there was no evidence that squirrels, or god forbid, raccoons et al., had taken up residence inside my attic. The hole under the eave is now fixed. The hole in my garage ceiling will be fixed in a couple of days (paid for of course by the wildlife removal company).
3. Who Needs Throw Pillows?
I don't have cable or satellite TV. I don't watch enough TV to justify the expense. But I do watch TV sometimes. And when I sit down on the couch, I am immediately surrounded by dogs and cats all vying for the prime position of my lap. As a result, none of them actually get to sit in my lap. So Gracie and Lola have come up with the best compromise by taking spots on the back of the couch. Lola tucks in behind my neck (a warm, furry, purring pillow) and Gracie likes to drape her front paws and head over my shoulder.
4. Amazing Gracie
In class on Monday night, Gracie got introduced to an Aframe contact. Debbie is having us backchain contact performance. That is, they didn't do the entire Aframe, only the last few feet of it. We either lifted them up and put them on the down side of the Aframe or we lured them up. There was a target on the ground at the bottom of the contact. Because my own Aframe is currently being rehabbed (details to come), I've only worked Gracie at home on a 12" wide plank on the ground. So she'd not seen a slanted contact before. She happily jumped up on it, turned around, and raced down to the target, dropping into the most beautiful down with her front paws on the target, lined up perfectly straight on the obstacle, and repeatedly offered a nose touch for multiple click/treats. I released her with my command "okay!" and she came running off towards me. I turned and stepped into her with the intent of slipping her collar/leash back on, but I've been doing a lot of flat work with her and she interpreted my movement differently. She turned when I turned, ran back up the contact, spun around, ran to the bottom, and dropped into a down, paws on the target. It happened so quickly that I could hardly get treats out fast enough. How can I characterize this sort of learning? It happened in a single session. Gracie is apparently just as scary smart as her sister Mimi but WAAAAY more focused on me from the outset.
So tonight, I decided to test what she actually did learn. I propped one end of my 12" wide training plank up--a terribly shaky set up to be sure. Nothing was tied down or particularly solid. This plank is a 1/2" by 12" board that I nailed some slats to and then painted with primer and sand. Nothing fancy. But it's a versatile training tool to work contacts.
Gracie wasn't sure that a wobbly 12" board was at all the same as a nice, wide, stable Aframe. So I lured her up the board twice, then had her turn on the board--make a 180degree turn on that 12" wide wobbly board, not a trivial move by any means--and when she saw the target on the ground at the end, she SHOT to the end of the board and dropped into a down, paws on the target. Amazing. I didn't get any pics of her on the board but here's my little set up.
I'm going to have to get a personal exercise trainer to keep up with these sisters if they both proceed to make all this potential the real deal.
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