Week 6 of 2012 - Leap

Leaping Lizards! Went to Tortola and the vacation villa had no screens on the windows so the lizards were leaping throughout the place. At least they were cute. The tarantulas not so cute!

Week 2 of 2012 - 5 Minutes From My Home

The Detroit Zoological Society is responsible for the care and feeding of more than 1,800 vertebrates and 5,000 invertebrates representing over 270 species.

33/52: Home

Home for rent. Open floor plan of approximately 1 square foot. Complete with cedar walls and a great view.

This bat home went up on my chimney this spring and still no renters. According to BatConservation.org:

- Where you mount your bat house plays a major role in the internal temperature. Houses can be mounted on such structures as poles, sides of buildings and tall trees without obstructions. Houses placed on poles and structures tend to become occupied quicker than houses placed on trees. (check)

- Should face south to southeast to take advantage of the morning sun and need to receive at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight. (check)

-It is also advantageous to paint the house black to absorb plenty of heat. (yea, I don't think so)

- Should be mounted at least 15 feet above the ground, the higher the house the greater the chance of attracting bats. (check)

- Most houses used by bats are occupied in the first 1 to 6 months during the first summer the bat house was erected. (3 months to go)

- If bats do not roost by the end of the second summer, move the house to another location. (yea, I don't think so)

6/52 of 2010: Close Up

(Not so much) ready for my close up! I spent a day and a half watching a house full of dogs and cats and various aquatic creatures so I figured they were prime candidates for this weeks theme of Close Up. I found the kitties were not overly cooperative and also not too happy with a macro lens stuck in their faces.

A bit too friendly

Yesterday while crouching down along a river adjusting shutter speeds and exposure settings in an attempt to learn more about photographing flowing water and bright white snow I wasn't expecting a critter to try to get into my jacket pocket! Too bad for Mr. Squirrel I was out of snacks at the moment. Maybe next time I'll bring lunch.

After posting this I discovered that today was actually "Squirrel Appreciation Day" according to the National Wildlife Federation. Coincidence? Maybe THAT'S what Mr. Squirrel was trying to tell me!

Brrr - finally winter

Suddenly it's winter here complete with snow flurries and single digit wind chills! All summer while biking and hiking and photographing I told myself I would continue doing this all winter no matter what the temperatures (with the proper clothing of course) and maybe even try snow activities like cross county skiing and ice skating. But now that it's here I'm really not so sure anymore. (Brrr)

I guess it will depend on how inside-stir-crazy I get.

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Here's a mid-summer pic of a bird and a boat on Lake St. Clair.

Toasty, like a warm crackling fire.

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K-roo, thinks.

Kangaroo relaxes, contemplates what is to become of

This is Eric's Blog.

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. Resident of The Detroit Zoo

Switch to autumn drizzle

Not another picture perfect October afternoon in The D.

But foggy and misty isn't all that bad.
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And the Stony Creek antelopes didn't seem to mind it at all. Yea, I know: That's a white-tailed deer.

Subliminal Primates

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...and now you are, too.

Did you say Dinosaur?

In a search for more dinosaurs around town

I came across Dinosaur Hill

during my bike ride along the Paint Creek Trail.

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Further investigation of the "Hill" did not produce any dinosaurs.

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I did however encounter what at first I thought was a young tyrannosaurus that jumped out of the brush right in front of my bike but turned out to be just a deer.

Park at own risk

We really need MORE dinosaurs around town!

This dino caught with my cell.

No cats? How about Fair Animals

Today is 9/9/09 - so here are 9 things:
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1 - Is there any significance, really? It's just another day here at This is Eric's Blog. Some say the world will come to an end today. I better hurry up and post this just in case!
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2 - Since cats are known to have 9 lives (and today being 9/9/09) it has been declared "A Day Without Cats Online." I wonder if it's only today or every 9/9 regardless of year.
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3 - On this day in 1850 (NOT a 9/9/09) California became the 31st state.
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4 - Update: I'm done wondering about #2 since I never post pics of cats anyway. Well except for the zoo pics and those are big cats.
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5 - Today is the last repeating single digit date until 1/1/11. (Do not confuse it with 10/10/10... which I think I like a lot.)
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6 - There used to be 9 planets in our solar system. Sorry Pluto.
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7 - Two weeks until fall, or Autumn as some call it.
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8 - I forget what eight was for.
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9 - Here is a collage of State Fair Animals due to the no cats rule:

All State Fair pictures from the last three days were taken with an ever-more-portable Sony Cybershot P200 that fits in a pocket.

Tomato Catastrophe

News at 11:00!

Homley Homer who produced his first offspring back on June 25th has since been producing as advertised, although not to his full 5-6 foot size as promised. But today a devastating find:

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WHAT on Earth could be doing such cold-hearted damage to Homer's fruit???

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Could it be..................

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First seen back on May 23rd and hailed as a "food critic" I believe the truth is about to come out about this furry creature!

E-I-E-I-O

The other day I was driving through the sticks (I mean country) about 5 miles north of Kalamazoo Michigan and I passed a farm.

And on this farm they had a:

With a neigh-neigh here and a neigh-neigh there. Here a neigh there a neigh. Everywhere a neigh-neigh.

(That is if a zebra actually does "neigh".)

1999 Barracuda

You lying so low in the weeds.
I bet you gonna ambush me.
You'd have me down down down down on my knees.
Now wouldn't you, barracuda...
(Heart)

A pic from the past.
He was smiling at me as I snorkeled by.
Spring 1999 on Providenciales.

More Mourning

The "Pre-Easter" Mourning Doves are still hanging out. Today they watched me as I tried to relax in the lukewarm tub after a long day of painting trim and chimney grout.

They are wondering why THEIR tub doesn't bubble.

They are also wondering why I'm STILL not done painting the house!

New web address

but the same exciting content!
Why the new address you ask? Don't ask. Just deal with it.

Deal with it like Mr. Sparrow deals with things.

Shown here perched happily on his roof back in March.

(His roof on his house that is attached to the side of the neighbor's garage)

Enter the neighbors who decide to side their place this summer.

SO yesterday was operation Sparrow Relocation.

And Mr. Sparrow dealt with it.

Today in fish history

In 1770 Captain James Cook discovers the

Great Barrier Reef off Australia

when his ship The Endeavour ran aground.

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Farm update

I haven't blogged about my farm since Tax Day! Okay, maybe since Earth Day. But so much has happened... or grown. All the seeds have sprouted, the lettuce and radishes are doing great and the herbs are growing like weeds (except for the basil for some reason). It's been an unusually hot and dry May so the sprinkler has been put on a timer (because I'm a busy guy).

With all the activity I thought it was time for a food critic... so I called in a professional....

Nom nom nom...

Where's Batman?

Robin is wondering where all the reader comments have gone????
He's probably also looking for worms... and wondering... and worming.... but more wondering than worming. Maybe.