Be notified of page updates

it's private

powered by ChangeDetection

great blue heron, giant snapper

Listening to:	birdies chirping
Reading:	GEB & stuff
Weather:	70, sticky, overcast

It's nature week here at the catablog, kiddies. I drove to Elkins on Tuesday, where I met with a bunch of seniors and talked about dealing with debt and dying without a will and long-term care Medicad and whatnot. Had coffee at the lovely little Kissle Stop Cafe downtown, around the corner from the senior center. Free wifi, 5 bars, no less!

On my way home, driving up 92 just past Mud Gut Road in Barbour County, I saw something ahead in the middle of my lane. Couldn't tell at first what it was, and my instinct is always not to straddle anything I can avoid it, my little Honda rides so low. Fortunately the only car coming the opposite way passed it enough before me that I could scoot over the center line about halfway and avoid what turned out to be a pretty huge snapping turtle. I wanted to try to get him off the road, so I quickly found a spot on the side of the windy two-lane to turn around, and headed back. But the time I reached him again he was high up on his legs walking across the southbound lane, so I slowed way down and watched.

What a dinosauric beast! His shell was probably at least 10 inches across and 12 or so inches long, and they have these giant heads and necks, not like box turtles, which I see on the road all spring. Big fat pointed tail, too. He was pretty muddy. He walked straight across the road, from the creek on one side to the creek on the other side. Uh, watch for him if you go swimming there.

And then yesterday morning as Liv and I left the house for work, I slowly pulled out of my driveway, looking around the beaver pond (like I do everyday). Just as I got onto the bridge I saw it. Liv was like "what is THAT?" It was a great blue heron standing in the shallows. So long and tall and statuesque, it was quite a sight. Then she starting flapping her wings and took off heading upstream, her wings spanning at least 5 feet maybe more, an amazing thing to see.

permalink posted by cat 8:22 AM

read 0 comments