Eastern Towhee

Eastern Towhee
Originally uploaded by nickdawg76

A spunky little bird!

Opekiska Survey

GEDC1320
Originally uploaded by nickdawg76

Now I'm having better luck.

Been a while, semester is kicking my ... flesh.

Since last we spoke, I have been to a Lock and Dam survey. There were several agencies there: WVDNR, EPA, Army Corps Engineering, WVDEP... and us, WVU wildlife students. I have participated in the capture, tagging, and release of small mammals. As well as did some bird bandings, all in the same day! Used pyrotechniques and a netgun. Watched a raccoon be drugged and blood taken for rabies surveys. The worst? A coyote necropsy. Those things sat in black trash bags inside large freezer/fridge things. I nearly up chucked.

Guess what?  It's that time of year again!! Buckwheat Festival of Preston County:
http://www.buckwheatfest.com/

Have you ever had buckwheat cakes? Well, some people love them! ME? No. What I do love is the smell of a carnival; fiddle cakes, caremel apples, and yes, even the livestock. So if you get a moment, check out the schedule. They have parades and different shows. ENJOY!

Tagging fish

Another shot of Ted

Tonight: Sept 24, 2010.

We discovered that Ted lives under our porch.

Our Toad Ted.

The first night we saw him. Hopping across the drive way.

We have a toad. An American toad, or Bufo americanus.
My husband calls him Ted.

Our fresh basil attracts many insects; more so bees and butterflies. This one is either a repeat visitor, or there is an abundance of them. :)

----------------Before The Summer is GONE!-------------------------
Take a historic/nature kayak tour on the Monongahela River near Morgantown, the home of WVU: http://www.magicriverwv.com/

A first year mockingbird

I see this young mockingbird several times a week; it lives in a tree near our campus. When I first discovered it, it still had baby fuzz and a mother bird near by. Now I only see it, and its baby fuzz is all gone. I don't know when it will leave this bush or the trees around it.