Casualty.

There are a lot of jackrabbit in Saskatoon these days.  But I think we're probably down at least one today.  Walking down McKercher Drive I spotted a crow scavenging on a dead animal in the road.  From its size and colouring I'm guessing it was a jackrabbit.  Given how many of the are around I'm surprised we don't see more dead ones.  Hopefully if this was a female its offspring are old enough to take care of themselves.

It should be noted that if you find a baby jackrabbit please leave it alone unless there is no other choice.  Mother jackrabbits leave them alone most of the time, only coming back to feed them briefly late at night.  If you do need to move one use clean gloves to avoid getting human scent on them, as a mother may reject one that doesn't smell right.

Up From Below.

I saw my first gopher of the year today.  It was standing outside its burrow, looking for whatever it was looking for.  Hopefully it hasn't come up too early.  And it may not be living in the best place, just on the edge of the University of Saskatchewan campus.  I'm pretty sure U of S groundskeepers have taken pest control measures against their burrows in the past, such as by the bus stop in front of the main library building.

Enjoy Some Cute.

A lot of bad stuff has been going on lately.  So here's a reprieve. This is believed to be the first footage of African sand cat kittens in the wild.  Aren't they cute?


Sand Cat Kittens Spotted in the Wild for First Time from Panthera Cats on Vimeo.

Man 1, Cougar 0.

Cougar fighting is not a recommended activity, but Will Gibb of Red Deer, Alberta seems to have some skill at it.  When his dog was attacked by a cougar in a Tim Hortons parking lot he attacked the cougar.  He eventually managed to chase it off and the dog, Sasha, was treated at a local vet clinic for cougar bites.  Sasha will make a full recovery.

There's no word whether the cougar was there to get a double double or not.

Bounce Bounce.

I had my first jackrabbit encounter of the month this morning.  I saw one over on Park Ave.  Given how many I've seen so far this year there must be quite a few living in Saskatoon.  I would imagine the relative lack of predators makes up for the danger of being hit by a vehicle.

Not Quite Who They Want.

In recent years there's been a lot of talk about getting more people to live in downtown Saskatoon.  This morning I saw a possible resident of the downtown area that isn't quite who they'd want to move in.  It was a jackrabbit, running down the sidewalk on 3rd Avenue.  Apparently it was a smart jackrabbit, since they weren't in the middle of the street.  Wherever he was going I hope he didn't get run over. 

Rabbit Time.

It had been a while since I saw a rabbit in Saskatoon.  But my stretch of not seeing any was broken when I was on East Drive today.  He still had a bit of white on his behind from his winter coat.  Hopefully he didn't run into the cat I saw soon after.  A patient enough cat might catch a rabbit, and I'm not sure a rabbit would recognise one as an enemy without experience.  On the other hand a jackrabbit might be able to injure a cat.

Him Too.

As a followup to this post I should note that my dad saw a rabbit this morning.  He saw one running across the road on 25th Street near the police station.  Downtown isn't a good place to be running for a rabbit.

Are The Rabbits Listening?

This morning I commented to my dad that I was overdue for seeing a rabbit.  It seems I see one every few months.

Off to Lakeshore Crescent I went this morning.  What did I see as I began to walk around the area?  A jackrabbit.

Maybe they're listening in on us somehow.

Carrying A Concealed Snake?

Chances are this will soon reach the "weird news" segment of your newscast of choice.  But if you see this soon enough you can say you saw it here first.  Two Saskatoon men are currently in custody, facing charges of mischief and causing a disturbance, after they threw a snake at Tim Hortons employees at the 22nd Street location.  The two men became irate after an employee of the restaurant told them couldn't have diced onions on their sandwiches, prompting one to pull the snake out of the other's pocket, and throw it over the counter.  The employees fled, and after police were called the two men were located nearby and arrested.  The snake was a garter snake, which of course is not venomous, and was taken into protective custody.

As if we didn't have to worry about Saskatoon crooks with guns, knives, and bear spray, now it's concealed snakes.

Enjoy The Cute.

My latest upload to Youtube.  This little guy is a degu, a rodent native to Chile.  He lives in an enclosure in the Biology Building on the University of Saskatchewan.

Evening Fox.

I went out for a walk tonight, which I probably shouldn't have because I'm going to be doing a lot of walking tomorrow.  But I'm glad I did.  As I came around the corner onto the street I live on a fox ran across the street about 30 feet in front of me.  It was running from one alley to another.  It was presumably a Red fox, as an Artic fox presumably doesn't get this far south.  I live close to a major highway, so it no doubt had easy access from the country.  But it was still quite the surprise to see one.

When I mentioned this to my father he said he and my mother saw a fox a few blocks from here when they left for their trip to the US a few weeks ago.

I've seen other non-city comfortable wildlife in Saskatoon.  I've seen deer in a couple of places over the years, including one that ran into the streets that flank College Drive.  I've also seen rabbits several times, including in Buckwold Park near where I live.

If you do run across fox, deer, and other large animals in your town, keep your distance.  Cornering them may lead them to attack you.

Buggy.

Another sign we finally have Spring, besides the massive amount of snow that's melted this week:  creepy crawlies.  I saw a fly outside yesterday, and this morning I saw a couple of fresh ant holes in the dirt between someone's sidewalk tiles.  I wonder how well insects like bees are doing given that the weather will have slowed up plants flowering and so on.

Above Ground.

I saw my first gopher(technically a Richardson's ground squirrel, but no one calls them that) of the year today.  He was running around one of the University of Saskatchewan parking lots.  Most of the snow is gone there, so he should have an easier time finding something to eat that his fellows elsewhere in the city might.  They're cute looking little things, but they cause problems by digging burrows in places they shouldn't, like parks.

Anno Corvus Corax

There's been a lot of talk lately of this being the Year of the Dragon in Chinese tradition.  Here in Saskatoon it may be more appropriate to talk about the Year of the Raven.  Normally ravens are seen briefly here as they pass through late in the Fall and early in the Spring.  This Winter however they've hung around in signficant numbers.  Could the unusually warm weather have something to do with this?  Whatever the reason they seem to like it here at the moment.  It will be interesting to see what happens in the Spring when their cousins the crows, and birds like gulls, return.  It would also be interesting to know what effect they're having on the larger birds that do hang around Saskatoon all year round, like the magpies and blue jays.  And smaller birds may find themselves facing more problems due to the prescense of yet another species that may prey on them.

Shirt And Shoes Wouldn't Help.

This afternoon I was walking past the Granma Lee's at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 25th Street.  There was a magpie looking for stuff on the sidewalk.  At one point he walked up to the doors of the restaurant and sqawked.  I'm not sure if he saw his reflection and thought it was another magpie, or if he thought they'd let him in for something to eat.  Unfortunately for him magpies are known not to carry money on them, so they wouldn't have much incentive to open the doors.

Not My Pet.

This morning while sitting in the library reading a book I spotted a tiny spider on my pant leg.  I blew him off.  But he apparently liked something about my pants, as he kept reappearing after several attempts to remove him.  Finally he ended up on the floor, and the last I saw him he was running away for parts unknown.

It's interesting the difference size makes.  I wouldn't want a spider of noticeable size on  me.  But a tiny creature like that just seems cute, not threatening.  I can only imagine what kind of insects and other creatures the little guy eats.  They'd be as small or even smaller than him.  Of course not being a spider expert I have no idea how big he'll get, assuming of course he survives for long being in an environment with dozens of people walking around at any one time.

Survivors

As I stood waiting for the bus this morning a chickadee sat on the branch of an evergreen by the bus stop proudly calling out his "deedeedee" to whoever would listen. When you think about it it's amazing how these little birds survive. With little more than their feathers for warmth and whatever bits and bobs of food they can scrounge they manage to ride out winters that can sometimes hit -30 Celcius or colder. No doubt some do die, but many more chickadees, sparrows, and other small birds make it to see spring and another mating season. Of course it doesn't hurt that human behaviour helps them along, both by providing trees and other types of shelter, and by offering them food they wouldn't otherwise have.

Look Who's Come For Dinner.

It's always a good thing to be nice to your guests. I'm sure the furry fellow in the video above would agree. Apparently this guy is a regular visitor to Pip R. Lagenta's home via the cat door, as is the occasional skunk. And as you can see he seems to be having a fine time.

(Found via this post at More Words, Deeper Hole.)

People of Australia, I must apologise, but it seems I will probably not ever visit your country.

You see, you guys have this creature called the Huntsman spider running around your fair land. And since I have no desire to encounter a big giant spider like that I'm afraid I just can't visit your country. I prefer my spiders small and easily squishable.