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Borrego Springs, CA

Saturday, November 19, 2011

A surprising daytime visitor

On the way to get groceries this morning, I decided to take care of a couple of other chores along the way.  I wanted to go through an automatic car wash to get off all the residue on the front of the car that accumulates from the exhaust of the motorhome when it is towed.  Never had this problem until I got this rig since the engine is in the back.  Pulled into the washer to deposit my money, and the machine said it was broken. Please come again.  Okay, so I moved on to the new Dollar General that had opened in Winnie.  Sign on that door said they would open at noon… two strikes.  I’m having a real problem finding those little doggy poop bags, and thought a new store might stock them.  At least the Market Basket in town was open and running.  I prefer to shop at the HEB in Beaumont, but this store is 30 miles closer.  The prices are a little higher here, and the selection is not as great, but I like to support local enterprises as well. 

This store has enough young employees that they take your purchases out to your car for you, and tipping is not allowed.  Only problem with that is how much they put in each bag.  I use cloth bags that I bring into the store, and I always bring plenty of them so the weight can be spread out.  Next time I think I’ll ask them to think of me as their little old grandma who can’t handle all the canned goods in one bag. 

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It’s hard to believe, but I forgot to bring my binoculars with me yesterday as we went into the East unit to see all of the waterfowl.  So I had to use my camera to identify this hatching year female Cooper’s hawk.  I then knew it was a young bird because of the vertical striping on its breast, and knew it was a female by its size.  Females in this species are quite a bit bigger than the males.

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We also found a rather small turtle near the water by the hunter’s check station.  Stephanie was interested to hear that it had yellow striping on the head rather than red.

Early this afternoon, Emma went berserk while she was on her tie out.  She generally only gives a few barks if a turkey vulture or a red-tailed hawk soars over our site, but this time she went on and on.  I grabbed my camera and headed out the door.

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                                Aha!  A nine banded armadillo was making its way along the fence line.

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See those long nails on its front foot?  They are great diggers.  They also don’t see very well, so are pretty easy to approach.  If they have to cross a creek, or stream, or bayou, they can do it in one of two ways.  They can either hold their breathe and just walk across the bottom, or they can inflate air sacks and swim across.  If it’s a stressful time for finding food, pregnant females can also delay the development of their embryos until things improve.  Just toss out those little bits of trivia the next time you’re at a lack for conversation.  Rolling on the floor laughing

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                                                                                THE END!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

28 comments:

  1. I used to buy bags at Dollar Tree but they were for diaper disposal and were orange but they worked!

    Great armadillo photos. They're such an interesting little animal.

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  2. That new header picture is great. What were they? Interesting info on the Armadillo.

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  3. Yep, it's a 9 banded Armadillo alright. Counted those bands myself I did:))

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  4. Armadillos fascinate me...would love to observe one in the wild!

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  5. I was beginning to worry that I wasn't going to learn anything new today, but you came to the rescue!

    Now I have Armadillo trivia to impress my friends with (if I had any!).

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  6. Wow, that Armadillo is amazing, you are still an educator at heart. Thanks for teaching me something new. I can't blame Emma for going crazy, just protecting who she loves.

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  7. We saw an Armadillo at Georgetown COE park...they are so prehistoric...like a rhinoceros without the water....That header photo still makes Dennis nervous about the red plane that was in the midst of the birds...not good!

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  8. Great capture of the Armadillo on your camera. Thanks of the info on the Armadillo, I learned a lot!

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  9. That was interesting. It's a strange looking creature but the armadillo is an interesting animal. Learn something new everyday!!!

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  10. Those armadillos are such strange looking animals!

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  11. interesting lesson about the armadillos!!..nice ending as always!!

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  12. I never thought about your car getting dirty from the exhaust. Wonder if it does that in diesels??

    Great armadillo pictures! They are so interesting but ugly actually. Kind of like possums only better.

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  13. Wonderful *the end* shot as usual..... tee heee

    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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  14. Find your poop bags? I would love to see an armadillo in the wild. So neat. And I can hardly wait to share thee tidbits.

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  15. Don't need to put safety stripes on the rear of a slow moving armadillo, they already have them.What a hoot. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna..

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  16. Great armadillo pics. One of my favorite critters.

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  17. Another bit of fascinating wildlife trivia ... thanks. Have yet to see an armadillo, but when I do and I photograph it, my photo captions are now ready :-))

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  18. Great photos, as usual. No wonder Emma was all excited.

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  19. Wow.. never knew that about armadillos, actually I have never seen one! So now when I meet my first armadillo, I will be *armed* with information!

    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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  20. learn something new every day, thanks to bloggers like you, Judy! air sacs in armadillos.

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  21. I remember seeing armadillos while traveling in the South. My husband is a native Pacific Northwesterner and he doesn't believe me!

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  22. I love your photos! They are amazing.

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  23. Armadillos are fascinating critters, aren't they? I got a few pictures of them when I was in Florida a few years ago, but none quite that close. Good shots!

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  24. Howdy Judy&Emma
    Tell Emma the armadillos do look ferocious, but they won't bite anything but worms!! We have one in our yard Joyce calls Alice.. She has a hole under the hedge, but so far no babies... Maybe Alice is an Alex!! Judy, you are a natural nature
    photographer of the Al B. school or Wyman Meinser
    ilk!! Sure hope ol' whatzizname iz gone, but the Chapmans I think have found him ..

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  25. I would LOVE to see an armadillo! It's beautiful. Good dog, Emma!

    Your new header photo is really something. When I first saw it, I thought it was a Monet painting. Pretty amazing.

    I used to use the sealing sandwich bags before I found out about the doggie poop bags. They are more expensive, but they work and seal the contents well when I'm out of doggie bags.

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