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Borrego Springs, CA

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Harvest time begins

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Farmers lease a sizeable share of the refuge to grow crops.  The deal is that they leave a portion of the plantings for wildlife use.  The big trucks have been rolling down the roads, and the John Deere equipment has begun to harvest the corn.  The soybeans aren’t quite ready yet.  At sometime during the week, the sunflower crop was also harvested.

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Now we won’t be seeing the bears coming out of the corn fields.  Some of them have switched over to the beans.  You have to look at just the right moment to see them.  This bear is standing up on his hind legs, and  when he drops down, you won’t be able to see him.  It’s kind of like one of those arcade games where you don’t know when an animal is going to pop up to hit with your mallet, and you have to guess where the bear will pop up next.

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As I made the perimeter trip to fill pamphlet boxes yesterday, I found quite a few wildflowers at the peak of their bloom.  The goldenrod is also a lot more prominent than it was a few weeks ago.  I guess fall really is on it’s way even though the temps are still in the 80’s.

I worked the Pea Island VC today, and it was a rather productive day for the nature store.  With 152 visitors, I sold almost $700 in merchandise.  Not bad for a Saturday in September.  During lulls I kept track of the bird feeders to see if there were any new avian visitors.  There weren’t any, but the first white pelican of the season arrived at the pond outside the VC this week. 

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No new birds, but we had a couple of mammals visit the feeder area.  I’ve heard about this young raccoon visiting now and then, but this is the first time it’s shown up during my shift.  He’s cute as a button, but raccoons can play havoc with bird feeders.  Luckily the feeders at the VC have large squirrel guards on them that are also effective for keeping the raccoons at bay.

_MG_0637 A little later in the afternoon, this whiskery fellow (or gal) showed up as well.  It looks like it was about to tell me something.  Winking smile

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Get a load of those long toes and nails on this nutria.  It also has a long hairless tail that gives people the idea that it is a muskrat.  The tail shape and larger size identifies it as a nutria.  It let me approach to around seven feet, before it decided to beat a hasty retreat. 

Tomorrow I’m off to work the Gateway VC for the afternoon.  I think I’ll leave a little early to get there so I can take my time checking out some of the back roads on the refuge along the way.

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                                                                               THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

23 comments:

  1. Does that tree bark resemble an owl to anyone else? Wow, that was a good sale day - $700!

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  2. You really do see some great wildlife. I came across some people feeding a nutria in a local park. They were discussing what it was and one of them said, "I think it's a beaver." I didn't try and correct them.

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  3. You really did have a busy day at the VC. I sure do like your animal pictures.

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  4. Great Pictures again Judy, Rigg"s got to meet Annie today, He has more girlfriends than I ever did. Be safe out there.

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  5. Great animal pictures. Hope the raccoon behaves himself.

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  6. Love the pics. . .the header pics of Lake Drummond is great.

    Everytime I see a racoon, I think of tent camping at Goose Island in Texas. . .and those rascals getting into our coolers, and eating us out of house and home. . .LOL!

    Janice
    ReadyToGoFullTimeRVing.blogspot.com

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  7. Does the NWR do anything about the nutria? I thought they were very damaging to the native species. Great pictures of the varmit though.

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  8. That is cool, the farmers leave some of their crops for the animals. Nice to see a good supply of food for them to get through the winter months.

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  9. I think you hit the jackpot with your new volunteer location. You have posted some wonderful pictures the past couple of months. Keep up the good work.

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  10. Those nutria are goofy-looking - such a combination of diverse elements - especially when you see their two big orange front teeth! Surprised it let you get so close. Wonder what that overgrown rodent would have to say: Hey lady, got any water hyacinths or how 'bout some bacon??!!

    Bears, bears, bears! I wonder if this NWR holds YOUR record for most bear sightings?

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  11. The picture of the bear in the fields is cute and the racoon isn't bad either.

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  12. With the drought here Emma wouldnt be able to hide in the soybean fields around
    our house let alone a bear. As everyone has said great pics.
    Donna



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  13. Those bears are cracking me up. They just don't have a care in the world.

    I love this time of the year. It is so beautiful. My dad was a farmer, and he enjoys going for rides and watching the harvest.

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  14. That harvest photo looks like it could have been taken at my farm a couple years ago.... memories now.... how my life has changed since then! Great animal pictures and info as usual, Judy. Thanks for sharing!

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  15. The farmers grow barley here at the Monte Vista NWR and leave some of it in the fields for the Sandhill Cranes. I guess that these cooperative agreements are common in the refuge system.

    Great pictures!!

    Mark

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  16. With Bears just popping up all over the place those old corn fields aren't the spot you just want to go for a walk.

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  17. 152 visitors and $700 in sales sounds like a VERY busy day at the VC!
    Our clerk at the Cape Blanco Gift Shop is excited if she gets $300 in sales.
    I loved the critter pics, glad you had time to sneak a few shots.

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  18. love the nutria photos...never sure what I'm seeing out in nature...your blog and photos sure help!

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  19. Hi Judy, I'm going to be volunteering at Laguna Atascosa NWR in Nov and Dec. Have you ever volunteered there? Thanks, Teri

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  20. You are clearly quick on the camera trigger finger:)

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  21. Is a Nutria related to a Woodchuck??We have them here...Yep, Harvest time here too...McGyver goes to help combine the corn tomorrow...The corn is first this year because it is falling off the plants and can affect the yield for the farmers....next comes the beans...I will be a farmer's widow for about 6 weeks or soo...:-(

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  22. I have never seen or heard of a Nutria before. They look like a mixture of beaver, muskrat, and woodchuck!! Have a great upcoming week!

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  23. Pictures are great, you're always in the right place at the right time.

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