Hector Frozen & the Chr-Chr Bird Sings

Hector is my spitting frog.  I bought him a few years ago and finally plumbed him into the pump system so he would spit, hopefully, year-round.  This is his first winter and I guess I'll have to come up with a plan "F" since Hector is now officially FROZEN.

Here are some pictures of Hector taken between December 17 and the day after Christmas.

 

 As you can see he is trying to spit but it's more like a drool.

  

Still at it but I wonder if there is a frog in there somewhere?

 

 

Here we are on the day after Christmas... What ice?  What snow?

And finally today, two days after Christmas, Hector is frozen solid and as soon as I can get him out of his ice restraints I will put him in the garage to defrost. In the mean time I expect a leak from a frozen pipe when things warm up again.

Joe had the right idea.  I doubt very much if she is worried at all about the weather.

On top of all the freezing weather this morning with the thermometer reading single digits I heard the call of the Chr-Chr bird... it is something like this: Chr... Chr... Chr... Christ it's COLD out here!

A Fly-by

Bill Cosby said that he was 11 years old before he discovered his name wasn't Jesus Christ and his brother wasn't named Dammit... as in "Jesus Christ what the hell are you doing.  Damnit, stop doing that!"  I still think that is pretty funny

My mother used to say, "If I've told you once I've told you a thousand times...."  My father used to say, "Son, now what have I told you...."  To continue with that theme I will repeat myself:  Things happen so very fast in the never ending interaction between predator and prey.  I be talk'n 'bout that interaction thing go'n on in my backyard don'tyaknow.

The little birdies are feeding on the sunflower seeds and millet that I put in the feeder on a daily basis.  Then, poof, they are all sit'n in the Mulberry Tree and a hawk comes zooming (as in zooming really fast) toward the bird feeder.  The hawk hits the feeder causing it to spin wildly and bird seed flies out like a fireworks pin-wheel. 

The hawk continued on without lunch and the little birdies started feeding on the ground with the newly deposited seeds resting on top of the snow.

Elapsed time... about 3 seconds. 

Imagine what we are missing just because we aren't watching at the right moment.

Coopers Hawk Family Reunion

More about the Coopers Hawk...  This morning there were no birds at the feeder and the who-who birdies had not stopped by either.  So I figured the hawks were still in the area.

I broke out the binoculars and started checking nearby trees.  Sure enough in the large tree just the other side of our back fence sat a hawk.  Then I noticed another.  And then yet another.  They must have been having a family reunion. 

I checked them out as best I could with the binoculars.  When Ginger came into the room I told here I had spied the hawks and there were 3 of  'em in the tree.  She said, "is that counting the one on the fence?"   Geez, I had missed the hawk sitting right in front of my face.  I would make a great hunter.... sure.

A short time later the largest of the hawks dropped from the tree and was obviously going after some bird.  These hawks are fast and agile.  It was headed down toward the ground going fast and then lifting and turning at the same time.  It's wings were almost vertical as it turned around the maiden grass stalks.  It then accelerated and zoomed out of my sight as it went down by the side of the house.

I don't know if the hawk connected with it's target.  I was certainly impressed with the demonstration of agility, speed and obvious strength. 

Once again these things begin and end in just seconds.  Go to the fridge or answer the phone and you will miss the show.

A Coopers Hawk Stops by for a Visit

Here's the deal. This is supposed to be a Frog Blog but it's winter and in this neck of the woods all the frogs are sleeping very soundly, no doubt dreaming about eating birds. So when something a bit different happens in the back yard I decided I should add it to the blog if for no other reason than to keep the blog active. Nuff said... I'm writing a short story.

You will be surprised to find that pictured is a Coopers Hawk!  Not surprised?  I understand.  The picture is not the hawk that visited our yard this morning.  The picture is one I found on the Internet. 

I googled "Coopers Hawk" and found the bird to be pretty interesting.  Here are a few facts about "Coop."

• Their main food source is small birds up to the size of a dove.  They also eat most small mammals like chipmunks, squirrels, snakes and can you believe FROGS! 
• They will chase down a bird on the ground as well as attack from the air.
• The will "stake out" bird feeders.  How's that for being adaptable.  When birds gather at the feeder the hawk will scatter the birds and then try to take one in the air.
• About a fourth of the hawks have healed fractures of the wishbone believed to be caused primarily by crashing into stuff while pursuing prey in flight through thick vegetation or on a ground chase.  A bit intense don'tyaknow.
• They don't kill their prey with their beak (like falcons) but repeatedly squeeze it until it dies or, get this, hold the prey under water until it quits moving.  A lot like drowning!  They will pluck the feathers or fur from it's prey before eating.

We have not noticed any Coopers Hawks around our yard any except one other time a few weeks ago. While that certainly doesn't mean they haven't stopped in for a snack they haven't taken up residence either.  We're thinking they may be migrating.  According to what I've read, however, they are known to stay year-round in most of the US.  Possibly it could be that other birds have migrated and they are drawn to our bird feeder because of slim pick'ns in their previous range.  Your guess is as good as mine but it sounds reasonable.

Today's bird was pretty small so we think it was a juvenile.  It had the coloring of a juvenile.  This is probably its first winter.  It's legs and toes were a nice yellow color and by using the binoculars you could see it's dark talons clearly.  I was impressed.

The backyard has been very empty.  I filled the bird feeder yesterday morning and it still had food this afternoon so this guy must have been in the area for a day or two.  The birds did return to the feeder late this afternoon.  No hawks in sight.

The 5000 Gallon Bird Bath

Here it is the middle of November. I've been missing the drama that Joe brought to the pond but it would appear the birds are not missing Joe one iota.

It is odd, me thinks, that during the hot summer you rarely see birds bathing in the waterfalls... they drink a lot but bathing is rare. I've commented to Ginger about this a number of times but have no idea why that would be. I was thinking about this today and for a while was pondering if Joe might be the deterrent to summer baths. I think not as I've seen this behavior PJ (pre-Joe). What ever the reason these guys sure seem to enjoy the bath time. They particularly like the waterfalls, Humpty Dumpty Falls is the current favorite although the picture of the sparrows is at Joe's Station.

The picture on the left are sparrows.  They get all excited and splash an amazing amount of water.  This water is cold, about 45 degrees or so and dropping.  The birds seem not to notice.  The picture on the right are the who-who birdies (who-who birdie definition) having a splash.  Sometimes the who-who's act like ducks and actually swim in the water for short distances and then fly away like they got scared.  Maybe they had  a flashback of Joe looking for lunch.  They also like to stretch their wings.  You will see them hang'n around and then one will lean to one side and extend the wing on the "high side."  Kind of odd looking and sometimes they will leave the wing extended for half a minute or so.  Just showing off their feathery wing pit I guess.

This past spring I saw a "new to our world bird" try and take a bath in the waterfall.  As soon as it started fluttering and splashing the current took it over the falls and into the pond. Plop! Splash!  The little guy flapped about for about half a second and then was airborne and gone.  Probably hasn't bathed since.  It was pretty funny to watch and gave me a good laugh.  Like most events concerning the pond they happen very fast and if you blink you may miss it.

In my opinion the Robin Redbreast gets the award for enjoying bath time the most.  They will splash around for minutes at a time and usually leave with wet heads and feathers that look like a bad hair day.  After their bath they will perch on a tree or the pergola and preen.  We don't see them very often. They don't seem to care about the bird feeder so maybe we don't have much to draw them.  The do like to peck around in the garden.  We bought worms for the raised garden right after I built it and the robins were there in a flash trying to dig them up.  How did they know we added worms?  D'ya think they were spy'n on us?  They didn't get 'em all as we now have worms in the garden but you have to dig for them.

As we move into the short days and long cold nights I look forward to Joe's return in April or May.  I hope she does come back.  I don't suppose the birds will miss her if she doesn't find our place.

Treasures Left Behind

For some folks Labor Day marks the end of summer, the beginning of fall. The first snow means winter has arrived regardless of the date. Break out the skis or ice skates or both. Try and figure out why you never got around to sending that jacket to the cleaners... maybe when it warms up.

For me I don't bother with calendars. I don't ski or skate anymore. I also don't need the weatherman to tell me when winter has arrived. I know by the smell in my house. It isn't a bad smell and it doesn't last long. It's that smell the furnace emits when first fired up after a long spring, summer and fall. All the dust, and probably stuff I don't want to know, that has settled on the furnace burners is consumed by the gas flames and blown throughout the house.

Sniff. Yep, winter's here. I can smell it.

So the leaves are turning and falling. It's a pretty time of year me thinks. It is now cool enough to do things without drenching my t-shirt in sweat.

Today I was picking leaves out of the pond. I found a mini-cove where leaves had collected and was removing them when I came across a treasure that I would like to think Joe left for me. Tangled in the leaves was a mouse. By the looks of it I have to assume that Joe gave it a taste and for whatever reason rejected the meal. So she left it for me.

Wait a second. Now that I think about it maybe Joe put that mouse there for a snack at a later date. Kinda like when the squirrels bury nuts for the winter. Yea, that's probably what's going on. That green eat'n machine was just planning ahead with a mouse stash in a little corner of her pond. Isn't that sweet.

So once again I have to apologize to Joe... Sorry Joe, I tossed your stash.

Not Everyone Likes American Bullfrogs

As I peruse the Internet in an effort to broaden my knowledge of the American Bullfrog I find that not everyone thinks they are such great creatures. In fact, some folks just down right hate 'em.

I currently don't feel that way but I've only had Joe visiting. I might have a different attitude if Joe had eaten my pet snake or killed the koi in my pond (actually I don't have any koi but if I did I would be pissed something killed them).

The native habitat of the bullfrog is from the rockies to the east coast and from Ontario down to central Florida (as best as I can determine). That was in the old days. In these here new days you will find the bullfrog shoot'n for world domination... kinda. They are common in Arizona, New Mexico, California and points north into Canada and south into Mexico. They can be found in Hawaii, the Caribbean, South America, Europe and Asia.

The complaint about the Joe type frogs is their appetite in conjunction with their ability to sate subject appetite. To further exacerbate the "invasion" concern, is the lack of predators.

Of course their population explosion isn't a natural thing. People have imported these guys for reasons that range from logical to absurd. People thought the bullfrog would take care of pests. People wanted to have fresh frog legs available. People wanted their pet frogs to be free like mother nature intended. Yea, right.

So now the bullfrog is eating frogs, snakes, birds, tadpoles and any other creature they can get into their mouth. They are blamed for making some species of frogs endangered. They are changing environments where they have been imported.

In addition the bullfrog seems to be a bit smarter than the average amphibian.  For instance, if people try to poison the pond where the bullfrogs are living, in most cases they just leave the pond and move on. It's said they will travel to new ponds or die trying. I say they will travel to new ponds or dry trying.

The bullfrog isn't the first creature man has imported that caused more harm than good.  Right off the top of my head I recall the zebra mussel.  Rabbits were imported to Australia.  The snake-head fish brought to the US from China.  Even koi are considered invasive in Maine.  The "Old World Sparrow," which is really a finch, was brought to the US from Europe.  Depending on how you look at it most people living in the US are "imported" too.  Didn't the first Europeans bring disease that the Native Americans had no anti-bodies thus causing death...  I think that's right.

It seems to me there is a lot of creature hate going around.  I think once the horse is out of the barn it isn't going to do much good to shut the barn door.  Yep, the creatures do what ever they do.  Man tries to undo the error in our ways.  It is pretty much a hopeless battle.  I don't know if it's worth fighting... just don't know.  Possibly Mother Nature could fix it but she works way too slow for us humans.

In the mean time the mussels are clogging our waterways.  The rabbits are still mating in Australia.  The snake-head fish is still cleaning out other species in US lakes and rivers they inhabit.  The koi are destroying habitat in Maine and the sparrows are killing blue birds.  The American Natives are still fighting to recoup their loses when Europeans were imported.  And Joe... Joe and her brothers and sisters around the world are eating and mating and moving on.

Plagiarized Pictures

I ran across the following 6 pictures and wanted to share them mostly because they are pretty good pictures and they show the bullfrog having lunch.


It appears to me that someone, could it be the photographer, put crumbs on the lilly pad to attract a bird.  I guess it worked and the pictures turned out pretty good.... but it's kinda like cheat'n don't ya think?

I wanted to contact the guy who posted these but he didn't share his email address...

Where Did Joe Really Go?

So your not happy with the little story about Joe versus the Cajun? Well rest easy, no Cajun folk around here. People are asking where Joe went. Still in my yard? Moved to better digs?

The short answer is: I don't know.

My best and thought about guess is: Joe went underground. I've been thinking for a while now that she was into some cover-up having to do with the now defunct mortgage market. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, she was the head honcho at either Fanny Mae or Freddy Mac.... I can't remember which one. Of course she had to go and I would think it logical to go underground in consideration of all the negative things being said about those institutions.

You don't think that's it huh? OK, I've covered this in previous posts like Joe has a Balloon & More Frog Facts. I'll briefly speak to it again.

When it gets cold frogs, being cold blooded creatures, enter into a torpor. This is similar to hibernation but more like a dormancy. Bull frogs usually bury themselves in the mud and muck in the bottom of a pond or lake. They will remain there all winter emerging in late spring. Bull frogs can "breath" through their skin. Between that amazing fact and that their metabolism is super slow in their state of torpidity, they have no problem spending winter under water. I have read where bull frogs have been found in ground depressions covered by leaves. My pond guru said he is always finding dormant frogs in the spring when he is out working on ponds helping them emerge from their winter sleep.

So is Joe on the bottom of one of my ponds? Possibly, but it would have to be the skimmer pond as that is the only one that didn't get drained. She could be in a storm drain. She may have moved to one of the irrigation canals that we have all over Grand Junction and buried herself in the muddy bottom.

The truth is I don't know where she came from and I don't know where she went. I do know it was fun having her around and I miss the daily drama.

I'm sure we will have frogs again this coming spring. The Woodhouse Toads followed by Joe or a Joe-look-alike. I hope so anyway.

The Facts About Joe's Disappearance

Leak Not

I have not found a leak, an ooze, a discharge, a drip, a hole, or any percolation. Nor have I found a seepage, a spill, a trickle or a vent. Not a crack, a puncture, a chink or even a fissure.

The fix worked.

The pond is tight. The pumps are pumping. The falls are falling. The spitters are spitting. The water is wet.

The only thing wrong with the pond is Joe's not there. I think she added a whole new dimension, a focus if you will. So we pass our days without her sweet face and big grin. I'm looking forward to her return...

Falls Are Now UP

Up and running...



Don'tchalovethewave?

I've done my thing and just completed filling the pond. In a few hours we will know if there are any leaks... knock on wood.

Here it is... what is quickly becoming known as NO-NAME FALLS.

I'm always amazed when I look back at a project. So much sweat and a little blood too but when it's all done you look at it and just forget what a pain in the butt it was to create.

No-name #2 is definitely different than #1. I have a few tweaks to do in the placement of rock to hide the liner. It's pretty much finished and I hope I'm finished for this year. Hefting those stones and balancing on rocks makes me sweat, sore and tired. I'm no spring chicken you know.

No-Name Falls Rises Again!

Some times it ain't easy being me and I'm not even green.

I want to tell y'all that I found the leak. It was not in the bridge pond. It didn't require a patch. There was no hole in the liner. Without feeling the least bit guilty I can pass the buck on this SNAFU to the most incompetent pond builder this side of the big dipper. That covers a lot of territory... a lot!

As things usually go I have to admit I'm not squeaky clean here. I hate it when we have swords we have to fall on or foots we manage to shoot or dirty laundry that needs to be aired.

I made 2 mistakes.

Mistake 1. If you recall in my last post I told you I was able to add 2 or 3 inches of water to the pond hoping to find the leak. I should have added 3 or 4 inches of water and things would have been different.

Mistake 2. It's either A: rationalization or B: laziness or C: both. When inspecting the shoreline of the pond I skipped an area. I rationalized that this area had never been touched since the pond was built and therefore couldn't possibly be the source of the problem. Wrong 'ol boar breath. I was lazy.

The leak was in that undisturbed corner (area with the red circle). There was a potential leak under the falls filling the pond (arrow). I would have found it if I had just moved another 3 feet of river rocks. I didn't move that 3 feet until today and for that I'm having to rebuild no-name falls. I could have fixed the problem in less than 30 minutes if I had moved those rocks. I didn't. I wish I had. Too late now... get over it. I am now finished falling on my sword, shooting one of my foots and the laundry has gone in the dryer.

I have a few choice words for the pond builder. Idiot is the first thing that comes to mind. Shoddy work. No pride. Just get-r-done and collect the cash and run.

Enough ranting. The problem has been resolved.

I've started rebuilding the falls which is the last thing I have to do prior to filling the pond with H2O. I'll be using the same flat stones with new foam. I spent a couple of hours scraping the foam off the stones and then using a wire wheel on my drill to clean them further. I finished re-stacking the river rock around the shore line. I expect to finish the falls in the morning. Have the pond filled by 4 or 5 in the afternoon. Working, as in pumping, immediately following the filling exercise.

There is a lesson here... could it be: Don't be lazy? Rationalization usually isn't a good thing? Don't hire pond builders with the word "stupid" on their forehead?

As we used to sing at IBM... long ago: Ever Onward (click to download).

Blind in One Eye... Can't See Out the Other

I tore the no-name waterfall down today and looked closely for a hole in the liner.... saw nothing.

So I raised the liner as much as it would allow and filled the pond immediately before the waterfall to check if possibly the leak was in the 2 or 3 inches above the current waterline... Saw nothing.

Maybe I have a black hole in my pond. The intense gravity is pulling in the light waves so it is invisible to mere mortals... maybe not.

So I filled the bridge pond once again (using water from the skimmer pond) to see if magic has happened and the hole that was under a waterfall has moved to the bridge pond. When I checked the bridge pond for leaks I only let it sit for 2 or 3 hours. This time I'll let it sit all night.

Irks me that I didn't find a leak under the no-name waterfall.

I'll be back at it in the morning...

No Joe and Other Bad Luck

It has been a week with no sighting of Joe. I don't know if it has been cool enough to cause her to prepare for winter or if the changing environment in the pond arena has caused her to seek better digs. In any case Ms. Joe has not blessed us with her smile and I have to assume she is gone until next year. At least I hope she returns next year... this is like a cliff hanger at the end of a TV series regular season. So turn on, tune in and watch for teasers.

I am also sorry to report that there is a major malfunction in the pond. I guess in the grand scheme of things the term "major malfunction" may be a bit of an overstatement. Call it a "minor malfunction" or "major malfunction" or just a regular everyday FUBAR or if you prefer SNAFU. Are you curious yet about what could possibly be wrong with the pond?

It leaks!

Not being able to just leave it at that, I have to tell you the story and what I'm going to do about it.... or what I think I'm going to do about it.

This past Monday morning I finished filling the pond and powered up the pump. It was beautiful. I was pleased and took pictures and posted them to this blog. I have to say I was feeling proud of myself for building the waterfall and seeing how it worked out. I sat next to the pond for about an hour and listened to the water and just rested... my bones were tired.

Later that day I noticed the water level was low. I rationalized that I must not have filled it completely in the morning so I filled it again making sure it was full to the waterline. Monday evening the water was low again. I realized I must have a leak somewhere. Of course the question is where.

I shut down the pump and let all the ponds settle. Before going to bed Monday night I marked the waterline in each pond. On Tuesday I expected to find one of the ponds low and that would point me to the faulty pond. The pond Gods were not being kind. On Tuesday morning all the ponds were pretty much where they were on Monday evening. How can that be?

I waited until Tuesday evening and none of the ponds indicated a leak. This was very scary because I realized I was going to have to THINK! So I got out my THINK notebook, placed it on my head, put on my hat so the notebook wouldn't fall off and started thinking about my pond. About water. About ice cream. About the pond. About candy. About sex but quickly back to ice cream.

Eureka, I THINK I've got it. The pond must be leaking at the waterfall. Maybe I tore the liner when laying the stones. Quite possible as some stones have very sharp edges. Maybe the padding I put on the cinder blocks slipped and a corner poked through the liner. In either case it explained why I was losing water when the pump was running and not losing water when I shut it all down. I wonder if I'm thinking correctly...

I wanted to know how much water was leaking. I fingered out approximately how many cubic inches there were in the top 1 inch of the last or bottom pond (20 ft X 5 ft X 1 inch = 14400 CI). Then I opened my handy dandy convert program and under the volume tab I converted the cubic inches to gallons of water. Knowing I was losing about 2 inches of water every 3 hours or so I calculated that I was losing about 40 gallons of water per hour. Wow, quite a bit. If this is a single hole in the liner I shouldn't have any problem seeing it. Who knows if it's a single hole or not....

So my plan is: Call my pond guru and run my logic past him. Getting another opinion on my insanity me thinks. If my logic stands I'll be tearing down my just put up, no name, waterfall in search of a hole. I hate to do it but I will also have to dump a bit over 1000 gallons of water.

I'll post an update right in this blog when I have something to say. Will probably be in a couple of days.

Lastly, I realize this is a FROG Blog and I'm kinda turning it into a POND Blog. I just want to say that Joe wouldn't have stopped by without there being a pond and in a way a frog environment is about the frog... kinda... a little?

Waterfall

I'm still trying to figure out a name for the waterfall for the bridge pond. HELP!!!

In the mean time, for that reader with ants in their pants here is the new and upgraded waterfall.


The lowest or closest waterfall is the latest work of art.

Why I Work Half Fast...

Today I rediscovered why I have to work with only 1 hand. It has to do with balance which has to do with my center of gravity. Say I bend over to pickup a rock, if I put one hand down to balance myself then I can pick up the rock. If I don't put a hand down to balance myself I fall on my face. You don't have to do this too many times before you decide something needs to change. So I put a hand down to balance myself. Since I only have two hands I figure my productivity is cut in half. Since I'm only working half fast it takes longer to get things done.

I had started working on the waterfall that flows into the bridge pond on Thursday. I tore down the old one which was easy because it was falling apart. I found that one pond liner stopped at the waterfall and the other began at the waterfall so I was able to peel back the layers of pond liner to make a secure base for the falls. I put in cinder blocks and foamed the whole thing so it wouldn't move. Then I laid the stones to make the falls. This afternoon I started to refill the pond. It got dark so I shut off the water and will finish filling the pond on Monday.

While I'm sure the person who follows this blog is waiting with ant's in their pants to see a picture of the new waterfall I have to get the pump going before it looks like a waterfall.

I haven't seen Joe since I saw her hop'n along... I hope she is around but I can't say as I blame her if she left... ever hear of a sail frog?

Now you have something to look forward to. Yep, pictures on Monday.

Yep, Drained the Bridge Pond... Sorry Joe

I didn't see Joe today. Probably a good thing because she would have been pissed at me as I drained the bridge pond this morning. I didn't think it would take me long to toss rocks and get the pond in ship shape. I guess I wasn't thinking.

I tossed rocks until my tosser was too tired to toss. I must have moved a couple of tons of stone. It seems at one time there was enough rocks in the pond to cover everything. Then you move just one rock and you have a hole that requires two rocks to fill. I moved rock until I just didn't have any energy left.

I ate lunch at 11 AM. That helped but by 1:30 or 2:00 PM I was out of gas again so I just gave it up until Friday.

I am pretty close to throw'n my last rock in the bridge pond though. That's the good news. The bad news is after inspecting the waterfall that feeds the bridge pond I need to take it apart and put it back together again with "pucky" instead of mortar. So I will once again be spread'n the black goo on my hands, arms and even my legs.

I think I need to come up with a name for this waterfall. Maybe as a tribute to Star Trek I should name it "3 of 5." Nah, not catchy enough. Maybe in tribute to Niagara Falls (I saw the falls once with Don Moser... very romantic) I could name it "Viagra Falls" as the water goes down not up. That's a little catchy though not on a par with Humpty Dumpty Falls. After watching the news these past few days I could name it "Stock Market Falls." How 'bout "Water Falls." I just don't know. If anyone has any ideas I'm open.

So when Friday rolls around I'll be back at it. First I'll finish toss'n rock and then I'll tackle the no name falls.

Stay tuned.

Do You Remember "Hopalong Cassidy"

'Ol Hoppy was one of those cowboys that kids watched on the black and white television start'n about 1950. In those days beside Hopalong there was also Roy Rogers and Gene Autry and a bunch of others. All these guys loved their horses and always sang a song. I guess you couldn't be a cowboy if you couldn't sing. Hoppy was a little different in that he wore a black hat but was a good guy. In those days all the bad guys wore black hats and good guys wore white hats.... The bad guys couldn't sing either. Just for the fun of it I'm going to post what Hoppy preached to us kids.

1. The highest badge of honor a person can wear is honesty. Be truthful at all times.
2. Your parents are the best friends you have. Listen to them and obey their instructions.
3. If you want to be respected, you must respect others. Show good manners in every way.
4. Only through hard work and study can you succeed. Don't be lazy.
5. Your good deeds always come to light. So don't boast or be a show-off.
6. If you waste time or money today, you will regret it tomorrow. Practice thrift in all ways.
7. Many animals are good and loyal companions. Be friendly and kind to them.
8. A strong, healthy body is a precious gift. Be neat and clean.
9. Our country's laws are made for your protection. Observe them carefully.
10. Children in many foreign lands are less fortunate than you. Be glad and proud you are an American.

Yea, it's a little thick by today standards but not bad lessons.

But the reason I mentioned Hopalong Cassidy was I saw Joe this afternoon. I'm pretty sure he had setup housekeeping in the deep pond. I'm also pretty sure he prefers the bridge pond for housing and of course Joe's pond for hunting.

When I saw Joe she was hop'n along (see the link here hop'n along and Hopalong) like there was something after her. Moving pretty fast toward the bridge pond. She was passing under the mulberry tree and came to a short rock wall and just hopped over the wall. With a nice dive and small splash she was back in the bridge pond.

Of course tomorrow I'll probably drain that pond so I can toss rocks that tumbled down during the earth quake.

Presenting: Humpty Dumpty Falls

It's a bunch of bull. It doesn't work. What was I think'n to even try... I'm talking about the nitrite gloves over hands slathered in petroleum jelly. It didn't even loosen up the yucky "pucky." About the only good thing was my hands were moisturized and soft but that went away as soon as I finished scrubbing them to get the Vaseline off. Once again the pumice stone used for removing calluses worked pretty good. This time I was careful not to over-scrub and didn't do like last time and remove skin enough to bleed.

Speaking of soft skin reminds me of a story. You need to know I have enough forehead for four heads. That is to say, I'm bald. A chrome dome. Follicularly challenged. Years ago a guy I worked with came into my office and ran his hand across my shinny pate and said, "Hummm smooth as my wife's butt." I looked at him and then ran my hand across that very same shinny pate and said, "Hummm, your right!" Ha... well it was funny when it happened.

Enough of this dilly dally and on to the subject of today's blog.

Here it is, Humpty Dumpty Falls in operation. In operation until I start rearranging rocks in the bridge pond. I need to take care of things like that ugly white PVC pipe that you see above and to the right of the falls. It won't be as drastic as tearing out old falls and creating new. I just need to get rocks to cover the pond liner and things like the PVC pipe. Probably a days work... no more than two.

Now isn't that a fine looking pergola? I have to say I love it because I made it. No help from anyone except I had the neighbor help me carry in a 16 foot 6X6 pressure treated post.

This picture is about the same as the one above but just not zoomed in on the falls.

I am glad it's done and feel lucky that it turned out as well as it did. The water level in the bridge pond is exactly were it was before. That was my biggest worry. I'll take luck over skill any day!

I've started a new blog that I hope will take me through the winter. It's Jims Bird Blog. There isn't much to see there right now but I'm working on it when I have time. I'll have the link listed under "My Other Blog Attempts" soon. Once Joe really finds torpidity there won't be much to put into the frog blog until the spring of 2009.

Yucky "Pucky"

As I enter these words into the Frog Blog I'm wearing blue nitrite gloves. Under the gloves are my hands lathered in petroleum jelly... That's Vaseline to most folks. Why, you may ask, am I doing this? I've been working on Humpty Dumpty Falls and have yucky "pucky" all over my hands. I read somewhere that if you lather your hands in petroleum jelly and put on the gloves for about an hour when you take them off you will be able to wipe the black "pucky" off. We will see in about 15 minutes.

One would think that if I have gloves to wear now why wasn't I wearing them when I was puck'n. I started out wearing gloves. I then found out that these gloves can't handle the rigors of sharp quartz stone. I also found out that once the gloves get a small tear in them it will run and the gloves basically fall off your hand. I also realized that if you leave your box of gloves in the garage and need to replace a glove it's really tough to do unless your going to quit what your doing and crawl out of the pond and walk to the garage and then back to the pond and so on and so forth....

Of course I found all this out on Monday! That's when I gave my first attempt to create Humpty Dumpty Falls. With "pucky" all over my hands and the stuff floating in the pond I stepped back to gaze upon my creation. It sucked! It sucked big time. I didn't like it at all. It had to go.

I put off taking the falls apart on Monday mostly because I was mad at it. I worked hard and it didn't look good, that made me mad. I should have been mad at myself because I created it but I like me too much to stay mad at myself so I stayed mad at the falls.

This morning I went out and tore it apart. I cleaned all the foam (pucky turns into foam) off the quartz and pond structure with a wire brush. Back to being creative at Humpty Dumpty Falls. I fiddled with it. I tried it this way and that way. I put it together and took it apart. What ever I did I wasn't happy with it. About 10:30 I realized I was getting riled again. I stopped.

I called my pond guy. My pond guru. He who knows all about ponds and water falls!!! I told him he needed to cancel all his appointments and get right over for an emergency meeting concerning Humpty Dumpty Falls. Well, not really but I did ask him to come over and take a look and point me in the right direction. He got here about 1:30 this afternoon. He looked. He said he thought I was a little too close to the job and was nit pick'n. Just put this rock here and a few like this and all will be well once the water starts flowing. He made it look so easy. He left. I got out another can of "pucky" and went to work once again. It took about 25 minutes of rock'n and puck'n and I was out of there.

It's drying now. I'm going to leave it alone until morning and then if it hasn't fallen down I'll try to finish it up so I can move on to other pond projects.

I'll let you know how it goes...

Here's Look'n at Ya

Joe made another appearance this afternoon. She was looking so cute I couldn't help but take her picture to share with her fans. If that mouth isn't a Joe E. Brown mouth I don't know what would be.

Her pond is still empty. The pumps are shut down. Work continues on Humpty Dumpty Falls this pleasant 80 degree afternoon. I've taken a few pictures so you can see what I'm doing.

In this picture (left) you see the ladder stretched across Joe's pond. Humpty Dumpty Falls is just beyond the ladder.

The ladder is there so I can sit while I toss rocks and adjust stones versus standing on rocks that move and then I step or stumble or even fall in the water. Hey, it works for me.

The green bucket is sitting on the last waterfall which is also Joe's station.

This is just a wider shot (right) of the work area. While you can't see her, Joe is in the pond at the bottom of the picture. This is the last pond in a series of 5. This pond is the deepest. About 4 feet on the left side and almost 7 feet on the right side.

You can see the bird feeder on the right side of the picture. Whoopee!

Like a Bad Penny

I was surprised to say the least when I saw Joe this afternoon. She was in the pond below Joe's station which is the last pond. Her pond is empty for all intent and purpose while I work on Humpty Dumpty Falls.

She wasn't doing anything. There were no birds around because I was in the yard. She gave me the "look" that said something like, "Hey, where the hell is the water in my pond?" She didn't tell me where she has been. Another of life's mysteries.

So there it is. It was nice to see her.

Humpty Dumpty Falls

Barring lightening storms or nude ladies walking their dogs, I would have to say morning is my favorite time of the day.   I'm usually up before the sun, the birds, the neighbors and the paper boy (or what ever they call them now days).  It's quiet.  I'm rested. I have the whole day in front of me...

This morning was normal.  I read for a while.  Got the paper.  I read for a while. I opened the shades so I could see what the new day would bring.

As the sun chased away the shadows I noticed the who-who birdies.   They were lined up like soldiers on a cold morning, hunched down, facing the sun.  Worshiping Ra?  To me it looked like they were still sleepy and needed a strong cup of coffee. I put off filling the bird feeder so I wouldn't disturb these cold soldiers witnessing sunrise.

These who-who birdies are not the brightest bulbs on the tree.  Yep, a long driveway and a very small garage.  A bunny short of energized.  A few threads short of a sweater.  A few twists shy of a slinky.... But they sure are cute. 

So while the who-who birdies were burning their retinas I watched the circus begin, once again, as the rest of the crew started to arrive. I took seed to the demanding creatures.

I was trying to remember when I last saw our hero, Joe. I'm thinking it was this past Sunday. The longer we go without a sighting the more I lean toward Joe giving it up until spring.

Later this morning I got a little carried away with pond renovations. While the pond guru and I were redoing Joe's station a few days ago, I was start'n to feel like I could do what the guru was doing. No problem. So I took down, as in demolished, the waterfall from the bridge pond that feeds Joe's station. Wow, kinda drastic now that it's demolished and I'm here all alone needing to figure out how to put it back together.... we can call it the Humpty Dumpty Falls in the future.

The waterfall really needed to be reworked. That was quite evident once I started demolition. The mortar that was used had cracks in it. Some mortar was nothing more than dirty sand, the cement long ago washed away. Water leaked under the falls as well as around the falls. It is supposed to only go over the falls. There were even leaves that had wedged themselves into the cracks. Would you believe the leaks were not the biggest problem? The biggest problem was what would happen when we had a power failure. When the electricity stops so does the pump. Then the ponds, which are driven by gravity, flow downhill... on into the next into the next and so on. When the bridge pond, which is the biggest pond, leaks under, around and through the falls the lowest pond overfills. When this happens the water reaches the overflow and vanishes down the drain. Then when the electricity starts up the lowest pond, which is where the pump lives, water gets pumped to the highest pond... that is until the pump runs out of water because so much went down the overflow. Then the pump burns out. A new pump is over $400. Whew... that was wordy.

The pond is stagnant now. No pumping going on and it will be a few days before we are going again. Since Joe hasn't made an appearance I guess I won't have much to say about frogs in the frog blog. Suggestions?

Joe's Station Completed ~ Where's Joe?

Here it is. Hot off the press. This is the new and improved Joe's Station. A little blood from razor sharp shards of quartz, now dulled by a small sledge hammer. A plethora of "pucky." The better part of a diamond grinder blade. Unknown dollars. Not to mention the sweat. We now have a repaired and improved waterfall.

What we don't have is Joe! The last time I saw her was Sunday morning. She didn't hang around for long and she hasn't returned that I've noted. On the other hand, the little darling, my granddaughter, was here briefly on Monday. She said she thought she saw Joe under the bridge. Grammy couldn't see Joe but I think I'll go with the granddaughters eyes over Grammy's.

I started the water flowing on Monday evening about 6:00 PM. That makes it about 26 hours of run time without anyone clomping through the pond. The weather has turned cool again. Yesterday the high was in the middle 80's. Today the high was maybe middle 70's and it was into the 60's before the sun set. I doesn't take long for the water to cool and Joe to cool with it. Since this is my first season monitoring a bullfrog I have no idea when she will give it up and settle on the bottom of the pond.

Since I don't have any Joe news I thought I would throw in a picture I took this morning of Joe food. Yep, that would be sparrows.I don't know what kind of sparrows these are but I do know they are sparrows. So for your viewing pleasure I present the bird feeder with birds. Note the little guy on the left coming in for a landing... that's cool me thinks. I have more pictures of the birds but haven't posted them as this is a frog blog. If you would like to see them leave me a comment and I'll post a few.

In the mean time rest assured I'm watching for Joe and will advise if she should turn up.

Joe's Station ~ Reconstruction... Plan B

On Saturday we worked hard at getting the flat stones just so. We inspected and adjusted and shimmed, looked again, tweaked it a little and finally we moved to the next stone. We got all the stones where we thought they should be and started spraying the "pucky."

"Pucky" is the term used to describe the black foam used to secure the stones. This stuff is sticky and just loved getting on my fingers. Being the klutz I am I even put the palm of my hand on some "pucky" and came away with a nice layer of black foam curing on my palm. You can't wipe this stuff off unless you use mineral spirits. By the end of the day I had black hands and black spots on my shorts.

I tried to get the "pucky" off with mineral spirits but I guess you need to get it off while it is still curing not after it dries. When I hopped into the shower last night I took a pumice stone and tried to scrub the stuff off my hands. It worked pretty good. I now have sore hands and a few scabs where I not only removed the black "pucky" I removed my skin. I think I went a bit overboard on getting rid of the "pucky."

Back to the waterfall. We sprayed two large cans of "pucky" and patted ourselves on the back for a job well done. The expert left with a plan to return today for touch-up.

There were a couple of problems with our work that showed up after starting the pump. First the new waterfall raised the water level of the pond by about 3 inches. This brought the water just to the top of the rubber pond liner. Not a problem in the summer but in the winter when the water freezes it will overflow. The second problem is about 75 percent of the water was flowing on the west side of the falls.... it was lopsided. Thus Plan B was born.

We pried up all the stones except one. We wire brushed the stones to remove all the "pucky" and basically started over. After about 3 hours we had the preliminary stone configuration tacked in, again, and when the foam cured enough I was going to run the pump and see how it looked. In the mean time my expert had to leave for other commitments. You'd think it was Sunday for crying out loud. He will return Monday afternoon when we can, hopefully, finish the waterfall.

There is FROG news... this is a frog blog after all. Last night Joe made an appearance. I guess she was checking out the new stones. Apparently she liked them because when I went out to feed the birds this morning I went looking for Joe. She was in the pond but not at her usual place but close enough. I guess I spooked her. She dove for cover as I approached the pond. Her cover was under one of the largest flat stones we put in mostly for aesthetics. She seemed to be at home with the new digs.

I'll come up with a picture of the new layout and advise how it turns out in my next post.

Joe's Station is Under Construction

I was surprised to see Joe last night. As dusk settled in I noticed that Joe was on station. I had not seen her all day. The warmest part of the day was around 6:00 PM. That might have roused her from her hidden safe haven. What ever drew her out must have ended as she was not to be found this morning. The morning low temperature was again chasing 40 degrees.

I don't think I will see her in the next couple of days because we have started work on the waterfall that failed this past winter.

Apparently the mortar used to secure the stones in the waterfall couldn't stand up to the water and started to disintegrate. With the cycles of wet to freeze and back again, some of the flat stones of the waterfall fell into the 6 foot deep pond. It exposed some rusting re-bar and changed the desired water flow. It wasn't very attractive.

Today we removed the flat stones, all the re-bar, a bunch of the mortar and wire mesh that was used to try and hold things together. I have an expert from the local pond store advising me as well as helping... maybe I'm helping him. Yep, I think it's the latter.

We started placing new flat stones to form a waterfall. We lay a stone, shim it so it is secure and fairly level. Then we go to the other side of the pond and look at it. We then tweak it and look... tweak and look. That is where we left it this afternoon and will continue on tomorrow afternoon. Once we get the stones like we want them we will take it all apart and put it back together but this time we will use foam as a filler and adhesive. Once we finish, the area under the flat stones should be protected from the water and the stones quite secure.

So Joe will have to tough it out for a while. If she subscribes to the 'ol adage of "the early frog gets the bird" then she will be fine. If she puts off hunting until the afternoon then I'm afraid the day will be a bust for her. Of course as it cools her need for food also diminishes.

The Beginning of Torpidity?

We find our hero shivering in the cool morning. Fall is in the air as the morning temperature was trying to sneak into the 40's. Joe was on station last night and again or still on station this morning. When I went out to fill the bird feeder there was definitely a chill in the air.

As I ate breakfast I watched the circus begin. First nothing but Joe. Then a couple of who-who birdies. Then a few sparrows. Then a lot of sparrows. Then the quail arrived. The hummers were next. Everyone invited their friends and there were hundreds of birds about the yard. Birds chasing each other. Little squabbles here and there. Some sparrows landed on the pampas grass fronds and the fronds would bend down, some more than others, depending on the size of the frond and the size of the bird. To me the birds were playing teeter-totter. We were only missing a few clowns and elephants to make the circus complete. WOW!!! What a show.

The hummers must be getting ready to go south as they are drinking the sweet juice pretty fast AND there are up to 4 birds drinking at the sweet juice bar at the same time. In the middle of summer only one bird at a time drinks and if another approaches one of them is chased off. Not so during the migration preparation. It's like they have better things to do than fight over who owns the feeder for the next couple of minutes. The hummers were also feeding at the different flowers in the yard. We must have had about a dozen hummers here this morning.

As you might imagine, with all those birds around there has to be a few that don't know about Joe the eating machine. Joe was on station and here comes this little sparrow hopping down to the water. "Ah geez," I say to myself, "already someone is going to get eaten." The bird is no more than 10 inches from Joe. It is on the same rock as Joe! It is drinking water and has it's back to Joe. An invitation for disaster. If ever there was a bird trying to commit suicide this was the one.

Joe just sat there! The bird finished drinking and stood around for 10 seconds or so and then flew off. Joe never moved a muscle.

A little later I saw Joe had pretty much moved out of the water. Her hind legs were still in the water (see the picture). I think she was trying to warm up. Amphibians are what is referred to as "cold blooded." This means their body temperature is close to that of their surroundings. So when it gets cold they slow down. Eventually slowing almost to a stop as torpidity slowly sets in (as explained in my August 30, 2008 post).

Anyway you look at it today was that little birds lucky day. Who knows what may have happened if the temperature was a few degrees warmer this morning. You never know when your number is up.

While I look forward to the changing seasons I'll miss Mother Nature's Show. Of course I'll be looking forward to a new show in the spring. In the mean time I'm watch'n to see what surprises M.N. pulls off in my backyard this season.

Joe! Is That You?

Looks like the party'n at Joe's Station will no longer be allowed. Joe's back!

Tonight, when I went to close the shade for the large window that looks to the back yard, I saw Joe on station. I went out and asked her where she had been but she just just gave me the look. Geez, even female frogs can give the look. Anyway, there was no prying information from this gal. I'll just say she went over to a friends place for a while... probably ate her friend. That's how she is you know...

Welcome home Joe. Glad to have you back.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

I'm sorry to report that Joe still has not made an appearance. When I went out this morning to fill the bird feeder I thought I saw a movement in the bridge pond. I don't know what the movement was... so Joe is still MIA.

On the other hand the birds are singing that "Over the Rainbow" song... Ding dong, the witch is dead, the mean 'ol witch, the wicked witch.... They are doing this as they hop around the waterfall at Joe's station. They have started bathing again and really seem to be enjoying the water. I wouldn't get too comfortable yet if I were them. Just when you thought it was safe to get into the water....

I'm thinking about how long it takes for Joe to grab a bird and gulp it down. She could be sleeping under the bridge digesting.

I'll continue to keep watch...

Oh Were Oh Were Has My Little Frog Gone...

... Oh were oh were can she be?

I saw Joe yesterday morning in her usual spot. Ginger and I were away all day and when we returned Joe was not to be seen. This isn't unusual since it was late afternoon.

This morning Joe still had not made an appearance. Still not showing her pretty face as of sunset tonight.

Will keep a close watch on the pond in the morning.

Here Joe. Come on little froggie. Good girl...

Joe has a Balloon & More Frog Facts

Just when you think you've see Joe's last trick she comes up with something new.

This morning I joined Ginger at the dining table. Ginger was looking for Joe and I was just looking because I had already found her. Just then this bright pink thing appears in Joe's mouth. Ginger now knew where Joe was too. Who could miss her?

My first thought was Joe had captured some kinds of creature and was in the process of devouring it. Then the pink "whatever" disappeared only to reappear a few seconds later. I grabbed my binoculars and zoomed in on Joe.

I'm not sure what I saw. What ever it was came out of Joe and she was washing it with her front legs/paws/appendages. I guess it could have been her tongue. It seemed to fill with air like a balloon but I can't imagine it being her lungs. Possibly she extends her stomach to get rid of non-digestible stuff (like feather balls).

What ever it was it is now back inside her and she is on station awaiting another bird.

After witnessing this I've rededicated myself to try and find out what is going on in the bullfrog world. So far I haven't figured out what I saw but I did find out more stuff about the American Bullfrog that I'll pass along.

She doesn't have ribs! Because they are rib challenged frogs can't breath like creatures that have ribs. They can't expand their chest like you and I. To breath they do a couple of different things. They can do something like swallowing but instead of swallowing they force air into their lungs. The also produce rhythmical raising and lowering of the floor of the mouth that, with the nose opened, introduces air into the lungs. The frog has specialized elastic fibers that maintain pressure in the lungs so they can expel the air. Frogs, at least frogs like Joe, apparently don't breath all the time thus having apnea like pauses where they don't breath in or out.

Another thing I found was the big hump on the back of the frog is it's hips. Take a look at the picture on the left. Those pointy things sticking up from it's back are it's hips. Who would have thought that? Well, to answer my own question, probably any kid who actually dissected a frog in biology class I suppose. Oh, this picture is not Joe. I couldn't find a picture of Joe showing her sexy hips so I plagiarized myself and stole this shot of a sexy teenage frog off the Internet.

I also found what will probably happen to Joe when the weather turns cold. It's called torpor which is, apparently, another way of saying hibernation. Bullfrogs are not freeze tolerant. In autumn, adults become torpid before frost occurs, while the teenagers and pre-teens stay active until freezing weather is upon us. Winter hibernation usually takes place under water where individuals bury themselves in surface mud or construct protective pits or cave-like holes. One researcher reported a torpid bullfrog from a terrestrial hibernaculum (a non-water shelter for hibernation usually for insects or reptiles), buried under leaf litter in a soil pocket of an oak-hickory woods in Michigan (WOW, that must have been an exciting day for that guy!!). Radio-tagged bullfrogs in Nova Scotia hibernated in a pond and tolerated prolonged hypoxia (that's low oxygen to you and me). In a radio telemetry study in Ohio, bullfrogs overwintered in relatively shallow areas (less than 3 feet) near small inlet streams of ponds, as well as 3-6 feet off-shore of ponds, and remained active throughout the hibernation period (winter). These bullfrogs laid on the pond bottom and were not covered by silt. Juvenile bullfrogs cease motor activity between 0–1 ˚C (32 - 30 F).

I'm still looking for an answer to what I saw this morning. Stay tuned.

Joe Has a New Trick

I can tell a difference in Joe's behavior when she is getting hungry. She is more aggressive and you might say a little more inventive. Yesterday I saw Joe hunting in the lower pond. A first for me. This pond is fed by the waterfall at Joe's Station seen at the top of the picture. The pond is about 6 feet deep and the sides are concrete so there isn't much to grab onto. The sides aren't vertical but there isn't much purchase for Joe to plant her feet to jump a bird. Nonetheless Joe was in the lower pond following birds around the perimeter as they tried to get a drink of water. I thought it was a lot of effort on Joe's part with little chance of return. What do I know...

I don't think she was successful in the lower pond yesterday. She was back on station in the early afternoon and again around sunset last night.

This morning she was still on station as the sun rose. I'm beginning to think that maybe she is up all night and sleeps in the afternoon. I know in the spring the frogs start "singing" around dusk and go well past my bedtime.

It wasn't long after this mornings sunrise that Joe disappeared. Haven't seen her anywhere so I have to assume she had a successful hunt and is now under the bridge fighting off that 30 foot anaconda that I mentioned in the "Up Chuck" post.

On the weather forecast the designated liar said rain and cooler temps were starting Sunday. He also said the LAST of temperatures in the 90's would be Saturday... as in tomorrow! I have very little faith in the local news's designated liar to predict the weather, however, the news makes me wonder just how long Joe will be hanging out in my pond. There is so much I don't know about frogs. I've talked to Joe. I even asked her questions but I guess she is too shy to answer. Maybe if I kissed her she would turn into a princess. More likely I would wind up with a big wart on my nose.

Pond Layout

I thought it might be easier for readers of my blog to see a picture of the pond that Joe has taken as his "hunting ground." Hopefully this will help you to visualize the words in my blog. If you want more information about the pond or anything, leave a comment.

If you look close you will see Joe near the bottom of the picture just to the left of the "J" in Joe's station. The bird feeder is out of the picture to the right and the bridge pond ends with the waterfall coming into "Joe's Pond." The flat stones I often refer to are the flat stones on either side of the waterfall at the bottom of the picture. FWIW, in this picture Joe is sitting in the waterfall with the feathers and one leg of a bird sticking out of his mouth. This is the bird referenced the the previous post.

If Joe Was Named Chuck, I Would Say: "What's Up Chuck?"

Joe is an early riser. This morning I got up around five. The horizon to the east was pretty dark... maybe a hint of dawn, a subtle hint at best. I opened the shades and there was this dark bump on the surface of the pond. Joe was up too.

It's never really dark in our back yard unless there is a power outage. The house behind us used to be in the country and just last year was annexed into the city. Since the place used to be in the sticks, so to speak, it has it's own street light right in the middle of the property. I don't care much for it but there's nothing I can do about it either. Anyway, there is a reflection on the pond made by the street light that makes it pretty easy to see Joe.

Ya know, maybe it should be called a yard light since the only thing close to a street that it illuminates is a pretty long driveway. Yep, I think it is probably a yard light. I don't like the yard light any better than I liked the street light.

I did my usual. Fill the bird feeder, water the hanging plants, fix breakfast. When I was eating I kept an eye on Joe and the birds. This morning there was a female quail visiting. She was very similar to the who-who birdies. A little thinner, a little taller and the feathers, while the same color as the who-who's, were smoother. The female quail are similar to the who-who's but much more elegant looking... In my ever so humble opinion.

From time to time I watched a bird land on one of the flat stones. I was thinking that the bird could make a choice here that could doom it to the belly of a green bullfrog or live another day. If the bird hopped straight ahead to the waterfall to get a drink Joe would try to have it for breakfast. If, by chance, it were to turn and hop down to the lower pond the bird would never know what could have happened. I guess this type of scenario goes on all the time with all creatures... including you and me.

Two times this morning I watched birds make the wrong choice. They hopped down near the waterfall presumably to get a drink. Joe was on station and tried her best to snatch the bird. Both times the birds were quicker than the frog and Joe was left sitting on the flat stone but not before a very nice leap, sail through the air, and splat on the rock. I gave her an 8 both times.

I was watching a thing on PBS this past weekend about the frog jumping contests they have in Calaveras County, California. It looked to me like hundreds of Joe's cousins, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters were there. Most bullfrogs apparently didn't know the agenda because they would only jump a short distance. But once in a while one of those frogs made folks take notice. The record jump is over 21 feet!!! That is really 3 jumps totaling 21 feet but any way you count it, that is impressive. Joe jumps pretty good but I don't think the world record holder has to worry about her.

Some of the people at this thing were very interesting. They just live for the annual fair and frog jumping contests. Collecting frogs, keeping them healthy in preparation for their Andy Warhol minutes of fame. Some keep them in the same water they were found so they won't be traumatized by the new environment. One guy had a trailer with all these numbered drawers. The drawers were about the size of a small post office box. Inside each drawer is a bullfrog. They are kept happy with water that circulates through each box. The whole family is involved. Sounds good to me.

So I was just sitting at the table, day dreaming, when I noticed 2 birds land on one of the flat stones. Joe predictably submerged. Then his eyes popped out of the water at the edge of the stone. One of the birds was only about 8 or 10 inches from Joe and had it's back to the water and it's back to Joe. POW! Joe snatched the bird from behind, pulled it quickly into the pond and within seconds had it turned around so the bird was headed down the hatch tail last. The whole thing lasted only 3 or 4 seconds. I guess the third try was the charm for this gluttonous green machine.

Joe sat at the waterfall for a little while with the birds tail feathers sticking out of her mouth. I went outside and looked at her. She was still fat. Shortly after this picture was taken Joe slipped away to her home under the bridge.

So how do I know Joe has a place under the bridge you may ask? First my granddaughter saw Joe the last time she was here. She was hanging over the bridge with her hair floating in the pond. She was hollering that she could "see the frog. It was right there and wasn't moving." That was a pretty good clue don't you think?

The second thing that got me to thinking Joe was under the bridge this morning was when I was going across the bridge and looked down into the pond. A dead bird was floating out from under the bridge!

I suppose a bird could have just croaked, fallen into the pond and, doing what dead birds do, float downstream to the skimmer. Or it could have been snorkeling, got tangled up with an octopus that tore away it's scuba gear thus drowning the creature (would it still float if it drowned?). Or it could have been one of those great white sharks that prey on bullfrogs mistaking the bird for a bullfrog. Now that is kinda hard to believe because the bird isn't even close to the color green and there was no blood visible on the bird body.

I think Joe puked. Why would Joe puke up a perfectly fresh meal. I have a theory but, of course, I can't prove it so it will remain a theory. My theory is Joe has a feather ball. Yep, this is something related to a fur ball that cats and some dogs get. Joe has eaten so many birds that all the feathers have accumulated into a huge feather ball. That is why she looks so fat. She needs to purge the feather ball, vary her diet a bit and she will be as good as new.

I'm a little concerned with mother nature here also. I haven't interfered with the natural order of things in my backyard. OK, I feed the birds. I guess that isn't natural but the pond isn't a natural thing either. So they cancel each other out (two unnaturals equal a natural... basic math). My concern is with the frog taking the bird and not eating it. It doesn't seem right that Joe would go to the trouble of hunting, capturing, killing and swallowing the bird just to puke it up. I'll have to keep an eye on Joe... maybe there is a feather ball. Or maybe it was a 30 foot anaconda wrapped around Joe squeezing.......

Green Frogs Can't Jump

When I opened the shades this morning Joe was on station. I slipped on my sandals and retrieved a half can of bird seed from the storage locker out back. Joe just sits there watching. I filled the bird feeder with the special blend of "No Mess" bird seed. The sun is teasing the horizon. Another glorious day in the high desert is about to begin.

Not long after the sun arrives the birds are here. Again there has to be a couple of hundred. It is a circus. They vie for position to feed directly from the feeder. The others gather around on the ground below the feeder to peck at the fall out. There are birds on the fence, birds in the trees, birds on the bird houses. There are no birds near Joe. Could they have learned that danger lurks at the waterfall?

I'm puttering around the kitchen when a dove (I call them who-who birdies because of their call) starts toward the waterfall. I wait to see what will develop. In the last few days following Joe's failed attempt to take down a dove by latching onto it's tail Joe hasn't even tried to prey on doves that were ripe for the pick'n. Maybe she wasn't hungry enough... I don't know. The dove moves down to the water and starts to drink. Joe is about 2 feet away and facing the dove. The dove drinks. Joe turns, facing away from the dove. Joe's movement scares the dove to flight. That was odd.

I thought Joe must have learned that doves were too big. A short time later another dove approaches the water just like the last one. Looks to be about the same size and the first dove. This time Joe submerges and moves toward the dove. I guess something was different with this bird. Joe surfaces about a foot from the dove. The dove doesn't see Joe (sometimes I think some of these birds are blind). Joe leaps. The dove was faster and flies away as Joe lands on the flat rock and just sits there.

Joe is one fat frog! If I can get a picture I'll post it but this gal is really fat. I have to believe part of her failed attempts to catch a bird is because she is full. Comparing how she looked a few weeks ago and how she looks now is mind boggling. Life has been good I guess. Stocking up for the winter, maybe. Fat... definitely.

Within a couple of minutes a small bird approaches the waterfall. Wow, busy morning. This is just Joe's size and of the same type he has caught in the past. Again Joe is facing the bird but the bird doesn't seem to see him. Joe is only a foot or so away. I'm wondering if Joe is going to go after this little birdie. Joe seems to hesitate. I thought if he was going to attack he would have by now. The bird starts to drink. That must have been what Joe was waiting for... for the bird to lower it's head. Joe leaps again. Same rock, different bird. A split second later the bird is gone and fat Joe is sitting on the rock again. Joe slowly moves back into the water.

Birds 2, Joe 0.

Ginger and I went out to plant some bushes so all the birds left. Joe went to her secret hangout... hopefully to digest what ever is inside of her and to return on Sunday... maybe with a little bounce in her step.

Frog Facts

I've been reading about the American Bullfrog and have discovered that Joe is a girl. Yep, female as in smells good, curves in all the right places, excellent legs and of course is an egg laying kinda gal.

Now get this: sex is determined by the size of their ear drum. Does that sound strange to you? I thought that a creatures sex was determined by ovaries and testicles, the 'ol XY chromosome. But I read it on the Internet so it must be true. The article said the sex of the American Bullfrog can be determined by their eardrum. The females ear drum is about the same size as her eye or maybe a bit smaller. The male ear drum is larger, much larger than his eye. Bet he walks with a strut in the showers showing off those large ear drums.

The female lays up to 20,000 eggs which are fertilized outside her body. I guess there must be some kind of weird male frog bachelor party going on here to get 20,000eggs fertilized... not a pretty picture.

The tadpoles take up to 3 years to turn into frogs. They have gills and eat anything they can get into their mouth... including other tadpoles. In frog land picking on your brother or sister is serious business and very filling. Tadpoles get eaten not only by their peers but also by snakes, birds and fish. However some predators shy away from them because they, apparently, taste pretty bad. Have you ever wondered how someone figured out they taste bad... eeewwwwww. I believe that other tadpoles as well as frogs find them tasty enough. The longer a tadpole remains a tadpole the bigger he will be when he turns into a frog.

Once the tadpole turns into a frog it's about 2 years or so for the frog to reach sexual maturity.

They can grow up to 8 inches. Live about 4 or 5 years in the wild and up to 16 years in captivity.

Natural predators are herons, egrets, snakes, raccoons and the great white shark. Man is of course a predator and harvests the American Bullfrog for, you guessed it, frog legs. The American Bullfrog has the nicest legs of all the frogs. These impressive legs allow a mature frog to jump up to 6 feet. Personally I'll pass on the legs.

Both sexes are very aggressive, don't play well with others and will defend their territory. They will claim 15 to 60 feet of "territory" we would recognize as shore line and, if a frog has the audacity to trespass, they will attack, wrestle, yell and scream at any frog who trespasses. The only time they "get along with others" is during mating season. Do you think it's like marriage?

They do have teeth after a fashion along their upper jaw. Their tongue is quite strong and is used to flip small creatures into it's mouth. Their nostrils close when they submerge and they can absorb oxygen from the water through their skin which allows them to stay submerged for long periods of time.

These guys are not liked everywhere. Apparently man has been releasing them in places they didn't previously inhabit. This has caused problems with the animal population because the balance of nature has been disrupted. I hate it when Mother Nature has a little vertigo... the wind blows, global warming gets going, volcanoes start erupting, El Nino becomes La Ninja or what ever, Al Gore reinvents the Internet, Obama starts passing out tire gauges and Dan Quayle learns how to spell potato(e)... all because someone released some damn frog into the wild. There are places, like BC in Canada, that want people to report sighting or hearing the bullfrog. I guess they then capture the not so innocent green machine and have it relocated to a more tolerant area of the world... like the USA.

Aren't you glad your read this blog?

Joe Scores Again!!!

I wasn't there when it happened but there is no doubt that Joe had a successful hunt this morning. I did witness 2 failed attempts of Joe trying to secure breakfast. The hunt that counted I missed but was lucky enough to find Joe sitting on the edge of the pond too stuffed to move. I took his picture so you could see why I thought he snatched another unwary Birdie. Yes, those are the tail feathers of Joe's favorite meal. They are wet but there is not doubt as I checked it out up close.

He is off digesting his breakfast. I looked for him a little while ago but couldn't find him. Maybe he is carrying such a load that he can't make it up stream and over the falls to his usual safe haven. I'm sure he will turn up.

Ginger and I were talking about him and his diet this morning. We decided Joe's life in our pond was pretty good. Fresh, relatively clean water. Shelter either under the rocks or under the bridge. And a food source that is practically unlimited. He seems to be a pretty successful hunter. Of course there are a plethora of birds in our yard for the same reason Joe is in our yard. I guess everyone has to eat and someday the big blue heron will swoop down from the sky and Joe will no longer terrorize the birds... of course somewhere there is a Joe Jr.

King of the Pond

Joe was up and at 'em this morning. I've come to expect him at his post when I open the shade and look out. I was wondering where Joe will spend the winter. Being as big as he is I'm sure this isn't his first winter.

Today he was much more aggressive than yesterday. I'm thinking his aggression level is in direct proportion to his hunger level. While I can't be certain he didn't score a meal when I wasn't watching I have to think he has been unsuccessful because he stayed on station.

As I sat sipping a cup of coffee I saw a mourning dove land on one of the flat stones. Joe was right at the base of the rocks. The dove hopped down toward the waterfall seemingly oblivious to Joe. Of course Joe was dead still. The dove was less than a foot away from Joe when it turned it's back on him. Immediately Joe leaped from the waterfall onto the rock. His mouth on the rump of the dove. The dove took flight. It was like Joe's mouth just slipped off the feathers. It was all over in a couple of seconds. As best as I could tell there was no damage to the dove. I don't think it even lost a feather. While Joe is a big guy I guess he has a year or two to go before the doves become a reality on his menu. Talk about eyes being bigger than your stomach! On the other hand, if he were to grab the dove from the front it might be a completely different story.

Joe resumed his position on the waterfall and within a couple of minutes a small bird hopped right down to the water and was drinking. Joe submerged and you could see the telltale ripple on the surface of the water to know he was zeroing in on opportunity number 2. Joe shot out of the water but was a bit short of the rock. His foot must have slipped or it was divine intervention because this little bird escaped but only by the skin of it's beak. Whew, action happening fast and furious this morning.

I left Joe to his hunting. When I returned to the window a few hours later I didn't see him. I thought he must have scored a bird and went to hide under his rock for a rest. Then I spied him crawling out of the lower pond. He sat on a rock next to the statue of the King Frog. I was able to get this photo. I can think of a few captions that would make one smile (if you like, leave a caption in the comments and if I get a few I'll publish them on this blog). While this isn't the best picture it was the best I could do on short notice. Within 10 seconds of taking the picture Joe was gone. I saw him later under his rock, snoozing I guess.