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.

What's in a Name?

I've been thinking it's time to give our frog a name. It doesn't feel right just calling this interesting creature "the frog" when we can do better. The problem here is I don't know if our frog is a girl or boy. Now I've pondered this for some time. A name is very important. Once given a name the frogs personality will be forever changed... at least in our eyes.

Think about it. If I named the frog "Greenie" as soon as you hear the name you get an image in your mind what the green guy looks like. Now if I named it "Jaws" you would get a picture in your mind right away but it would be different than the "Greenie" image. So this is an important exercise.

I'm thinking the name should be asexual. That is to say, a name that might fit a male as well as a female.

I've decided to name him or her as the case may be, Joe E. Brown. Joe for short of course. Joe E. Brown was a comedian of long ago. He was born in 1892. Joined the circus at the tender age of 10. Got into vaudeville and then started making movies in the late 1920's for Warner Brothers. I remember him from when I was a kid. He had the biggest mouth of anyone I've ever seen, even to this day. Of course the mouth is why I'm burdening the frog, Joe, with Joe E. Browns moniker.

A big mouth is what Joe needs in order to take down one of those mourning doves. I'll tell you about Joe's valiant effort to get the dove in my next post.

One Giant Leap for Frogkind

Saturday morning, August 16, 2008, about 8:30.

The frog soap opera (most dramatic series this summer) continues.

As usual I was up before the sun. After reading the local paper I opened the shades and let my eyes wander the back yard. The frog was already on station at the lower waterfall. I thought about the old saying in frog land, "The early frog gets the bird!" You can take that anyway you want so long as your smile'n

The birds had not made their appearance and weren't expected until the sun arrived on it's trip from New York to San Francisco and points west. I went out to add seed to the bird feeder as the little guys get really pissy if I don't feed them on time.

The sun finally made it's appearance and I was watching the circus of birds that had also arrived. They just love this seed we get and have told all their friends so it's just a great big bird feast most mornings. I would estimate we get over 200 birds on any given day stopping by the feeder. Of course I may be counting some of them twice or even thrice as they all seem to look alike to me. Well, that's not entirely true, I can tell the mourning doves from the robin red breasts, it just the individuals I have trouble delineating. As usual I digress, excuse me please.

Ginger got up and made coffee and I was again watching out the window for some hapless bird to venture too close to what is now our frog. I saw a small bird hop toward the waters edge. The frog was already turned in the birds direction but too far away to make it breakfast. The bird started drinking. It would take a sip of water and then look around nervously. Take another sip and look around again. The frog didn't move. Wow, I thought, doesn't this guy see that bird! The bird flew away. Opportunity knocked on the green guys door but he didn't answer.

I told Ginger the frog doesn't seem too aggressive this morning. She joined me at the window. "Where is he," she asked. "He's all the way over to the right. Next to the rocks," I replied. "I don't see him," she said squinting and leaning toward the window. "Oh, maybe if you looked on the left side instead of the right you would have better luck," I said not knowing my left from my right.

Just about the time Ginger spotted the frog a mourning dove was coming in for a landing. They sometimes jump off the roof of the house and make a turn over the waterfall on the way to the feeder. This one was on that flight path. As the bird flew over the waterfall at an elevation of about 2 to 3 feet the frog made a leap into the air. Straight up like it was an ground to air missile. Fully extended with mouth open. I thought this guy should represent us in the Olympics either in the long jump or diving competition.

The mourning dove veered from it's glide path just in time to save it's life. A very valiant effort by our frog. Another awesome episode in the pond opera. I imagine what it would have been like if they had connected. It only takes a second or two for the episode to take place but the intense drama continues.

One giant leap for frog-kind.

Mayhem Moment

This is a true story. It happened on the evening of August 12, 2008. Watching this opened my eyes as big as sewer lids.

The noisy Woodhouse Toads that were visiting this spring have moved on. Where they go I don't know. Where they came from I don't know either. I live in the desert and find it pretty amazing that there are frogs here at all yet alone at my place. They weren't here, then they were here and now they are not here.

We do have, however, what I think is an American Bullfrog. He is a pretty big boy or maybe a big girl. I don't know. I have read where the female American Bullfrog gets bigger than the male and see'n as we have a pretty good sized frog in our pond it just makes sense our frog is a she and not a he. Of course it doesn't really make any difference.

We also have a plethora of birds in our yard. This is primarily our fault as we have bird houses and a bird feeder. At this time of year the new birdies are out of the nest and learning to be self sufficient but still hanging around mommy and daddy birdies.

As my wife Ginger and I were eating dinner Tuesday evening we each took our usual seats. Ginger faces the window and I face the TV. The window faces the back yard and has a pretty nice view of the pond and Bookcliff Mountains... that's why Ginger gets that seat. We were eating and Ginger mentioned the frog was hanging out at the last waterfall. This is somewhat unusual but not unheard of. Usually the frog makes an appearance around dusk and can often be seen early in the morning. The last couple of days the frog has been hanging around the waterfall fairly consistently.

Why? We found out today as we were eating dinner. S/he was hungry.

Ginger said the frog just went under the water. I leaned toward the window to see what I could see. The frog then surfaced and was moving toward a bird getting a drink from the waterfall. BAM!! Just like that this frog launched itself through the air, about 2, 2 1/2 feet, catching the small bird in it's mouth and quickly returning to the pond. The bird was swallowed in less than 15 seconds from "launch."

Ginger and I both saw it. It was amazing to watch and didn't alter the flavor of the very tasty meatballs we were having for dinner but it did get me to thinking about having fried chicken pretty soon. I got out the binoculars to see if the frog was having any problems swallowing the bird but by the time I got them focused on the frog (only about 30 seconds as we keep them handy) the bird was down the hatch.

You would think a bird in the belly (is worth two in the bush... ha!) would last a few days but no. This glutton was back at it the next morning laying in wait for another unsuspecting bird.

I have to say I didn't know frogs ate birds. I checked it out on the Internet and the American Bullfrog is known to eat small birds (and anything else it can fit in it's mouth) and while I wouldn't have believed it before Tuesday night, I'm a believer now.

As a result of our witnessing natural mayhem in our mini nature preserve I am now drawn to the drama. This morning I was watching the frog laying in wait. A bird approaches. The frog submerges. The bird hops closer to the water. A ripple on the surface of the water. The bird hops closer. The frog surfaces. The bird stops... looks around. The frog moves closer. The bird flies away. Whew! I realize I have been holding my breath.

Soon a mourning dove lit on a flat stone near the pond. It started preening. The frog submerged (could this frog actually eat a bird the size of a mourning dove? Apparently s/he thinks s/he can). The surface of the pond rippled. The frog surfaced about 3 feet from the dove. The dove stopped preening and stared at the pond. The frog moved slowly forward.. only the eyes that sit atop it's head showing. The dove took a few steps toward the water. You could almost see the frog tense. Another dove lands nearby. The first dove stops and looks at the other dove. The second dove moves toward the water. The first dove stands still. The second dove moves to the water about 2 feet behind the frog. The first dove begins preening again. The frog starts to turn around toward the second dove. The second dove lowers it's head to get a drink of water. The frog is almost facing the dove. The dove stops lowering it's head... looks around. The dove flies away taking the first dove with it. The frog gives the bird to the birds (well, maybe I'm read'n a bit much into this).

Oh the drama. It makes you tired. I can't stop watching.