The Three Little Piggies

 

I've told this tale to anyone who will listen, and many would rather have skipped the story altogether. Anywho, t'was the season to be jolly, and I was driving home after a trip to Costco. I was a few blocks along when three not-actually-very-little-at-all piggies began lumbering across road in front my car. 

At that second there was only myself on the road, but just ahead of me a police car quickly pulled to the shoulder and got out of the vehicle, shouting, "Pig! Pig! Pig!"

Of course I was insulted, but then I realized the good officer was not dissing me, but was calling for the loose swine. At this point, you may make your own jest about cops being nicknamed 'pigs' and here are a couple of accompanying comments from a friend I told all this to: "The Hogs from the Bogs", "The Divine Swine", and saving the best for the last - "The Chops, fleeing the Cops!" 

Bravo Kristi! Couldn't have put it better myself.

The piggies were striking, and I was mesmerized but happily not so mesmerized that I didn't whip out my cell phone and start taking shots. The first thing I noted was they looked how you could imagine feral pigs would look, but I knew these were not feral - in fact, I was immediately certain that these curly coated pigs simply must be a heritage breed. Heritage breeds are olde timey domestic livestock whose usage has been curtailed & usurped by modern livestock breeds. These pigs, all looking about the same - agouti colored with curly hair on their backs, looked as old timey in a hog as one can  get. 

Collie on Call

By now the traffic was backed up and the good officer managed to get the 3 piggies moving in the same direction. At this point I knew I had to shout something snarky to the officer (I had to, it's the LAW!).

I called out, "Where is a Border Collie when you need one?"

The good officer, smiling, called back, "I Know, Right?!"

I cracked up laughing, because that is precisely what I would have responded, had our places been switched. The very good officer by now had the piggies off the roadway and headed for...? [Fill in your own amusing thoughts here ].

Two final notes: First, the reason I had gone to Costco in the first place, is I went there to buy a spiral ham for Christmas dinner. You have to wonder if I'd run across the piggies on my way to Costco, I might have got my hams for free, right? And how many would I have potentially nabbed? Um, let's see, that's 2 hams per piggie, so that's... give me a second to count here.... Six, my lucky number!

And a final note, some hours later this tale of 3 pigs, I looked up heritage breeds on a site I've used for such stuff for ages. The pigs are Mangalitza Swine, read all about them HERE

Nearly a Wildlife Refuge

Back Patio View of noisy Cackler Geese flying about

I  lolling around downstairs in my home when the phone rang. My neighbor telling me to get the heck over to a window to see the mass flock of geese that just flew into the large field behind our homes. Being downstairs, I hadn't heard the racket of the fly-in geese. Soon I was upstairs and out on the back patio, gawking at the huge number of birds next door. 

Geese, more geese and 3 oddball geese

Based on the racket the birds made, I knew they were Cackling Geese (a new yard bird last month). My neighbor, Barb, was in her backyard with binoculars. "SWANS?", she called to me. 

"YES!" I squealed excitedly. I was staring at 3 white blotches at the edge of the flock. I ran downstairs, fetching my camera. One look and lo and behold, not swans (to my defense, these white birds seemed quite large and bulky) they were Snow Geese! Another new Yard Bird, YIPPY! 

New Yard Bird Species: Snow Geese

'Why are these guys staring at me?'

As you can see in the photos above and below, the brown geese have white cheek patches, which once-upon-a-time meant they were a small subspecies of Canada Goose. But some years ago, the powers that be decided based on the size, very different voice and short dinky beaks, these were a different species from Canadas, and they were named after their raucous calls: Cackling Goose.  Cackling geese are only a little bit larger than Mallard Ducks (or domestic, white Peking Ducks). 



Itty bitty-ish Cackling Geese

with itsy bitsy beaks

Cackling Geese

The day after the first inflight of Cacklings, they returned yet again. This time the Snow Geese were not present so I assume either this is a different flight of Cacklings or that the Snow Geese took off on their own path. 

On day two, as on day one, I realized there were also Canada Geese amid the Cacklers, but there were so many Cacklers that if the Canadas were honking, their noise was overshadowed by the b'jillion Cacklers. 

Canada Geese, eh?

Canadas have bills that are the same length as their head,
whereas Cackler bills are half the length of their heads.
Do you really need these details? I thought not. 

So that's how my Sequim Washington 'Yard List', after five years, is up to 63 species. I am right chuffed! For comparison, my California, Fair Oaks Yard List took 23 years to get to 47 species. That's the difference between suburban habitat and semi-wild suburban habitat.

Balloons over the Serengeti - Part II

Gotta look before you tiptoe through the Serengeti grass

Today was so packed, a 2nd Part was necessary. Part I left off after the so-called 'Bat Adventure', when our driver, Wolfgang, drove the lot of us in search of game. Soon he was conversing excitedly over the communication radio with other safari drivers. With a warning to all to 'hold on' he bulleted the van to an unknown (to its passengers) destination. Off in the distance we could see several safari vans, all facing a massive, bare branched tree. There at a top of a limb Wolfgang pointed out a tree-bound leopard - Wolfgang said the leopard guarded a baboon it had snagged and the leopard hung its meal in a notch in the tree limbs. 

The leopard is low in the tree, its tail like a backward J

We were far from the tree so these few shots were lucky ones,
the baboon is the fuzzy lump beneath the leopard

What I didn't photograph (damn it!) were the dozen or so grown Baboons, that were spread out, sitting high up in the same tree as their departed companion. It was pretty obvious the baboon baubles in the tree were doomed to sit high up, until the leopard finished its mean and headed off. How long that might take? A hungry leopard might choose a tree top nap following its meal. Poor Baboons!  

The next stop was near a 2 story high kopje, on top of which slept Elsa the Lioness. OK, this wasn't really Elsa of Born Free fame, but that's whom she strongly reminded me of. So beautiful! 

Opening chords of 'Born Free' are playing in your head....

The music swells as you get your 1st view of slumbering Elsa

Elsa wakes and growls, "Who the EFF ruined my nap?" 

Oh yeah, she does not appreciate being woken so let's tip toe away and head for the next stop...

plenty of other lions around

...which includes his young lordship here....

There was a grown family grouping of Cheetahs - my fav! 

Loads of roaming elephants

That look of ease on this pachyderm's face,
is knowing that poachers may be shot on sight

Browsing buddies - elephants and Impala

Black-faced Vervet Monkey, her baby slung under her belly

Birds! Did I mention there were loads of birds I photographed on the wing? 

Secretary bird, that seems to have several pencils stuck behind its ears...

Secretary Bird, known for catching and eating snakes

Lappet-faced Vulture

When ever I had a chance to view the sky, there were sometimes HUMONGOUS scavenger type birdies flying around up there.

White-backed Vulture

Saddle-billed Storks

Blacksmith Lapwing

We were well ready for dinner and a good night's sleep. Wolfgang told us tomorrow night's stay was the fanciest hotel we would experience on this trip, and of course, for the Americans among us (speaking!), tomorrow is Thanksgiving so there's that to look forward to. Meanwhile, back at Embalakai Authentic Camps, the wonderful staff were determined to give us a dinner that would stick to our ribs, then sing and dance to sprinkle our heart with joy. Short 3 minute video on some of day's wildlife events below.