I sure do!
:o)
Monday, September 30, 2019
Sunday's sunrise..
So pretty when the sunlight shines on the tops of the trees!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Four of the girls sitting on a branch in the run.
Benji with one of the hens that doesn't attack him:
He's starting to come out of his cage for longer periods of time each day.
Of course he ALWAYS has to keep an eye on Wilma and Louise!
He's still NOT crowing though.......
Friday, September 27, 2019
Friday Night Steam
asef
We're off to New Zealand tonight! Sit back and enjoy a real beauty that was built in 1873!
More info can be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NZR_F_class
We're off to New Zealand tonight! Sit back and enjoy a real beauty that was built in 1873!
| New Zealand F class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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F Class steam locomotive NZR 248 "McCallum Mhor", 0-6-0T type. Godber Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library.[1]
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| Career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nicknames | Peveril/Edie Ochiltree (13) Meg Merrilies (180) Rob Roy (111) Ada (233) McCallum Mhor (248) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disposition | 15 preserved, remainder scrapped | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
More info can be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NZR_F_class
:o)
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
A pig-nosed what??
-
The pig-nosed turtle is the sole surviving member of
its entire family, Carettochelyidae, and sits alone on a branch of the
tree of life reaching back around 140 million years. That is more than
70 million years before the extinction of the dinosaurs!
This unique freshwater turtle has many unusual morphological, ecological and behavioural characteristics. Unlike other freshwater turtles, the pig-nosed turtle has flippers, resembling those of a sea turtle more than a freshwater species. This strange turtle has a leathery shell, rather than a shell formed of hard, distinct scutes and has a long, fleshy snout with large nostrils, much like that of a pig, hence the common name of the species.
The pig-nosed turtle is a relict both evolutionarily and geographically, with its current distribution reflecting a previous era when Australia was connected to New Guinea. This relict species is threatened by increased demand for individuals and eggs, for both food and the international pet trade. The increased commercial activity across its range in New Guinea is also bringing the species into closer contact with humans. Livestock, feral animals and agriculture also threaten the habitat of the species in Australia.
This species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. However, at the time of writing, the assessment for the species is now out-of-date and requires updating. Not much is known about the several aspects of the natural history and ecology of the species, and further research is required to understand the potential impact of human development. The pig-nosed turtle is listed on CITES Appendix II.
The pig-nosed turtle is distributed across the southern lowlands of New Guinea (Indonesian Papua and Papua New Guinea) and the northeast of the Northern Territory, Australia.
They do not reach sexual maturity until around 16 years of age, and females lay their eggs in shallow holes close to the water. Fully-developed embryos will delay hatching until environmental cues signal the onset of the wet season, when embryos hatch en masse.
Source: http://www.edgeofexistence.org/species/pig-nosed-turtle/
Pig-nosed Turtle
Carettochelys insculpta
This unique freshwater turtle has many unusual morphological, ecological and behavioural characteristics. Unlike other freshwater turtles, the pig-nosed turtle has flippers, resembling those of a sea turtle more than a freshwater species. This strange turtle has a leathery shell, rather than a shell formed of hard, distinct scutes and has a long, fleshy snout with large nostrils, much like that of a pig, hence the common name of the species.
The pig-nosed turtle is a relict both evolutionarily and geographically, with its current distribution reflecting a previous era when Australia was connected to New Guinea. This relict species is threatened by increased demand for individuals and eggs, for both food and the international pet trade. The increased commercial activity across its range in New Guinea is also bringing the species into closer contact with humans. Livestock, feral animals and agriculture also threaten the habitat of the species in Australia.
This species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. However, at the time of writing, the assessment for the species is now out-of-date and requires updating. Not much is known about the several aspects of the natural history and ecology of the species, and further research is required to understand the potential impact of human development. The pig-nosed turtle is listed on CITES Appendix II.
The pig-nosed turtle is distributed across the southern lowlands of New Guinea (Indonesian Papua and Papua New Guinea) and the northeast of the Northern Territory, Australia.
Little is known of pig-nosed turtle ecology. These turtles are omnivorous, feeding on plants, fruit, invertebrates and fish, and will scavenge dead mammals. Pig-nosed turtles have large home ranges and swim using their flippers as paddles, unlike other freshwater turtles.
They do not reach sexual maturity until around 16 years of age, and females lay their eggs in shallow holes close to the water. Fully-developed embryos will delay hatching until environmental cues signal the onset of the wet season, when embryos hatch en masse.
Source: http://www.edgeofexistence.org/species/pig-nosed-turtle/
:o)
Just some pics....
.... from this past summer...
Still having battles with the girls and Benji. Sigh......
:o(
Monday, September 23, 2019
Look how big...
.... Benji is getting!
I had video of him walking - he looks like a penguin - but my laptop is hiding it somewhere - will have to make another one!
Wilma still hates him and attacks EVERY chance she gets.
The weather is wacky here in Coopville. Had to turn the heat on last week to get the chill out of house. (Hubby didn't want to burn wood this early!) Yesterday we had the A/C on! The trees are starting to lose their leaves....
.... and we're still getting cucumbers!
The girls dug a creator to take their dust baths!
Watched my neighbors cat for a few days... his name is "Fat David". ... wonder why? LOL!
:o)