Bats and owls and cats, oh, my!
We’ve got something of a new tradition going on — we take the cats out onto the porch when my husband gets home from work. We’re out here now in the dark — the one rule is that the cats must stay on (okay, near) the porch — it’s a covered cement area that extends 10’ from the house walls on 2 sides of the house. Plenty of bugs and such come onto the porch and the cats hunt and pounce and crunch while we make sure that the hunted is not a scorpion, poisonous spider or other bad way to end an evening.
Tonight, one of the visitors has been a bat flying through the porchway, teasing the cats. I’m always glad to see the bats doing their jobs — 1) bye-bye mosquitoes, et al; 2) amazing aeronautics show.
After the bat left for more peaceful hunting, an argument seemed to break out between a couple of Western Screech Owls. I think that’s what they are, based on a recorded version of bird calls. Sometimes they sound like someone breaking out in semi-maniacal laughter. I’m sure that it’s very serious to them but it makes me laugh in a not-at-all-maniacal way.
On the way up the road tonight, a doe stood in the middle of the dirt road as I drove up. She didn’t move as I approached and seemed to be challenging me, “Whattaya gonna do about it!?” I continued to drive slowly forward and flashed my lights at her like what I imagine a crazed, wild-eyed, growling predator might do.
Ah, it’s almost rutting season again, when the deer act like they don’t have to move just because you have to go to work. Both the males and the females put on this behavior and the warrior in me appreciates their suicidal show of courage and the pragmatist in me flashes my headlights to get them to move.
