CRITTER NOTES—

Although son Craig saw a snake or so during his visit over Memorial Day, I saw my first snake here in many, many years June 26th. I first noticed it slithering across the watermeal covered pond’s surface. I couldn’t identify it because it was covered by the annoying weed but it looked to be about 2 feet long.

Twice it was forced to do a radical evasive maneuver during its swim when the nearby water boiled from the likely attack of a predator bass. I lost sight of it when it disappeared onto the relative safety of the shady bank near the stony point.

At one time, Black, Garter and Water snakes were common sights in my diversified habitat. I hope these recent sightings signal their return—in reasonable numbers, and with polite dispositions, of course.

Flying lessons have begun for the rookies in the Canada Goose squadron. The adults made several aborted take-off runs down my driveway June 28th with their obedient student pilots running along flopping their wings.

This will continue for awhile as the youngsters develop their wing muscles. One day, the miracle of flight will simply occur.

Then begins the hilarity of watching the new “pilots” learn to land themselves.

While on our morning hike recently around the southwest woods I spooked a Whitetail Deer on Flanagan’s Trail. I was within about 50 feet of the critter when it exploded into view and loped gracefully away treating me to flashing views of its white “flag” as it disappeared into the shadows cast by the rising sun.

Usually Max precedes me on these jaunts and all I hear is a ruckus when these encounters occur. But, this morning he was somewhere behind me doing his sniff-test on some other critter that had invaded “his” territory over night and I was treated to this unrestricted view.

Speaking of snakes, on July 20th I saw a Garter Snake, the first one of them in years.