I’ve been bad about updating, I know! I’m actually surprised nobody emailed me to remind me!
So again, sorry for the delay. It was hectic returning from the hurricane, catching up on surveys, re-installing the Anabat equipment, etc. The hurricane really didn’t leave much damage here. I saw some trees and a few power lines down on my drive in, but that was it. The apartment had electricity and I didn’t see anywhere in the area with structural damage.
Hurricane Irene, however, still had the last laugh. She left a lot of water in the irrigation ditches where there previously hadn’t been any. And after few days, I got a nasty surprise (I bet my Florida family can guess!). Drum roll please…MOSQUITOES!
Good grief, I’ve never EVER seen so many mosquitoes! They have been absolutely brutal! I got out of the car one day, went to stand at my point, and had to run back! I was swarmed, it is unbelievable how many there are and how BIG they are! I kid you not, they are as big as birds! I had them biting through long sleeves! My theory is that all of these herbicides/pesticides/fertilizers the farmers are using on their crops in running off into the irrigation ditches and creating super-monstrous mosquitoes.
On a typical day, I’ll drive to a point and they swarm the outside of the car (I’m guessing because of the heat). And after a few minutes when they figure it out, they swarm me. They are in so many numbers that you can hear them buzzing in the fields around you. I’ve been using bug spray like sun screen and that doesn’t completely stop them. It’s an insect plague; first ticks and chiggers, and now mosquitoes. I don’t think it can get worse…at least I hope not!
The surveys overall are going well, I’ve completed 17 and have 13 to go. I’m on schedule to finish by mid-October. Already it’s cooled off, too. Fall is in the air! I was excited for the cold front to come through a few days ago and drive away the 90 degree heat. Then I got up and went to the site on the following day, and I decided that I preferred the 90 degree heat to 50 degrees, 20 mph winds and more mosquitoes.
Jay came to visit me last week, and that was much-needed! He accompanied me on my surveys, and I took a few days off so we could go visit his family in Virginia. We watched Tennessee football, played cornhole and had a great time. And on September 11th, we decided to be patriotic and shoot a few rifles with his cousin, Khoury. Jay bought me a rifle (that was a surprise!), so I was excited about shooting!
Shooting the new rifle
Jay shooting his rifle
The day before he left we went to the Outer Banks and spent the afternoon on the beach! It was a perfect day, mid-80s and not a cloud in the sky. But no sea glass this time.
Here are a few pictures from the site recently. The first is a pile of white feathers. I saw this while I was driving and assumed a waterbird had expired…but I was surprised to find it what was left of a barn owl!
The view from the car
Up close...barn owl feathers
This was unexpected! A common snapping turtle
Black rat snake
A close up
All stretched out! Notice the deer track?
