Babies

Everyone continues to eat well and grow. I've turned the heater off in the Snapping Turtle tank. They are too hungry and growing too quickly.

Xmas

The Babies continue to thrive under my care.  The WTs love blueberries and raspberries. I'm so enjoying each moment I spend watching them.

My bird tree is up and looks beautiful!  It worked out really well for me to get it up early and straighten our home as my wonderful hubby and mother threw me the most amazing surprise party! I was completely shocked and had so much fun, it was hands down my favorite birthday of all times.  I got so many cute gifts, lots of birds and turtles.  I am so grateful for all my friends and family.  It is incredible to feel so much love. 

All my boys are in NYS!  We will be together on the 23rd.  I'm so looking forward to having them all home. 

Gos!

So, today instead of heading up to Cascade Lake as I've been doing for a few weeks now, I decided to go to the Co. Park.  The gates are closed this time of year, so it's a uphill walk, which is exhausting for me at this point.  I felt a deep desire to head up there.  It brings me great peace to be in that forest.  I've been hiking there for nearly 3 decades now, it's part of who I am.  Two of my dogs ashes are spread there, as it was their favorite place on earth.  After I made it up the first hill and walked a couple hundred feet on the trail, I noticed a large bird fly from lower in the under story to a higher tree, where I could get a good look at the bird. To my great surprise......it was a Goshawk!  YES!  A Juvenile bird, but clearly without a doubt a Gos!  Excited is an understatement to how I felt, they are not common around here.  A large powerful Accipiter.  I was able to watch it fly twice and could see it had prey in it's talon.  I'm glad the bird is healthy and getting food, hard for young raptors to make it though their first Winter.  

Monty and I walked on, my heart already full from the Gos,  a glorious day, so crisp and cool, but sunny.  I checked on the Vernal Pool I monitor, it finally has water in it again.  I'm so excited, as it may have filled in time for the Marbled Salamander Eggs to hatch! The females stay in the dry Vernal Pools under leaves and logs protecting their eggs, awaiting rains to fill the pool, so they can leave the eggs to hatch.  The females then return to their lives underground.  I now have a good reason to get up there once a week to see if there are any Marbled Salamander Larvae.  The larvae hatch in the Fall, and spend the Winter under the ice feeding and growing.  When Spring comes they are quite large and getting ready to metamorphosis into salamanders and begin their lives on land.  They live a long time, some upwards to twenty years old.  I love watching the cycles of a Vernal pool. Even in Winter there is always something to see.  

I sat by a stream that is now running again, one that I've sat by hundreds of times.  I listened to the water flowing.  I let it take all the stress out of my body and mind.  I felt like a thousand pound weight had been lifted from my shoulders.  I am having a hard time mediating with man made recordings, it's amazing how nature gets into my soul so deeply.  I need to go to that spot more often.  Monty was a doll too.  He just hung out and looked around, he knows what his mom needs right now. 

I'm taking in another rehab baby snapping turtle tomorrow, he was found frozen in the woods, far from any water. Female Snapping Turtles often lay their eggs great distances from the lakes and ponds they live in. The young have a sort of antifreeze in them, that helps them to survive early frosts, or if they Winter over in the nest.  I expect this poor little guy had hatched out of his egg,  and during the rain last week and some warmer weather decided to dig out of the nest and try and get to water. With the weather this week he was doomed.   The person who found him was shocked that after he warmed up, he was alive!  I'm looking forward to rehabbing him.  

My handsome boy

Vernal Pool

Nice walk

Long brutal Day

I had chemo this morning and it was decided I needed a brain scan ASAP.  At noon after chemo I headed downstairs for the scan only to find out that you can not get an MRI when you have expanders in. I now needed a CT scan.  I went back upstairs to have my port acsessed again and it didn't go well for the first time in nearly a year. Four tries later, and me reassuring the kindest people on earth, my chemo nurses, that I wasn't in pain although it hurt like HELL, because why should they be made to feel bad too, it was in. Back down stairs, waited around again,scan done. Upstairs to have the IV removed, and out the door 7 hours later.....Alone.  I don't like being alone for tests.  Before arriving home I had good news from my Dr. It's normal. 7 hours, my poor body full of chemicals, I had multiple breakdowns and hadn't eaten for 24 hours. Upon arriving home and seeing my sweet puppy, I decide to grab my boy, who's been alone all day, jump in the car and head up to the park for a blissful crepuscular walk at the pond. Literally the moment I got out of my car the peace of the wilderness washed over my body and I completely relaxed. All thoughts of the day disappeared. I am Blessed beyond reason to have my incredible love of nature to carry me through this rough time. Having the dog helps too. He needs his Nature time even more then I do. His life is short and very boring if I don't enrich it. I am grateful I have him to get me outside everyday no matter what.

Love this picture

One of my friends from LI took this picture of me a few years back while we were all out at Montauk for a girls weekend, always the one with Bins around my neck looking for wildlife!

Weekly update

All the Rehabs are doing really well.  Their habitats are all completely set up, filtration running, heaters and UV lights are all hooked up. Their tanks are full of live plants.  Everyone is eating well.  They are being fed live food, a high quality turtle food, frozen foods, and what ever else I find that they would benefit from.  I'm still able to get outside and find worms and slugs, both are relished by the WTs.   I am beyond grateful to have all these turtles to care for now that Winter is upon us and I won't be able to get outside everyday.  They are keeping my heart happy and my mind busy.