A summer heat dome has settled in over Tulsa. Very hot and humid but I am kind of used to it so instead of exercising at a gym I am spending a lot more time outside. I mean you know, it is summer in Oklahoma and that is just the way it is. So I’ve been out in the woods a lot more lately and I am not seeing much in the way of critters. I am sure they are resting during the heat of the day. Well, I came across a little turtle hiding in plain sight.
Our Pomeranian, Kodi on the other hand is a fluff ball so we only walk him early in the mornings otherwise he gets a little overhead. So we play endless games of fetch in the house. Him being the prince of the house decided to jump over to our coffee table the other day. We tried telling him that it is a coffee table and a dog table but he wasn’t going for it.
That’s it for this week. I’m linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters, go check it out.
I went on a bike ride on the Osage Prairie Trail north of Tulsa. It is a Rails to Trails project done years ago where an railroad is converted to trails. I love it because it goes through a lot of back country including ranches. I saw this Hereford cow looking happy in some tall green grass. Don’t see too many white faces like this any more.
And some of his friends, Angus cattle also grazing.
And in a different pasture I found some horses with their heads down.
And I found this little turtle crossing the road. Why did the turtle cross the road? (To get to the shell station!)
And a few miles away another, bigger turtle getting across the road.
And on a different outing on my first hike on Tulsa’s brand spanking new Mooser Greenway trail system I found myself a deer.
I love seeing deer.
Later on I found this feather. Google lens says it is from a red tailed hawk. I left it near where I found it.
And this might be the Shell Station. Just so happens I worked for Shell Oill for a short time and I learned that nothing makes a die hard Shell Oil employee madder than calling their logo a clam. It’s a pecten they will say in a heartbeat. So of course I doubled down on calling it a clam. Alrighty, sorry, I’ll get back to Saturday’s Critters.
I found this fresh cut disk cut out of a tree blocking the trail. I tried to count the rings and I came up with a 102 years old.
And speaking of red tailed hawks, this dude was up- on power pole looking for his lunch. He was a long ways away. At the very limit of my ancient Canon Superzoom camera. How far away you ask?
He was on top of the rightmost power pole as seen from our back yard. I love my DSLR with all the various lens but it is hard to be beat a superzoom for lightweight and usefulness in a wide variety of situations.
Here’s another photo of the hawk.
And here is the mandatory pic of Kodi the Pomeranian in a pensive mood. He’s the same color as our floor so he is Kamo Kodi in dim light inside.
I”m linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters. Go check it out. Lots of talented bloggers link up with her.
I went hiking earlier this week on Turkey Mountain here in Tulsa. I came across this tiny frog traversing the trail.
I also went for a bike ride and took my camera with me again. As I was going down the trail I spotted a bald eagle flying high over me but headed down to the river. So I pulled out and spotted this guy fishing. That’s two weeks in a row I’ve seen a bald eagle in approximately the same location. Sorry for the fuzzy photo. I was at the far end of the range of my Canon Superzoom.
I also found this egret, or white heron or something several miles north of the Eagle out in the river looking for lunch.
And white pelicans on a sandbar.
And a log with two pairs of turtles. I didn’t know that momma turtles gave baby turtles piggy back (turtle back?) rides.
And a great blue heron. Again at pretty good range. They are skittish!!
That’s it for this week. I am linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters. Lots of really good posts there. Check it out.