Odd Okapis

An okapi looks like a cross between a deer and a zebra, but it is actually most closely related to the giraffe, as evidenced by a blue tongue which is long enough to clean the insides of its ears and flexible enough to strip leaves off trees!

Source:  Wikipedia

The okapi is a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa, but statues of them have been found carved by the ancient Egyptians.  It is an herbivore, but also fulfills its mineral needs by eating clay as do many other animals and birds.  It prefers living in higher altitudes from 1600 to 3200 feet in the rainforests and has an oily coat to help repel water.  The above picture is somewhat deceptive.   While it doesn't have the longer neck and legs of a giraffe, it's no shrimp either.  It can be 5 to 6 feet high at the shoulder and weigh over 700 pounds.  But its height still enables it to eat leaves in the trees that others can't reach.

Source:  Wikipedia

Okapi are mainly solitary only coming together to breed.  They are found in many zoos but only about 10 to 20 thousand are left in the wild. The okapi is a true animal oddity.

Peculiar Penguins

Did you know that some of the rarest penguins in the world live in New Zealand?  And they nest in the forest?  The Fiordland Crested penguin is also one of the most unusual looking.  Its yellow crest definitely gives him a distinguished look.

Source:  Wikipedia

They grow to be about two feet tall and weigh around 8 to 10 pounds.  Their diet consists of squid, krill and small fish.  They live along the colder waters of New Zealand's southern coast and outlying islands including Stevens Island.  The current population is around 6,000 individuals or less and unfortunately dogs and cats are common predators.

To learn more and see a video, click here and here.

Sweet Sleep

The Olympics were wonderful, but they are finally over.  Maybe now I can get some sleep!

As The Dragon Flies

An Excerpt from 'The Dragonfly' by William Henry Davies

Now, when my roses are half buds, half flowers,
And loveliest, the king of flies has come -
It was a fleeting visit, all too brief;
In three short minutes he had seen them all,
And rested, too, upon an apple leaf.

There, his round shoulders humped with emeralds,
A gorgeous opal crown set on his head,
And all those shining honours to his breast -
'My garden is a lovely place,' thought I,
'But is it worthy of so fine a guest?'

This huge white dragonfly came to visit this morning.

Best Buddies

I've been a lazy bum lately because I've been enjoying the Olympics.  But I did take a couple of photos the other day when a storm came through.  It poured and I tried to get photos of the water just gushing out of the downspout and coming off the roof of the patio cover because the gutters just couldn't keep up.  But I needed a faster shutter speed and you couldn't really tell what was going on, so you just get to see the clouds before the storm.

I also took a couple of pictures of the outside stray kitties Romeo, Van Gogh and Miss Kitty all snuggled up together.  They really seem to be best buddies.

Back to the Olympics!

Another Freeloader!

The other day I looked out the window and saw the woodchuck eating out of the cat food dish!  Whaaat?  In all the years I've been here and seen the woodchucks, I had never seen them eat cat food before.   I thought, 'well, that's not good for it; aren't they strictly herbivores?'  Even though I have done several woodchuck posts, I had forgotten that they do indeed eat insects, snails and other small animals.  So eating cat food is not really 'off-diet', just another freeloader I can add to the list!  Here are a few pictures I took this morning proving my observations.  The first few are full of reflections because I had to take them through the storm door, plus it was a cloudy day.  Caught in the act!

After all that dry cat food, a drink of water is in order.

My neighbors' cat Tigger loves to hang out with the woodchucks.  I think he's fascinated by them.

Thank goodness I get plenty of dry cat food from the folks who have helped spay and neuter all of our stray cats.  They probably have no idea how many other animals and birds are grateful for their generosity.

Wickford, RI II

Here are just a few more of the photos I took on my trip to Wickford.  The title of this post is deceptive though because none of these photos were actually taken in Wickford.  All were taken in stops along the route back to Providence and most in another little village of Pawtuxet.

The last two photos are almost identical but I was trying to capture all those white dots out in the harbor.  You see the two swans in the foreground, but all the white dots out further are also swans!  There must have been a hundred of them.  Not sure what attracted them to that particular place, but whatever it was they were definitely congregating to it.  Also lots of ducks and a couple little sandpipers.  A very popular spot!

For more on the history of Pawtuxet Village, click here.  For more on Wickford, RI click here.