Blinking Finch, Scraping Squirrel, and Other Observations

By Krysta Denzer

Flowers bloom, birds fly, and seeds begin to sprout in the bird feeder. I find a young male house finch as he sits serenely on the porch. I watch as he stands, blinking every few seconds, slowly, barely, raising and lowering his tail. I saw the slight red on his head and breast, as well as a small red patch on his rear just above his tail.

By the sidewalk, a squirrel noisily scrapes his teeth on a large nut, intent on his prize within. And over there, another squirrel makes off with a mushroom, bringing it back up the tree. A lizard peeks out from under the backyard shed, where a small toadstool grows. Later, a raccoon climbs through the trees, enjoying an early-evening meal of wild grapes.

A little moth must have just left its cocoon (shown hanging from the grass to the left). It's wings are soft and floppy, blown and bent by the wind.

Oyster Gardens on Mobile Bay

 Our local ambassadors are participating in the oyster garden program  with University of Auburn and Dauphin Island SeaLab. The Students are cleaning and protecting the young oyster spat as it grows in the small cages hanging off of piers along the Mobile Bay. This is a great opportunity to learn about oysters and the role they play in our ecosystem.

We are watching for signs of oil from the BP spill and any sea life that might be invasive to the oysters.

Lining our cages (gardens) along the water as we clean the oysters and load the cages.

Students take measurements to chart the growth of the oysters in our gardens.

The students clean the mud and small barnacles off of the oysters during our weekly trip to check on the growth of the oysters.

Students are attaching our gardens to the piers.