the nights begin to be almost, not quite, warm.
One of the first true signs of Spring is when the Night Peepers begin to call to one another.
The temperature might still be cool, but their ardor is obvious......
they sing joyfully to one another for several hours after the Sun goes down.
About the 1st of May, the Bullfrogs announce their presence.
I know you've heard their love song........
Every second or so.........a deep, vibrant, honk.
There are four or more around the pond this Spring.
One will start the chorus, then the others join in by returning the challenge (and stake out their claim to a piece of Real Estate?)
It's a gorgeous sound.......Call, response, response, response........honk, honk, honk, honk!
Remember the scene in "Happy Days" where the night sounds keep Fonzie awake until he goes to the window and shouts and shuts all the critters up? At the time I saw that piece, I thought how stupid he was. The sounds of the night are a huge source of pleasure for me.
We have several Barred Owls in our neighborhood that frequently ask, "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for y'aaaaaaaallllllll?"
They sometimes call from the tree immediately outside our bedroom window, and believe me, that'll get your attention at 3 A.M.!
But even that brings a smile to our faces.....God's wonderful diversity.
This morning, after sharing our favorite "Breakfast Pizza" with Big Bubba, as I slowed to pull into the drive, a 3' tall Great Blue Heron was stalking the North bank of our pond......
(hunting my beloved Bullfrogs?)
Herons are also magnificent creatures.......it's wonderful to watch them ply their trade.......SOOOOOOO ssssssllllllooooooowww in their stalking movement, it's impossible to watch them and not marvel at their technique.
But my Bullfrogs!
I'm reminded of the "Last act of defiance" posters!
Seen them?
I tried to find the one I wanted to show you, but could only find the poster showing the mouse giving the "single finger salute" to the owl on final approach, talons extended.
The one I'm thinking of shows a Heron swallowing a Bullfrog, but the Bullfrog's arms are stretched around the Heron's neck, attempting to strangle it.......
Never give up!
I love the sound of our Bullfrogs at night and don't want to lose them.
Do ya think I maybe need to even the score?
Anyone have a recipe for Great Blue Heron?
(Probably tough, but I bet it tastes like Chicken!)
UPDATE:This is the image I was lookin' for!
3 comments:
Well, ya might try some brisket rub on it, but I think it would still be fowl. ;)
I DO know a good recipe for frog legs, though.
I wonder if fake snakes would scare them away.
You might call the A&M folks and tell them you want the herons tested for bird flu, that they have been coughing and complaining of fever and chills.
Or maybe that the herons just have a frog in the throat
Awwww,
I remember the sound of the little tree frogs when we lived in southern Fl. on the island. There was the ocean very close and between us and them was a beautiful Catholic Church with a pretty little pond right outside out back deck.
At night, they would put us to sleep with their noise and after moving we missed them so much.
When they saw us home at night, they would come up to our glass doors and want in, so weird, they would come in and run to our big umbrella tree and hang on for dear life wanting to stay in the air condition.
Never under estimate the intelligence of a frog.
We even put them on our answering machine for calls. The callers loved it. We would let them chirp for a bit, then say "In other words, please leave a message."
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