Category Archives: Videos

Prepare to defend yourself!

I was minding my own business.  I promise I was.

In early morning gloom worsened by heavy clouds impenetrable to all but the smallest amount of light, I knelt by the shore after having enjoyed some time with the mallard duck family.  The entire sord already had wandered off through the water.  Why I remained in my crouched position is anyone’s guess, yet there I sat watching the other wildlife growing increasingly perturbed with the loud noise and disruptive mayhem being caused by the surging crowd of people congregating nearby for the morning’s ninth annual White Rock ‘n’ Run.

In fact, one of the bands began warming up a short distance behind me.  Their loud speakers and squawking feedback all joined together in causing even more disharmony among the lake’s official residents and true owners.

But I remained, letting my eyes take their fill of beast and fowl, of water and air, of light and dark.

Being low to the ground as I was meant I hoped I posed little threat to anything that might wander by.  This seemed proved by a handful of ducks preening less than a yard (a meter) away from my location.  They would occasionally glance at me to ensure I hadn’t set my predatory sights upon them, and then they’d turn back to their morning baths.

A raucous group of white and brown Chinese geese (a.k.a. swan geese, Anser cygnoides) came ashore near my favorite pier and headed in my direction.  With ample room for them to veer around me, I thought nothing more of it.

That was a mistake.

Still knelt in the wet grass and mud as I was, my figure stood no higher than the medium-sized members of the gaggle.  The larger of the group easily towered over me, large birds as they are.

I offered them only cursory glances while they made their way in my direction.  It was only when they came within six feet (two meters) of me that I realized I had erred in assuming they wanted nothing to do with me.

Sure, I was there first.  And I wasn’t bothering any living thing in the area.  I remained quiet and didn’t look at them directly lest it be seen as a challenge.  Instead, I slowly pivoted the camera on my knee and snapped photos of this and that, all the while looking through the LCD screen so I wouldn’t have to raise it and appear threatening to anyone—or scare them with unnecessary movements.

Do you think the geese cared for my intentions?  Do you think they respected my tiny spot in their world?

Of course not.

With only the tiniest of gestures, I switched the camera to video mode as the gaggle surrounded me.  I felt they were journeying around me, giving me just enough room so we all would feel comfortable, and would trek on along the shore once they made it past me.

Remind me once in a while that I’m no expert when it comes to wildlife.  I’m learned, yes, and quite so, but that doesn’t mean I’m precognitive when it comes to the beast’s nature.  Although I’m successfully predictive in that manner only insomuch as it boils down to general behavior and probable outcomes, I’m a fool for thinking such specific and extraordinary circumstances would somehow fit in a mold meant for natural theater rather than man’s unnatural and cacophonous disorder that was in place that morning.

I quietly pressed the button to begin capturing some video of the geese as they moved around me.  To my right, I was peripherally aware of several who continued inching in my direction, and more specifically, I was increasingly cognizant of one specific and very large avian tenant who seemed quite lacking in any fear of me.

The camera swung carefully in his direction, which gave me a chance to look at him directly without looking at him directly.  I saw no imminent threat, so I began to pan the video back in the opposite direction where one particular goose stood nearly motionless as it watched me.  As I swung my gaze away from the intimidating creature who continued to edge closer and closer, I saw from the corner of my eye what my mind’s eye had only just revealed: I was about to get my butt kicked.

Sure enough, just as I swung the camera back in his direction, he stepped forward and lowered his head.

Now is a good time to reveal I was not exactly on sure footing, what with being knelt on one knee and one foot, holding the camera steady on one knee, and being quite in the middle of a muddy patch of grass on the shore.  If I made a sudden movement, it was me who would end up lying flat on the wet ground.

Of equal importance is that I was wearing shorts and a tee shirt.  That meant I offered a tremendous amount of exposed skin.  Even a duck can tear flesh if given enough access and a sure enough grip, so a large goose could inflict far more significant harm with all the skin I was showing.

Finally, keep in mind that Chinese geese are very large—the largest being comparable to an actual swan—and that swans can break human bones.  If a large enough goose made a strategic move, especially with my limited ability to react in the position I was in, I felt I could be in a great deal of trouble.

So there I was…

The camera pivoted sharply back to the right as I twisted my entire frame.  I wanted to face directly the threatening bird.  And crouched on the ground, he was taller than I was.

The moment I turned in that direction, he stepped forward, lowered his head, and charged me.

That’s where the video ends.  I saw the attack coming and hit the button so I could focus on other matters.

You know, like getting the hell out of the way.

He closed the distance quickly but paused when I stood.  No longer was it him towering over me; it was the opposite.  That moment of his indecision gave me enough time to drop the camera in my pocket and back away at a steady clip.

Then, with me no longer invading his personal space (regardless of who approached the other), he suddenly felt at ease.  The entire gaggle milled about for a moment, made a tremendous amount of noise, and moved on down the shoreline.  Still within an easy stone’s throw, they all clamored into the water and swam away.

You’ll have to watch carefully because the video ends just as he lowers his head and begins his approach.  Sorry, but I had other matters to attend to.


Isopod

What do you call them?  Pill bug?  Sow bug?  Doodlebug?  Roly-poly?  Something else entirely?

No matter what name you use to describe them, they are nothing more extravagant than terrestrial crustaceans called woodlice (or a woodlouse in the singular).  Many consider them insects, yet they’re more closely related to shrimp and crab than to any true bug.

The most common isopod of this sort is the kind that rolls into a ball.  That is Armadillidium vulgare, or the common pill bug.  Depending on where you’re located, you undoubtedly have another name for them.

I see these little critters scurrying about all the time.  In fact, I watch every step carefully when I’m on the patio, for it’s not been entirely uncommon for me to accidentally crush one of them because I didn’t see it making its way across the concrete floor.  The worst case is when I’m not wearing shoes…

Anyway, here are a few photos of my neighborhood isopods during recent visits, and I’ve included a brief yet fun video at the end showing one scampering away as I chase it with the camera (not that it knew I was chasing it, but it seems that way).

And now the video…


The refrigerator game

Kako loves “The Refrigerator Game.”  That is, she leaps atop the frig and asks for—mostly demands—attention.  The game usually—mostly—winds up with her jumping on my back and continuing the demanding/getting attention from there.

I’ve discussed this before.  In fact, you can see photos of it here, here, here, and here (the last one showing her taking the game to new heights when she could get on top of the cabinets over the refrigerator), and you can read about it here and here.

To prove I’m not insane…

Ha!  Who am I kidding?  Of course I’m insane.  But that’s not the point.

To prove I’m not lying about this aspect of her personality (a trait only she has), here’s a video of her on the refrigerator doing her thing: asking—demanding—attention.

Note that she did wind up on my back.  I have photos to prove it, but I’ll share those at a later date and time.

For now, enjoy Miss Thing playing The Refrigerator Game.  And take special note that there’s an undercurrent of purring in her meows.  She might be a bitch and she might order others around and brutalize them to get her way, but she definitely loves me and can show it.  Besides, she knows what buttons to press.


What you don’t want to hear

Last Friday’s severe weather outbreak involved more than just a few near misses.  It provided a rather disconcerting experience each time the civil defense sirens began bellowing their terrible sound into an atmosphere already churning with nature’s fury.

So here’s a brief taste of the first sounding of the alarm.  It came with no notice.  In fact, hearing the wailing cry carried on the air was the first indication I had that something was amiss.

From there, it went downhill.  And they sounded again and again with each new indication of atmospheric treachery.


Asking politely

Unlike his normal approach whereby he takes what he wants and uses whatever force is necessary in order to get it, I captured a brief video showing the softer side of Loki.  It’s like watching something alien.

I had already taken a long walk and returned home refreshed, yet I still needed something.

Time with the cats!  Yes, that was it.  I needed to give and get some lovin’.

So I sat on the bedroom floor.  From there, I encouraged them to come visit me before I was forced to pester each one of them in turn.

Loki had been sitting atop the cat tree beside the bed and immediately hopped down.  He sat behind me, though, so I turned on the camera and just watched him.

That’s when he began asking for some attention.

Although I normally expect him to brutally appropriate whatever he wants, this time he respectfully asked.  When I didn’t respond, he came to me while continuing to ask—in a hushed, gentle voice.

After I stopped the camera, I sat and petted him for some time, but then he became excited and started beating up on me.  Typical.

But I do love that last little sweet request he gives at the end.  There is a softer side to Loki—rarely.

About two-thirds of the way through the video you see a brief glimpse of Kako lying in the background.  It’s that steely gaze of hers that really stands out.  Other than watching disdainfully, however, she never moves.

And pardon the gloomy atmosphere.  We hadn’t seen the sun in ages and I took the video using what little light filtered through the clouds and in the windows.