Sights, Sounds, and Sensation of Summer
June 1, 2021 by Chad -
As Katelyn mentioned yesterday, Summer is making a quick visit the next couple of days. With 90ºF temperatures today, the chimpanzees have remained relatively low key. Each in a spot in the indoor enclosures in the shadiest of spots, or in front of the fans to escape the heat. We did offer them some icy treats throughout the day since it seemed like today called for it. Some of these spots are very tricky to get photos of, and the only photo I was able to get of any of them was of Negra climbing down from the platform in the Greenhouse to head indoors.
The cattle have been spending most of their day lounging around in the shade at the top of the pasture, just like the chimpanzees. However, it’s far easier to take photos of them on days like today. They did spend an hour or two grazing in the mid-day sun.
Can you spot all four in this photo!?
And taking turns licking the mineral block.
And don’t worry, Meredith was there, just waaaay in the back.
With summer creeping up on us, the sights, sounds, and smells of summer are starting to come in. Here are some of those things found around the sanctuary.
The strawberry plants are starting to fruit.
The grape vines are starting to bunch.
Squirrel moms are calling for their kits.
Racer snakes are seeking shelter in the raspberry bushes.
Barn swallows are beginning to nest.
And white-crowned sparrows are collecting food for their babies.
Though the temperatures are foretasted to go down by the end of the week, these sensations of summer (minus the heat) are sure to stay until it’s official arrival.
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Lovely photos, Chad. How do you get such wonderful ones of the birds and squirrels when they’re so fast and move on in an instant?? The bovines are a different matter of course! Well done and thank you.
I attribute being able to get these photos to three things: patience, trying very hard not to seem threatening (i.e. not moving very fast while also acting like I’m doing anything else other than paying attention to them), and (probably the real reason) the assistance of a long zoom lens, though I still had to be within 10ft of them to get these photos.
With any luck, the visitor slithering about the raspberry bushes can discreetly away before drawing the attention of Annie. I trust that the ophidophobic alarm-caller in question is — and shall remain — exempt from being remanded to sensitivity training to confront her unconscious bias against the presence of reptilia upon her property.
Last night I watched a documentary of the Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Liberia Afrika, run by a American couple, onto whom people just starting dumping orphaned chimpanzee babies, so they started a sanctuary.
They have to teach the babies to be very scared of snakes, and use plastic snakes and then start screaming, just like Annie always does.
I think Annie has watched the same docu :).
I have seen that video too, Marianne and added that group to my list of animal charities. The story of “Miracle” was so touching and so sad. A great couple doing wonderful things for chimps but it has become overwhelming to them.
“Racer snakes are seeking shelter in the raspberry bushes.”
All I could think was Oh No! Poor Annie. It’s snake season, now I see why she was peering out of the greenhouse yesterday. It’s good news, bad news. Good news the raspberries are ripening. Bad news the bushes are crawling with snakes. Sigh….
Thanks for all the beautiful photos of the property. And thanks for showing us the bovines enjoying their mineral block. It appears they’ve shed their winter coats and they are ready for the warm summer heat.
This racer actually has started to call the raspberry bush the furthest away and out of sight of the chimpanzees its home for the past couple of days. So far it seems like a win-win for all parties. But if they start to venture away from that particular bush, I will probably find them a new home.
well, I happen to enjoy “foretasted temperatures”…………………
Considering all the duties you must fulfill everyday, I don’t know how you even spot a small racer snake sneaking through the raspberry bushes. Thank you all for never missing a single thing when it comes to caring for the chimps.
What a paradise. The pictures of all the birds were amazing. I think HONEY cow is the most beautiful cow I’ve ever seen–loved that first photo of her. Meridith always being wherever the others are not and standing when they are sitting and facing the opposite direction from the others cracks me up. Just wonder what her problem is?