WI Fauna

I have been doing a lot of walking recently, which always strikes me as an excellent time to observe the life around me. So here is a random series of observations:

When we were first landing I noticed a lot of what look to me like sand pipers. There are lot of lakes in the area so I guess they are just some sort of freshwater version of the same type of bird. It turns out that the town over is named Plover. I am also told that there are seagulls, but I have not seen any.

The squirrels here are not as large and fearless as the ones back home. They are also accompanied by more chipmunks (aka turbobears).

I saw a beautiful waterbird in one of the inlets I was walking past in the Middleton area. Sadly I was unable to get a good photo and have been unable to identify it.

When I was walking yesterday morning just after dawn I came upon a huge flock of sparrows flying low feeding in a marshy/fallow field area. They had brighter yellow bellies then the ones I am used to, but they still made me really homesick for the farm. I wonder how the new round of chicks are doing.

Everyone here seems to own a dog. I saw a cat yesterday and was startled by how long it has been since I had seen one.

The cicadas are really loud here. I notice them more here than at home. (Perhaps this is a result of fewer trees at home?) They are about as loud as they were in Virginia. I saw dead ones both in VI and here in WI, but none in MA. I guess I just missed the season when they started to die off.

(no subject)

I know these are really late at this point, but below the cut are my journal entries I wrote on the road.( in reverse chronological order 8/5-8/9 )

Random VI Thoughts
* NPR should not use the phrase "the money shot"
* I am not amused by the size of the bugs, though the larger number of frogs and toads is neat. Wouldn't it be funny if the size of the reptiles was proportional to that of the bugs?
* Neither Roger nor I should travel south in the summer due to the heat; we both wilt.
* The word "indian" drives me crazy especially when used by educational facilities. These people are native americans; they are not native to India.
* My step-mother likes the apartment really cold. No really. Neither Tab nor I are feeling fantastic. I suspect that it is from going back and forth from 100*F to 62*F.
* Unsupervised children in hot tubs should be held ransom.