Western Arab

Mom found a very strange butterfly as she called it and I went and saw it. What I saw looked like a moth, it had a very fat thick body and fat legs. It was orange and had an eye shaped pattern on its wing, which dad took a a piece of grass and expanded the other wing to reveal a second “eye” on the wings. After some investigating, it seems to be a silk moth. Very beautiful looking creature out in the world. Here are a few shots.

Thick body Orange Silk Moth

Orange Silk Moth I SEE You

Orange Silk Moth

I got a new cage for my birds. It is more than twice the size of the previous one so now the birds can enjoy the space and I don’t have to let them out in the screened patio much if any, since they insisted on tearing the screen multiple holes. Dad made a pole to hook the cage on so it is suspended and away from the screen as well. Now the cage has some free movement, but Dad added a metal hanger to the top so the cage doesn’t bounce around so much every time they jump in it. And I think their new home is perfect! They were excited once it was all setup and they were exploring and congratulating each other on their new home! Here are some shots.

New bird house

Celebrating the new house

happy birds

front view

Two days ago we spotted a red, black and yellow snake slithering slowly just below the screen door to the patio. I have heard of people finding snakes in their yards and homes in the community but this is the first time in four years living here that I have seen one in my yard. I wanted to kill it but my dad was worried it would jump back and bite me when I hit it and took away my weapon! The snake then slithered away fast and got away hiding below the air conditioner. We tried to get it out but could not find it. Two days later the snake is still on the loose! Turns out the day before we spotted it, my neighbor’s mother had spotted something moving in his yard as well that looked like a snake’s tail but lost sight of it.

Well after doing a little research online, there are two snakes in Florida that match those colors and not knowing ahead of time the way to identify them, I am not sure which one had visited me. These two snakes are the coral snake and the scarlet king snake. And worse one of these is poisonous and the other is not, and they are easily mistaken.

Scarlet King Snake

Coral Snake

Coral Snake - Black Nose

One of these little guys gets in the house every now and then when I open the front door. They like to hang out at the door step and when I open the door, they panic and run inside sometimes. The smart ones run away from the door. This guy has been hanging out in my office for a few days, I thought I had forced him out the front door after he got in, but I lost him for a second while chasing him out. Click the image to see it larger.

Lizard on my Cable Modem

So I remember seeing an exotic food show on discovery channel I believe where they would capture lizards for food. I think it was in Thailand. They had a stick with a string noose attached to it, and would lower the noose over the lizard’s head and snatch it up to capture it. I decided to make one. I took a clear plastic ruler and made the best noose I can with a piece of string. I really don’t know how to make a noose so it isn’t the best.

This lizard seems to like my cable modem. He comes out and sits on it watching me. When I try to get to him, he runs out to the back of the desk. He eventually returns, he came out on it atleast five times and got away each time. My first attempt with the noose scared him before I got near him. I had too much slack on the string. So second attempt I got the noose right next to him, and was trying to slip it on his neck, but the flimsy string doesn’t stay straight. So it rotated and brushed or tapped his face, and he got scared. I didn’t really try the noose more than that.

I also tried placing a sticky sheet of paper on the modem so he would walk on it and maybe stick, but he didn’t seem to come near it, at least I think he hasn’t. My dad brought over a small jar with some bird seed in it and a cracker, so if the lizard climbs in it, I would close the top on it. So far he hasn’t entered and I haven’t seen him much anymore. I gave up on the sticky paper, the noose is still ready and an option. Let’s see if I can capture him.

So we got two pet parakeets for my dad on his birthday. My mom doesn’t like that both are males, but I didn’t pick them out, my sister didn’t care when she got them. So we probably will change the blue one at the pet shop for a female later. We have dumb and dumber as of right now, maybe with a female, things can change. Two of my sisters are each claiming it was their idea to get these for my dad as his gift. I don’t know and I don’t care who’s idea it is, but if he didn’t want the birds, I am sure they would of blamed each other for the idea. Here are two pictures, as always click to view larger.

Parakeets

Here they are facing each other. I let them out of the cage in the screened patio. The blue one went out and explored, the green one did not. So we took the green one out and all he wanted to do was get back in, but let them hang out, outside the cage for a while. At least the green one kept climbing the cage and getting some exercise that way, blue one jumped around mostly.

Parakeets - Facing each other