Wildlife

It was hot and muggy in Ashland, so we didn't see as many critters as usual. On the ride downtown on Friday (we were on bikes) we did see three deer grazing in a neighbor's yard. There were few ducks in the pond at Lithia Park. Updated Monday, 6/4... Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the paper wasps building a nest in the umbrella that shaded our breakfast table. That was a little exciting!

But we were dive-bombed by droves of these beetles:


And my sis was "adopted" by a baby bird:


We aren't sure why it chose her, but you could hear "are you my mother?" in its worried chirp. (To which she responded, "Not Mother".)


We were careful not to handle it, and when the area quieted down and fewer people around, the real mama started swooping at baby, and eventually he went with her. Yea! Another happy family!