Ditch Tiger

I want to preface my remarks this morning with this:  I am an admirer of Felis catus - the genus name for the domestic cat and several other small wild cats. I've had a couple of cats in my life and they made for terrific companion animals.  Clever and playful they made a positive contribution to the household and our family.  

They were not allowed to roam freely outdoors.  They did wear a harness and clipped to an overhead line by a length of parachute cord they could enjoy sunshine, shade and the outdoors to the extent of outdoor patio's edge.  

This was for their own safety, and knowing what I know about predator instincts.    

It is difficult to know if the cat in these photos is a feral (wild) cat, or someone's barn cat, or a house cat that is allowed to roam at will.  It is not wearing a collar and what is obvious is it has been showing-up frequently on the trail cameras lately.  And these photos are only a small sampling.

Colloquially known around here as ditch tigers, feral cats are not fuzzy, cuddly pets.  Hard-wired as predators they are stone-cold killers who kill solely for the thrill of killing.  Roaming cats are a scourge on ground-nesting game birds and song birds. 

Very few things get me grumpy as much as feral cats or cats that have been granted permission to roam freely at large.  Cats compete with other wild animals such as owls for small prey.  And cats introduce rabies, feline leukemia and other diseases to native wildlife.

In the United States alone, cats like the one pictured above, kill billions upon billions of wild mammals, reptiles and birds every year.  Many, many-fold more than are killed by human-related causes such as wind turbines, office building windows, power lines, farming practices, automobiles or habitat loss.  

Cats are predators of the highest order.  Not native to North America they are introduced and thus an invasive species.  And allowing them to roam is not doing native wildlife any favors.  If this cat is a member of a household or farmstead the risk to the cat itself is irresponsible.

I cannot think of a single socially redeeming element to tolerating feral and free-roaming domestic cats.  Can you?   

If you are interested in a balanced read there is this from National Geographic - To Save Birds, Should We Kill Off Cats?

Keep your cats indoors people.

Please. 

December Night Sky

One of the fun things about winter is the night sky.  Cold, clear, winter skies are characterized by a lack of humidity and if you live in the country there is very little urban light pollution creating some spectacular opportunities for star-gazing. 

December brings a couple of meteor showers to the night skies.  The more prolific of the two is the Geminids with as many as 120 shooting stars per hour.  Shooting stars are most often associated with the Earth’s passage thru the debris field of a comet.  Gritty debris burns-up as it collides with the upper atmosphere.  The Geminids are a bit of a mystery as they are related with an extinct comet which also happens to be a near-earth asteroid named 3200 Phaethon. 

The Geminid meteor shower began December 4th and will remain active thru the 17th.  It will be producing meteors at its peak rate this Saturday and Sunday evenings.

Each meteor shower is named after its radiant - that point where the shower appears to come from.  In this case the constellation Gemini - The Twins.  A meteor shower's radiant needs to be above the horizon before any of the action begins.  And you don't have to look directly at the radiant to see meteors;  shooting stars will be visible across the sky once the radiant has risen.  

Find the easily recognizable belt of the three bright stars in Orion the Hunter.  From Orion's belt (or from Rigel, his foot, through the belt), follow an imaginary line towards the northeast (up and left).  Continue this line until you see two bright stars close together - Castor and Pollux - the heads of Gemini.

For the duration there will be a chance of seeing Geminid meteors whenever the shower’s radiant point – found in the constellation Gemini – is above the horizon. The number of visible shooting stars increases as the radiant point rises to its highest point in the night sky.   

December also brings the Ursid meteor shower with 5  to 10 shooting stars per hour as the Earth passes thru the debris field of Comet 8P/Tuttle.   

Although not as spectacular as the Geminids peak action coincides with the solstice the evening of the 21^st and 22^nd.  This year the new moon occurs a few days before the Ursids peak, so you'll enjoy dark skies.  Best time is before dawn with 10-15 meteors per hour.  

Mark your calendar and if your catch a cold, clear, winter sky bundle-up and take some time to sit outside and observe the heavens. 

There’s no mosquitoes this time of year! 

Canadian Fly-In

From a brittle 6F morning yesterday there was this.

In a light dusting of snow on the porch I found these miniature dinosaur tracks.

These belong to one of Wisconsin's most common winter residents.  Yes, they come here for the winter weather.  

Junco hyemalis - the Dark-eyed Junco.  You're unlikely to confuse this species with another bird as this member of the sparrow family sports a slate-colored head and back, white belly and pink beak.  Quite distinctive.

These little birds migrate from Canada to winter here in the south.  We tend to observe larger numbers of males as I am told that females do not travel as far south as the boys do.   

They'll readily come to a feeder and it is not unusual to see a flock of them scratching-about on the ground.

They're commonly called Snowbirds.

Tough little bird the Junco is.....

Real or Fake?

At any given moment, there are approximately half a billion Christmas trees growing for future harvest that otherwise would not be there.

While they are growing, they’re absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, stabilizing soil and providing valuable wildlife habitat.

As trees are harvested, new trees are planted to take their place.

And unlike artificial trees, real trees can often be purchased from local farms.

And your house will smell nice too.

Raising a toast to sustainability.
 

Friday Music

John Prine passed away on April 7, 2020 due to complications from COVID. The outpouring of grief and love from his fan community was staggering. Over 500,000 viewers participated in an online memorial and tribute that raised more than half a million dollars for COVID-related community causes. In 2021, the Prine family created the Hello In There Foundation to honor John’s spirit of generosity towards those in need. Fiona Prine and her sons continue to operate and expand the reach of John’s independent record label, Oh Boy Records.

The work of the foundation will be inspired and guided by John's simple song title, Hello In There.  Their mission aims to identify and collaborate with individuals and communities to offer support for people who are marginalized, discriminated against or, for any reason, are otherwise forgotten.  

A beautiful tribute to John that premiered October 3, 2020 on, "Let The Music Play On": A Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Broadcast, featuring many of his friends. John's full sets from 2014 and 2017 are available to watch here.

Bruiser

I wonder where this guy was during the gun hunt?

 

Or if one of the neighbors has him at the taxidermy?

 

 

Or maybe he lives?

 

BTW - the stand shown in this photo is the one I hunted from. 

 

 

Probably a good reason to get out and sit with a bow.

 

Southern Door County grows some dandy bucks….

Highway Patrol

The police car in the image is a

1961 Plymouth Savoy used by the Chicago Police Department.   Additional trimlines that year included the Belvedere and Fury.

While we don't know what's lurking under the hood Plymouth models were available with a 225 Slant-Six and V8 options like the 318, 361, or 383 cubic inch engines.  These cars typically came with a 3-speed manual or a 3-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission, often with push-button controls for the automatic in Plymouths of that era.

Police versions featured a reinforced suspension, heavy-duty brakes (drum brakes were standard), and upgraded cooling systems to handle the demands of patrol work.  Police cruisers had basic interiors with vinyl upholstery and rubber floor mats for easy cleaning.  

This vehicle sports a single dome light and possibly an under-hood siren, like the Federal P-280 pulsator siren used by the Chicago Police Department around that time.

Fun Fact:  Car 54, Where Are You?, the classic American sitcom that aired from 1961 to 1963, featuring the misadventures of two mismatched New York City police officers, Gunther Toody and Francis Muldoon. 

The iconic patrol car in the show, Car 54, was primarily a 1961 Plymouth Fury 4-door sedan, though other Plymouth models like the Belvedere and even a 1962 or 1963 Plymouth Savoy were also used during the series' run.

 

One of my all-time favorite childhood shows.....