I had a crazy animal week including seeing some rare birds. We have over 100 black widows in my front yard right now. I stopped counting at 80 that I'd killed. Never seen anything like it. There have also been serious beetle and moth infestations all over San Diego. Here's some photos all from this last week.
max [email] said at 12:12 PM 05-02-2008: As we pulled into an abandoned junk yard, this huge bird flew out of an old fireplace. I went to peek in there and there was a furry blob with three beaks and 6 large talons. The two parents were close by, but didn't harass us at all. I grew up near a great horned owl nest, so I knew what they were but have very rarely see them since. I was really excited.
max [email] said at 12:14 PM 05-02-2008: I've never been scared of spiders until now. Every time I feel an itch or walk through a errant web strand, I freak out. I hate this. It's the only good thing about having just been given 60 days notice to be out of the house I've been in for 5 years. That Buffalo photo cracks me up too.
angele [email] said at 7:40 PM 05-02-2008: Your pictures are great. I like each of them. You've always been able to snap amazing shots. How do they get the numbers on the condors. Do you know?
myriam [email] said at 8:50 PM 05-04-2008: These are AWESOME! I love them! Post more! Got any red-tailed hawk pics? Or quail? I miss the roadrunners out by my parents' house. Everything's changing out there due to all the new sprinkler systems, lawns, and fake-lakes-created-to-pump-up-property-values. It's a bummer. The true desert animals are leaving en masse.
Black widows are pretty fucking creepy. The one good thing about them is that they don't jump. Spiders that stay put are way easier to handle than those that suddenly disappear / appear on you.