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vjcamp

Feels like Animal Planet

vjcamp
16 years ago

My oldest daughter,Alex, and I went on our usual Sunday walk around the neighbor. We like to look at all of the yards/gardens and see all of the varied personalities of houses/yards/gardens. TONIGHT, during our walk we found a baby bat in the street, not far from our house. Ofcourse, this is cause to get the rest of the family out to see it.

My daughter,Alex, is best described as " Nature Girl or Organic Girl", anyhow she determines that we need to protect this little bat, of course we all agree ( we are a bit weird), so with the aid of a dish towel we pick the bat up and bring him/her to our patio. Of course, after feeding it some cornsyrup and pet milk we have to find what kind it is. Eastern Pipistrelle--Family Chiropetera

-pipistrellus subflavus. if that isn't enough, after the rescue we continued our wlk and came across a "blind snake" crawling across the sidewalk- at first looked like a worm but the crawling pattern was snakelike, of course, "Nature girl" quickly picked the snake up, announced "he's musking me" and after a short observation he was released into the grass. We continued our walk wondering " what next?" fortunately no more wildlife crossed our path. However, a year ago we were walking our dog in the area near Texas 10, 183 and 360 and we saw a coyote.

Comments (12)

  • scuba-gal
    16 years ago

    Very cool - sounds like she could be best friends with my daughter who is also a nature and pet lover!
    ~Angie~

  • carrie751
    16 years ago

    My youngest daughter once paid a little boy ten cents for a grass snake he had brought to school with him, so she could bring it home to my garden.

  • pjtexgirl
    16 years ago

    Be careful that the bat isn't sick :^)! We like critters too. I can't wait until my garden fills in and we get a few more. PJ

  • vjcamp
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    The bat got his strength back overnight. He flew off- back home this morning

  • denisew
    16 years ago

    That is wonderful that your daughter enjoys the outdoors. Glad to hear the bat flew home.

  • pjtexgirl
    16 years ago

    Did you sing "Born Free" during his departure? LOL!PJ

  • scuba-gal
    16 years ago

    Is your daughter a Girl Scout vjcamp? I am a Girl Scout leader and service team member - she would love the scouts!
    ~Angie~

  • vjcamp
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    She was a Girl Scout, she is 18 now and in college.
    I was a Girl Scout Leader (Brownies, Juniors and 1 year with Cadettes) and am a Lifetime member.
    We were in the Girl Scout Council of Southeast Louisiana.
    She DID enjoying Scouting.

  • scuba-gal
    16 years ago

    oh my - and she is still a wonderful girl and has time for lil creatures - GREAT! my girls are 9 & 13. I was invisioning a child that age reading the story - probably cause mine are still young!
    ~angie~

  • vjcamp
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Angie, Alexandra started working at the Louisiana Nature Center ( part of Audubon Institute ), when she was in sixth grade, one of the reasons she decided to quit Girl Scouting was she was promoted to Animal Care and didn't have the time for both activities. When we left LA for Katrina she had been working Saturdays caring for and handling many of the animals there including baby alligators. Unfortunately, she went over to River Legacy and they don't seem to have any interest in her. She has pretty much known what she wanted to do since she was around 8 or 9. I have two other daughters 15 and 11, neither is interested in nature. 15 y.o. loves
    acting/drama and the 11 y.o. is into all sorts of stuff, she will go swimming, do yard work, paint play softball pretty much anything active, she likes to help me build things. Both of them were also in Girl Scouts, but neither one wants to anymore. I was hoping they would so I could get involved, but I don't have enough free time to be involved in something unless at least one of my girls is in it. I do miss camping and canoing. I did the training for Brownie, Junior and Cadette leaders, First Aid, OLS 1, OLS 2 and OLS 3 Canoing/Rivertripping. We had active troops, the Brownies went weekend camping.
    Anyhow, good luck with Girl Scouts- I guess that is why I am here- "make new friends but keep the old"

  • scuba-gal
    16 years ago

    Yap -that's what it's all about!... "make new friends but keep the old"
    I'm glad your here! I was never able to be a GS as a child (for one reason of another) but my girls love it - so I get my fix throught that I guess. My 9yr old is my garden pal - she has a childs wheelbarrow and hauls plants and dirt for me everyweekend!
    Very disappointing that River Legacy didn't have a place for her there - sounds like she had a wealth of information and exsperience for such a young woman. I have never been there myself (RL) Don't know if your familiar with either of these places - Ft Worth Nature Center and Refuge http://www.fwnaturecenter.org
    AND
    Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary (McKinney) http://www.heardmuseum.org

    The distance might keep her from being involved real often - but they both do lots of special events and such that she might be able to work with them.
    Hope you come to a swap in the Fall and we can meet!

  • vjcamp
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I didn't get to be GS as a Kid either,-I didn't meet the gender requirement, LOL. I did enjoy Boy Scouting as a kid.
    I will tell her about Heard Wildlife Sanctuary, thanks.