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danmccullough

@danmccullough@mastodon.social

Walking the woods and brooks of western Massachusetts.

Taught nature programs for 18 years at an education center/wildlife sanctuary.

He/Him. Ally. Tea drinker. Observer.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. For a complete list of posts, browse on the original instance.

NyakoKitty , (edited ) to random
@NyakoKitty@mastodon.social avatar

Busted!!! 🤭

danmccullough ,
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@NyakoKitty Lol! Now that is a look of guilt. (Neko furiously thinking which loophole he can quote to get out of this predicament). 🤣

danmccullough ,
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@Paul_Jackson @NyakoKitty See! This is the kind of loophole I was referencing! 😹

danmccullough , to random
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A new visitor showed up yesterday.

A Gray Fox.

It’s the first time I’ve ever seen one. What a beautiful animal! The head and some of its markings share a similarity with the Red Fox, but then you SEE THAT FUR and you realize you’re seeing something quite special.

(And apparently they can climb trees.)

18 second video of a Gray Fox in my yard. It is fairly low to the ground and about 4 feet long. Its head is a red/orange with upraised ears. Its snout has a black tip. But the feature that really sets off this beautiful animal is its thick, carpet like mottled gray fur that covers its back and sides. Its bushy tail has a telltale black stripe on the top. The fox is intently sniffing the grass, weeds, and moss of the yard. There were squirrels and chipmunks in that spot just 10 minutes prior. It changes directions as it hunts, and walks directly under the window where a closeup of its wonderful markings and fur can be seen up close.

danmccullough OP ,
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@NyakoKitty This one was a surprise! Just waltzed right in! 😅

NyakoKitty , (edited ) to random
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Tuesday mood - Lappet faced Vulture

danmccullough ,
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@NyakoKitty You sure that isn’t Muppet faced Vulture? 🤣 Beautiful, intense, bird.

danmccullough ,
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@NyakoKitty Hopefully you remained moving the whole time! 🤣

danmccullough , to random
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I grew up on the Maine coast and spent a lot of my childhood exploring tidal pools. What I found were usually hermit crabs, marine worms, barnacles, and mermaid’s purses. The saltwater diversity in those tiny habitats was amazing and strongly inspired my lifelong love of nature.

Fast forward a bunch of years and I live on a brook. This freshwater version is wonderful too. I’m surprised at some of the critters I find.

A young Least Clubtail dragonfly is perched on a rock at the edge of a brook. Its wings are translucent, light green and folded backwards. Its abdomen has bands of light green and copper and curves upward at the base. There are other smaller, wet rocks nearby.
A Dusky slug is atop a larger rock that is encrusted with moss, lichen and other bits of detritus picked up from the stream it is sitting in. Two small optical tentacles reach out from its head which is a smooth, orange color. The body of the slug is intricately patterned with dark red markings on an orange background. The markings are very thin and might resemble veins.

NyakoKitty , to random
@NyakoKitty@mastodon.social avatar

🤫

danmccullough ,
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@NyakoKitty Your recent b/w zebra pic followed up with this one is quite wonderful. Folks should check out both as they highlight these beautiful animals in different ways. 💜🦓

danmccullough , to random
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#SilentSunday

danmccullough OP ,
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@NyakoKitty Thank you. 😊

NyakoKitty , (edited ) to random
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Happy Caturday! Remember…never trust a man who doesn’t love cats 🤍

danmccullough ,
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@NyakoKitty Goodness, that’s adorable.

danmccullough ,
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@NyakoKitty To you and Neko too!

danmccullough , to random
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If you ever see Pippin sprawled out on the hardwood floor you know it’s a heatwave. Or as we like to call it -

Cat on a hot tin floof.

danmccullough OP ,
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@NyakoKitty It’s a self floofin’! 🤣

NyakoKitty , to random
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Does your Jedi mind trick for tuna really work on the weak minded? 🤔

danmccullough ,
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@NyakoKitty Ha! Neko’s mind trick just worked on ME! I absentmindedly stood up, walked to the treats drawer, opened up the tuna flakes bag and gave one to Pippin who thinks Neko just might be her soulmate! 🤣

danmccullough , to random
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A trailcam!

Now’s my chance to be fearsome and ferocious!

20 second trailcam video of medium sized Black bear sitting on the forest floor like a human. It yawns. It grooms its legs and paws with a long tongue. It sleepily turns its head. It is neither fearsome nor ferocious.

danmccullough OP ,
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@NyakoKitty Oh no! Yes, very glad it was the cam. I HAVE been this close to one before, but there was a wall between us. 😆

danmccullough , to random
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A Northern Green Frog found the perfect spot for the impending heatwave. Stay cool my little friend!

danmccullough OP ,
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@NyakoKitty I took about 30 photos, each one getting a little closer. I figured it’d hop off into the water but nope, let me get about 12 inches away with my phone. Little camera hog! (I’m guessing you weren’t so close with your croc pic!) 🤣 🐊 🐸

NyakoKitty , to random
@NyakoKitty@mastodon.social avatar

Greater Kudu 🤍

danmccullough ,
@danmccullough@mastodon.social avatar

@NyakoKitty That is one stately look. Great capture.

danmccullough ,
@danmccullough@mastodon.social avatar

@NyakoKitty You too, Laney & Neko! 💜

danmccullough , to random
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#SilentSunday

Photo is taken from a footbridge that is crossing a brook. It is noon and the sun is shining straight down on the water and the shrubs that are on both sides. Some of the water is covered with reflections from the nearby trees and blue sky, while other areas you can see straight down to the brown bottom of the brook.
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    • NyakoKitty , to random
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    Welcome to Caturday 🤎

    danmccullough ,
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    @NyakoKitty Wow. Can I say wow, twice?! That is a TOTAL pose! Neko always had the comfiest spots!

    danmccullough , to random
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    But… that’s my hat! The one I wear in my profile picture… how can it even be that comfortable?! You’re not listening to me are you?

    danmccullough OP ,
    @danmccullough@mastodon.social avatar

    @NyakoKitty She says she has a whole arsenal of catting skills, it’s just that most have something to do with sitting on my things! 🤣😹

    NyakoKitty , (edited ) to random
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    Why hallo Friday 🤍

    danmccullough ,
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    @NyakoKitty Owning Friday. And maybe a couple other days too! Look at that power look. Soon to be a Power Nap! 🤣💜

    danmccullough , to random
    @danmccullough@mastodon.social avatar

    “Sorry, can’t talk. Gotta go. Lotsa things to do today.”

    7 second video starting with view of a deck overlooking grass and green plants. Suddenly a large porcupine enters, rambling through the yard, ambling like it owns the place. It disappears out of sight behind an outside bbq grill.

    danmccullough , to random
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    This Twig Mimic caterpillar, is doing a fantastic job of… looking like a twig.

    I glanced down and exclaimed, “Why is there a TWIG on my chair armrest?!”

    It enjoyed the compliment so it’s been in this pose for nearly an hour.

    NyakoKitty , (edited ) to random
    @NyakoKitty@mastodon.social avatar

    13 weeks 🖤

    danmccullough ,
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    @NyakoKitty Even this young, Neko’s expressions come through. Look at those eyes! 💜

    danmccullough ,
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    @NyakoKitty This is when I’m up drinking tea with Pippin on my lap and connecting with all you great folks!

    Glad you captured your first day with him. Climbing up your leg seems like he settled in pretty well! ☺️

    danmccullough , to random
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    Another nine days. You can see the mushrooms flattening slightly and getting dramatically darker.

    Varnish Shelf [Ganoderma Tsugae]
    Pic 1: June 7, 2024
    Pic 2: May 29, 2024
    Pic 3: May 20, 2024

    Same tree and mushrooms from the first photo but now it is 9 days later and the mushrooms have flattened and doubled in size. Less blubby and more plate like. The previous golden yellow has darkened to caramel brown and the white edges have yellowed. The bottoms are still white.
    Closeup of the bottom 5 feet of a hemlock tree with 7 round to blubby polypore mushrooms fruiting out from the bark. The young, tender mushrooms are golden yellow on top and white on the edges and bottom. The tree is in the forest with moss as its base and other trees in the background. The bark of the tree is darkened with rain.

    Seven large, flat shelf mushrooms growing out of a standing, dead hemlock. The largest is bigger than my outstretched hand. The tops of the mushrooms and where they attach to the tree are amber brown and they lighten as they get closer to the edge with yellow being the final color. At the base of the tree is a bright green carpet of moss. In the background are green shrubs, ground cover and larger trees.
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    NyakoKitty , to random
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    The bookshelf 🖤

    danmccullough ,
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    @NyakoKitty That look! Lol! I’m not doing ANYTHING wrong!

    danmccullough , to random
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    “There’s obviously zero chicken chunks and less than zero kibble left. What is this, a Dickens novel?!”

    Pippin is a 16 year old long-haired tortie cat. She is sitting in profile on a hardwood kitchen floor head slightly turned toward the camera. Her colors are gray, tan, reddish brown and dark brown with gold eyes. Her tail is bushy with a tuft of gray fur on the tip. Behind her is an automatic feeder which is dispersing kibble onto a cardboard plate. There are approximately 40 kibble. On a green glass plate are 2 small chunks of chicken. Both plates she seems to be ignoring, instead looking for sympathy that she wants different food?
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    • danmccullough OP ,
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    @NyakoKitty Ha! Nobody asks… for MORE. (I had to hide all the little tin cups. 😸)

    danmccullough OP ,
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    @NyakoKitty Now I am too! Lol.

    danmccullough OP ,
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    @NyakoKitty Yup, that’s her! Lol. Have to get a little hat now. 🥹

    NyakoKitty , (edited ) to random
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    Happy Caturday felines!! 😸

    danmccullough ,
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    @NyakoKitty Looks like Neko got away with something. Just can’t tell what. Maybe everything! I hope I have your kind of day, Neko! 🤣😻

    danmccullough ,
    @danmccullough@mastodon.social avatar

    @NyakoKitty Uh, ok. Now I hope I DON’T have that kind of day! 🤣

    danmccullough , to random
    @danmccullough@mastodon.social avatar

    For , a few alternate shots of mushrooms I’ve found over the last few weeks.

    1. Split Gills [Schizophyllum commune]
    2. Swamp Beacons [Mitrula elegans]
    3. Varnish Shelf [Ganoderma tsugae]
    4. Chicken [Laetiporus sulphureus]

    Closeup of 4 inch water and muck in a bog. Growing up out of a bog are 2 mushrooms that look like matchsticks or Q-tips. The base are dirty white sticks with a bright yellow-orange blob on the top. Each is about 2 inches high. The top of the bog has a glass or ice appearance with dark mounds where the mushrooms come up.
    Top down view of 6 kidney shaped shelf mushrooms growing out of a tree. Each has a band of colors - closest to the attachment on the tree is a shiny maroon, then dark orange, then lighter shades of orange, then gold, then yellow and finally white. The mushrooms are about seven inches big and only the top can be seen. At the base of the tree is a carpet of green moss and the tip of my shoe.
    Several outcroppings of orange cauliflower like mushrooms growing from a dead tree. Each clump ranges from about 5 inches high to 10 inches. In the background are hemlock trees.

    NyakoKitty , to random
    @NyakoKitty@mastodon.social avatar

    🤫🤫🤫

    danmccullough ,
    @danmccullough@mastodon.social avatar

    @NyakoKitty Beautiful boy! Those 3 triangles surrounding his quilt are lovely. He sure knows how to pick the best spots!

    danmccullough , to random
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    A Rosy Maple Moth [Dryocampa rubicunda] to brighten up your day.

    #insects #moths #nature

    danmccullough OP ,
    @danmccullough@mastodon.social avatar

    @NyakoKitty Clung to the screen for about an hour yesterday morning. Seemed pretty content with its (her, I think) surroundings.

    NyakoKitty , to random
    @NyakoKitty@mastodon.social avatar

    Pet insurance rant! Our pet insurance just announced to me 2 weeks before renewal that since Neko is now 10 years old that I will now have to pay 20% of each claim that is made against his insurance, no more end of life cover and raised his premium by £130.00, knowing that since he has a pre existing condition I could not obtain a new policy anywhere 🤬 Insurance…is a necessary evil…after 10 years thanks for nothing #PetPlan #Rant #PetInsurance

    danmccullough ,
    @danmccullough@mastodon.social avatar

    @NyakoKitty Hmmm. This seems slimy. Have you looked at the original terms you signed up for? I know with Pippin’s insurance we were expecting the rates to go up every year she got older but our deductible % could never change and certainly not end of life care, that was the whole point of why we got insurance! We had to place a few calls over the years and when the company was bought out by another we REALLY had to place a few calls. They will take advantage whenever they can.

    danmccullough ,
    @danmccullough@mastodon.social avatar

    @NyakoKitty Ugh. Total jerks.

    danmccullough , to random
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    #SilentSunday

    View is 3 feet above a section of brook. The water is streaming and twirling but is still in the foreground where there are rocks forming little pockets. The water is crystal clear but is reflecting back a lot of green leaves that are overhead, giving it an almost emerald sheen. Where the water is still, you can see the bottom of the brook in its brownish, sunny appearance.
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    • danmccullough OP ,
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    @NyakoKitty It’s funny what reflections and tricks of the light can do! 23 hours a day this little section is shades of brown but for one hour it really glams up!

    NyakoKitty , to random
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    Caturday like a boss 😼

    danmccullough ,
    @danmccullough@mastodon.social avatar

    @NyakoKitty A boss with a tiny cute precious curl of the tail. 🤭 Great photo!

    danmccullough , to random
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    Picture 2 of 4 of the scandalous “Pippin on my stereo” series.

    A senior tortie long-haired cat is standing with all four paws flat on a silver Sony stereo system. She is hunkered down with her tail tucked to her side. She is looking downward toward the camera with a slight look of “what am I getting away with”, and “how long can it last?” On the left of the stereo is a headphone stand with headphones, and to the right, a white speaker with black grill. Above everything is artwork featuring koi fish.
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    • danmccullough OP ,
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    @NyakoKitty Neko with his technicolor dreamcoat quilts and Pippin with her, I mean my, stereo. It must be a great Caturday! 😁💙

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