Texas

[galanie]

 
I wonder...do the bats from up this way migrate to your area in the winter?  I thought they went to Mexico.   Do you have bats that over-winter there?

Hmmm...if I recall, we have them during a portion of the winter.  I think they have their babies here and then migrate towards Mexico.  Then they return in late spring to midsummer to reproduce again.  I'm trying to remember though. I get them mixed up with birds who are here nearly all year.  Hence all the bird-watching that goes on in our area. 

Then again, I live about 25 minutes from the border.  I don't think there is much of a difference between Mexico and here, haha!

The funniest thing to me about living in south Texas was the people from farther up north getting confused seeing Robins. Down there, they don't mean Spring, they mean it's going to get COLD. Because they migrate through the area on their way South. Some used to stick around my house in Houston almost all winter. Only after they were gone did it mean Spring.

 

[wlhtx]

So the other day we had a discussion about high school football. And while I see both sides of the stories, high school sports are important IMO for various reasons. And tonight while at our game they proved it again.

It is not uncommon for a team to pray together in the field house. But tonight the El Paso team players prayed on knee on the field. And I think it is fabulous. And a wonderful show of faith and sportsmanship. But it was disappointing that their band didn't make the trip

A of the smaller school - at least in my area - still pray over of the loud speakers before the game.

And somewhat related to this topic, while we were at our football game last night we had a predator attack. Their pen door did not get shut before we left and my husband (like a goober) had put our dog inside the house, and when we got home I had my only wheaten marans rooster that was a keeper dead in front of the open pen door. (I am/was growing out 5 of them and had recently decided that he was the only one - of course - that had the correct coloring for breeding purposes.) Can someone please remind me which predator will kill and only eat the head? It was about midnight when we got home, and the rest of the body was covered in ants - so, he had been dead for a couple of hours at least... I don't think it was a raccoon because the whole pen was open - it wasn't like a coon tried to pull it through the pen and then just ate the head when he couldn't get the rest of the body out. No, something had killed him outside the pen and just ate his head... All of the other birds in that pen were scattered to the four corners of the world. A few were huddled, obviously freaked out, BESIDE the pen, not in it, and last night I couldn't find 4 of the others. But, they were there when I stepped out this morning, so they survived the night and this was a one bird casualty - thank the Lord.

Owl? Possum?

 

[galanie]

My son was always stout but small. I worried about him playing in high school football but little did I know, he could do worse. And did. In college he played Rugby. Picture a sport about as physical but with no padding. Scared the hell out of me, that boy did. But he's still intact. I just wish he'd have gone for baseball instead!

 

[TammyTX]

It still could have been an old toothless raccoon. I read in Mother Earth News years ago that they will pull the head off and suck the blood out of the neck. I had that happen to a Porcelain Bantam many years ago.

But my other guess would be a opossum.

 

[jajeanpierre]

So the other day we had a discussion about high school football. And while I see both sides of the stories, high school sports are important IMO for various reasons. And tonight while at our game they proved it again.

It is not uncommon for a team to pray together in the field house. But tonight the El Paso team players prayed on knee on the field. And I think it is fabulous. And a wonderful show of faith and sportsmanship. But it was disappointing that their band didn't make the trip

I on the other hand don't like to see religion forced on people, which this public and orchestrated display of piety certainly did. It forced the spectators and the players to participate/witness a religious ceremony. It encourages a feeling of "otherness" if one isn't of that faith. How do you think the Jewish player felt to have every team member down on one knee, praying to Christ?

The phrase "In God we trust," was adopted as the official motto in 1956. E pluribus unum, meaning "out of many, one," was the de facto motto of the US since 1782 and until 1956. E pluribus unum was never codified into law, but it is on the official seal of the United States. I think it better expresses the American spirit and soul; it is one of of inclusiveness.

The US is a secular (not based on religion) country--the Constitution guarantees a separation of church and state.

One of the reasons the first American colonists came to America was so they could practice their own religion freely. The First Amendment guarantees the separation of the church and government. It guarantees us the right to exercise or NOT exercise any religion.

It will be interesting to see if I will be vilified for holding dear my Constitutional rights. Does one need to be a fervent fundamentalist Christian to have a place on the Texas Backyard Chicken forum?

 

[TexasLisa]

Robins??? I haven't seen Robins since I left Indiana and I live SW of Houston.

Galanie: I love baseball/softball. I played softball for my company. I got hit in the mouth and lost my hearing. I think there is danger in any sport, even if it is a freak accident. (Oh, I still play softball)

wlhtx: I am so sorry for your loss.

Lisa

 

[wlhtx]

It will be interesting to see if I will be vilified for holding dear my Constitutional rights. Does one need to be a fervent fundamentalist Christian to have a place on the Texas Backyard Chicken forum?

Jajeanpierre, I will not vilify you. I have neither the inclination, nor the energy, to fight about public displays of religion this morning. However, I will pose a question to you. You don't like it, but I do. In fact, I would wager a guess that - in many Texas towns, a LARGE majority of the community like to have a prayer before a football game. Why should you get to win this argument? Are we not a democratic society where, at the base of it, majority rules? So, if the majority want to pray for the safety of the students, staff, and fans - why does the one Jewish boy (using your example) get to shut that down?

Separation of church and state is an entirely separate concept from absence of religion altogether.

I will say no more on this.

 

[RachaelS]

Robins??? I haven't seen Robins since I left Indiana and I live SW of Houston.

Galanie: I love baseball/softball. I played softball for my company. I got hit in the mouth and lost my hearing. I think there is danger in any sport, even if it is a freak accident. (Oh, I still play softball)

wlhtx: I am so sorry for your loss.

Lisa

Yep, just like Galanie said, we get them in fall, fat happy birds, those Northerners must feed them well

 

[RachaelS]

had put our dog inside the house, and when we got home I had my only wheaten marans rooster that was a keeper dead in front of the open pen door. (I am/was growing out 5 of them and had recently decided that he was the only one - of course - that had the correct coloring for breeding purposes.) Can someone please remind me which predator will kill and only eat the head?

So sorry

they always pick the wrong ones. I thought it was racoons that did that, but like you, thought they would kill more than just one.

edited for typo

 

[wlhtx]

So sorry

they always pick the wrong ones. I thought it was racoons that did that, but like you, thought they would kill more than just one.

Thank you. Yeah - that's what I just couldn't get... I guess it could have been a coon, but just based on where his carcass was and the fact that only the head was gone - I don't know.

It was so late after we got home, and then found all the stragglers, that I admit I left the carcass there with intentions of disposing of it this morning. I didn't think this through very well because I let the rest of them out first this morning and before I could manage to get my gloves, etc. to dispose of the body, they were eating him. Cannibalistic little buggers. So gross, but I guess they got a little extra protein this morning.