THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 8, 1994 TAG: 9406070130
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Long
DATELINE: 940608 LENGTH:
At midday when the sun comes round to that side of the yard, the reddish-brown lizard ventures out to warm up on the lip of the concrete slab. Sally wanders by the air conditioner, sees the skink and begins to bark frantically. It darts under the unit and waits until Sally calms down. Then the skink comes out to sun again and the fun starts anew.
{REST} Unless I call the dog into the house (which I usually do) this sequence of events repeats itself for as long as it takes the lizard to warm up. And it happens every day the sun is out. Neither animal is willing to accept the futility of it all.
THE STARS WOULD HAVE TWINKLED A LOT BRIGHTER in the 17th century, said Stephanie Carcano, site manager of the Adam Thoroughgood House. No street or house lights would have interfered with the sight .
``The basic lay person would know not only the big and little dipper but also the planets and most of the constellations,'' Carcano said.
The skies were road maps for sailors. Farmers planted by the heavens and architects aligned houses in accordance to the position of the sun.
Hear Kent Blackwell, a hobbyist astronomer, who will bring his telescope and discuss 17th century skies at 8:30 p.m. Saturday on the lawn of the Thoroughgood House. The cost is $2 for adults and $1 for students.
A KILLDEER AND HER NEST are safe and sound in the McDonald Garden Center parking lot these days. Two parking spaces have been fenced off to protect the little bird that laid her eggs right on the parking lot rocks. The bird's thinking was right in one respect. The eggs camouflage nicely against the rocks. The only trouble is cars don't have eyes.
Verna Rosenblum, who was shopping at the garden center, reported the bird to employees because it was acting like it had a broken wing. A killdeer, which looks like a shorebird, will drag its wing and run noisily away from its nest to distract predators from its eggs or babies.
``Within two minutes of being told, they had two parking spaces blocked off,'' Rosenblum said. ``It was very sweet. They leaped on it so quickly.''
Mama killdeer is now sitting on three eggs, said McDonald manager Jimmy Naggy. The bird is getting used to people walking by, he added.
A MAMA DUCK ALSO SURPRISED the folks at Princess Anne Produce when the two eggs she was sitting hatched and out came baby chickens.
Like a good mother, she thinks her chickens are just ducky, said Kathy Ruffin, who's in charge of special events at Princess Anne Produce. There's only one problem.
``She took them over to the pond the other day and they wouldn't go in,'' Ruffin said, ``She can't understand how that happened.''
I CLEANED THE BIRD FEEDERS AND THE BIRD BATH and thoroughly raked the ground underneath the feeders recently, something I had only done in haphazard fashion before. A press release from the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries made me think.
Reports of sick and dead house finches have been reported in some Maryland and Virginia counties. The birds have been suffering from a bacterial infection in their eyes where their eyelids are swollen or completely closed. The disease, called chlamydiosis, can also cause illness in humans if infected birds or their feeders are handled.
Feeders, because of their crowded conditions, are culprits in spreading this disease or any other bird disease for that matter. So, to be on the safe side in the future, the game department recommends cleaning bird feeders every month with a solution of one part chlorine bleach and nine parts water and then letting the feeders air dry. Rake under the feeder periodically and if your feeder is particularly crowded, add another feeder to disperse the birds a bit.
CELEBRATE NATIONAL FISHING WEEK and take your kids or grandkids, 12 and under, on a fishing trip to Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Speaking of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, it is co-sponsoring the event and will provide educational materials, rods and reels. The local Izaak Walton League chapter will supply the bait.
One canal at the refuge has been stocked with bass, bluegill, pumpkin seed and yellow perch especially for the event, said refuge manager Tony Leger. Some fish are as big as a pound in size.
``If the kids come, they are going to catch fish,'' Leger said. ``They'll have fun!''
P.S. ATTEND A STRAWBERRY TEA at 3 p.m. this Sunday or June 26, at the Hunter House Victorian Museum, 240 W. Freemason St., Norfolk. Strawberries will be featured in both food and decorations carrying out the Victorian tradition of theme teas. Admission is $5 and reservations are required. Call 623-9814.
by CNB