These tiny things were everywhere! Some as small as my fingernails.
So, funny thing. I almost got a ticket for this observation. I was on a run, taking a lot of photos, when I happened to see something out on an island. I called over a fellow hiker, and he seemed similary baffled as to what it was. Yet, there was one solution to finding out what this was. If I were to go along the river another mile, cross a bridge, and come down the trail on the other side, I would be able to identify this strange creature.
So, I ran. Earlier in my observations from the day, you can see that I suddenly stopped taking new photos pretty much immediately, because I was probably keeping up 6:45 mile for most of this part of my run. If you're wondering why I suddenly picked up my pace so much, it's because it was starting to get dark, and if I were to go this extra 2ish miles, I would also have to go back, and then another 4 miles after that. It also just so happens that my school (where I would be running back to is in a not so nice part of the city; I saw a guy very cleary high on some hard drugs less than a block from my school, and another student got mugged in the student parking lot.)
Anyways, after a lot more running, and some minor knee pain, I arrived at the corpse. (Just realising that I was risking getting mugged with my camera over a dog corpse.) However, the knowledge that this was in fact a dogs corpse was not really helping me with the fact that I was now many miles from school with the light quickly fading. So, I made the obvious choice, I ran on the railway, because I was sure it would link up with where I had to go............
Welp, it just so happens that my luck is terrible, because waiting for me was a cop. I was called over, got a metaphorical wrist slap, and a warning put into the filebook. I'm guessing I got away a lot more easliy because I seemed like a complete nerd with my camera full of plant photos, and my short shorts. Then, I just booked it back to school, and collapsed up with some of the Science Olympiad people.
All told, the following was achieved:
-A ten mile run
-MANY, MANY photos
-disappointment with my own judgement
-A mildly entertaining story
Window strike victim collected during migration monitoring
Window strike victim collected during migration monitoring
Window strike victim collected during migration monitoring
Always on the look out for the Tosa turkeys. 17 pictured but then suddenly another one ran by on my left to join the rest, so I think the group is still at 18. Thrilled and honored to stop for them.