Paul played golf Saturday and I rode along in the cart as it is a beautiful course with fine views and lots of wildlife.
That included these guys, masked-face fox squirrels, which I'd never seen before. They look like a gray squirrel on steroids, big, muscular squirrels with black and white faces.
Locally they are called raccoon squirrels because the markings on their faces are reminiscent of raccoons.
They do look strange because they are so big for a squirrel.
We don't have holly or Spanish moss Up North. Contrary to what some people think, it gets nothing from the tree it hangs on and does not kill it. It gets everything it needs from sunlight, rainwater and air.
It's a bromeliad, related to the pineapple!
I'm looking forward to having our own holly berries to decorate with a Christmas time.
A wood stork and three turtles made a serene picture on the bank until a cormorant zoomed in. In an instant they scattered, the cormorant dove and went under the water, and there was nobody left on the bank.
One of the many beautiful views out over the water with Hilton Head Island on the horizon.
Posted with Blogsy
I have never come across a racoon squirrel before, such unusual markings.
ReplyDeleteHi Cynthia! You are still a Minnesotan at heart. Know how I know? You ate still capitalizing Up North. Made my day. What an interesting squirrel! Thanks for sharing the photo. Here's what I learned about golf in high school: put the little ball on the BIG BALL and try to hit the little ball without digging up the BIG BALL. Did you get to drive the cart?
ReplyDeleteWell well !!!!! Hilton Head - now you are in "Aussie" territory.
ReplyDeleteEvonne Goolagong-Cawley lived their for years when she retired from playing
with her British born husband, Richard Cawley, and their two children were born there.
She and her husband ran a tennis clinic there.
I think even Greg Norman at one stage had a home there
and many Aussie golfers and tennis players at various
stages of their careers made Hilton Head their US base.
Quite a few still do - obviously it is a great choice of location.
I almost made it to Hilton Head with my mate from Charlotte, NC
but something else bloody well came up??
I know that Cheryl and John and the Aussie contingent of doctors
at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, quite often had tennis and golf holidays at H.Head.
Hilton Head and Augusta, Ga are the two places I always wanted to visit on my
trips to the USA, also Arlington. Unfortunately even 8 trips and extended ones at
that it never eventuated - bugger.
And now Paul plays golf at one of them - lucky you.!!!!!!
Smart looking and cheeky fellow that racoon squirrel.
Cheers
Colin (Brisbane.Australia)
PS: You could take up golf under the tutorship of Paul.
Who knows you could join the senior ladies golf tour????
I can just see the squirre racoon. Great markings it seems. Taking a ride on the golf course, any thoughts of joing in, i wonder! Not a golf fan myself.
ReplyDeleteYou've got it made for photo opportunities. Here they won't let you ride.
ReplyDeleteHilton Head is a wonderful place to go. What an unusual squirrel! I have never seen one before, so this is very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying learning about your new environment as you explore it, Cynthia. That Spanish Moss is sure thriving there...its nickname here is Old Man's Beard and it's certainly an interesting plant. Those squirrels are rather large...we loved seeing the ordinary squirrels for the first time when we visited your country...they were such a novelty to us!
ReplyDeleteSpanish moss I saw for the forst time in the south part of the US, I had never seen it before, we don't have that here.
ReplyDeleteAh - so lovely.
ReplyDeleteThat squirrel is funny looking! A masked bandit! I used to line wire baskets with spanish moss then put in soil it worked quite well. Sometimes I would soak the whole basket in a bucket of water. I wonder what esle was in that pond:)
ReplyDeleteIt looks really beautiful there. Poppy has two mounted fox squirrels that he killed in Moore County that are big and are solid black. Poor squirrels. I wish they were back in the wild. That was many years ago.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous place to explore. That is a very different looking squirrel. I've never seen anything like it.
ReplyDelete