Tuesday, June 7, 2011

the nature of

it happened near the end of the day, after another long visit to my mom's. my brother had stepped outside to catch the last of the setting sun when an unkindness of ravens drew his attention to the end of the road. there, to his horror, was my mom's cat, nebby, face to face with a coyote.

michael ran shouting, hearing the urgency of his voice we ran outside as well. he was throwing his shoes, yelling and running towards the pair. there was little nebby, back paws firmly planted on the tar, front one swinging at the three times as large as her, canine. the coyote didn't budge until michael was on top of it. and then it slowly ambled away.

we watched nebby run and try to climb a tree, but she fell instead from the trunk, huddling at it's base. my stepdad reached her first. gathering her up he gently carried her back to the house. she was in shock, hardly moving.

we hoped she was okay, only badly shaken, until we noticed the blood on my stepdads shirt. her back paws were torn and raw. some of the fur on her neck was gone. she was taken to the vet.

they found two bite marks on her chest, but xrays showed no internal injuries. she is on medication now and has a special kitty litter for her little torn paws and as a precaution she was given a rabies shot.

we called my brother a hero, he surely saved her life. but i believe the ruckusing ravens deserve credit as well.

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the very next morning chuck took owen for an early morning beach run. owen was attacked by a juvenile (yet full grown) pelican. not once but twice. luckily chuck ran interference and no harm was done (it was close), except to wee owens ego.

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nature can be beautiful and brutal. after the last few days i couldn't wait to get back in the marsh for some soul soothing. the kind of nature i understand.













wishing peace and sunshine to warm you all the rest of the week.
x

31 comments:

  1. Oh my word! So fortunate your brother went outside when he did. I hope he makes a speedy recovery xo p.s gorgeous photos :)

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  2. So sorry for the little kitty, Lori. I do hope Owen stays safe and sound.

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  3. ooh err Lori - tell Owen to stay well away from those pelicans. i saw a programme of them eating gannet chicks which are quite big; beware of pelicans Owen!!
    and the poor cat - lucky that those ravens were loud. Did you call them an 'unkindness of ravens'? is that a collective? i hope he heals well. Glad you have the marsh to retreat to!! xx

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  4. Sounds like a frightening experience. Poor Nebby, so glad she's okay. Lots of tlc.

    CJ xx

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  5. Nature can be very brutal. I think we tend to forget that, until it stops us in our tracks (or in this case, set your bro running!). I'm glad nebby is okay. And Owen! Poor little guy! I'm glad the marsh was there for some much needed tranquility, Lori! xoxo Pam

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  6. Poor Nebby! My heart was in my throat reading this Lori. So glad she will be okay and that no harm came to little Owen. Nature is mostly like what your beautiful photos show, but sometimes it can be scary and deadly.Hugs. xoxo

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  7. WOW that was close! We live in coyote country as well and I have to be extremely careful with my yorkie. You must tell me just what it was the pelicans attacked??

    Your pictures evoke the gentile side of things, they're lovely.

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  8. This was a scary post... My heart was racing. So glad for the happy endings.

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  9. Well Lori, as you know from being a part of nature, everywhere we look in nature their is a delicate see-saw of life versus death, hunger versus surfeit, joy versus sorrow. I too get so involved and fall apart sometimes-than I remember what I used to say to my son Noah, "that's nature's way."

    I don't need to philospohize with YOU, you already know.

    Ravens are so brilliant. Crow, ravens, and parrots, the top of the brain class in the world of birds. They do NOT like coyotes (and neither do fox), but again, that's nature's way.

    Your photos take my breath and hurrah! we both have the sunshine yellow soup pot. I love it. It makes me happy to see it and to use it.

    Sending love down the coast, now off to pick strawberries and blueberries then onto the studio to work on the book.

    Love,

    Sharon

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  10. oh what a story lori! nebby is so lucky to have escaped death thanks to your brother - and it sounds like she was putting up a fight for herself to begin with. sniff. our cat was taken by a coyote. i don't know if i can ever have a cat again in california because of those coyotes... poor owen and the menacing pelican too. i never knew they did that! love your pictures. always. those birdies on the branch. so sweet!

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  11. OMG! Really - that really happens!! Goodness - NOTHING like that happens here - mainly because we don't have coyotes. But still...OMG! Do they take children too? Coming from NZ this flips me out a little.

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  12. We are nature... and I don't know of any other person in this moment that can share the beauty of nature so well.
    I love love your photographs Lori... they inspire me to be a better person. x

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  13. PS... and of course I am happy for the happy ending... big love to Nebby and the rescuers :-)

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  14. Sorry about poor little Nebby! Hope she will be ok. Keep us posted. And Owen--glad he escaped unharmed. Nature is unpredictable sometimes. Thanks for posting your beautiful images,

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  15. I was on the edge of my seat reading about Nebby. He must have dragged her to sheer her claws down to nubs, poos girl. She's so lucky he didn't collapse her lungs or give her a diaphragmatic hernia with those chest bites. Hopefully she'll be an indoor kitty now that coyote knows where to find her. yay Michael and the ravens!!

    And then Owen gets into trouble too?? I guess yesterday was a day for the predators to get noticed.

    I'm so glad you soothed us all with happy endings and lovely photos.

    have a gentle day, Ms. Lori♥

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  16. thank you andrea :)

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    i do too nancy, i think owen has had enough of pelican's!

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    val, gannet chicks? oh my, we did see them one time in lambert's bay, they are pretty big. i'm afraid to think what would have happened if chuck had not been close. owen was so scared!
    yes, an unkindness of ravens is a collective for a gathering of them. nebby seems to be doing well, poor girl.

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    thank you cj

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    pam, it's true, although when the wildlife is close to home it somehow feels different. i am so glad nebby (and owen) are okay!

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  17. annie, thank you! i know you know this too, nature in all it's beauty, brutal and all.

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    ro, the juvenile (although full grown) pelican attacked my little dog, he flew straight for him several times. if my husband wouldn't have been so close, we hate to think what would have happened.

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    thanks janis, sorry to scare you!

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    sharon, you are right, natures way. i'll think of you whenever i make soup now!

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    thanks anushka! i'm sorry about your cat, it's so hard with people living so close to wilderness areas. i was so upset over nebby (and owen) but the coyote was so beautiful and only doing what it does. i don't understand about the pelican though!

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    michele,
    sorry! i know people lose pets all the time to coyotes and mountain lions...i don't know about children and coyotes, perhaps when they are in a pack. scary i know.

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  18. robyn, my goodness what a lovely comment. thank you dear. truly.

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    ann marie, i will! she seems to be doing well, although still in shock, poor thing! thank you :)

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    lo, she is such an outdoor cat, it's going to be hard to keep her in. usually she's indoors well before sundown though. poor girl. i thought of you of course when i saw (and heard) all the ravens. thank you :)

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  19. Wow, I'm so glad all your furry family members are okay! We've lost many of our cats to coyotes, and my mom found one of our cats facing off against one a couple years ago and practically ripped the cat from the jaws of the coyote! The cat went on to live another two good years and my mom is now convinced she's a bad-ass (she is, but don't tell her I told you.)

    Lovely, soothing pictures for a very nerve-wracking (but ultimately optimistic) post! Glad everyone is safe and sound.

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  20. I am so happy to hear..in your happy ending.Your photos finish my thoughts and complete my feelings.I am thankful for your lovely pictures and for the help your little furry friends received just in time.Hugs,Cat

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  21. i've looked at these photos several times now. there is a reverent delicacy that you capture, so uniquely your amazing ability to see, but this time i've noticed more. the landscape sings, lori. it sways and sings and i can feel the wists and movement of it all.

    i am so glad the natural world harbors you. that makes me happy.

    and this story of your Mother's little cat: how i wish i could save every creature. last summer i saw a hawk flying upward with a frightened squirming woodchuck in its grasp and i wanted to cry. i think whoever created nature called forth every emotion possible

    love
    love
    kj

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  22. Oh my word! It is a wild world these days ...
    It is very unnerving when you don't live in and around game reserves and nature has a go at your precious pets in the reasonable comfort of suburbia.
    Glad all is well though
    :o)

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  23. two happy endings but Lori my heart was very high in my throat as i read this. Amazings stories of survival. And Lori, that first picture of the bird its tail barely swishing the dirt is
    well, there goes my heart again.
    xxx
    julie

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  24. Oh, thank GOODNESS! My friend's cat was eaten by a coyote last year. And those pelicans can get huge! Poor Owen.

    I recently saw a video and learned that deer -- DEER! -- sometimes eat birds! Yes! gah.

    Gorgeous, gorgeous photos. They bring a stillness and calm to my soul. I love how the leaves and grass seeds are lined in silver.

    Have a glorious and safe weekend. xoxo

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  25. Lori, I have been nose to nose with a coyote on my drive~~which was an odd experience to say the least. Thank heaven the kitty is okay, other than minor issues, as I never felt so SMALL (which I am NOT) as when I was faced with that canine. We have more as habitat diminishes. Yes, I have a gun to scare them off (Can't hit the broad side of a barn or see....)
    Your photos are exceptional~~what camera do you use?
    Such a lovely end to a story of trauma!

    XXOO~~
    Anne

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  26. Glad Nebby survived - lucky cat!! And poor Owen, also being targeted by pelicans, of all things!

    Been catching up on all your posts - hoping the lifesaving ocean swim went well? Love all your gorgeous photos, as ever (especially the birthday cupcake :)

    Hope you are having a lovely weekend!

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  27. What stories, I'm so glad all the pets are ok. I love your photos, it is amazing how exciting yet calming nature can be.

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  28. thank you tracy, that sounds traumatic for your mom, i hope to not go through this again!

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    cat, thank you for such lovely words, so poetic. that is what being in nature does for me too. :)

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    kj, it's true, the wanting to save and sitting watching, witnessing is so very hard sometimes. i've toughened up since trips to africa though. it's the circle of life. and thank you so much, i really appreciate your appreciation!

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    janet, that is the problem as you may have guessed, we build in habitats that belonged to wildlife first. although, where my mother lives is an older, established neighborhood. it happens often i imagine.

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    julie, thank you! i was really lucky to come upon that towhee hiding under the bush. i love that photo of it too. and did you see the common yellowthroat? i've only seen one once in our marsh!

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  29. bella, thank you. i so appreciate your kind words. and yes! pelicans are huge! it would scare me if one decided to attack! poor owen. and nebby is healing physically, i think she's still tramatized though, :(

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    anne, they are a beautiful animal arent' they? i really love to see them in the wild.
    thank you for the kind words. i use both film and digital, a canon eos-1n and a canon eos-60d (most of blog photos are from this) and a leica c-lux 2. favorite lenses are a 20-35mm and a fixed 300mm. welcome!

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    karen, have you recieved my postcard yet? i was just thinking about you, a friend is in vic falls at the moment. yes, poor nebby, she has used up her lives i'm sure. and i hope owen is not going to be afraid of the beach now!

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    thank you lorrie, i'm glad for the happy ending too. nature is both of those things, calming and so exciting. i like that. :)

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  30. How scary! I am glad it all had a happy ending. I am just back in Rome to pick up my daughter and watching Planet Earth this morning. I kept wanting to fast forward through the harsh parts of life (run deer run!), but my husband said, honey, it's fine, this is nature. But, I prefer the gentle side like you.
    Off to NY!!!

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  31. lori -

    i am so glad to hear little nebby is ok - what a brave little creature to face down such a formidable foe!

    just this morning i went for a run and saw a dead sparrow on the ground - i felt sad but realized it was probably taken down by a cat. as you say, nature can be brutal and beautiful.

    thank goodness chuck was there to run interference for wee owen! ;-)

    xoxo

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xoxo lori