Sunday, April 22, 2007 - 09:30 PM | 254 Reads

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When I volunteered my time to help Conrehabit expand their reality, I really had no idea what I was getting into, nor any clue as to where it would lead. Now, with more than 9 months into this relationship with nature, I am truly overwhelmed by the shear volume of encounter and adventure I have experienced in such a short time, everything from Bramadors to very big snakes.

For the past couple of months, we have been in the process of creating a wildlife oasis out at the Rancho that is now benefiting the wild critters during the dry season. With the continued push of development on 3 sides of the Rancho property, viable habitat is rapidly diminishing. We have 3 feeding stations for the deer, will add a couple more in the next month and it is now common to see 4 to 6 deer at a time. The area on the north side of the aviary has been designated bird heaven, with 12 hanging baskets of fresh oranges daily. Flocks of 15 to 30 of the large yellow and black orioles will descend on the fresh fruit and fill the air with their chatterings. There is also a large flock of Chachalacas that seem to have surrounded the area and are constantly calling to each other with their distinctive cries. Chachalaca is also a Mexican slang word for a woman that is…….(got’ a be politically correct here)……..highly verbose.



We have seen 4 types of wood peckers eating oranges, including the large Paled Billed Woodpecker, a somewhat rare bird. The fresh lettuce and oranges left on the ground, in several areas, disappear over night. The stale tortillas are a favorite food for the long tailed magpie jays and the greedy birds will carry them off whole. Given the lack of aerodynamics in a floppy tortilla, this can be an entertaining spectacle. Juan has discovered that the turtles in the reservoir really like the deer food, so now we are feeding 8 to 10 turtles, the largest being 2 feet across.



Juan, our most excellent grounds keeper, is at the rancho 6 days a week and has seen a wide verity of the indigenous fauna, both mammal and reptile. One of his favorites is a large black snake that lives about 100 feet from the casita and will eat the smaller coral snakes, which is just fine with him. It was one of these large black snakes that one day energized Martha in such a way, her speed seemed almost super human.



A couple of months ago Martha and I were looking at areas along a new trail to set up viewing/feeding areas for the eco tours. We had wandered off the trail about 20 meters and were inspecting a large termite nest when Martha suddenly disappeared and in her place was a small puff of dust. I turned back to the trail to see her standing there with her arms stiff at her sides with the fingers of both hands fully splayed outward. Her first words were “There is a VERY BIG black snake in there!” Having shed my personal time piece months ago, I had no way to gauge Martha’s 60 yard dash, but the term bionic crossed my mind. She then assured me that she was not really afraid of the snake, after all it’s not poisonous, it was just the large size and close proximity of the damn thing. She later told be that her father would tease her with snakes when she was little girl and they still make her a little nervous. I know she is really going to love the 5 1/2 foot boa that Juan and I left for her in the casita last Friday, it’s her turn to feed the birds this Sunday.



We have built 4 large, stone ringed planters in bird heaven and are in the process of planting flowers to attract both insect life and more birds. The eventual plan is to build a roof over the concrete slab on the north side of the aviary and add a couple of picnic tables so folks can enjoy a nicely landscaped area with birds and butterflies.



The composting toilet project is soon to be underway, we have actual plans and a materials list. These toilets will incorporate rotating drums and solar heated air to accelerate the curing process. We want to have them completed by this July for the Mexican Scouting visit. We have purchased the brick to start the chamber construction and will begin digging the footings next week. These will be true composting toilets with clean, safe and usable “soil” at the end of the process. We will be constructing 2 toilet chambers but only using one toilet at a time due to the aging process. The chamber contents will age approximately 6 months before being removed and used on the landscaping.



So……..If any of you want to come to the Rancho and see birds, bunnies, VERY BIG snakes, parrots, turtles, deer or our large pet iguana, send me an email, we will work out the details.