Circle of Animals

 I’m a Bat People fear me. I am the least understood. I am the least appreciated. Yet I help contribute to the workings of our ecosystem.  People don’t realize that about me. I’m also friendly if I’m treated with respect.  However books and movies paint me as a threat. They associate me with vampires and demons. They think I prey on the weak. I’m a creature of the night. I search for food and water in the night time hours.  As the myth goes bats are thought to be blind. People say “You’re as blind as a bat”. News flash: Bats are not blind! We are sighted animals. We see in the dark.  The night is our time to be out and about. Bats are very social animals. Bats hang in cliques. Bats have a distinctive social structure. Bats are truly unique. Do you know that bats have something in common with the hardest working insects on the planet? The honey bee. Not for making honey but for pollinating. Bats actually play a role in pollination of plants, fruits and vegetables...

 I’m a Blue jay I’m a bird that is a wonderful greeter to your morning. In fact I wake many up to my call of the early day. You don’t need to thank me. It’s my role. All birds have this responsibility. I’m loud and I am very colorful. My sound is very distinctive. I’m blue and white and have a lovely stately look. My crest is blue. I have a black border behind my crest. My wings are blue with exquisite patterns. I am a proud bird. I fly the skies of Canada, Mexico and the United States. There’s a baseball team named after me. Toronto Blue jays. A Canadian baseball team.  They are proud to wear the Blue jay on their uniform and cap. The beauty of the Blue jay is captured in photographs. We are featured in many magazines. The Blue jay can be heard by many types of birds. If under threat the blue jay will sound the alarm for all to find cover. Protect themselves. Go into hiding. I’m generally a slow bird in flight. Therefore I must be loud. Vocal. Intelligent. Blue jays are very ...

 I’m a Swan Im graceful and elegant. Beautiful and stately.  Refined. No ugly duckling. I’m prim and proper. I’m a waterfowl. I swim the many lakes, ponds, waterways.  I also inhabit land. I’m of the bird family.  I’m like the geese and ducks yet I’m the one with the soft flowing name.  I’m big yet I still can flap my wings and fly. I love hanging out with my family and friends. On warm summer days. Lazy, hazy days. I love coming in for landings. My wingspan impressive. My webbed feet absorb the shock. In the water I feel safe. On land I’m more vulnerable.  I always have to keep my guard up. I’m very protective of my young. Mother swans always nurse their young. Keep them nearby. Teach them to swim. To navigate land. To hunt for food. The male swan has more colorful plumage compared to the female swan which is muted in color. Swans seek out lifetime mates to share life together raising their family.  They are social and enjoy each other’s company. We a...

 I’m a Yak  Strong and steady, built for the mountains where the air is thin and the snow never leaves. Some say I look like a giant, shaggy cow, but I am far more than that. My thick fur keeps me warm when icy winds blow, and my sturdy hooves help me climb the highest peaks. I live where few others dare to go, high in the Himalayas, where the sky touches the earth. Up here, the wind howls, the rivers freeze, and the ground is covered in snow for most of the year. But I am made for this life. My heart beats strong, my breath is deep, and I can carry heavy loads across rugged paths that no cart or wheel could ever cross. I do not live alone. Yaks are herd animals, and we move together like one great, furry wave across the mountains. Our herd can be small, just a few families, or as large as a hundred strong. Females (cows) and their young stay together, while the biggest males (bulls) sometimes wander alone or in small bachelor groups. But when the time comes to protect the her...