First off I want to wish everyone here at MyBloggers,

Happy New Year.

The bad news is that Guano the rooster is no longer with us.

He got to be a real feature in the neighborhood. He was liked by everyone too.

He'd walk around browsing everyone's yard. Nibbling at the sand and gobbling down a lizard and an errant mole or two.
After a rain he'd go after any worms that would rise to the surface of the dirt.

Last weekend I left home to go to Brooksville to spend the holiday with my sisters and in laws. It was a good time for us, getting away from home.

I left Guano plenty of food to last him two or three days.
I also spoke to my neighbor letting him know that we were off and running again. That was his cue to also leave some of his seeds out for Guano and to keep an eye on him.

When I got back a neighbor told me the sad story. Everything was going well for Guano. Then the worst thing happened. He was seen to be out of sorts at first. Disoriented and confused. Then he lost control of his little legs so that he couldn't stand up on his own anymore. My other neighbor, the one who loved Guano as much as I do said that he placed him in a box for a time. He noticed that Guano's eyes were still clear. But he still couldn't stand on his own. He was suffering in essence.

A hard choice was made and animal control was called.

I know about what ailed him. I've seen that disorientation before after my cat, Winter harrased a tree frog or a toad.
Their urine is toxic and affects the nervous system so that control is lost. But Guano's eyes were bright, per the neighbor. Frog toxin dulls the eyes so that they become glazed. It was reported to me that Guano had a bad case of the runners and he was throwing up a lot. That clued me to begin thinking about poisoning from fertilizer that might have been spread on a lawn. Sure enough, after some investigating I found out that a neighbor had just fertilized his lawn. The mix was one of those toxic brews that feeds, weeds and kills insects.

Grass, bugs and fertilizer. A bad mix for the bird and for people too. Lately a lot of fish have been floating on the waters deader than a door nail. The blame has been put on fertilization of the lawns here and about Florida. The stuff gets into the water table during the rains. Just floats right off the lawns into the sewer system. Our sewer systems are simple. They take in water and the water goes right to those aquafers that dot the landscape here in Florida. Nothing is done to the water. Its not processed at all. I bet you a lot of it gets into our drinking water.

There is a high rate of cancers here in Florida as well as conditions that affect the nervous system negatively.

Keep it up people. We do need the breathing room.

Idiots!

Prince de Silva.