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Our pair of visiting mallards is so cute. The male follows the female around the yard like a lost puppy and sits patiently while she nibbles.
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But then….
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Two rival males arrived.
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He chased them, he flew at them, he put his head down and charged them but nothing worked.
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They just kept moving closer.
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Right after I took this picture he went full ninja duck on their ass and finally drove them off. The Mrs? She was not impressed and simply kept eating.
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The bowl of deer grain is popular, with everyone but the deer for whom it is intended.
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Our resident woodchuck, (named Chuck because we’re creative that way) loves it…
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But so do our new friends the ducks.
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It’s first come first serve at Casa River, and no matter how much posturing and maneuvering the waterfowl did…
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Chuck reigned supreme.
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And even barked at them when they got too close. I’ve been known to do the same around my margaritas, so I don’t judge.
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A few weeks ago the waterfowl landed.
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A pair of mallards who have since taken up semi residence.
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They come to nibble under the bird feeders and have discovered that deer grain and fox food is tasty as well.
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We wake to the sound of quacking, and when a thunder storm rumbled by the other day? They flew in and took shelter.
❤️
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Night time visitors continue to surprise us when we walk back from the barn.
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And while surprising us is no big deal? Surprising them can be.
🤢
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A friend of my husband’s gifted him this Red Sox clock. He loved it and immediately hung it on the man cave wall. I on the other hand, realized it’s outdated. It says “7 time World Champions” when the number is currently 9. The reason for the gift is now apparent, at least to me.
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten? He couldn’t care less.
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Behold the wonder I found at the package store. Margarita wine! Taste test and review to follow..
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Our neighbors have all the luck. They get an exotic bird with iridescent plumage….we get a red squirrel bitch with sharp teeth.
😡
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We have a raccoon who visits nightly. And while he’s a cute, pudgy old fellow… he’s extremely destructive when it comes to our birds feeders. Every morning we wake up to one or two on the ground, often in pieces. A month ago I started taking them down at dusk and putting them in the garage overnight. When I went to bed early last week and forgot? The husband got lazy and left them on the kitchen porch.
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Not a good idea.
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Not at all good.
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And damned if she doesn’t look like she just gave birth.
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We’ve sealed up every hole we could find, but that won’t stop her.
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She’ll just chew through another wall.
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How can something so small can be so destructive?
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten spotted her from the window and was very interested.
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Which might be just the incentive I need to allow him to go outside.
😈
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Last year we had a mother woodchuck and five babies.
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So far this year I’ve only seen one. One with what appears to be ripped abs…
A woodchuck 6 pack. Who knew?
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He (she?) seemed to know exactly where the buffet was laid….
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So maybe this is last year’s baby all grown up.
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Just some random photos I cleared off my camera the other day.
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This was the last sighting of our blue eyed fawn from last year.
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Photos were taken in January and though we’ve seen some full grown deer this month, it’s hard to tell if he’s among them.
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Can you see the visitor in this pic?
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It’s a Red Tail Hawk who uses our backyard as his hunting ground.
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Close proximity to the bird feeders makes for some tasty dove nuggets.
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He’s a young hawk and is still mastering his technique.
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While it’s hard to see piles of feathers litter the ground, these birds of prey really are fabulous creatures. And if he swoops down and claims a certain red rodent….. I can’t say I’ll be heartbroken.
😈
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Yes, the husband bought another tarp in anticipation of another rain storm.
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And yes, he decided to put it on the roof on a windy day.
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What a good idea that was.
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Was I helping?
Yes.
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Was I also laughing my *ss off and photographing the endeavor?
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Of course.
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At least this tarp is heavier and smaller so it doesn’t hang over the side and flap in the breeze like the last one.
Will it stay on the roof during a storm? Doubtful, but not for lack of trying on the husband’s part.
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Required shot of our backyard with the paltry amount of winter snow taken from the top of my ladder.
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Grilling season and backyard barbecues are right around the corner.
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And I’m sure you’ll all want to get a pair of these.
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Subtle? Not so much.
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But you have to admit, they are eye catching.
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