.
A few days ago I posted pictures of a starling riding around on momma chuck.
They were so cute I posted them on a Maine wildlife Facebook page as well .
.
.
Lots of people liked them and left nice comments.
But then Facebook’s AI had to jump in, with its strikingly accurate portrayal of what it was seeing.
.
.
Duck.
Chuck.
It was close… and hey, at least they rhyme.
🤣
.
.
Peonies are the best.
.
.
There, I said it.
.
.
I’ll take a peony bouquet over roses any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
.
.
They’re full and vibrant and smell heaven sent.
.
.
We have two large bushes near our back deck and they never disappoint.
.
.
They’re too high for woodchuck bubblers.
.
.
For which I’m quite thankful.
.
.
His Lordship enjoys them as well.
.
.
Though that might just have been the sun.
😊
.
.
I feared this day would come.
And now it has.
She’s back.
.
.
That horribly annoying, utterly destructive red spawn of a demon is back.
.
.
I saw her running all over and around the back deck…
.
.
Which means she’s looking for another nesting spot.
.
.
My loyal readers will remember the hell she put us through when she had her devils brood in our eaves a while back. We evicted her, only to have her chew her way through the wall in the man cave/Barn Mahal.
.
.
She’s no good, I tell you.
A veritable rodent menace.
.
.
In our backyard the birds eat at the bird feeders.
In our backyard the woodchucks eat under the bird feeders.
But now?
The birds are eating on top of the woodchucks.
.
.
And that’s definitely something new.
.
.
This juvenile starling rode around on momma chuck’s back for quite a while.
.
.
Eating bugs I assume.
.
.
And momma didn’t seem to mind at all.
.
.
It was wonderfully bizarre.
.
.
This last picture is my favorite.
.
.
Nothing to see here folks. Just a bird riding a woodchuck…
Carry on.
🤣
.
.
Once the little chucklets discover our deck…
.
.
It’s a constant source of entertainment.
.
.
They love hanging out…
.
.
And playing hide and seek under the grill cover.
.
.
They really are sweet.
.
.
And if they’re playing on my deck…
.
.
They’re not eating my flowers.
.
.
That’s a win win.
❤️
.
.
Our purple Japanese Iris were in bloom recently…
.
.
And they put on such a lovely show I have to share.
.
.
I’m not a fan of the larger Bearded Iris…
.
.
But these smaller beauties always make me smile.
.
.
They’ve spread naturally and take up half the garden bed now.
.
.
If only their bloom would last longer.
.
.
😊
.
.
Our little chucklets really love the back deck.
.
.
And when I hear them scrambling across it I have to sit back and watch.
.
.
It’s like their private playground.
.
.
Tag, hide and seek…
.
.
The grill cover is fun to duck under.
.
.
The railings?
.
.
A perfect back yard viewing platform.
.
.
Did I mention Lord Dudley Mountcatten enjoys watching them too?
.
.
Even when he has to duck under a blind to do it.
🤣
.
.
Once or twice a day I hear scampering.
.
.
And when I do?
.
.
I know where to look.
.
.
Out back on our deck where the chucklets are having fun.
.
.
They run across it, they chase each other…
.
.
But they really like the railings.
.
.
In and out.
Out and in.
.
.
It’s a veritable woodchuck amusement park.
.
.
It’s bad enough I have to battle baby woodchucks stripping my flower gardens bare.
.
.
They’re adorable, but it’s very hard to make them stop nibbling.
.
.
I heard shredding Irish Spring around the plants helps, so I’m all in.
.
.
My other problem this year?
.
.
A mouse.
Who beheaded all my lovely marigolds and dragged the blooms under our shed.
.
.
I didn’t even have a chance to photograph the pretty alternating yellow and orange combination before all I was left with was this…
.
.
Because as soon as the mouse ripped off all the blooms?
The chucks ate 3/4’s of the leaves.
But I fixed them.
.
.
I planted a row of taller crown daisies and no one likes those.
😉
.
.
Along with all our other wild visitors we have raccoons, but since they arrive at night I’m rarely able to photograph them.
.
.
Until the other evening when a pair showed up before sunset.
.
.
They really are characters.
.
.
Such expressive faces…
.
.
And those dexterous little paws!
.
.
These little fatties shimmy right up the center pole, knock the suet cages to the ground then empty them at their leisure. Those paws can open anything.
.
.
I was hoping they’d do it while I was filming but no such luck. Seeing their big butts hanging upside down eating the orioles grape jelly is a riot.
.
.
😊
.
River's world..... 