This little female Baltimore Oriole for example.
She sat there for 15 minutes or so…..
Waiting in vane for dinner to be served.
Then there’s my sworn enemy little rat bastard red squirrel.
We may have evicted them from their corner post home…..
But it hasn’t stopped their daily visits.
And raids on the deer bound apple slices.
Turn your back if you want you pesky varmint…. we both know what you’re up to.
Our buck finally showed up at a light enough hour for me to get some decent photographs.
Yes you, you handsome devil.
And while I love seeing him….
I fully appreciate his wariness and reticence to visit the nightly buffet.
When you’re that handsome you have to be careful.
His rapidly growing rack will make him a prime target of every yahoo with a rifle in a few months.
And the thought of his beautiful head mounted on someone’s wall makes me physically ill.
But for now, he and his family are safe.
And we enjoy our rare sightings.
Even if his rude wife does keep sticking her tongue out at me.
Sometimes it’s a wonderful thing.
Loyalty, fraternity….
Oh come on, you knew this would be about woodchucks not people.
But sometimes….
Siblings squabble.
And boy….
If looks could kill.
I was finally able to grab a few pictures of our resident buck.
Which is getting harder to do as the summer wears on.
But this father son shot was pretty sweet.
Junior’s antlers are growing.
And it always makes me wonder what the felt feels like.
Naturally there are woodchuck photos.
And some close ups.
We have one lone chipmunk this year.
And yes, those pesky red squirrel babies are still here.
Using our deck railing as a cafeteria.
As well as a toilet.
Yes, I’m talking to you.
Clearly your mother didn’t tell you not to shit where you eat.
Bad form. Very bad…..
Hummingbirds.
More precisely our resident Ruby Throated Hummingbird.
He’s laid claim to the feeder….
And ferociously fights off all the others who attempt to sip.
I’ve tried to get videos of the aerial ballets….
But they’re much too fast for my lame camera equipment.
You wouldn’t think something so tiny would be so fierce.
But even this guy keeps his distance.
Because size doesn’t matter.
Or so I’ve been told.
Of photos.
But after the post I did the other day, I don’t blame you for wondering.
Babies have grown up.
And venture out daily. Three in the above picture.
They are also getting fat.
Though I can’t imagine why.
I’m sad to say I saw a fox run off with one in it’s mouth last week.
And though momma chuck does her best, nature will occasionally have her way.
She started with 6 children, went down to 4…. and now it’s 3.
Quadruplets are now triplets.
But they’re still fun to watch….
I’m still trying to make friends…
And Momma still needs a good support bra.
When the local nursery has a half price and buy one get one free sale in July?
You fill the back of your car.
Find room for some in an already full bed.
And replant the pots that your resident woodchucks munched to stalks.
Hopefully with flowers they don’t like.
And when the nursery extends the sale to the end of the month?
You go back again.
And cram even more flowers in a bed that’s already full just because you can.
While a red squirrel watches.
When you’re done?
You sit back on the barn porch and enjoy an adult beverage before dinner.
And watch the old doe walk up to have a snack.
Life is good.
They’re back.
And they’re everywhere.
Momma red squirrel and her babies.
They’ve grown and are venturing out.
The new wider deck railing is a favorite spot for eating snacks. And while it’s cute, there’s a problem.
Or should I say multiple little problems. Squirrel poo is now dotting the landscape where we enjoy adult beverages.
And this is a new favorite perch.
I did laugh the other day when one of them climbed on the bracket and saw what he thought was a tasty glob of food.
Only to taste it and discover it was Vaseline to keep the ants off the hummingbird feeder.
Take that you tiny poop factory!
Okay, if you insist.
I caught a couple of nice shots of our old doe in the field.
I don’t know how many seasons she’s seen, and the poor thing didn’t even blow her winter coat this year.
But she comes for dinner every night.
And brings her kids.
Whose little Frankenstein nubs always make me chuckle.
Everyone gets along well.
Except this one.
Who sticks his tongue out at woodchucks.
I guess everyone has a rude child once in a while.
Woodchucks!
Posing in clover.
Having a healthy snack.
Kissing.
Or biting, who the hell knows? They’re rodents….. for all I know they’re discussing campaign strategy.
They love lettuce.
And since we’ve been flooded with it from our CSA, so have they.
Behold –
My first photo of momma and 4 babies together.
She’s down 2 due to fox predation, so the sextuplets are now quadruplets.
Poor momma.
She’s fiercely protective, but Mother Nature always has the final say.
Like these quick shots I didn’t have time to focus.
Do you suppose that starling called Uber….
And this was what showed up?
River's world..... 