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.
What’s a baby woodchuck to do?
All he wants to do is peacefully munch the bounty thoughtfully provided by that crazy woman in the house.
It’s bad enough his pesky brother shows up….
But then that pesky bird tries to steal his blueberries.
And before you know it…..
The bird calls in reinforcements.
And things go downhill fast.
What’s a woodchuck to do?
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?
If you’re getting bored of our backyard zoo…..
Tell me.
I won’t stop posting pictures….
But I could probably be talked into just the highlights.
Or then again….
Maybe not.
So feel free to skip these posts if critters aren’t your thing.
I won’t be upset.
But he might.
I have no idea why we have a pair of visiting Mallard ducks this year…
But like all the other critters who venture in….. they’re welcome.
Though the drake’s table manners leave a little to be desired.
Is standing in the dish of deer grain really necessary?
Other times he’s a bit like Caligula.
And eats lying down.
Ducks.
I hope they remember how nice we are to them.
First let’s deal with the peckers.
Because we all know not paying attention to peckers makes them crazy.
This is a hairy woodpecker.
Why hairy?
Your guess is as good as mine.
He loves the peanut nugget feeder and is an expert at extracting them.
There.
Now you can say you’ve had a hairy pecker wink at you.
This is a downy woodpecker.
Why downy?
Your guess is as good as mine.
To be honest, he looks more like a Storm Trooper from Star Wars to me.
Then we have a pair of Mallard ducks who visit daily.
The female strolls around under the bird feeder collecting scraps….
While the drake plops down and takes a load off.
That’s one chill duck.
Big Tom turkey?
Yes, we have one of those too.
And finally, a Baltimore Oriole getting his junk food Jones satisfied with some grape jelly.
It would be nice if he didn’t poo all over the feeder…. but hey.
Who am I to judge?
Squirrels have to be brave to cross the wide treeless open that is the bird feeder area of our backyard.
So we rarely see more than one grey.
Until there’s something worth having that is.
These little sparrows adore the boxwood shrubs.
And the woodchuck?
Still feeding, still fat…
And now?
Winking and waving as well.
This last pic looks like a little inter species communication is happening.
Although aside from the deer saying “Please don’t poop on me.” I’m not sure what they have to talk about.
We now have daily duck visitors.
A pair of mallards who make me smile and cut grapes in half. It’s the best food for ducks…. though they prefer to nibble on deer grain.
They’re here off and on all day but make a point of showing up about 4:00pm when I put out the nightly treats for the deer.
You would think the considerably larger deer would scare them off.
But in actuality, it’s the opposite.
The deer is frightened of the ducks and makes sure to eat on the opposite side.
Keeping one eye on those terrifying birds the whole time.
On a late afternoon trip to Home Depot for baby barn supplies….and okay, maybe a plant or two…. we were desperately hungry and hit the McDonalds drive thru.
If you know how much we hate McDonalds, you’ll know how desperately hungry we were.
Geranium perched between my legs, we scarfed down the (is this supposed to be edible?) food.
And while we were doing that?
They gathered.
One by one, on both sides… as well as in the front and the back.
Not wanting to re-create a Tippi Hendren phone booth scene, we ate quickly and fled.
A post of random trivial things that aren’t worthy of their own blog.
First, a sunrise photo a friend of mine took the other day.
She lives on a lake…. and I have to say that looks like a pretty sweet way to wake up.
Rocks?
Don’t mind if I do.
The Covid 19 versions someone cleverly painted.
Brilliant ideas?
Yes, they’re still out there.
See?
I found one.
These days social distancing is more important then ever….. so let’s commend those who go the extra mile.
What?
She doesn’t know where that bird has been.
