.
In life, you sometimes have to fight for what’s yours.
.
.
And if you’re a baby woodchuck, you have to fight birds.
.
.
They’re always in the way…
.
.
And always eating your food.
.
.
At times, you’re outnumbered.
.
.
And when that happens?
.
.
You call in reinforcements.
.
.
When the nightly buffet of apples and deer grain is laid…
.
.
I also put out some special grain free dry dog food with taurine for the fox and skunks.
.
.
Problem is the woodchucks and ducks like it as well and scarf it up quickly.
.
.
But sometimes they have competition.
.
.
And a stand off with Starlings begins.
.
.
Sometimes it gets physical.
.
.
Every night at dusk, the skunks show up.
.
.
It’s usually too dark to take pictures through the window, but last week they arrived early.
.
.
And trust me, they really are fun to watch.
.
,
Of course, sometimes….
.
.
They don’t get along.
.
.
And it’s on!
.
.
There’s a lot of squealing….
.
.
A lot of posturing and tail raising..
.
.
But more often than not….
.
.
They settle in and eat side and side.
.
.
No air freshener required.
.
.
And though it’s not riveting footage, here’s a little skunk video for your viewing pleasure.
.
.
.
Two baby woodchucks showed up for apples yesterday. ( we put them out for the deer but these little guys are beating them to it )
.
.
The chuck on the right seemed to be annoying his brother with his close proximity.
.
.
Before long they were squabbling.
.
.
And a sibling scuffle ensued.
.
.
Left woodchuck held his ground, as well as his apple.
.
.
And right woodchuck was forced to step aside.
.
.
Family.
What are ya gonna do?
.
.
The little guys (girls?) are branching out and feeling more comfortable in the backyard.
.
.
We often see 3 but rarely all 4.
.
.
Momma wanders off now and then but usually shows up at apple time.
.
.
Not that she shares mind you.
.
.
As much as I despise them for eating my flowers, it’s hard to stay mad when you see the little ones scampering around.
.
.
.
What passes for news in my little corner of the world might seem silly to some….
.
.
But I like to think of our Facebook page as the New York Times of happy living.
.
.
You’ll be glad to know this crisis was averted.
.
.
I’m not sure if this a thing in your area, but in Maine late spring means it’s time to thin and divide the perennials. Some people sell them in their front lawn, but more often than not the bounty is simply shared.
.
.
Go home Freyr. I don’t care how tasty the tuna is down the road.
.
.
That’s one fluffy little cock.
.
.
Damn. No one ever drops roosters off at our house.
🥴
.
.
Or a Dik Dik as the case may be.
.
.
Ever since I bought Poetry for Neanderthals from Facebook ( which we still haven’t played because Covid has killed game night with friends ) I’ve been getting ads. Some are interesting, some are ridiculous. I think this one falls into the latter category.
.
.
And while I’m sure having a handful of Slippery Dicks can be delightful, I think I’m probably going to pass on this one.
.
.
I’d like to think my sense of humor is a tad more advanced.
.
.
Though I am blogging about this… so the point might be moot.
.
.
Just some random photos I cleared off my camera the other day.
.
.
This was the last sighting of our blue eyed fawn from last year.
.
.
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.
.
.
Can you see the visitor in this pic?
.
.
It’s a Red Tail Hawk who uses our backyard as his hunting ground.
.
.
Close proximity to the bird feeders makes for some tasty dove nuggets.
.
.
He’s a young hawk and is still mastering his technique.
.
.
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.
😈
.
.
The World Wildlife Fund’s symbolic adoption continues.
.
.
Cute candidates abound but you know this fellow will be left out in the cold.
.
.
No one will want to cuddle up with him on the couch. That dude needs a serious manicure.
.
.
Honey Badgers get a bad rap and sure, they’ve been known to viciously kill humans… but I’d still rather adopt one of them than Honey Boo Boo.
.
.
Most people find condors to be ugly birds, but come on…. he’s rocking that feather boa. It’s not an easy look to pull off.
.
.
And finally there’s the wombat, a much maligned creature. Sure he poops square cubes and has a two pronged penis….. but hey, none of us is perfect.
.
.
Part three, the last of the Photo Ark birds.
.
Black and Red Broadbill
I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing these photographs as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing them.
.
Superb Bird of Paradise
This is my all time favorite weirdo bird. And if you don’t agree? Watch the short video clip and get back to me.
.
.
Crested Auklet
Can you imagine having a permanent curlicue on your forehead?
.
Red Headed Vulture
If you see this fellow flying around overhead… kiss your butt goodbye.
.
Southern Lapwing
Is it me? Or is this beauty the perfect Dr. Seuss character.
.
Lesser Flamingo
If you’ve never taken the time to watch a frolicking flock of flamingoes? You haven’t yet lived.
.
Mandarin Duck
Birds…. beauty and grace in motion.
Just ask Joel.
.
.
