Tag Archives: nature

Nightmare continued.

 

So…

Momma squirrel was not happy we’d disturbed and scattered her children.

Not. At. All.

 

 

Matter of fact, she was downright pissed. And as the husband was working on fixing that awful hole…

 

 

She was positively manic, running to and fro….

 

 

Climbing….

 

 

Perching..

 

 

Even trying to get in the house.

 

 

It was crazy.

 

 

But what she really wanted was back in that hole.

 

 

And as the husband worked, she watched.

See her up top?

The longer it went on…. the braver she got.

 

 

There were times I thought she would climb right over the husband to get in there.

 

 

She was one mad momma.

 

 

To be continued…

Bird brains.

 

First let’s deal with the peckers.

Because we all know not paying attention to peckers makes them crazy.

 

 

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This is a hairy woodpecker.

 

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Why hairy?

Your guess is as good as mine.

 

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He loves the peanut nugget feeder and is an expert at extracting them.

 

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There.

Now you can say you’ve had a hairy pecker wink at you.

 

 

This is a downy woodpecker.

 

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Why downy?

Your guess is as good as mine.

 

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To be honest, he looks more like a Storm Trooper from Star Wars to me.

 

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Then we have a pair of Mallard ducks who visit daily.

 

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The female strolls around under the bird feeder collecting scraps….

 

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While the drake plops down and takes a load off.

That’s one chill duck.

 

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Big Tom turkey?

 

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Yes, we have one of those too.

 

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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?

 

Random critters.

 

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Squirrels have to be brave to cross the wide treeless open that is the bird feeder area of our backyard.

 

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So we rarely see more than one grey.

 

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Until there’s something worth having that is.

 

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These little sparrows adore the boxwood shrubs.

 

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And the woodchuck?

Still feeding, still fat…

 

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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.

Ducks… and a deer.

 

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.

 

The little bastards.

 

It’s not like I don’t welcome and feed all our visiting critters enough of a variety.

Three types of bird seed, suet, strawberries, peanut nuggets, oranges, grape jelly, blueberries, nectar, deer grain, salad scraps, old bread, apples and pears…

Christ, I even buy special dog food with taurine for the foxes.

And we don’t have a dog!

So yes, I was a little peeved when I went to sit on the barn porch the other day..

 

 

And saw that one of them had done this –

 

 

And this –

 

 

As well as this –

 

 

On every single seat cushion.

Ungrateful little bastards!

I love my town….

 

And their slightly off balance Facebook page.

 

 

 

Not off hand, no.

But I hope he finds one. Pigless is a terrible thing to be.

 

 

 

This picture of our local sheriff’s truck was posted by a resident.

Because really, who needs blue lights when you have a chicken?

 

 

 

 

This post was met with the incredulity and the scathing derision it deserved . Reveal your fiddlehead location? To a stranger!!

Mainers have been killed for less.

Fiddleheads are a precious ($15-$20 per pound) and extremely fleeting commodity in the spring. Locals protect their secret gathering spots like they do their virgin daughters. Personally I can’t stand the slimy things…

 

 

 

But Mainers go berserk for them.

And speaking of barely edible food, some well meaning townie posted this:

 

 

 

Now really, if I’m not going to eat the delicate unfurled leaves of a fern?

You can damn sure bet I’m not baking helicopter seed pods that look like bugs.

Damn.

Critter cam.

 

Alright, that’s a lie.

It’s just me snapping shots from the window. But that’s not a snappy title… so get over it.

 

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Our fox is coming every night now.

 

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And sometimes he/she brings a friend.

 

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They’re such beautiful creatures.

 

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And wonderful at keeping the mouse population under control.

 

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As you can see from the bird feeders, it’s Baltimore Oriole time.

 

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They’re gorgeous, but quick.

 

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And catching a good shot is rare.

 

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We put out oranges and grape jelly, which they adore.

 

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Of course, so does everyone else.

A raccoon comes in at midnight and strips the jelly…

 

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And this hairy woodpecker makes short work of the oranges.

 

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Our resident chucker is still here.

 

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Enjoying apples.

 

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And salad scraps.

Life is good in my little corner of the world.