Gardening on Crumbly Acres

This rock is a beauty. It came from the area where the miniFreds are digging out burrow # 5, under the flag pole. The Freds are in there, renovating. I stole the rock.

 

I've been moving rocks to the daffodil garden. It'll keep the moisture in some, and stop some weeds. That's the theory. 🤷  Then there is my trusty whipper snipper!

I dug it out, strapped it to the dolly, and rolled it here.

I did a panoramic photo of the back yard. It's a modest little bungalow. Perfect for the two of us, 2 cats, 7 goldfish.

Outside we've 4 groundhogs, several raccoons ambling through, 2 bears, Barry Beaver, and barred owls.

Out in the front, I noticed the doe chomping on my hostas on the camera footage. 

It was time to put the deer fence up. Joe assisted me. Basically, 2" square stakes, with netting attached. It is wonderful. Removable in the fall for clean up, and hardly seen. This is what I used on the front garden to keep Fred from eating my milkweed plants. (More on that later!)

My Itoh peony, is visible through the fence netting. The doe isn't getting that one!

The hawkweed is looking wonderful. I don't want to mow the lawn until it is done. I don't want to frighten the groundhogs, either. They are moving around the various burrows.

Our miniFreds are managing. They stick together until they don't. Saturday they were avoiding the shed burrow. I am certain Momma Fred is gone. I think last year's miniFred, who is now adult-sized, is back. 

Saturday's Critters

 Fred incident June 6th

I figured out yesterday that it was Momma Fred who was taken by the coyote. She had a good run. We've four teenaged groundhog kits foraging, and looking out for predators. I feel responsible! 

Our 3 released rescue squirrels are having a fine time. We are to provide for for a week. Eventually they will forage on their own. The trailcam provides me some entertainment. They don't come out when we are there. Joe feeds them faithfully each morning. Until Monday!

They are so happy with freedom and climbing the tree.

 

 They come out at night while the pregnant doe cleans up the bird seed. You can see them on top of the nest box, agitated with the thefts! The sounds of the frogs at night is glorious!

We continue to see a variety of critters out and about.

Porcupine

   

 I moved this camera away to watch the Freds. Maybe a mistake. I've seen a bear, coyote, and these three bucks wandering on through.

   

 The pregnant doe has been ambling around. I know how she feels. My second child, Jesse, was 10 ½ lbs. at birth!

   

I caught the bear on a couple of cameras. It might have been two bears. One looks large, the other smaller. The large one ambled down the driveway.

   

Checking out the frog pond trailcam later, I noticed it was askew. 

 

Boo boo bear was about. The older one was on the driveway, but this one I have not seen near the house. 

For more critters: Saturday's Critters # 652 visit Eileen's blog.

miniFred smells the roses

I am rethinking putting the goldfish outside. We haven't had much rain, until this week. I use the water barrels and eaves overflow water to fill it up. If we are getting a drought, again, hmmmm, must mull it over.

Out filling the water fountain, I found a teeny toad hopping in the plantain.  

I do like toads! 

Our lawn is covered in this plant. It is called ribwort plantain. The lawn is covered in it. I hesitate to mow it. The miniFreds like it.

There were two kits out eating. The first

Then I spotted four kits on the deck, all at the same time. My only conclusion is that the groundhog taken was our Momma Fred. They don't last long in the wild. She's done well. Yesterday's post showed the video where she is whistle-warning the kits that danger was near. 

Fred incident June 6th

The Freds continue to hang around. After momma led them away (teenagers: move out, find your own shelter?), they dispersed to four burrows. Two hang out together. Then they don't. Wed., Jun 10th, I could Momma at the shed burrow. Three kits were grazing in the wet grass. We had 14mm rain. About a half inch. 

She was unusually vigilant:

 

 More whistling.

   

 She led them to the septic bed burrow.

   

 I realized later that a coyote had taken a groundhog.

   

 This miniFred shadowed her.

 

UPDATE: on the released squirrels...

Our pregnant doe has been stealing the squirrel food! I laughed so hard. I didn't realize the squirrels came out at night. You can see the doe's eye reflecting the trailcam light, and a squirrel on top of the nest box, watching the doe. I thought squirrels were diurnal. Who knew?! 

We have to provide food and water for about a week, until they learn to forage.

We continue to get raccoons ambling by. I was reading in bed, Muskoka room door open, and heard one on the back deck. There was nothing it could get into, though. This one, with the skinny tail, has been out. It fished out some stones I had in a container. They rattled. It held paperwhites in the winter. 

And a fun one, a large male bear on the driveway. Video on Saturday's Critters!

Freds June 5th: escape!

 Yesterday was my report on the squirrel release. They are doing well. Meantime, I'm behind on the Freds, who have settled back in under the lower deck. Until they weren't!

Picture the two of us watching them from above. They are fascinating.

On the trailcam, I found Momma Fred leading them down the garden path driveway. Not a good thing. 

Later, I was watering the front garden, and spotted a miniFred on the driveway. It ran towards us, into the back yard, and went under the back deck. Hmmm. 

 

Joe was on his way to town for errands, I was putting the hose away. Another miniFred was on the driveway! I asked him to put the car back in the garage. The trick in herding groundhogs (or cats) is to get behind them, not approach. I was worried that it'd run away, or towards the highway.

Here I am, trying to videotape. Yes, in my housecoat and nightie!

 

He stood right in the way, so Fred deked into the garage.

I encouraged Freddie to leave the garage, since Joe Brian needed to get the car out.

Things settled down... until they didn't!