Yesterday evening, Sady was going nuts (again) watching the little rabbit at the bird feeder at 10 p.m.
It is sooooo cold. Poor wee thing.
Rabbit at the feeder from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
We couldn't figure out why the cats were going nuts. Sitting at the front window, staring outside in the dark. They surely couldn't see the mice we know visit the feeder. Sure enough, we have a much larger rabbit who feeds there. I'd noticed the tracks and wasn't sure if they were rabbit or the ubiquitous squirrel.
This (left, shown in the fall) is some sort of Horsechestnut, or Buckeye. I'll have to wait until spring to ID it. The woodpecker (below) judiciously snags the bugs, but the deer have stunted the growth of the other 4 trees of this species. I couldn't figure out why the trees had such thick trunks, and yet were so short. Now I know!
I have finally determined out how the previous homeowners protected them. Big cages that were hanging silently on the back of the shed.
I plan to put in some more plants, and will do some research to find 'deer resistant' ones. (As if!)
But the bells and the cages seem to help. In the meantime, I'm trying to identify my trees.
I watched the deer tiptoe around this new (scary) thing the other evening. Wish me luck! The other cages have bright red ribbons hanging off of them. They dance in the wind, the bells ring in the night and the deer are skittish this close to the house. (For now!)
Then, there is the woodpecker. I regaled my readers with stories about it when we first moved in. Enlarging a knot in the exterior wood finish on the house, I had to cover the hole with a bat box. In the meantime, Oliver is frustrated, watching the birds outside, and his deer and turkeys, and I have to find ways to amuse him.
necessary on those -10 C. days. This toy we call 'snake'.
The feathers on the end make a nice sound when we snap it. He likes to sneak up on it.
4 comments:
Hi Jen, I just love that header pic. I have a couple of apple trees in the very back of the property and see so many rabbits coming to eat frozen apples right up into February. The dear really can take a toll on your trees. I like the idea of tying ribbons.
Interesting to see a brown rabbit in the winter! I know there are different rabbits and the more southern ones don't change color but was surprised to see it in Ontario.
Surely he would get one cold bunny bum. Wildlife and gardens is challenging. I have wallabies eating my plants in dry seasons but not at the moment.
Thank you for your concern over the floods. People are so resilient, they are all helping each other to get back into their homes.
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