There are still a few leaves!

Theft of intellectual property 

I contacted the Catholic school where my milkweed life cycle image was posted is their website – without my permission. I wrote about that Oct. 4th. The principal got back to me that day, he thanked me for contacting them, and said he would contact the gr. 1 teacher who is on Mat Leave. We shall see. 

This other site has it on their page, as well. A moth information page riddled with ads. Ironically enough, this is what they post at the bottom of their page. They have not replied at all.

I wrote them a second email: 

🍁Autumn

Tuesday I walked in the forest to grab trailcam memory cards. 

The leaves are still falling. 

Out back, the first deer we've seen in weeks. I used the zoom lens, which was in the living room where I was taking bird feeder photos. Resting my elbows on the railing, I had to delete a couple of fuzzy ones despite the zoom. Hooray for the tripod. Thing is, the deer don't stay long these days. 

The doe was on the trailcam that faces the spruce tree corridor. I like being

doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

🐣Bird Feeders

The chipmunk was around, through the window, out behind the horse chestnut tree. Tricky shot. It was terribly cute, though.

With the zoom and the tripod, the birds are easier to photograph. A blue jay and woodpecker share, although that isn't usually the case.

A junco:

iPhotos tells me this is a Wood Thrush! I'm not sure.

I like to save my videos for Saturday's Critters, but I am a little behind. I was really pleased with this video, as I've three cameras down in the forest. It helps me understand where the critters are going, and where better to place the cameras. 

 

coyotes on 3 camera from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We had a wee porcupette, a baby porcupine, on the frog pond trailcam.

 

porcupette from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Now, black squirrels are fairly common here, but this one was good for a laugh! Doggy digging to bury something. I should warn it that the coyotes like to pee and poop here!

 

squirrel doggy digging from Jennifer Jilks on Vime

Porcupette, deer and a drawing

Working on the wood duck nesting box repairs, going back to the garage, I looked up. They are such interesting creatures. This one was up a tree near where I was working on the nesting box. Can you see the small, round shape?! I am always happy when our critters reproduce. It show that our habitat is suitable. 

I said goodbye, and headed back to put away my tools in the garage.

Porcupette from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I first spotted Charlie, the porcupette, in October:

baby porcupine from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The photos aren't great, with the cloudy day. I love watching them. Here are photos from another season! I found a dead one, and was fascinated with their claws that hold them up in trees blowing in the wind.

We had 18 deer Sunday morning. Except for Clover, whom I met in the forest, they all disappear in the day.

18 deer from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I used 'sky blue' to colour the sky, but it didn't scan well, you can only see it at the top. I tried adding colour with Graphic Converter.  (We need colour these days.) Which do you prefer?!

I was inspired by Hodge Podge Craft's free meadow embroidery pattern. I don't think I have the patience to embroider right now. Jocelyn, ever the crafty woman, posted the information and I went with it! Many crafters, artists, and artisans inspire me. Thank you, all. 

Saturday's Critters

 When did it get to be Saturday again?! We are taking great joy in watching our critters. I say 'our' as if we own them, but we are happy to watch them, watch over them, and share their antics. 

We've had an uptake in critters on the cameras, as they seek food, look for winter yards, and deer hunting season ramps up. Sadly, hunting season is here. When we lived in Muskoka we would all be very aware of the seasons and avoid walking on Crown Land. Here, I prepare just so I know what the guns are about. Our neighbour hunted, he's since sold, and we could hear it. We had our property properly marked so he'd know his boundary. 

Of course in Muskoka there was moose hunting. We don't get many moose here. We had to make a special trip to Algonquin Park for that.

First you figure out your Wildlife Management Unit on the  WMU map. We are 67. Then you go to the Deer season (Nov. 7 - 20 here). 

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

I hope you liked my chipmunk video yesterday. (I've never seen a chippie doggie digging!) Here are Clover and her boy.

 

clover and fawn from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Wait until the end when the fawn bounds into view! We should have a name for the fawn, but once he grows a tad, we may not be able to ID him!

I'm thinking the baby porcupine has taken over Fred groundhog's den. Fred has disappeared, I haven't seen him in a few days or week. (You know how time passes!)  Josephine has named the baby porcupine (porcupette) Charlie! I like that. 

baby porcupine from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

↑ Oct 18 in the backyard. What is fun is that Clover and her fawn come into the yard. The fawn seems interested in the baby, but loses interest, happily! They all go back to grazing. The porcupine just ignores all of us!

↓ Just for comparison, this is the adult porcupine we saw in the front yard Aug. 20!

 

porcupine from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

And the tabby who visits us. 😼Oregano

 

oregano from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Thanks to Eileen for hosting! 

Saturday's Critters # 462

Saturday critters

The critters are out.

The tree frog, in a tree. This is actually from the aquarium. I have to set the aquarium up again and put it back in.

This character keeps appearing on my trailcam.

It's been quite a time. The wood ducks have fledged, all but two eggs. WHEW!

The phoebe babies hatched June 5th! This is an archive photo from 2013. I don't want to disturb them anymore than I have to. 

The robins have given up the nest beside the phoebe, and begun in the shed. They are a bit sloppy!

I nearly ran over a baby rabbit cutting the lawn weeds in the meadow. It was about half this size, but I recalled an archive photo from a previous encounter!

wild turkeys ambled through  <= video

porcupine was back

Porcupine 1 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

And, the best for last, Junior Bear. He's been nowhere near the house. Thankfully. 

Junior bear from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Saturday's Critters #338

Grouse, deer, yellow lady slipper

We had an adventure. JB does morning and afternoon walks around the property. I was out puttering. JB called me to the back. A bird.   I went into the forest, to see if I could see it. It was limping in front of him, pretending to be wounded. I looked for it. (The BUGS are AWFUL!) 

We usually see grouse on the side of the road during mating season.

The video was useless. Another one for the @IneptBirder! 

Clip3 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Ruffed Grouse can digest bitter, often toxic plants that many birds can’t handle. Levels of defensive plant compounds in buds of quaking aspen, a major winter-time food source for Ruffed Grouse, reflect the cyclic rise and fall of grouse populations: they’re lowest when grouse densities are increasing, and highest when grouse densities decline.

Looking for the grouse, which flew off, I came across some yellow lady slippers. How serendipitious. Ontario Wanderer spotted a yellow lady slipper. What a coincidence.  My photos aren't great, but the bugs were!

Look closely. Behind the lilacs. JB saw her on his morning walk on the path. She came around the house, but didn't eat my hostas. Yet.

Nutmeg is incorrigible. I had to rescue another chipmunk from her. I've found two seperate burrows. Silly things.

Nutmeg from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Cinman and I went walkies again. He was sleeping on his cat tower, and petted him and asked if he wanted 'walkies'. He hopped down, came outdoors and we went down to the pond. He was chatting all the way. Look what we spotted! He wisely was scared, and turned around and retreated.

 
Porcupine May 31 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

It's been really hot. We had the air conditioner on last week. She was panting.

kitten play from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The above video is from a 30 C. day, a couple of days ago. What a change in weather. It should be in the double-digits, a least. Another polar vortex.