📹 Lots of Critters

It's been cold and snowy. Perfect time to watch curling on TV! Canada was choosing its Olympics teams. I quite liked the arrangement here!

Nov. 29 the sun came out. My orchid has lost three bloom branches. Nutmeg didn't care. She was cold, looking between me and Joseph Brian to be let in. 

With the unexpected action of Barry Beaver, I have neglected the other regulars. This is a buck on Nov. 13th, spreading his scent at the scrape.

Coyote

   

 There are two does hanging around. What I find interesting is that the coyotes trot up and down the driveway. The deer trod carefully on the grass beside the asphalt.

   

 This looks like the fawn that hangs with the does. She did a selfie, you can hear her sniff for food, just in case! 

   

 The fawn was into the garden Nov. 20. I'd forgotten this! You can hear the blue jays yelling at her. 

 

Anyway, the week begins. Lets have a good one. It's -8 ℃. Garbage is out and it is time for coffee!

Saturday's Critters

Things have been dry. We're not flushing every time we go. I make sure the dish washer is truly full before we run it. Joe has been shaving with less water. Our big problem is showers. It takes time for the hot water to reach the shower being at the other end of the house. I've resorted to running water in one of my two water buckets in the tub until it runs hot so as not to waste water. 

Cardinal in the wild grapes looking for bugs

We're keeping the goldfish pond and water fountain going, as the critters are needing water, too. Then I can water my hanging plants with the water. The hummingbirds are happy in the fountain, as well as the cedar waxwings, robins, wood thrush, goldfinches, etc. 

We've had quite a few critters! This black squirrel was funny. Just off camera.

The birdcam is on the sidewalk, as I'm trying to keep track of Fred. There is another looking at burrow #6. I don't want to fill it in if she is in there. MiniFred seems to come and go. Where, I do not know.

You just never know who will show up, though. The skunk came by. 

I've two squash or pumpkin plants (I forget!) and they aren't doing too, too well. See these lovely blossoms? They are gone. I blamed Fred, but I think it was the skunk ↑.

Bear, Aug. 2nd, he inspected the trailcam.

 

Bobcat, Aug. 2nd,

 

There was gunfire most of the day Aug. 3rd. I worry about our deer. Here is a buck and a doe hanging about.

 

They were down at the frog pond trailcam, as well. Mind you, it's a vernal pond, and all dried up now!

 

For more critters: 

Saturday's Critters # 609

Deer scrapes, rutting season

The good news is Joe went back to the lab, off to the doctor's office, explained the issue, and back to the lab where they took his blood for the PSA blood test. Again. He'll check every couple of hours for a result. So far, nothing.

UPDATE: the test results were good. Same numbers. Cancer injection Tuesday.

Remembrance Day is Monday. It is a federal statutory holiday, but provincial offices may or may not be open depending upon the municipality here in Ontario. I had a great chat with Jesse in Vancouver, and after a Panto rehearsal, they were going to the cottage for the long weekend. It is a provincial statutory holiday in British Columbia.

I get my COVID and Flu shots Monday. Joe has to wait until 2 weeks after his Lupron injection for his cancer treatment.

🦌It is rutting season. It's also deer hunting season, so the deer are a bit antsy. Hormones and fight or flight. 

The bucks make a 'scrape' and urinate on their glands to put out their boy smells. They nudge a tree branch above them, to spread out more scent. I don't know if it is meant to make the females happy or the other males jealous! I saw a pair copulate in the backyard one year. Of course I videotaped it! (Not for the squeamish!) 

I found two scrapes beside the frog pond. Joe found one on his walk down beside the shed. 

Funnily enough, this one is right in front of the trailcam. 

The videos were somewhat sketchy. The buck comes in and out of frame. He didn't get the memo.

He really worked the scrape!

   

 This was funny, as you can see flying debris as he scrapes it.

 

I took a screen capture, and you can see the antlers better.

Here is our buck last year. Their antlers grow the same pattern each year. They'll lose them in January/February, after rutting season is over, food is scarce, and testosterone diminishes.

Something to look forward to! He lost it right in front of me as I watched through the kitchen window.

I moved the trailcamera to get a better image of the action at the deer scrape. All I captured was coyote peeing on the deer scrape. 

Saturday's Critters

 It was a cold start to the day Friday. Our second frost.

The fisher is a regularly irregular visitor!

   

 Out front, the buck was working on both the Dogwood and the Hosta! 

   

 It was fun seeing Butch raccoon in the daytime!

   

 Also, two turkeys.

 

I set up the bird feeder. Everyone is happy about that.

Saturday's Critters # 567 <= Visit more critters at Eileen's blog.

The critters are on the move

I've noticed several critters coming around. They are looking for the bird feeder, I am sure. It isn't up yet. I don't even have any bird seed. I'm having trouble finding the critters on the Crumbly Acres camera. There was an update for the app, and, well, you know how that goes.

 

 

 I took the turkey carcass down to the frog pond trailcam. Butch got it.

 

   

 There was a mouse in the lower left corner, as well!

 

Saturday's Critters

We are enjoying the last of the critters. Soon they will hunker down. The tree frog likes the camera. This was an unusual spot!

 

Aug. 10th - a buck

Porcupine is so cute!

   

 For some reason it visited the dock!

   

 Then there was a cottontail in the forest.

Butch, on two trailcams, eating grubs.

   

 And the coyote:  

 The turkeys are out in the forest.  

 The fisher came by on both trailcams.

Saturday's Critters # 559 <= I am joining more critter allies!

Saturday's Critters

 I transplanted this sputnik bush. I've had it for years and it isn't doing well. It had a little friend. 

Our buck!

Porcupine

Turkey on both trailcams!  

 The doe was in the forest

 

They move so fast, the coyotes. Porcupine, not so much.

Backyard doe and cottontail

Saturday's Critters # 558 <= visit more critters here.

Celebrate summer!

🔥The fires out west are horrific. The last two Alberta premiers cut firefighting budgets, specifically the elite Wildland Firefighter Rappel Team. The current premier said Jasper, as a federal park, wasn't her responsibility. She's changed her tune. Provinces have to request help from the federal government. This is the chain of command. She's asked for help. 

Current fires: July 30th
right down to the US

Fire danger in Canada
About 1000 km from Albert to Saskatchewan
in that big blob of red

I am looking for the helpers. Thank you to people who care for one another. Who show kindness. The politics and lies around Climate Change, health, and all the other issues, is appalling. Politics can't trump science. Canada, again, will rely on other countries for firefighting help. Even New Zealand, so far away, Jean! Happy birthday, young lady!

🌪 Our tornado

Do you remember our tornado? The Tornado path was confirmed by WesternU scientists.  It was 4km to the south of us. 😧😬😳 There are lots of trees down. One smucked a cottage, so I heard, on the nearby lake. No one was hurt during the storm. Many people hunkered down in basements. 

Back to flora and fauna...

The frog pond is doing well. Our big storm filled it up via the water barrel. There should be 3 goldfish in there, but I am not healthy enough to look for them. They are the least of my worries. 🐠

He's holding his own, Mr. Bullfrog. It is a male, as the ear doohickey (drum?) is larger that his eye. (My poor brain!) Do you remember Jeremiah and Geraldine?! <= They froze in my shallow goldfish pond one year. 😥 I'll have to take him down to the frog pond in the fall. Silly git. Meantime, he is happy.

Water lilies! It seems like two different species. One has a scent, the other does not. Don't ask which. I don't remember.

The Asiatic Lilies! I wish you could smell them. The deer fences works really well! I am over the moon about that. You can barely see it. The flowers flourish. Heaven knows there is enough foliage for the deer to eat out there.

Don't gardens give you joy? My garden is a bit wild. When we first moved here, Joe has always said that 90% of gardening is weeding. Now, I won't say that 90% of my garden is weeds, but that twitch grass!

😷COVID

Still coughing. My cough has lessened, however. Joe is less tired, he has sniffles, but not as bad as last week. Thank you for your kind wishes. We appreciate it. I have tested negative. I wish the symptoms would go away. I feel for those suffering from long COVID.

I went out front to check on the cherry tomatoes, which have required twice daily watering. I began to cough. Suddenly, our buck, in the forest just off the driveway, chuffed and took off into the forest. I laughed. Me scaring a big buck! They sure aren't tame. 

My long time elementary school friend, who lives 500km away and I haven't seen since high school, said this on Facebook:

"The big guy was on Covid alert! 🤣"

She asked if it was 'too soon' but, no, if I take all my meds (Ventolin, Advil, Symbacort), I can find humour in the odd moment.  That is progress.

I tested negative for COVID on July 24. On Day 15 of lung issues, I am coughing less frequently. I cannot imagine what people went through before the vaccines. All those deaths. 

I do wake up (4 a.m. today, again) with what feels like bronchitis. Ventolin is my friend. The side effects of Ventolin is one of the least of my worries, or this is the Symbacort (steroid for my lungs to reduce swelling). That said, I'd give my eye teeth for a bidet! Thank goodness for Always. I think it is the meds, which I can live with. I've lost 3.5 kg, that is not a bad thing! 

Both of us are truly grateful for having the Olympics to watch. 

Camera Critters

Thursday

 I let the cats out for their 6 a.m. run before breakfast. We let 7 cats in the front door the rest of the day, Thursday. We only have two cats. Now, I'm kinda foggy, not over COVID. I had to think that through and puzzle it out. I think, barring the Cosmic Joker, that since I opened up a couple of screen doors, the wind was blowing after our tornadoes. Things are calmer, though. I could hear the door bang. We'll go with that explanation! Things is, we closed the front door at noon. They still got out after dinner. 😳😳😳

To their credit they didn't bring home any dinner, although we ought to look into deworming meds soon. 

Joe looked everywhere to find a torn screen or open basement door. We couldn't see this opening. After dinner Cinnamon was busted. I grabbed his bum in one hand, his tail in my other. He was most disgruntled. Gorilla Tape to the rescue! I do think it was Nutmeg, though. 

🐢Turtles

On May 3rd, Joe rescued a turtle, hit by a car awhile back, right in front of our house. He took it to Perth Vet. From there it went to the turtle rehab place, Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre. It's been fixed up and is being returned to the area. Volunteers came to our door and want to release it Saturday on a nearby lake.  Thing is they didn't know where the closest lake was. We don't have lake access, and they refused to let them go in our frog pond. We directed them to the Otty Lake Facebook page. Most people on the lake look after shorelines, and prepare fish egg laying habitats, and plant shoreline vegetation. They have a wonderful association. 

Second piece of good news, Joe took in another turtle, quite dead. The rehab harvested the eggs from her and they are getting close to being released. I haven't seen too many lately. We've seen the little ones around over the years. This is a wee one, and a juvenile. They live on land for two years, then off they go. 

🦌I was looking out the back door in the dark one night, and there was a doe sitting on the lawn. 

 

doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

She came back the next evening.

Funny story about my COVID cough. I've been going outside to cough. Fresh air, and spitting phlegm over the back deck. It seems better than into the sink. It is an offensive sound, poor Joe. I was doing that and Fred was out there. He looked up at me, the way a dog does with head almost tilted (archive photo!). I laughed (silently) at him. "What the heck?" 

At this point I am certain we aren't having babies. 

I've not been down to the trailcams in two weeks. The last time I was there I saw our buck hanging out in the frog pond. 

buck July 9 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

A porcupine, the dark blob in the video. You can hear the barred owl, chick and adult in the background.

porcupine from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Friday

At 10 a.m., I had a coughing fit and went out to the back deck to cough and spit it out. Look who I saw! 

buck and doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

They ↑ disappeared, and I could our local hawks yelling. They do that frequently. Video camera in hand, luckily, there were a pair of eagles soaring. The hawks were not amused. People on our local lake had taken photos of them nesting from their kayaks. They nested about 4 km away. 

eagles and hawk from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Saturday's Critters # 554

Saturday's Critters

It is interesting watching the critters we haven't seen for winter, and others that just hang around. Fred and Freda have been making a nest in the burrow under the deck. The birds have been amazing. The bugs, not so much. The mosquitos and the blackflies are murder. The blackflies are the worst. I get oozing bites after they sneak in like little spy hornets and give it to me. Mostly on my ankles. I forgot bug spray one day! duH! 

We're missing some birds. The wood duck nest was raided. The House Wrens didn't show up. Usually the robins nest under the deck, but they are elsewhere. Happily the phoebe has nested and they have hatched. It's a feeding frenzy! Here she sat and watched me. 

The buck stops here, where he watched Cinnamon!

 

Cinnamon and Buck from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

There was an incident and a chase ensued! Groundhogs are solitary critters, but I think he has a motive!

 

Freda & Fred from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The porcupine had a visit, as well.

 

porcupine May 19 10 pm from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The deer have disappeared for the most part! Just once in awhile they pop up.

 

buck May 17 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

May 20

 

backyard doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

It was with great excitement that I noticed the trailcam was askew. Just slightly! We had our first bear of the season! May 20, the little twerp, as is their way, was curious about the camera.

Bear visitation from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

For more critters: Saturday's Critters # 545  ...