Bees on the Basil

 Tuesday I watered in the morning. It was lovely. I've got the front garden into shape for fall. The leaves rattle in the wind. Their crinkly selves are ready to let go. 

We've been having 30 ℃. days, and 14 ℃. nights. It's perfect. Once the sun goes down, we open up the windows. It won't last, so one must revel in the last warm days. We would like some rain. Everything is getting crunchy. There was 140mm+ rain in August, and very little this month (37 mm). (No rain since Sept. 9th!)

We haven't had many clouds, we're fairly dry , but this set... 

The bumble bees are well, bumbling around on the basil. They bounce on the flowers, carrying heavy loads.

A little, teeny, new Wood Frog. I did the lawn and found two snakes, plus a billion frogs. They mostly jump straight ahead, so I have to veer. Then they hunker down in the grass again. That's why I keep the settings at the highest level.  

In Autumn, I usually put some chestnuts in Peter's wheel barrow. I've shown video of the Red Squirrel harvesting them. They stole it out of the barrel! 

Ta da! Just one pumpkin.

I was using the grater, slicing up some carrots for a stir fry. It did not go well. I suggested no one buy me a Mandolin. That's just asking for trouble! We taped up the thumb and carried on. 

I took myself off for a pedicure. The new colour has a fabulous name, but I cannot remember it! You just have to laugh. My scars... 

From here to New Zealand!

 I spotted this on Twitter X and I thought it a hoot. I looked up the Nova Scotia map. Maritimers have such a fabulous sense of humour.

Henri (below left) brought us a parcel. What a nice man! He was happy and cheerful, and we wished each other well. All of them are really positive and outgoing. I like that! We always make a point of thanking them for this service. They wave back.

Ta da! Angel's Trumpet in bloom.

A chilly few days, I sought the sunshine. Sitting on the back deck a bee bounced off the window and into my water glass! It was doing the breaststroke. I threw it over the railing and I'm sure it was fine!

bumble bee from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

🚗 🚗 🚗 🚗 🚗 🚗 🚗 🚗 🚗 🚗 🚗 🚗 🚗

"I’m at a stage where I know I’ve got more behind me than ahead of me. I have no time for worrying. You’ve got to get up and do things." – @MrChuckD

The Fearsome Foursome Flyers are traveling by car. They are doing a fabulous New Zealand tour. Some scenery reminds them of their 2005 honeymoon on Cook Islands! They were at the Otorohanga Kiwi House.

🥝 From there, the kids went glow worm cave tubing. They wore wetsuits, because the air and the water was about 12 C.! They weren't the only ones. What a hoot! 

From there, they stayed in a cute cottage, and visited Whitiora Stadium.

Saturday's Critters

We are teeming with the promise of spring. We've two phoebe nests, a robin's nest, as well as the House Wrens who are filling two boxes!

Aside from last week's bucks, I haven't seen many deer except this one on the trailcam. They are off to their summer habitats.

forest deer from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The frogpond is teeming with life.

May 8th, tadpoles and fairy shrimp in the frogpond.

tadpoles from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I was enjoying the back deck, and a bumble bee got stuck on my side of the glass!

bumble bee from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

A regular visitor, Butch came by the frogpond trailcam.

butch raccoon from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We don't have any wood ducks nesting in any of our three nest boxes. They are around, however. They go from the frogpond on the right, to the wetland on the left.

ducks from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

May 7th, we had a coyote go by. It has unusual markings that will make it easy to spot. I posted it to the FB trailcam page, wondering if it might be a fox. I was duly corrected! It appeared again.

 

coyote from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

For more critters, visit Eileen! Saturday's Critters # 491

 

Bees, birds, and other friends

 Monday morning someone was in the bathroom at 4 a.m., and he heard the barred owls not only calling, but screeching. That is an interesting sign. Mating calls are done, and they are the most amazing, the calling back and forth! "who-cooks-for-you!" My sightings: 🐦BARRED OWL.

2017

 

I did see phoebe on the weekend, and heard his song. You can see how dry we are. He sits atop the heron in the front yard.

The babies are grown. I shall miss them. They are bug eaters and migrate.

I really enjoy watching the critters as they frantically prepare for winter. Below, the thistle plant and a bee. I spotted a goldfinch on it the other day, but I was too slow for a photo.

Monarch on catnip

I went to do the garbage, and spotted some birds up a tree. I think starlings, but many birds are flocking together in preparation for migration. Underneath the tree, was a doe and fawn!

After a rough last week, we look ahead to this one. Walkies truly help. Our grandies go to school for the first day on Thursday. They did virtual school all last year. 

I sat for a time on the back deck. Cinnamon was up to something. He kept jumping up here, around the hops vine. "He is a busy lad," as JB says fondly.

Three robins were bathing in the water fountain, which I'd cleaned that day. robins  

Then there were the gulls. I couldn't tell what they were at first - from looking through the videocamera. It was a beautiful sight, soaring around and around. Perhaps a dozen, but they are most difficult to count.

Fetching the zoom lens I had a better chance. That, and I grabbed my reading glasses. Turns out, I don't need them with the zoom lens. And, yes, I still need to get the camera cleaned, but that isn't going to happen anytime soon. We've a cancer treatment this week.

Now, videocameras only have autofocus, it was a bit tricky. I even rested my elbows on the railing for a bit more stability.

gulls from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Maggie Magnolia

 

I keep forgetting a out Maggie Magnolia. Someone posted a photo of theirs, and I remembered to go look! There is a complex system to keep the deer out. You can see where they chopped off the main branch, back in the day. We've had windfall, I must get that tree down in the background.

The robins are good, too. She seems to tolerate me, but not too close. She's at 3 eggs, as of 3 p.m. yesterday.

I found a bumble bee in the basement. It was a bit loopy. I imagine it came in through the chimney, just like our bat.

Someone on Twitter suggested "I think the one on top is a Red-shouldered Hawk and the one below is a Red-tailed Hawk."

Who knows?! They were pretty to watch, and didn't seem competitors.

Good news, the phoebes first egg hatched at 9:08 a.m.! phoebe hatches  

The event was almost done by 2:30 p.m.