Crumbly Acres Critters

Saturday was the Christmas Bird Count in our area. I could find some of my previous data.

Mourning Dove - 13 
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Blue Jay - 3 
Black-capped chickadee - 8 
American Goldfinch - 1 
American tree sparrow - 1 
Dark-eyed Junco - 4 
Cardinal - 2

Alison, who coordinates it for our area, sent out a message. She reiterates that we can only count the highest number of birds we see at any one time. I did have to look up 'sexually dimorphic species.' (Critters that look different, depending upon their sex.) I spotted both a male and female Downy, but not together. I couldn't count 2!

At my age anything new is good. I turn 69 on Friday! Joseph Brian (my much older husband) and I had a giggly discussion about this. 

Our cottontail rabbit appeared, 2 Gray squirrels (black morph), and 1 red squirrel. It was a busy spot! Everyone wanted on the list. Some did not fit!

The deer, mother and fawn, had a nap in the yard.

I spotted this rounded brownish thing in the front yard. Turns out it was Labbit! She hunkered down in the deep freeze. Labbit spent her time cleaning up the mess the birds made. She seemed quite happy to do so.  

There was a truce under the tree, both Gray Squirrels (black morph) were similarly cleaning up.

We had so much snow, and then a melt! I thought I should show these from December.

 

 I was crowing that I captured deer actually making their beds in front of the trailcams. Apparently, I not only captures another deer making its bed, but one reusing a bed. They tend to move about, what with they coyotes. I'll find beds all over the forest.

 

Apparently this pair had to inspect the bed, sniffing them thoroughly!

 

Since a neighbour feeds deer to shoot them, we like to support our winter herd. (They disappear and spread out in the forest in summer.) We had 7 visitors on Dec. 16th, then 9 on Dec. 17th. I guess word had spread.

 

During our melt, I shuffled on down to the frog pond. The deer poked a hole in it for a nice drink.

 

Crumbly Acres Bird Count!

 It was the Christmas bird count around here, Dec. 17th.  It was Day 2 of our last week's snowstorm. I set the camera up in the window, with the zoom lens. There was about a foot of snow on the ground. The evergreen tree was a wonderful place for birds to land in safety.

We had 20 mourning doves, a regular flock around the feeders. A pair of downy and a pair of Hairy woodpeckers. Three blue jays, two crows, 7 black-capped chickadees. ONE white-breasted nuthatch. Four goldfinches, and a single junco. Finally, a pair of cardinals. I sent in my numbers to our team leader.

My totals: 44 individuals, and 10 species. The cardinals really liked the snow cover in the evergreen. It was a perfect shelter. 

Dec. 21, after that storm, the deer were taking it easy under the trees.

doe a deer from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Dec. 15 Christmas Bird Count

It's a tradition, the Christmas bird count.

• wild turkey – 6 females
• mourning doves – 9
• downy woodpecker – 2 (M & F)
• hairy woodpecker – 2 (M & F)
• blue jay – 6
• American crow – 3
• black-capped chickadee – 10
• red-breasted nuthatch – 2
• white-breasted nuthatch  – 2
• evening grosbeak – 3 (2 M, 1 F)
• American goldfinch – 3
• dark-eyed junco – 1
• northern cardinal – 1 M

Total individuals: 50

Total species: 13

In the meantime, they still tout the 'data' of cats as killers! Mine? During the day... they are more concerned with the red squirrels than the birds!

Historical data

Bird count day – December 16th (2017)

It's bird count day!
The Great Rideau Ferry Bird Count! (2015)
Bird hunting!

The Great Rideau Ferry Bird Count!

Dec. 19 was our local bird count. Our feeder was pretty busy, but with our regular crew. I took a long walk in the forest and didn't see any exciting birds. It was somewhat disappointing. Here are the birds I saw! Scuttlebutt has it that all the bird watchers had lower numbers. It was 10 C. the day before, and then a sudden drop and snow overnight.
Funnily enough, I found Tigger licking bird seed from the feeder the day after! Tigger stole the bird seed!

What was fun is that I first saw two goldfinches in their olive coats, then 3 together, then 4 and finally 6, by the end of the day. It was as if the word spread and they all came out! Several had a drink of water in the heated bird bath.

Goldfinch, junco, woodpeckers, nuthatches, blue jays, chickadees, mourning doves, robins.



Happily, I've seen THESE winter birds at other times, even if they chose not to appear in the count. Some are just rebels like this! Just like people who refuse to fill in their census forms!

Saw-whet owl, barred owl, redpoll, purple finch, cardinal, grouse, pileated woodpecker, red-tailed hawk, snowy owl, sharp-shinned hawk, bald eagle, the three musketeers (American crows!).