Saturday's Critters

I made this for Eileen!
Saturday's Critters # 385

That was a cold one last night! I took out the birdbath heater and I regret it. There is a shim of ice on it. We had 2 cm of snow, prefaced by 25 mm (1") of rain Friday. The rain is fine, but to see the snow...😒

Cinnamon brought home two ticks this week. Isabelle helped me wrangle him the second time. I put them in the jar with rubbing alcohol. We've ordered the anti-tick goop, but it hasn't come in to the vet yet.

Butch is trying to get into the wood duck nesting box. Thank goodness I knew to put up flashing. last year the weasel got another nesting box because a dead tree gave him access. Butch and the wood duck 

  

I put out cracked corn for the ducks. Someone helped himself. frogpond tails 

  

You Two deer  are still getting their summer coats in. I would love to brush them!

We haven't had a house wren nest here in two years. The chickadees used this box once (June 2012). This nest box fell apart after the wrens were done (house wren – 2019). I replaced it with a couple of new ones.

The wren was looking for a place to nest, I think.  I am hoping they nest, as they are comical, and lovely singers. This is through the front window, but if you turn the sound up you can hear him. This was three days ago, and I haven't seen him since. I shall patiently wait to see what happens.

 

The crows  are still nesting in the tree, in the pouring rain. They did a call and answer, with one in the deciduous tree, the other in the white pine tree nest building. The barred owls used to do that.   

The duck pond  had a couple of mallards, but in the first two seconds, you could hear the geese honking as they fled the pond.

I am always happy to see the wood duck  return to the nest box.

 

Wood duck nests 2018

June 15th

Box #2 – all gone!

June 12th

Box #1 – eggs gone, momma gone!

Box #2 – momma still on the warm eggs.

May 16 – Wood duck boxes

Box #1 – 8 eggs, up to 11 eggs, now.
Box #2 – 9 eggs
Box #3 – 4 eggs: nest abandoned.

Sadly, I was back to check on them. Box #3 (left) the eggs are cold.

#2 and #3

There are 11 in woodbox #1.

These walked across onto the land!

Wood ducks from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

May 26th, pond sounds, including a barred owl chick.

Pond sounds from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo. Last year, I would sit across the pond and watch them come and go.

Success!

Wood ducklings from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I checked the duck box and there are no eggs left, so 12/12 hatched! Sadly, they have a 30 - 40% survive 90 days.