Saturday's Critters

🦊 That was an afternoon. As promised, there was drama. Joe Brian and I were sitting on the back deck. A perfect day. Not too hot. We'd seen Auntie Fred at the shed.

Before I go on, you can see the trailcams on the stand, lower left of the photo↓. They failed to pick up the excitement.

I looked up, and there was a fox running across the yard, from near dark part of the forest towards the flag pole garden, where Fred has a burrow. I've heard there is a momma fox with kits.  Foxie moved behind the garden, and I couldn't see her. I should have gone to the other end of the deck. There she was under the trees!

CAN YOU SEE HER? The iPhone I have isn't the greatest for photos.

It wasn't over, though. I could hear MiniFred just down the gully, beyond the fox. She was not amused. The fox appeared back on the hill. MiniFred whistled at her again. And we didn't see another thing. 

Remember the two trailcams in the second photo above? Nothing on either one of them. I was really ticked off. Here is a fox from my files. Narrows Lock Rd, with a snack in its mouth.

The fox is a regular. All my fox videos.

More often than not, I see her on the driveway trailcam. July 21st.

Here she is in the night. In the rain. I believe Fred is diurnal. She was out of luck.

   

 She likes the driveway! 

 

Saturday's Critters # 658 Visit Eileen's blog.

Saturday's Critters

Update on our Freds, I noticed a miniFred in the borrow under the shed. We had a chat. I told her to watch out for predators. 

Meantime, A/C's Sue had a question. I have a frogpond trailcam. One needs to set up a 'camera trap' on a path that is restricted by, for example, bodies of water. This track has the frogpond on the one side, and the wetland on the other. It's about 100m to the camera, but it is down a hill, through the forest, and well out of sight of the house. 

I do like porcupines! They just waddle on through the critter path.

 

The coyote with the bad leg still has a bad leg.

   

 I give you bear!

   

 This is funny. Couldn't the flicker have been fully in frame? I'll have to had a word with it.

 

Another great place for a camera trap is the driveway. The doe on the driveway didn't seem thrilled with the heavy rain. We've had some spotty storms running through.

   

 The fox has been back, on the driveway, just trotting in. You can see the camera lights on the house.

 

Saturday's Critters # 604 visit Eileen's critter meme.

Fred had a close call!

Things have been feast or famine here. Heat, or rain and cool. First, the star, momma Fred.

Then the kits, whom I haven't seen in several days. 

MiniFred has been running up and down the driveway going who knows where.  Fred has been gone two days. Nobody was around June 24-26. 

There was a hole dug out front, again. I was not amused. Dug prior to the big storm June 24th, there have been no tracks in or out since then. I decided to leave it for now. The deerflies will slow down soon!

Then, Fred suddenly appeared Thursday, June 26th.

Look who was visiting, though!

It was a bit of a surprise. As I sat reading, I spotted a fox. I was sitting in my chair, leapt up and kept snapping photos. Once I yelled, fox was reluctant to leave. I kept yelling at it. 

I think it came up the driveway, under the deck, and then circled the garden burrow, where Fred was hiding.

After I yelled at the fox to leave, Fred finally came out again, squealing to warn kits? She headed back to the shed burrow, and my yard duty voice managed to scare foxy enough that it didn't come back. I do wonder where the kits are...

Crumbly Acres Critters

Canada is so very angry. There have been some benefits to the crises we face. Canada has become much more united. It was easy to trade products with the US, but it means small producers have always fought to get their products on major grocery store chain shelves. This has changed. 

This Election Is the Firewall Between Canada and Collapse 

The Convoy people (most weren't truckers) began using the 🇨🇦 Canadian flag (usually upside down) as a symbol of discontent. We've taken the flag back. It's being flown everywhere again, with pride.

Mark Carney (despite the new F* Carney flags) has inspired people. The polls have changed. While they are just a snapshot, it is a trend. We don't elect a PM, we elect a party locally, while they have already elected their leader. 

Once Carney was declared PM, the red line began rising over and above the Conservatives. 

Mark Carney is well-known around the world. He is an economist, his wife also has a Ph.D. The Reader's Digest did a piece on him. He met his wife (Diana Fox Carney) while they were studying at Oxford. They have 4 children. The far right is attacking his trans child, of course, who uses they/them pronouns. As a gramma to two who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, this is excellent news. 

🏘 We've had upsy downsy temperatures here at Crumbly Acres. When the sun comes out it is lovely. Nutmeg rolled around on the grass. She looked so happy!

   

 Cinnamon sat in the sun, watching for mice friends. I was out rehanging the Bluebird nest box, and took this from atop the step ladder! 

The deer ran off when Joe came home from his doctor's appointment. You can see the nest box. I should have sanded it and refinished it. At least I brought it in for winter. Mind you, it took me two days to figure out where I'd put it. Not in the shed, or the basement, it was in the garage! (But I'm not failing!)

When he came in, he tried watching the fishies. Nutmeg doesn't deign to do that. You can see her on the floor.

After I took out the garbage Monday morning, I shovelled the sidewalk! Hopefully for the last time this season. 

We had a fox visit in the night. This is an archive photo. We met *this* fox on a rural drive. It has a rodent in its mouth! 

Our fox came by the house, again. 

I was out walking around the house, looking for Fred digging another burrow. Can you see Labbit? It is from a video, but I was so cold, shaking, and the sun was in my eyes. She's just beyond the fence, under the leaning limb. Their camouflage is amazing.

Fred Groundhog has gone to ground, again. It's too cold. He tried to dig under the shed. I moved a couple of pieces of wood to block him. His burrow under the deck is flooded with melt water. The one under the flag pole is good. 

Rain or snow, or ice rain on the way, they have predicted. We'll see what happens.

Monday Morning!

Monday morning: garbage day. They predicted -19 ℃ overnight. (It's the things that don't quite kill ya...!) I was thinking I could put it out the night before as the critters won't smell it, it'll be frozen. Too late. I was in my jammies. 

I ended up driving it out in the car, despite it only being -12 ℃. It is snowing, too!

Anyway, I had a great haircut. There wasn't too much traffic on a Sunday morn. My stylist is a sweetie. Thing is, stylists like to cut hair. The thing is that I don't like my hair feathered. It's easier to put a curling iron in it. Here is the before and after. 

Hard to tell which is which, but it's really cleaned up at the back. My last professional haircut was in the summer. My bangs get long and I got to it. 

I built Joseph a fire down in the basement, and he was cozy. Joe was up to his eye balls in football games. He's been running around doing groceries, which is good to keep the car going. We a headlight out, front left. I just thought of it. Non-mental note!

Sunday we decided to bring in pizza. We're too far out for deliveries. I volunteered. He knows I get stressed just driving into town. He was grateful. Crazy senior drivers. This incident involved entitled young people.

Something that bothers me is people laughing at me. They sat in the car and laughed. 

Trailcams don't always do well in winter. The cold is hard on batteries. The melt/thaw freezes them, too! I brought this one in to get warmed up and melt. I needed to replace the batteries, and I couldn't open it up. Frozen shut! I sat it on the placemat and it melted. I loathe the rain in winter. 

I am happy with some snow fall. The red fox crossed the highway, and came all the way up the driveway, and around the back of the house. The track is a little smaller than the coyote. 

 

This is a screen capture from my latest red fox video. It came onto the sidewalk. I've not see it in the day in ages. 

This is the exception. It looked like a young one. Dec., 2021, there was a fox trotting along. I grabbed the camera, and it just hunkered down and gave itself a wash up! Cinnamon was nearby, and I captured him gazing off along the wetland as fox took off. 

Camera Critters

The birds knew something was on its way. They've been busy at the feeders. 

The critters have been pretty quiet. We did have visitors on Monday, this was before Thursday's snow fall.

 

Cinnamon and I went walkies. I called him and he roared up to the house.

 

 I thought I might not have any wild animal videos for today. What a surprise! I had a couple of surprises on the sidewalk Wingscapes camera. This was in the early hours, you can see the snow just beginning to fall.

   

 A sly fox!

 

Fox, Labbit, skunk, Butch

Fox

Nutmeg was on the back deck with a pouffy tail. I looked out and a fox was in the yard! Nutmeg was watching keenly. I couldn't coax her in the house. It disappeared down into the gully and she headed to the lower deck, to follow it. I sent JB (headed for his physio appointment) to go around in front of her and head her off. He clapped and fake chased her and she headed up to the house and in the open door. 

This is an archival photo from Bala, Ontario (2009?)! 

In the meantime, our cottontail has been very busy.

 

Labbit Mar 25 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Skunk continues to hang around. I've not seen her during the daytime. They tend to run if humans are about.

skunk Mar 25 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

And good old Butch is awake. Soon there will be kits following her!

Butch Mar 20 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Joseph Brian has been busy!

Indoors, Cinnamon likes watching our murder mysteries. We are watching Maria Wren with subtitles. He heard a doorbell ring, the same sound as our old doorbell fooled him! 

Spring unfolds as it should. It's a bit early, we shall see what summer brings.

Saturday's Critters

What a week it was. This morning we woke to several cm of snow. This morning it is -7℃ and a tad cold. It'll melt this week, as we expect above zero temperatures.

Barred owl has been a regular visitor! This was March 14.

 

barred owl from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I went back the next day and found an owl pellet! I dissected it to find out what s/he has been eating. Probably a vole!

They eat a critter, and cough up the bones mixed with fur in this pellet. 

Archie has been around!

archie from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

He was on the same path as two coyotes!

coyotes & Archie from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The fox turned up, briefly!

Fox March 17 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We have a group of six, as well.

6 turkeys from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.