Saturday's Critters

Change is in the air. The last of the August bloomers are in bloom. I find it tough to enjoy each moment, planning the garden clean up I will have to do. Thankfully, Fred is helping!

I heard, and have seen, a frequent flyer is the House Wren. They haven't nested here in a few years. One is hanging about, though. Eating all those bugs in the garden.

The ribbon snake has been out and about, also eating insects. Soon they will enter their hibernaculum. They spend winter underground.

The doe wanders in the forest.

   

 Fred is entertaining all of us. Cinnamon can't understand why he goes down in the hole! Cinnamon is fascinated with Fred. He's such a gentle cat. 

   

 There is one turkey ambling through the habitat. 

   

 Coyote have such beautiful colours! 

 

Saturday's Critters # 663 <= visit more critter posts.

Fall is in the air!

Chilly mornings...  I posted yesterday about finding two Monarch chrysalis. Yesterday afternoon I checked on it, and it is turning dark. That means it should eclose today! 

Something knocked over the branches of the hydrangea! I'd say Butch or Fred. Who knows?!

Soon the Freds will slumber! In the meantime...

Aug. 3, before I readjusted the angle of the camera.

   

 I don't know if Fred is teething! He's chewing on a carpet.

 

This was 13 years ago! This feeder eventually fell apart.

 

People on a nearby lake have complained that a bear knocked their bird feeder over.  I learned not to feed birds in summer here! Here we were in 2017!

This was a two-year-old sent away to find his own territory.

Ah, memories!

🛩Sad news.  UPDATE: Aug. 20

Missing pilot found dead in aircraft submerged in lake in Kawartha Lakes region, OPP says

What a job these people do. Heroes doing search and rescue. There was no transponder in this home-built plane. 

Summer days

Things are winding down for summer. Leaves are thinking about giving it all up for a rest. Cool nights and warm days have been heavenyl.

🛩 Look for the helpers

I've been following the search for a small, home-built plane: ✈Search & Rescue, lost in Kawartha Lakes. They found debris in Wolf Lake. It'll be OPP Search and Rescue that will have to canoe in (?) and try to find him. It is terrible territory for searches. Local camps are offering support and resources. I am curious to know who found it, in pieces in a lake. So sad. Each red square is a QE II Park campsite. 

Wolf/Victoria Lake - QEII Wildlands

Little, teeny garter snake was looking at our black cat art piece! 

 Proof of life: Auntie Fred (left) and MiniFred by the lilac tree. Auntie was in a brood of 4 last year. So was MiniFred, this year. I think Momma is gone. I wonder and worry about them all. 

The sky was quite something as I popped into the library. I like the flowers, maintained by volunteers, but the sky!

Nutmeg does 'turtle.' She likes to watch TV this way. We're into the latest season of Professor T. 

It's been a slow year for monarchs. I've had several caterpillars, but I don't know if MiniFred has eaten them or not. He likes to eat milkweed. Obviously, one escaped and managed to build a chrysalis! I have to work on photographing this one. It is tricky with the bright sky and dark wood.

I found a second one!

I was in mind of the one who created its chrysalis here on frog! (August, 2019) See it on its chin?!

Some people raise them for release. I am dubious about this, though. I'm not sure they are viable if they are raised indoors. Port Carling library, July 8, 2010:

I managed to use the power washer the kids loaned me. I moved the metal hanging bracket here to the back, as I can't put anything on it at the front. It sets off the camera. 

Another rain storm on its way. The gutter drains into the goldfish pond through the water barrel. It is full. I've two water lilies in bloom. They stand so tall since the water has been high and low. 

Here is to the last days of summer. I do enjoy them. water lily,

MiniFred seems to be cleaning up the front garden. It's only milkweed and native sunflowers. He likes them!

 

He is getting chunky. It is hard to believe that he was born this year. This was Aunty Fred and siblings last June. They grow up so fast!

Deer, Fred, and Cinnamon

 Living in the middle of an ecosystem, habitat for many critters, I enjoy watching them. My parents were role models for retirement. They volunteered in a whole bunch of things. I cannot do that kind work any more. I volunteer one-on-one.  And my critters.

This is where Barry Beaver is doing his work. Ignore the time/date stamp. These were this week!

I do appreciate those not living in a wetland who enjoy my critters. It gives me joy. I looked out back, and spotted two deer. Don't zoom in. I was using the zoom, without my reading glasses, or the tripod! 😆

We tried watching tennis, but our Canadian players keep getting injured. I have theories about this: pushing too hard; going for speed, not finesse; too many tournaments. One family earned their trip to the Toronto women's tennis.

The flowers have been wonderful. The golden yellow is pretty, smooth oxeye I think.

I had two water lilies in bloom, this water lily is done, but another is on its way.

I love cloud watching. August has been dry in the past, but not this year! Saturday morning, the cats were roaring around at 5:30. I figured I might as well get up. 

I threw some cabbage out, knowing we wouldn't eat it. Fred devoured it.

   

 Fred has been busy. He's digging up sand from underneath the garden.

   

 Do you know how much cats like sand?!

 

Saturday's Critters

 August rushes by us. I am usually happy when August is finis. The garden and forest are spots that require taming. We miss the critters, of course. 

Fred has been creating a new burrow. I've spotted him on the deck, too.

 Auntie Fred has taken ownership of the shed burrow. The burrow under the lower deck floods in spring. Not a good choice! Soon The Freds will be hibernating. In the meantime, digging is the call to action. He does doggy digging, shoves the sand with his snout, and the sand flies!

   

 I think MiniFred is a male. You can giggle as he stops to groom, and rolls over. I think he likes self-deprecating humour! 

   

 In the backyard, Momma Butch has 3 kits! If you like the moths dancing in the light in the night, keep watching! We still have fireflies in the yard. Front and back. 

   

 Yesterday, I posted a video of the fox going after leopard frogs in the garden. Apparently, that is what the skunk is after, as well as Butch. In this video, Butch accidentally trotted towards skunk. It thought better of it! You can see the motion sensor lights by the garage reflecting on the white pine trees.

Finally, we celebrate twin fawns frolicking in the forest!

 

Saturday's Critters # 660 Visit more at Eileen's blog.

Auntie Fred & MiniFred

 The first part of my day involves checking out the back deck. My ritual. This morning it was coffee while downloading trailcam images remotely. Coffee in hand. 

The other is checking blog comments! I really appreciate your visits. 

@Val: We have people coming Aug. 6th to clear up the tree debris. 

@Red: this is the 2nd brood for Phoebe. We have a wee army of bug eaters.

I don't know why I can't learn my lesson! It wasn't the cats. I am certain it is Butch Raccoon! Is this the 3rd time?! Sigh. I had a piece of wood on top of the bucket, since Cinnamon keeps drinking the stinky plant water. 

Last night's dinner was good. Actual home grown cherry tomatoes with broccoli. I was able to eat a pork chop. My jaw was sore, as I haven't been chewing much. But I'm nearly there. All roasted on a chilly day.

But the star of my blog post is an exhausted Fred. 

Auntie Fred, from last year's brood, has settled in at the shed burrow. Again. Grooming is important!

I found a memory card under my chair. It's been there since late May! (Don't judge me!) It had on it Momma Fred. I think Momma Fred was taken by coyotes in June. Auntie Fred is one of her offspring from last year. 

MiniFred is still about. Up and down the driveway... which isn't the safest place. 

 

She's been sharpening her teeth on the deck. Seriously! Sound up. You can hear her.

 

I have a fox tale for tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Stormy weather, Barry, Fred, and a toad

The news is bad out there. I take comfort from my American blog friends who are suffering as well. Things are tense between the USA and Canadian governments. States want us to put US alcohol back in our stores.  Wab Kinew, Ojibway, and Premier of Manitoba, (NDP), you got to love him: "No CUSMA, no BOOZMA!"

de Adder is a great Canadian artist

OK, back to nature. During the last storm, I noticed the down pipe for the gutter wasn't connected. In between storms I shove it together. Wednesday I screwed the two pieces together after I recharged the drill!

It was draining behind the propane tanks. I noticed something moving. A wee toad eating the bugs. Bless its little heart!

A toad in Bala, Muskoka. 2009

 I hadn't ventured here post-storm. It was bad enough on our walking paths. I circled the pond on the far side, and found more damage. 

The frog pond from up above

The top of the white pine tree snapped off.

I found a bone: hmmm. The critters are pretty good at clean up.

 Barry Beaver has been working. Thanks goodness. He has a mess to clean up. Ignore the date stamp. I don't like standing in a bug cloud resetting the time and date!

Auntie Fred has been out. It's been chilly, and I don't know if they are thinking of hibernating! This is where she hunkered down last winter.

The berries attract the birds. A great sight.

I think they've settled in, dividing the burrows amongst them.