Saturday's Critters

It has been a busy week. We're still tying up loose ends on the bank account fraud. My client's funeral is this afternoon. It will be a lovely celebration of life. I managed to sleep in until 6 this morning. This is good. I think I have it together enough to attend the funeral. 

 Spring slowly flips to summer, as the early plants bloom. The seasons unfold as they should. The milkweed is huge, and I hope we get monarchs this year. 

I sit out back and listen to the birds. They'll drop off after nesting season. Things get a little quieter. I have to enjoy them while they sing! It was chilly and with cold northwest winds, I needed a blanket. My toes were warm in the sun. I'm having issues with my tractor, hence the lovely patterns on the lawn. 

Phoebe continues to fee their young. It's about two weeks for fledging. I think they hatched  May 22/23. 

This is from another year, when they were nesting on a shelf.

 I just love them: both the horse chestnut tree and the bees on them!

bumble bees on chestnut tree from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Our cottontail bunnies has disappeared. In their place, a hare. You can see the bat flying about, as well.

 

hairy tails from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

In the predawn, the bats still flit about until bedtime. The birds begin their chorus. I love listening to them. Sound up, if you want to experience dawn!

 

bats & birds from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Every morning I go through the Reolink videos on Crumbly Acres. We had an unusual guest appearance.

 

hummingbird from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The millipede was on the lower deck again. I am not sure how much of a coincidence this is. Last time I saw it, it looked to be headed down into Fred's burrow??!!

 

Millipede from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We didn't see a new fawn last year, as I recall. This is the time of year. This doe seems pregnant.

 

pregnant doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The black-throated Green Warbler has been a hoot. Singing away out the back 40. I've only one photo of it!

Saturday's Critters # 546 <= for more critters visit Eileen's page!

Bank Fraud, fungus and flowers

 OK, bank fraud. I wrote about that. We've lost $1550. The bank's manager figured it out and explained it to me after we made an appointment to see her. The person who phoned saying they were from the bank was not. No one was trying to use my credit card in Vancouver. It was the thief. I should have hung up and phoned the bank myself. Lesson learned. They weren't after my credit card, in hindsight, and how did they get the number of my bank account?

We've new debit cards. Our old accounts are locked down, deposit only. We've a new account and I'll have to change a ton of information. It'll be a long week. I am losing sleep. 

Lesson learned. Well, it's only money. I'm getting email messages from various businesses where my payments have bounced. I email back and tell them the card was compromised. It'll take 4 - 10 days to get a new credit card. I'm still so angry humans can do this to one another for a trivial amount of money to them. 

💰 💸 🤑 💰 💸 🤑 💰 💸 🤑 💰 💸 🤑 💰 💸 🤑 

 After a massive storm rolled through (20mm rain), I am happy to look at the previous days' photos.

Little teeny caterpillars!

The jack-in-the-pulpit is in bloom! The iris, as well, which sits in front of it. 

Solomon's Seal:

I took this photo last week. The sun shining on the fungus.

I went back, and realized that the tree had broken and is leaning on another. I'll have to set it down, as it is dangerous in the winds. I didn't even notice there was a crack in the base. It is totally detached.

This planter is doing well. Butch raccoon wasn't attracted to that one.

Funny thing. I went to look at this planter. The white petunia, on the left, was pulled out and left on its side. I had to replant it. 

I had to tuck in the Angel's Trumpet seedlings, as well. Fresh dirt means a possible food source to squirrels. Raccoons, as well. 

The culprit? Two possibilities. our new hare or Butch! 

Butch raccoon from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Butch May 23 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The pair of cottontails we had seem to have disappeared. This is a new critter.

hare from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Nocturnal bunnies!

We had a deep freeze, -26 C. on Wednesday morning. It is a tad chilly. I've been having fun watching our bunnies. Via trailcams, mostly. The tracks in the snow let me know they are out and about. They are primarily nocturnal, for safety I think. They have a fine brownish collar.

Thursday night they were busy. I threw on the spotlight after dark, and saw one sitting on the snowbank. In the morning, you can see all the eastern cottontail tracks! 

According to the Canadian Wildlife Federation, they eat greens in the summer. For example, goldenrod, wild strawberries, dandelions and clover. (We have lots of those things!) This is why I leave my lawn a bit longer. It's better for the planet, as well. In winter, they eat bark, twigs, buds of shrubs and saplings. And bird seed!

I've seen them the odd time in the daylight in summer. My favourite shot is the second image, where you can see the white tail as s/he ran away from me. 

We've hares about. The first image we captured on a summer's walk in town. The second on the trailcam in the wetland. Snowshoe Hares are much heftier and their hind legs are enormous. They are white in winter.

There is a difference between rabbits and hares. From the Fletcher Wildlife Garden: The eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is the most common species around here. This species weighs 1.1 to 1.2 kg, and may be about 450 mm long (Banfield 1974, Forsyth 1985), with the female the larger animal. They are smaller than hares. 

I was running out of new places for the trailcams. One night, I just plonked #2 onto the step along the sidewalk. I knew the bunnies were visiting. I've seen snowshoe hares on the wetland walking. Just briefly, mind you. They are very fast. I am old and slow!

This is what I managed to get...

I threw some uneaten popcorn on the sidewalk. I meant to throw it under the feeder. (Bad aim!) At 1:03 bunny clearly came from around the garage, setting off the motion light.

I decided to try a different setup, with camera #2 on the step, and #3 (the new one) at the bottom of the steps, and facing the bird feeder. Sadly, I'd forgotten to turn the camera on the night before. Ya win, ya lose, sometimes.

 

Jan. 26th I added the camera. You can see JB coming up the sidewalk, but the camera is focused on the feeder.

   

 I had some fun video of the cottontails chasing one another. They were way too fast for the trailcamera. Cameras are designed for big game hunters to track game, and not for the lowly rabbit, or naturalist. In my iMovie app I slowed the motion by 25%. I set it for 30 second videos, and curate, trim, and splice them all together. 

   

 Thursday, after working on this a few days, I managed to not set the camera up properly, and all I had were 200 images! I put them all together in an iMovie, and it's not too bad. It shows their behaviour. They set off the motion sensor light by the garage.

 

I'd set up another camera in the backyard to capture them coming and going. Nada! They are too fast. The cameras often have a time delay to capture a larger animal. Our bunnies are so quick! Another one scoots home across the frozen goldfish pond, and into the forest. They truly are amusing.

For more critter fun: Saturday's Critters # 424, hosted by Eileen!

Wascally Wabbit

 I took a walk to the trailcams. A tricky rabbit or hare (like, whatever!)  appeared along the side of the house. I changed the focus to where the rabbit was for next time. It ran right under the trailcam. Later that night, I realized the bunny was out in the back, not visible on the trailcam. I turned on the spotlight and it hightailed it to under the lilac bush.

I peeked out in the backyard, popping on the flood lights, and there it was, just barely. bunny from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Silly thing. Fortunately, I have photos from other times.

For more critters:

Saturday's Critters #365

Who goes there in the dark?

 It's that time of year. Flora and fauna are hunkering down for winter. Except, it's been a bit balmy for Autumn. That will change, and winter will unfold as it should. Wild temperatures... Not as bad as out west, as Red has said. 

I've put out my lights. I had a chance to see them as I was BBQing on the back deck and I heard noises by the road. Sure enough, I walked down with my flashlight and found two vans, three men and a flat tire. Apparently, they were on their way home from a job and the spare tire was under equipment. They were cheerful. I asked if they needed anything. They told me that lots of people had stopped, but they were just about done. I took a photo of my lights.

In the backyard, I've put lights around the water fountain.

The coyote was back. This time, the lights were still on. The trailcams only do black and white in the night.

coyote Nov 5 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Bunny came back, at great speed. It was a short sprint, and I repeated the frames in slow motion!

bunny Nov 5 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Trailcam Critters

I went down to the trailcam on Wednesday. It was late, as Josephine wanted to come with me, but was working on a video as a school assignment. She didn't finish until 5 p.m. I headed down alone. I picked up trailcam #2, as I wanted to move it. Taking it with me, I arrived at trailcam #1 and it was dead as a doornail. I couldn't figure it out. I'd just replaced the rechargeable batteries the day prior. I took it off the tree, and put #2 in its place. 

Trotting up to the house, the sun was heading for bed, and it was getting chilly. I grabbed the memory cards and hoped for the best.

For some creative reason, I was trying to get rid of an old pillow, and I'd placed one by camera #2. I'd had 150 videos to sort through, and I accidentally deleted the one of the coyote hauling the pillow away, about 2 m., and then shaking it several times. 

Sometimes the coyotes just pee on the space.

coyote Oct 27 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The coyotes were being silly, again. They go right, they go left. Sometimes very fast, other times, not so much. 

Coyote trips from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Momma Butch still has 3 kits, down from 5. I was happy to see them.

Momma Butch 3 kits from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Fisher Oct. 28

fisher Oct 28 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I moved the camera. We had a bunny!

bunny from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

How are you?

I told my 40-year-old daughter about our aches and pains. "It's all downhill after 40," I said cheerily. Bursitis in my hip, cataracts. JB has had arm pain for a month. At least we have nearly kicked our November/December colds and coughs. My client has it again, it's going in circles.

We're watching a lot of TV. Poor JB is in pain. He stands. He sits. He's figured out the triggers: sitting too long. It's winter, it's tough walking. He's been going out to the arena, to get back on track with his exercise routines. Driving doesn't hurt it.

JB's been to the doctor several times for various medications, as well as a prescription for massage and physio. Massage hasn't done too much in terms of repair. Last week he went for an ultrasound.
We finally have a diagnosis. JB's ultrasound shows that he has a rotator cuff tendon tear, AKA supraspinatus tendon. Physio is on Monday.

In the meantime, he has wrestled with this for weeks, changing chairs, buying a back brace, several heating pads, and finally turned to pain killers.

File:Shoulder joint.svg - Wikimedia Commons

Happily, hubby can still shop. He went out to fetch more cat food (EMERGENCY!!!) and brought me home a subway for lunch. The bun was a bit stale, which has happened before. My stomach was growling, so I ate it. 

Indoors, Nutmeggie snuggles in... one of her favourite spots.

"If I fits, I sits!"

We're a bit cold, so I shall clean the heater in the next couple of days.


Outside, I scrubbed and refilled the bird bath, and refilled feeders. It was good to get some fresh air. The first robins have appeared.



The crows flew overhead. There seemed to be an event of some sort. I don't know what they are up to. They are clever creatures. I caw back at them, but they aren't inclined to respond. Someone online suggested I said something bad!

Down at the trailcam, in the cedar forest...

If you go down to the woods today! 🎶🎶🎶

May 31st, 2018

BEAR WATCH (all sightings)

Junior Bear is a regular irregular visitor, mostly in the night, like a good boy!

Meanwhile, back up at the ranch!