Easter visitors

We've been treated to some lovely weather. It was 22℃ on Friday. A lovely, warm day. The nights are still cold, though.

Our Ottawa kids visited for an Easter sleepover! Grampa brought home tulips for the table.

We baked the pie before they arrived.

Jean-Luc did ham (from our local butcher), broccoli and carrots, as well.

Jordan and Aster were asked to help move the snowblower to the shed. It didn't go well. Gramma had to shove it all the way there. They may be taller than I am, but I've still got the muscles. 💪

After that, we went for a forest walk.

I found 2 and Jordan found 3 Barred Owl pellets. I heard owl calling that morning.

There was Facetime with Jesse and his kids out in Vancouver! Cousin Bryony is 7 next week. We sent a wee parcel. 

Aster chose a movie. It was lovely.

Song of the Sea

We had a few things for them Easter morning. A drawing pad, pencils, Sharpie felt pens, a calendar with kittens and puppies!

A chocolate hamburger to share!

Before they left, Aster wanted to dissect the owl pellets from last week. They have dried out. We found this interesting skull. It might be a shrew skull! 

While Aster dissected, Caitlin and JL went for a walk. They spotted Labbit near the wood pile. I spotted her Monday morning when I put out garbage.

Look what they found! An oil beetle. It spits poison at predators.

The kids are going away for their 20th wedding anniversary later. The other gramma will be there the first week. I will be there the second week. Caitlin showed me their new (used) EV and gave me some pointers.

A great visit!

Cinnamon Walkies

 I took Cinnamon for Walkies. He knows the word, and either waits to go out at the door, or runs to follow me outside. He's so fast, the image is distorted.

The mosses are lovely. It began to precipitate. Cinnamon, if you look closely, is blanketed in graupel.

Back up to the house we went. Of course, 'walkies' might better be called 'runnies' as he roars around to catch up to me, and runs to be the leader.

 

From there, I asked if he wanted to go to the back 40. Apparently so.

Off we went to the owl tree, and I spotted some owl mute and a pellet. Mute is the white, but you can see the pellet on the right. They regurgitate rodent fur and the bones they cannot digest.

I looked around the owl tree and found a total of three. This is the limb where the owl sat. I'll let them dry, then dissect them to see what it's been eating.

I posted the pellet photo to our Crumbly Acres family photo stream, and Aster was quite keen on dissecting it. I said I'd save her one, or did she want me to mail it to her?! She's on the rugby team at her high school. 

We kept going in order to inspect the wood duck nest box. I could hear the pileated woodpecker banging away in the forest, across the wetland. It looks like it's been at the nest box. Non-mental note, I need to reattach the baffles. I'll have to remember a ladder and the staple gun. 

I think the cardinal pair are ready for spring. He's been singing atop the trees.

Our good news is that tonight's ice storm will be a snow storm. Sunday's predicted ice storm is still in the forecast.

Owl pellets

Now this may not tickle your fancy, but having dropped science in high school, I am happy to be able to do Citizen Science. It really restricted my options, sadly. 

 I had a mystery. Our Barred Owl left me several pellets under the base of the owl tree. These happen when owl poops white mute out the rear end, and vomits up the bones, shells, and fur of undigestible parts. It has a pungent odor, once dry, less so. 

I laid them out on a large ceramic coaster! Using my large tweezers, I removed the furry bits.

I took out my zoom lens for the iPhone. The focus distance is 2.5 cm, and it is tricky with eye issues. 

Using the zoom lens on the iPhone, the first time, not bad.

Most of these bones are from Meadow Voles, AKA field mice. They are ubiquitous. 

First, let me show you a toe biter I caught during frog moving season. This was a major clue. If you look in the photos above, you can the the exoskeleton of the digested bug. 

Unsatisfied with my first images, I tried placing the wee bones on a piece of fake velvet.

That was better.