Saturday's Critters

 After all the fooferah of getting both new shingles, and our trees cleared up from the storm, I realized I'm going to have to rethink the deer fence out front.

 

 Here she was about to stomp at something and decided to chuff at me. I've lived here since before she was born! 

   

 MiniFred has kindly helped out with the garden. Eating weeds! 

   

 That fun. One Butch raccoon chasing another!

   

 I haven't seen a porcupine too often in the day: Oct. 2012. They are quiet and gentle ambling through the forest. 

 

Saturday's Critters # 659 <= Visit more at Eileen's blog.

Saturday's Critters

 Fred incident June 6th

I figured out yesterday that it was Momma Fred who was taken by the coyote. She had a good run. We've four teenaged groundhog kits foraging, and looking out for predators. I feel responsible! 

Our 3 released rescue squirrels are having a fine time. We are to provide for for a week. Eventually they will forage on their own. The trailcam provides me some entertainment. They don't come out when we are there. Joe feeds them faithfully each morning. Until Monday!

They are so happy with freedom and climbing the tree.

 

 They come out at night while the pregnant doe cleans up the bird seed. You can see them on top of the nest box, agitated with the thefts! The sounds of the frogs at night is glorious!

We continue to see a variety of critters out and about.

Porcupine

   

 I moved this camera away to watch the Freds. Maybe a mistake. I've seen a bear, coyote, and these three bucks wandering on through.

   

 The pregnant doe has been ambling around. I know how she feels. My second child, Jesse, was 10 ½ lbs. at birth!

   

I caught the bear on a couple of cameras. It might have been two bears. One looks large, the other smaller. The large one ambled down the driveway.

   

Checking out the frog pond trailcam later, I noticed it was askew. 

 

Boo boo bear was about. The older one was on the driveway, but this one I have not seen near the house. 

For more critters: Saturday's Critters # 652 visit Eileen's blog.

Saturday's Critters

The phoebes have been nurtured, and now are fledged. 

My McGyvered mirror has had the biscuit. 

During COVID (June, 2020), the grandies were here and we took the opportunity to look at the precious things for a moment. It was special.

My new mirror, a little less than great. I read it had a 36" pole. I neglected to read the size of the mirror! A full size security mirror is $143! 

It wasn't as bad as I thought!

 

Barry has disappeared deeper into the wetland. I hope there is water there for him. The path is frequented by both Butch raccoon, and our pregnant doe.

   

 A bear came by. It was captured on the driveway, and on the same path in the video above.

   

 A coyote was another brief visitor. Too brief for a video. Got him on the driveway camera!

The porcupine(s?) are out and about on an irregular regular basis. It seems to take the same path. I guess, when you are a porcupine, you can amble where you want.

 

We've a lot of wind. The doe seems a bit unsettled. They can't hear predators with the sounds.

 

Saturday's Critters # 651 <= visit more critters from around the world at Eileen's blog.

Trailcam Tails

 I am so behind on posting videos. We have stopped feeding deer. They have lots to eat now. 

 

 The turkeys have pretty much disappeared. In years past they would amble around with their harems, in full mating display.

   

 This tree sparrow was scrambling for bugs. The cats make this kind of move when we play! Maybe you aren't as keen as I, but I like seeing their little hop-scratch-search!

   

 The Skunk is still roaring up and back down the driveway. I am curious about the location of its home!

 

Lastly, a porcupine. It looks a bit smallish. Maybe a young one?!

 

#75, or rehabbed and released black squirrel, has been teasing cats!

The cats have had their tick/flea, etc., meds. 

I hope that helps with lots of horrific news out there. We had good news, in that we now have a majority government led by Mark Carney. We shall see what unfolds.  

Amazingly, the three new MPs are women, and 2 of them are women of colour. This is Canada.

Saturday's Critters

 We have critters on the move! During the drought, things were pretty quiet out there. I am happy to report lots of them are on the trailcam. Some both come and go, maybe a day or two apart, others rush by headed for somewhere!

Cinnamon and I went down to fetch the memory cards. Just for fun, I videotaped Cinnamon as I asked him about going 'walkies!' He also knows the word, 'dinner!'

   

 I found our porcupine. 

   

 We haven't seen the fawn since I spotted it on the Crumbly Acres camera, just after it was born out front.  Here they are in the forest at the frog pond trailcam.

 

Fisher Otter Aug. 16  I think Jim is right! 

   

 3 turkeys

 

Then there is the skunk!I love that bushy tail.

 

Saturday's Critters # 611 <= for more critters, visit Eileen. 

Saturday's Critters

 I have moved a trailcam. A doe went leaping by.

This is a lovely silk scarf, in the heat of the day it keeps the bugs off of my shoulders. 

My cap captures the deerflies. 

Cinnamon sticks to the back deck. Ain't no flies on us! Ne nestled himself in beside the goldfish plant. 

Cat on Deck! This isn't our cat. It's been an infrequent visitor. Thankfully.

 

Porcupine is back! July 13

 

  Black squirrel! (Not #75, I don't think!)

   

  Fred munches!

   

  Fred runs! Fred was caught on video running up the driveway. I turned the camera the other way to try see where she is going. Pffft. I turned it some more yesterday. I still don't know where she is going.

   

  Bear July 15th, he even rattles the camera. You can hear him snuffle.

 

Saturday's Critters # 605 <= visit more critters at Eileen's meme.

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.

Camera Critters

I arrived home Thursday from Ottawa. Mini-Freds have been digging and I have to deal with that. 

It is finally Spring, the 8 fishies are out in the pond. The pond lilies aren't growing yet, but they'll hid under the leaves. I think there is a hole in the goldfish pond. Plus we've not had much rain, it's not filling itself up from the rain barrel. 

Anyway, critters... I've been focusing on Fred and mini-Freds 1 & 2. I've neglected the other critters. The spring peeper tadpoles!

   

 The red-eyed vireos are seemingly in full nesting mode. Singing away! 

   

 The coyotes have been very active in May. They took two groundhog kits, which is why groundhogs have 2 - 9 kits!

 

They like the driveway as a travel path! This one crossed the yard.

   

 The porcupine has appeared twice on the trailcams lately.

 

More chores today. We'll see what trouble the groundhogs get into. I've 3 blackfly bites from yard work. I should have put on bug spray and sunscreen. sigh. 

Crumbly Acres Critters

Big day today! Garbage is out. I phoned the grandies, no answer! I texted both, and the 15-year-old is "working on it" – getting the 17-year-old up and out of bed! 

It's a cold one. Fred was busy rebuilding her next under the lower deck. She does this every year. I haven't seen any kits. 

The people in my trailcam camera group think this is a groundhog not a muskrat. Others complained, some that groundhogs ruined their veggie garden, or chewed on stuff. We can share our 16 acres with the critters!  

The frogpond trailcam has seen some action. Sadly, it looks like one of our raccoons has mange. 

 

 There is a buck who makes frequent appearances.

 

Maybe it is the same buck?! They won't wear name tags.

 

Coyote has been frequent, as well.

 

Then, there is porcupine. A regularly irregular visitor.

 

Someone on the lake spotted one in daylight a couple of km away, which is highly unusual. Several people around the lake have seen them on trailcams. We have long believed that we spotted a bobcat in our backyard. Confirmation came in 2023, a bobcat on our frogpond trailcam: Nov. 2023. 

 The deer fence has been wonderful!

 

Have a great week, all! 

Crumbly Acres Blossoms

Wow, what a change in temperatures. It is just 2 ℃ Wednesday morning.  It was up to 24℃ Wednesday afternoon. Today (Thursday) it was below zero and the bird bath froze. (Yes, I unplugged the heater!) I'm almost afraid to go out and check them.

Lenten Lily

daffodils

A porcupine ambled across the backyard, coming up from the gully to feed on weeds.

Tuesday, April 29th, the storm passed over.

We did some good work, cleaning out the garage. The oak leaves were everywhere. It rather overwhelmed me mentally, but I asked Joe for help. It's such a big job. I decided to give myself permission to just do one side, in a manageable goal. We have a pile ready to go to the dump. I think we should wait until I clean out the shed. 

periwinkle

The trees are in blossom. The grass is very green.

We were headed into town for COVID boosters. This was the windy day. This kind passenger leapt out of the car and moved the recycling bin off the road. Good for her!

The tulips are coming along.

The daffodils have popped up. These were planted in 2023.

YAY SPRING!