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.

Fred incident June 6th

The Freds continue to hang around. After momma led them away (teenagers: move out, find your own shelter?), they dispersed to four burrows. Two hang out together. Then they don't. Wed., Jun 10th, I could Momma at the shed burrow. Three kits were grazing in the wet grass. We had 14mm rain. About a half inch. 

She was unusually vigilant:

 

 More whistling.

   

 She led them to the septic bed burrow.

   

 I realized later that a coyote had taken a groundhog.

   

 This miniFred shadowed her.

 

UPDATE: on the released squirrels...

Our pregnant doe has been stealing the squirrel food! I laughed so hard. I didn't realize the squirrels came out at night. You can see the doe's eye reflecting the trailcam light, and a squirrel on top of the nest box, watching the doe. I thought squirrels were diurnal. Who knew?! 

We have to provide food and water for about a week, until they learn to forage.

We continue to get raccoons ambling by. I was reading in bed, Muskoka room door open, and heard one on the back deck. There was nothing it could get into, though. This one, with the skinny tail, has been out. It fished out some stones I had in a container. They rattled. It held paperwhites in the winter. 

And a fun one, a large male bear on the driveway. Video on Saturday's Critters!

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.

Made it to Thursday!

 Wednesday came early, but the forecast looked clear. We had a cold front move in, and it really changes my gardening routines!

In the parking lot, after our visit to the bank manager Monday, a skein of Canada geese! Then the heaven's opened up and the rain poured down. We went home to dry off and try to calm down.

2024 Process of Cancer Treatment Tuesday, May 28

PART CXII – Good PSA test Feb. 2, Lupron injection Feb. 12. MMR booster March.

PART CXIII – Zoom meeting May 28th with Dr. C, the surgeon. All is well. The Lupron is doing its work. Calcium supplements are good, as are his exercises to help build up bone strength. We will carry on as usual. Another Zoom meeting in 6 months, and a face-to-face in a year. 

We were happy to have a Zoom meeting with the surgeon. It works so well. He was only a half hour late to the Zoom meeting, but it was way easier than sitting waiting in the living room, driving the 90 minutes into the city and back.

 

I noticed a doe out back. She seems pregnant! 

I wrote about repainting my coloured pencil, moving it to the daffodil garden. The hummingbird, as well as the phoebes (feeding newly hatched chicks), like to perch on it.

 

Out the open window I heard a bird. I peeked, and it was a Great Crested Flycatcher, gone by the time I returned with the camera. Besides, the screen is in with all the bugs. I do have archived photos. 

Phoebe is doing a good job. I continue to look at them infrequently. I just worry about the mink! Last year it got the cardinals in the nest in the lilac tree. This year it got to the wood duck eggs.

Nutmeg in one of her favourite spots, on top of my Nanny's hand-made quilt. Nanny passed in the late 70s. Nutmeg looks to JB, then back to me.

I learned this from Jim: The pose below is called Flehmen response. It is a cat thing, as well as deer and other critters. Nutmeg does this a lot.

"However, cats also have a secret weapon when it comes to smells. They have a second “nose.” This special piece of equipment is called the Jacobson’s organ, or vomeronasal organ, and is located on the roof of the mouth."

This is Cinnamon exploring the smells of the new antler just after it dropped in winter.

I hope everyone has a good one.

Saturday's Critters

I had to share this. I was walking by the frogpond to fetch trailcam cards. Right here, I flushed a timberdoodle from the edge of the water. You'll have to use your imagination. The American Woodcock (AKA Timberdoodle) is flighty! I wanted to mark the spot to look for a nest. 

It is nesting season in southeastern Ontario. It is a delightful time of year. I've two nests under the upper deck. [ 🐣ROBINS | 🐣PHOEBE] Also, the 🐦Wood ducks are nesting on the back 40. I walked back to check, and flushed her from the nest. Figured I might as well look. I was pretty discouraged, as I've been hosting Wood ducks since 2014!

 What do you think: 12 eggs? They are known for having 6 – 15 eggs. They will incubate for about 30 days. This is a screen capture of the video: 

The flicker watches as I walk by... they must be nesting, as well. 

  

Flicker from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Next up, roaming guest Pepper. – on both cameras!

 

Pepper May 17 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The 🐣HOUSE WREN  began by filling the green bird house. Their songs are delightful. They like to fill the nests to keep out larger birds. Also, to hedge their bets, I'll bet.

  

I won't be able to see the eggs, if they end up nesting here. This is how they stuff their nests.

Now they are filling the bluebird nest box! 

 

phoebe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I think she is pregnant! They could give birth any time.

 

pregnant doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We've massive amounts of purple and white wild violets, the dandelions are out, things are blooming! Here are the bleeding hearts.

 Bumbling around the dandelions!

bumble bee from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I prepared this post Friday, and after lunch ventured out. Not too many bugs, as the wind is terrific. The phoebe nest under the deck is active. I think this is the cowbird egg that hatched. I am loathe to mess with nature. I suspect the one egg in the other phoebe nest is a cowbird, as well. 

phoebe hatching from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Visit more critters here: Saturday's Critters # 492. Thanks to Eileen for hosting.

Saturday's Critters

Pond life

These are teeny critters! The pond is coming alive:  I love these little creatures: amphipod, AKA: freshwater fairy shrimp.

Mosquito larvae – from my old macro lens days!

Fairy shrimp and mosquito larvae! 

frog pond action from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Yellow-bellied sapsucker

Cinnamon and I were wetland walking on the shoreline, just beyond the trailcamera. I noticed a yellow-bellied bashing away at the tree. (This is the bird that bangs on the satellite tower to call for a mate!)

yellow-bellied sapsucker from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Moving over to the tree, once it had flown, I could see why they call it that! The sap was oozing out of the holes. 

The trailcam tails

Not too far away, the trailcam showed a pregnant doe and her last year's juvenile.

pregnant doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Then, there is the porcupine!

porcupine from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The wood ducks walk between the frog pond and the wetland. 

wood ducks from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Here is the turkey in his splendor. I don't know what triggers him to display. He went by another time, the second part of the video, and did not. His colours are amazing. Hormones on legs!

wild turkey from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Thanks to Eileen for hosting Saturday's Critters # 437!

Saturday's critters

The flowers 

The critters continue to make me happy it is spring. The wood duck is in her nest. They are due to hatch soon.

The phoebe on hers. I tootled around doing the lawn while she was out. When I was done, she came back.

I noticed a sparrow checking out the bluebird nesting box! We'll see what happens.

The hummingbirds and rose-breasted grosbeaks have returned. (The house wren did not!)

Deer at the dock. deer at dock    

The crow was surprised by the duck. Hoppy Crow May 10 

 

I believe that the crows are still nesting in the pine tree. The one on the left. It's impossible to see it, as they nest hear the top, truly hidden. I've walked around the tree and cannot see anything.

The crows are as much predator as prey. The blue jays are wicked bad, as well. I haven't seen the crow with the stick sticking out of its face in a couple of days. crow  

 

There were three deer in the front yard. Momma and twins. She looks pregnant! 3 deer  

Butch is here frequently, even during the day. I found out why! She's a Momma Butch . 

Last year she had six kits🎥!

Thanks to Eileen for hosting lots of critters! 

Saturday's Critters # 387