Saturday's Critters

 We'll start with the driveway, and the totally inadequate trailcam! This is the red fox. Quick and sprightly, to quote Aster.

I caught the tail end of the skunk who triggered the driveway camera, as well, but it wasn't quite as identifiable. Here is a daytime photo from a few years ago.

The coyote came and went! They always travel quite smartly.

The fisher

Butch is looking chubby for winter!

   

 One of them has a sore paw. Poor thing.

   

 It is Thanksgiving next weekend, we've two turkeys! Coincidence?!

 

Visit Eileen for more critter photos:  Saturday's Critters # 616. 

What does the fox say?

Firstly, we had our furnace and A/C inspected, in order to keep our warranty. Sadly, we were 'red ticketed!' There is a crack in something that could lead to death and destruction. Our serviceman was apologetic! He texted his boss, who found out we are still under warranty. Parts and labour will be covered. They will ordered the part, install it and unticket it! At least the A/C is OK. 

 🐀 Fred had a close call! the other day. She birthed four kits, the coyotes took two, and another one seems to have disappeared. I spotted him on the driveway, running 📹. Twice. It's a mystery. He could be elsewhere, or food for critters. 

I've been looking up at how often the fox visits. June 25th in the night. (Freds are sleeping!)

 

June 23, one last video of the two kits.

  

We tend to hang out on the back deck, once it is in the shade. The fox ran by June 26th. Cinnamon watched from the deck. Quite concerned. 

Foxy came back June 28th 👀. You may want to turn down the sound, if you choose to watch. I screamed in my yard duty voice for Cinnamon. He roared off the deck to keep an eye on the fox. He didn't engage with the fox. Thankfully. 

I went out to see where he was. The fox took off into the forest. I spent a moment or two scanning for it. Cinnamon came when he was called. 

 

Red foxes are fairly common in Ontario. This was in Bala, 2010.

Foxy appears more often that I suspected! 

🦊Red fox <= tracking data over the years.

• Jan. 2025 – in snow
• Feb. 2025 – trailcam in snow
• Mar. – backyard, Spycam 
• May – Driveway
• June – video
• June 26th – Poor Fred! Daytime spotting. 👀
• June 28 – back 13:00 hrs looking for Fred. 👀 , Cinnamon followed him to the woodpile. 

Crumbly Acres Critters

April 9 – buddies!

More artsy photos. I figured it out. The battery was low. I think.

Here is a trio: Dratted Red Squirrel (DRS), Labbit and doe at the feeder.

The birds had frantic fun in the snow. I topped up feeders as they looked somewhat desperate.

Four starlings and a grackle. Sort of sharing!

Dratted Red Squirrel watching the action. Cinnamon was watching DRS!

Bunny, and deer

Not much luck with the trailcam and saw-whet owl nest box. I bought the nesting box when one showed up on year. The hawk killed it. I was so sad. This was February, 2015.

This camera trap is tricky. I have to tip the camera up. I wish bear hadn't destroyed my camera mount I screwed into the tree! There was no action captured, even though the squirrel was there. 

The camera on the left;
saw-whet owl nest box, right.

More debris sticking out. 

It is lovely out there.

I think our fox!

Our snow has since melted.

Saturday's Critters # 591 <= visit more critter's at Eileen's page.

OK, have to feature this one. People are so creative. Watch for the Navy Seals! 

  

Monday Morning!

Monday morning: garbage day. They predicted -19 ℃ overnight. (It's the things that don't quite kill ya...!) I was thinking I could put it out the night before as the critters won't smell it, it'll be frozen. Too late. I was in my jammies. 

I ended up driving it out in the car, despite it only being -12 ℃. It is snowing, too!

Anyway, I had a great haircut. There wasn't too much traffic on a Sunday morn. My stylist is a sweetie. Thing is, stylists like to cut hair. The thing is that I don't like my hair feathered. It's easier to put a curling iron in it. Here is the before and after. 

Hard to tell which is which, but it's really cleaned up at the back. My last professional haircut was in the summer. My bangs get long and I got to it. 

I built Joseph a fire down in the basement, and he was cozy. Joe was up to his eye balls in football games. He's been running around doing groceries, which is good to keep the car going. We a headlight out, front left. I just thought of it. Non-mental note!

Sunday we decided to bring in pizza. We're too far out for deliveries. I volunteered. He knows I get stressed just driving into town. He was grateful. Crazy senior drivers. This incident involved entitled young people.

Something that bothers me is people laughing at me. They sat in the car and laughed. 

Trailcams don't always do well in winter. The cold is hard on batteries. The melt/thaw freezes them, too! I brought this one in to get warmed up and melt. I needed to replace the batteries, and I couldn't open it up. Frozen shut! I sat it on the placemat and it melted. I loathe the rain in winter. 

I am happy with some snow fall. The red fox crossed the highway, and came all the way up the driveway, and around the back of the house. The track is a little smaller than the coyote. 

 

This is a screen capture from my latest red fox video. It came onto the sidewalk. I've not see it in the day in ages. 

This is the exception. It looked like a young one. Dec., 2021, there was a fox trotting along. I grabbed the camera, and it just hunkered down and gave itself a wash up! Cinnamon was nearby, and I captured him gazing off along the wetland as fox took off. 

Crumbly Acres Vegetation Management

 I had a nice hair cut on Friday. It was the first time in ages I didn't have anxiety. Such a relief. I slept in until 8 a.m. today. A miracle. I am not as crumbly as I was. JB is managing a cold. 

It's been a month since we've had a full day with sunshine. I just heard that on the weather report. It occurs to me that it is true. We've a light snow falling now. 

Word of the day has to be apricity: the warmth of the sun on a winter’s day - and perhaps, by extension, a glimpse of sunshine after a long, hard chill. – Susie Dent

Vegetation Management continues on Crumbly Acres (<= the back story). It's been a long haul since the December snow storm. 

• Recovery at Snowy Crumbly Acres – Part 1!
• Snow Recovery at Crumbly Acres, Part 2
• Snow Recovery at Crumbly Acres – Part 3
• Snow Day at Crumbly Acres – Part 4
• Snow Fall at Crumbly Acres – Part 5

I am making progress, although it is slow. It is a bit more evident. Thankfully. It is discouraging. I decided to fill containers with the cut up pieces. They will make fine kindling once they dry out.

Funny story: I was taking an older container of kindling to the house, in another garbage can. After I bonked it on the wagon, a deermouse fly out, and around the shed. I laughed out loud! 

I cannot do the biggest trunks, and I shall have to wait patiently until we get that done. Patience has been thin these days.  This is such a limb. It takes too much juice out of the reciprocal saw, which only lasted a feeble half hour Friday.  The smell of the pine sap is amazing, however.  It's on my gloves, my saw, and my work coat. It's a hoot, the sweet smell, and the hard work.

There is so much to do. We've since had a skiff of snow, and the deer were scarce in the warmer temperatures. The grass was green in spots, and there was more food available. 

Who else would be sawing up wood in the rain? Moi. This is where Labbit seems to be hiding out. It is peculiar weather. This morning it is -8 C., whereas this was Friday, and it was above zero. I decided to take the weekend off!

Finally there is proof! Jan. 6, a skiff of snow; Labbit and a red fox. We'll see how long Labbit lasts. I am happy to host her under the deck. I never see her in the daytime. 

run, bunny! from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Sunset was lovely.

I'll leave you with a January photo of Tigger. This is what a 'normal' January looks like. 

Saturday's Critters

Everyone is on the move, one way or another. Birds are migrating, critters are fattening up, insects are disappearing. Except for blackflies. I managed another three bites a couple of days ago. It is unusual. 

Poor people out east, in the maritimes are being struck by Hurricane Fiona, which is now a tropical storm, but still powerful. The damage is terrible.

The tree frogs were out a couple of days ago. They did not appear yesterday! Three on the railing. Two smalls and a large.

tree frog from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The hornets are still going. 

I noticed hornets bashing into the spotlight early one morning just before dawn. I set up the videocamera to see what they were doing. I was trying to figure out when they might be gone. This may be a clue. 

hornets #8 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

turkey hen from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The path under the arbour attracts traveling critters.

red fox from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I made a mistake not removing the goldenrod in front!

coyotes from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Some are more nervous of the trailcam than others.

turkeys and chicks from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

There were two hens and two chicks here, we saw them in the backyard, as well.

coyote from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Sept 17 the doe appeared beside the tree house. I'd moved the trailcam here because the coyotes and raccoons were digging for food. Instead there was a doe.

And she's back!

bear from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Sept 17, 10:17 p.m. it was beside the tree house in the yard. Not a sign of her in the daytime. No bird feeders out here for awhile!

Coyote and bear evidence!

Visit more critters here: 

Saturday's Critters # 458

Saturday's Critters

 Here we are, Saturday's Critters, again. I am happy for the weekend. During COVID-19 we had our granddaughters every other week. During that time my previous client passed away. I am slowly recovering.

I had my first volunteer gig since March 2020 on Friday. After 4 hours I was mentally exhausted. I kept my mask on, sitting in a large room, with a high ceiling I was probably good, but why risk it with strangers. It was the first time since COVID that I'd sat indoors in a new setting. 

Leftovers for dinner, our New Zealand mystery show (on Amazon Prime, Barbara R.!), and a glass of wine did the trick. It's just about the silliness I need, in between solving the mystery, AC! 

Thanks to Eileen for hosting  Saturday's Critters # 457! I have a variety of critters who passed by. Two trailcams have provided lots of critters, mostly the one down the hill, through the forest where they skirt the wetland. The one on the driveway picked up some action, as well. 

Coyote

 

coyote from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Some are afraid of the trailcam, others are not.

coyote from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The coyotes were using the driveway, as they tend to do.

coyote from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The red fox happened by. Cinnamon had gotten a mouse and I put the body out in front of the trailcam.

red fox from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The deer with the misshapen antlers came by. I've read it could be from hormonal issues. He'll lose them in January or February and begin next year. I've combined two camera videos and you can see how my 'new' camera is really inadequate.

buck antler from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Our young fisher was back. Bouncing along the path. I took the clip, slowed it down, and zoomed in.

fisher from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The porcupine waddled by! All the critters are fattening up for winter.

porcupine from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Finally, the doe and fawn are hanging about some. You can see that she is still lactating, although she tolerates the fawn suckling less and less!

lactating doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Critters galore: red fox!

But first, indoors, I cleaned the birdbath heater. It looks like it could be on its way out. It works well, with an automatic shutoff, as well as turn on automatically feature. It the birdbath dries up it turns itself off, as well. I have ordered a new one, as you never know when it will die on me [What else can go wrong? Part the 2nd]. This is what the oven element looked like when it fired up and had to be replaced! A little the worse for wear.

I'm proud of this hack. I ordered a new bird bath pump. It isn't necessary, but it keeps more oxygen in the water in summer. They come with that really nice LED light display. The old one had a larger outflow on which my old pieces of tubing fit. This gives it a nice bubble effect. This one is smaller than the defunct one. I took an old syringe, cut off the top, glued it to the pump. We'll see what happens. 

It is quick. Don't blink. Fox dec 6 Fox Dec 26: 

 

 Did you know it is far more effective if you turn ON the trailcam before you leave the site? That said, a new trailcam, insert old SD Card. I found a video from June 6th! It breaks the first rule my trailcam mentor Justin cautioned me on, about facing the camera north! It's pretty, though.

Red Fox June 6th:

We had 12 cm snow overnight. I must go out and shovel and refill the bird feeders!

Thanks to Eileen for hosting!

Saturday's Critters # 368