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! 

  

Saw-whet owl nesting box

This is supposed to be a saw-whet owl nesting box. Here is where it sat, in the dead elm in the centre of the photo. It should be down in the forest.

I moved a red squirrel family into it one year, as they had taken over the wood duck nesting box. This box wasn't being used. I think it was in the wrong place for the owls. July 20, 2017 Red squirrel usurps wood duck nesting box

Feb. 7, 2015

Long story, I had a saw-whet on the front porch, but it was killed by the hawk after I bought the nesting box. I was so sad.

I installed it that month, February, 2015.  Saw-whet owl nesting box,

I've been itching to move it for ages. The best time is winter. If I fall, it's a soft landing in snow!

First a ladder, and then to undo the nails. Yes, nails. The dead elm tree wouldn't take a screw. They are really hard trees. THAT was tricky.


It's really difficult walking, even with snowshoes.
  
I don't know if you can see how deep the snowshoe tracks are, but the deer have used my track.


The snow is lovely. We're on the home stretch. The sun warms the woods, and it's melted around the bench, too. Spring is coming...


TA DA! Step one is done. The box is down.


I chose another tree. My research said 4 - 5 m high, in a deciduous forest, near water, facing south (for warmth). They nest from March to July, so time is of the essence.

I trotted around on my snowshoes looking for a good tree. This one might not be the best, and we might not even get an owl in it. Saw-whets are nocturnal. They eat mostly voles and such. They are teeny things.

I expect to have the squirrels use it. I haven't seen a saw-whet since.
First, I preinstalled screws into the box, grabbed the drill, and put both on the ladder. Putting on my snowshoes, I hauled it all down the hill to the tree.


First job, to take the drill up. I set the drill in the nook at the top of the ladder, and it started buzzing. Whoops. The boxes are way too heavy. They are made of vintage barn board and weigh a ton.


Back down, to take the box up. You know, ladders aren't made for women of average height. Once up there, I realized the lower two screws were too short. The top one was a 3", and it was OK, but it didn't hold well. Nor could I get the screw tight.


Back down, put on the snowshoes, back to the garage to exchange the drill, fetch two more long screws, back down the hill, snowshoes off, again. And up I go.


 I changed it to a black and white photo.

OK, grab the drill, drag the ladder back to the house.
I went indoors, and fell into a chair, after a long drink of water. Hubby, downstairs watch curling by the fire, I tried to add a log and after climbing and fiddling around, I dropped the log on my finger. Insult to injury!

All about owls!

Horned owl
on nest in April, 2012

I did a Book Review: Owls of the U.S. and Canada –previously. There is so much to learn! It wasn't a good resource book, though.

I have a few owl photos of my own, simply a matter of chance and happenstance, for the most part, other than the Snowy owls. (There are some known spots)

I haven't managed to find any owls in 2016, but the year is young. I'm not getting any younger, though! I have avoided the ones, in south Ottawa, where everyone goes. It's just not right, tramping on the fields!
We had a Great horned owl build a nest across the highway in a previous year. I spotted a Barred owl by the frogpond, when on a walk with Daisy, and we had a Saw-whet owl on our front porch (the Sharp-shinned hawk killed it), and a Barred owl was killed by a car. I brought it home, to take photos. [A poor wee feathered body by the side of the road]

Barred owl

Serendipity... looking for Mike Muskrat
I found a barred owl!

Saw-whet

I spotted this information on the Facebook owl group. I asked Jeff if I might use his photo, as I have a hard time remembering the sex of Snowy owls. It is easy to figure it out, if you can remember it! I said I would give a donation to The Owl Foundation, where he volunteers in exchange for using his photo. He kindly said I need not make a donation, but I believe in being fair.

Now, hubby and I have driven miles and miles this year looking for Snowy owls, but in vain. Hopefully, we will see one. There are a couple of places where you are assured to spot them, but that would be easy! The horrible unethical photographers are baiting the owls [like this story], which results in them becoming inured to humans, as well as posing other problems, and that is bad.

Jeff Jones‎, who volunteers at The Owl Foundation...

Snowy owls

The difference in size between a male and female snowy owl is quite large. In this photo we have both a male and female hatch year snowy owl. Notice how much smaller the male (left) is than the female (right) Also notice the bars in the plumage. Both male and female snowy owls are born with bars, with the males bars slowly diminishing with each molt until he is all white, or very close to it. The males chest is much more white as well as his cap, which is a good indication to the probable sex of the owl if you are viewing it in the field. You can also notice how dense the female's bars are in comparison to the males. 

 The female was actually put in this long flight training cage to help the males recovery speed up. With her in there as well we are hoping he will want to try flying to build up some muscle quicker to show off so to speak. With luck I should be driving the male up to Sault St. Marie for release in a couple weeks.

Saw-whet owl nesting box

Out I went at 1:30.
Sunny day, warm in the lee of the house.

Back I cam at 3:55,
a little weary.

After a morning sans power, hubby went off for some shopping therapy. He dropped off a thank you card with Sady's photo on the front.

I decided I wanted to do something outdoors.

I got the blower started, and cleared off the driveway. The warm sun was melting the snow in the centre of the drive. I was moved to do some more work.

My goal was to put up the new Saw-whet owl nesting box. I'd filled it with shavings, as I did the Wood duck nesting box. You have to clean it after they hatch, there is a door on the side which opens. Not too near the house, but in the southward facing sun, nestled in the edge of the forest, I chose a dead Elm tree. They are hard as nails. Speaking of which...

It's crooked, because 
of the configuration of the tree.  

Despite pre-drilling a hole, the 4" screw wouldn't go in. I've had this issue before. Picture me, here am I, atop the ladder, drill in hand. Switching drill bit for the third time. The hole I drilled, for the bottom screw, I realized ought to be the bottom hole, as I couldn't lift that sucker over my head.
I wasn't worried, since we have 16" of snow cover. It would be a soft landing!

I struggled and struggled. Back down the ladder, I grabbed me a 4" nail and my heavy hammer. That sucker was going in come hell or high water! Then, I dropped the drill bit for the screw head. Yes, I swore loudly. I decided the drill was useless, and simply dropped it to the ground. I think.
I split the wood in the top hole, you can see the nail wouldn't go in any farther. More swearing!

Here is the Saw-whet owl
from the front porch visit.
My target audience!

My UPS guy, a sweet young man, had to stop in the middle of the driveway, as my wheelbarrow blocked his way. He dropped off an ASL Sign Language book I'd ordered from Amazon. I have a new client who signs, and I wanted to brush up on my sign language.

As I was making my way back to the driveway I fell down in the snow. Laughing so hard, by then, he asked if I was OK, and that made me laugh harder. Laughter is the best medicine.
Off he went on his tour. He will have much more work to do, since many of the stores in Perth weren't open with the power outage. He'll have to double up the next day.

I cleaned up my things, including the ladder and tools. Except, I couldn't find the drill. Anywhere. There are two possibilities, I'll have to go back up the ladder and check that I didn't place it in the box to hold it. The other thing is it will appear when the snow melts. Sigh. It was a great drill! Hubs thinks I put it down somewhere, and I must have. It's not in the box, I went back up.

Saw-whet info: they are tiny birds.

• Size: 79 grams (2.8 oz.) Mine was maybe 6" tall! (Mostly feathers!)
• Wingspan: 43 cm (17") (Barred owls, Snowys = over 1m)
• Diet: Mostly mice and voles, also songbirds, beetles, grasshoppers
• Lifespan : 10 years
• Incubation: 29 days, 5 or 6 eggs
• Brooding: 18 days, male brings food

picture me doggy digging - no drill!

Hole is 3" big. About 7.5cm.
The Northern Saw-whet is teeny.

Back the 2nd day, adding a couple more nails.
Daisy was brave and helped!
Buster was patrolling the driveway.

Saturday's Critters #64

Saw-whet owl visitation 3

You'll remember my Saw-whet owl. I have been fervently attempting to catch it on the Trailcam. It's just a blur, but it's been around again. The camera is set up facing the mailbox where it's been found sleeping in the morning. S/he is deeply suspicious, however...


Saw-whet owl 3.0 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
It's just a shadow on the Trailcam. They are simply too fast for the big game cameras, intended to capture large, slower critters. I repeated the 4 second clip, slowing it down by 25%, but it's still a blur! I think it is camera shy!!!

Last night, I forgot to put the SD Card back in. No memory. Sigh. Me, too.

Below was Day 2. I was tromping about the snow, looking for her perch. I saw her fly away. Leaping into my boots, I grabbed my camera and warm clothes.
The snow went into my knee-high boots! After swimming through snow in the front yard, I finally found it in the back yard, sitting on the garden post. Can you see it?

I scared it from the mailbox visitation #1.

Saw-whet owl from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
What a treat to see: a Saw-whet owl in my front yard. It slept here all day, but was gone the next morning. They are nocturnal.


This is where the owl went, after Daisy scared her.

 Saw-whet owl 2.0 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
It came back! Flying, I think, from the mailbox to the wreath outside my living room window, it began going around and around!

The 2nd visitation, Daisy was going outside and spotted it on the mailbox, which is just above her in the video. I think the only way to protect the owl is to remove the mailbox and put another perch, higher up.

Daisy hunts from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Suey fell asleep on the mailbox. The mailbox is where I discovered the Saw-whet owl sitting. It flew away the first time. The 2nd time it flew onto the wreath. Daisy went to look for her. The bird feeder is high above her head. I set up the trail cam to see if I could capture an image of the owl in the dark, so far only Daisy.