Crumbly Acres Critters

Yesterday was a lovely day, except for the haze from the Alberta wildfires. It is so hard to believe, but it is true. The smoke is wafting across the continent, a mere 3000+ km.  

The noise of the arborists haven't seemed to phase the wildlife. The 🐣PHOEBEs  under the deck have had a cowbird add an egg. This happened once before, but the phoebe abandoned the nest, and left one phoebe egg and the cowbird egg. 

The 🐣ROBIN hunkered down most of the day, with the eggs I found in the shed added to her nest.  

Percy is doing well. He's happier in the warmth of the day, our nights have been chilly and near 0 C. I've been feeding him, as there isn't a lot of action.

Walking to 'the back 40' to check out the wood duck nest box (no takers), I found the trillium blooming.

In the garden, my mysterious tulip bulb has bloomed. it's been here 6 years, as far as I can recall. I think they are the special Canada's 150th birthday tulips. These are the ones that didn't hold their red and white colours, but come up with a yellow tinge. The rabbit quite likes the tulips, she got them last year!

The horse chestnut leaves...

The 🐣HOUSE WRENs are back!

😼OREGANO Pepper cat 

Pepper May 5 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We've a red fox, a frequent flyer! I'm pretty sure it is a fox. It has interesting markings.

 

red fox from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Then there are ducks on the pond:

ducks 2 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

So many critters!

 Butch raccoon, down on the dock! I was putting out cracked corn until we had a wood duck laying. They played in it!

Butch is quite busy amongst the daffies.

Butch from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Cinnamon sunbathed during our walkies.

Another tulip amongst the daffodils, actually blooming. The deer have disappeared, it is birthing month. They take off for parts unknown. This is a good thing for my flowers.

First one! No, not a hummingbird, an oriole, but it was fun. My personal assistant bought us some oranges, just in case it comes back.

It had a conversation with the blackbird. It shuffled some seed around. Later that night, just before dark (no photo!), we had a real hummingbird. 

We have TWO male rose-breasted grosbeaks, as well as the female. I was so excited. I managed a photo of both at the same time, but it was pretty bad, through the window. 

The house wrens are back, as well. We've not had them nest here in my new bird houses since: house wren – 2019. I'll bet the holes aren't the right size. 

I was at the bathroom window, gazing out as I did my teeth, and hearing a bird I videotaped it. Playing it for BIRDnet, it was confirmed what it was (house wren ). 

Here is the wren from 3 years ago. 

house wren from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Windflower, Lenten Rose, Tulip

🐣PHOEBE

 First phoebe egg May 7th. The cats are intrigued, as they can see and hear them flying under the deck. Fortunately, it's only 0 C. and they went out and came back in for breakfast rather quickly. I may put a baffle up for the robin's nest, as Cinnamon climbed the post last year. Happily, he's a bit heavier this year, and may not be able to do it! 

Phoebe loves the daffodil garden. They'll perch on the fairy lights, keeping an eye out for bugs.

This photo is from May, 2016! I try not to bother the phoebe too much. We had a contractor in to give us an estimate for new eavestrough. The birds are phased by the action, but come back. Phoebe is reusing a nest from 2016 on top of the green shelf.

Cinnamon and I went walkies. He'll meow to get out in the afternoon, then wait on the front deck for me. Off we went. His first stop is a roll around on the pile of dirt. 

Waiting for my walking pal, I took a photo of the flowers. My Lenten Rose is magnificent this year. Tons of blooms, maybe 8 or 9! 

Grecian windflower

And I'm up to 3 tulips, including this pretty pink one. Take that, deer!

Off we went to the frogpond. This was trip #2 for me. The batteries on the farthest trailcam were needing some more juice. 

We passed the robin's nest in the big old white pine tree. They are all around this area. I didn't notice the brown creeper, even though I took my zoom lens. Perhaps it was too cold for her. I think I could use a monopod stand, as the lens is very heavy to lug around without the tripod. That will be my plan when it warms up this week – before the mosquitoes are bad!

Batteries reinserted, we headed back to the forest. Cinnamon wanted to sit on the tree stump. He watched a red-wing blackbird intently, but he knew it was too far away. 

The wetland is greening up. So good to see. Off in the middle ground, something grabbed Cinn's attention. 

I had my rubber boots on and I found the frog. Cinnamon wasn't too interested. He anticipated something more exciting than a cold frog, I think. 

It was Isabelle's 12th birthday Saturday. Izzy and Caitlin did a Facetime with me. Grampa was out fetching groceries. We'd sent her a card. Caitlin's MIL is there, so there is no end of celebrants at their house! I grabbed a screenshot to show grampa.

Happy Mother's Day – to all who mother one another. The cats were up early to prepare a sumptuous display for me! Wasn't that sweet?! 

Seedy Sunday

🏤LANARK LIFESTYLES

We went into town, I haven't taken many photos, but here is an update to this local build. 

I wrote some about this new senior's housing and residence built recently in Perth. They have built Tay River Healthcare, and are adding buildings for phase 2. They've put student artwork into the building! Perth student artists create masterpieces for Tay River Health Centre. 

PHASE 2

There is some controversy about the privacy fencing (Dec. 27, Mar. 16, 2022, March 31 ) for homes facing the property. They are working on it! 

This is the latest photo: 

I toodled on down to the frogpond. The wonderful melt it had begun has reversed somewhat. There is evidence that the turkeys have been sitting on my dock. 

The frogpond is filled with snow melt, making it a vernal pond. Some seasons it lasts all summer.  The meadow looks like a pond, as well.

I spotted the first signs of daffodils. Soon they will be smiling and the bees will be out!

I saw signs of the tulips, as well! Soon they will be up and blooming.

Ditch Diving

I spent a couple of hours picking up trash from our ditches. Some years they've been quite wet, and I wore my non-leaky rain boots just in case. (They were a gift!) The ditch was quite dry, which doesn't bode well for Spring flowers.

I picked up a good load of stuff. Mostly beer cans. Ironically, I was picking up what was obviously debris from a car incident, when suddenly an ambulance flips on their sirens. I've a low startle reflex and I jumped, covering my ears. Some of the trucks really do well over the 80 km/hour speed limit and it unnerves me, but I carried on. I probably have another couple of hours to do. "Nevertheless, she persisted."

🍃seeds grow

Back up at the house, Cinnamon was observing his front yard. The Orchid cactus is blooming (lower left) and the squash, pumpkins, zucchini and zinnia are coming along.

turkey tails from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Local School absences

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