Saturday's Critters

 Things are relatively quiet around here. 

We had a coyote visit us. They like the driveway as a traffic route as much as we do.

Here is one of our coyotes in summer on the trailcam.

The cats don't spend much time outside. Cinnamon likes the garage. He's caught a couple mice there. They really don't go after the birds. The birds have figured them out. Besides, tabby cats are easy to spot on the white snow.

Daisy and Dorah liked walkies.

Daisy liked hunting in the snow, having dug this vole out. She was rehomed as she was bullying another cat. She became an apartment cat and did very well there, last I heard.

Nutmeg could hear a mouse under the snow. It was awfully funny. 

 

 The deer in the snow!

   

 Our lone male turkey hangs out. We've had flocks in previous years.

The deer stare at him as he comes up the hill. They tolerate him.

   

 I've seen dog zoomies videos, here are the deer, in the snow and cold.

 

Visit Eileen's Saturday's Critters # 580!

Saturday's Critters on Crumbly Acres

Things have been pretty quiet, in terms of critters. We're expecting very cold temperatures and a Polar Vortex tonight, over a few days. This kind of thing affects our critters.

The birds eat more to keep warm, the deer resort to eating twigs and dead weeds. The racoons are active in single digit weather, but once it freezes hey go back to hunkering down. The red squirrels are really busy, eating under the feeders. 

I woke in the dark, and peeked out the bedroom window. A doe was hunkered down in the snow, grooming. She leapt up as soon as I tried for a photo. Then, she stood here for 15 minutes. They are not tame at all. They feel safe in the yard, which is a good thing for us. 

Dec. 2022

I'm still wrestling with this trailcam. I've read the setting 5 times, at least. Again, 5000 images, taken every few minutes, triggered by snow, me, dratted red squirrel. You must laugh at these trivial things, frustrating as they are.

This is the view out the kitchen window. We seem to have about 6 regulars. Of course, they don't have name tags or antlers, the bucks winter in their yard somewhere else. 

They amble about in the wee hours.

   

 But come around in the day, too! I was watching from the window! I could see a furry doe under the feeder.

   

 It's Dratted Red Squirrel (DRS) who drives the cats nuts. Cat TV.

   

 The Mourning Dove on the nicely cleaned sidewalk!

 

We've just one turkey hanging around. It sees me in the kitchen window and takes off.

 

They do share.

 

Visit more critters at Eileen's: Saturday's Critters # 579!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 We had an early Thanksgiving last weekend. Our SIL, Jean-Luc, was going to be traveling to Las Vegas for business on a last minute basis, and we were worried about him bringing COVID back. 

Many of us have a holiday on the second Monday in October, on either side of the border.

From my reading, some Americans are marking Columbus Day today, yet there have been changes. Of course, Columbus' and his men brought disease and they put native into slavery. He didn't actually 'discover' this land. Nor did he have any respect for its people. 

Some states have replaced this day with Indigenous People Day or Native American Day. I  like that. 

Back to us! I sent Grampa out for a turkey. He couldn't lift it, and staff were very helpful in putting it in the cart, and putting it in the car for him. This one was 9.4 kg. It thawed in our little refrigerator. We have two bar fridges. The previous owners put the regular fridge in the basement, we gave it away. We've a chest freezer in the basement. 

I worked on the table. There were adjustments. Did you see it?

They arrived. While dinner was cooking, we were catching frogs. This took me back! The days of kids and nature. Jo and Aster took them down to the pond.

As they were headed down the hill to the frog pond, Jo found a ribbon snake. He came back to show us. Aster held onto the frog bucket.

Back down he went...

JL stuffed the turkey with Caitlin's stuffing, and then put the turkey in, I could barely lift it! (9.4 kg/ 22 lbs.) Then he used the power washer on the sidewalk. He was soaked. He loves a project, Caitlin says!!

xxx

The turkey was great. JL did a really good job. I sent home half the leftovers for Caitlin. 

We had a surprise dessert. Aster decorated it for us. Jo turns 17 in early December, but we seldom are able to celebrate it since things are busy at school. Both kids are in the musical, The Addams Family, in the chorus. Rehearsals after school for a couple of weeks. Also, Jo has to train the tech crew. Then, there is school work! 

His gift was a piece from an artisan in the Sundance Art Festival in Maberley. You can hang it on the wall. 

Saturday's Critters

 I transplanted this sputnik bush. I've had it for years and it isn't doing well. It had a little friend. 

Our buck!

Porcupine

Turkey on both trailcams!  

 The doe was in the forest

 

They move so fast, the coyotes. Porcupine, not so much.

Backyard doe and cottontail

Saturday's Critters # 558 <= visit more critters here.

Saturday's Critters

 We've had two Labbit cottontails, and yesterday afternoon two Fred groundhogs! 

I went walkies and when I came up from the wetland, maybe a red-tailed hawk?

hawk Apr 25 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

It seems to match my archival photo!

The birds have been busy. I haven't seen any turkey groups

turkey time from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Dratted Red Squirrel:

drs from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Silly Clover 2, eating my plants.

 

Morning deer from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Three bucks turned up later, covered in burrs.

Down at the frog pond... the water is seething with mosquito larvae. It is a blessed time until they emerge in clouds.

 

mosquito larvae from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I remember this tree falling over. Butch quite liked it. It just doesn't lead anywhere!

Butch on pond from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The coyotes are on the move.

coyotes Apr. 21 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Saturday's Critters # 541  <= for more critters.

We saw the sun!

 We were onto another series on Amazon. It is called Origine (Origins), and takes place near Angoulême, France. It features views of the river Charente and it is beautiful. I like the listening to the French language and reading the subtitles, I am remembering some of my long-lost vocabulary. 

Anyway, in Season 2 they replaced the female lead, Mickey Sebastian with a younger actress. The chemistry is gone. We won't finish it, as the plot didn't grab us either. Ageism rears its ugly head as the producers messed royally to switch out respected mature, gifted actors with youth. 

We began a very dark Italian TV series: Thou Shalt Not Kill. There are no lighter moments to relieve the tension, and I find such a difference between this and other series. Ciao!

Speaking of videos, the town of Perth, ON, has begun posting YouTube tourist marketing videos! I don't know if you are interested, or if you want vicarious travel, as I do. It is a pretty town.

💐My Amaryllis now has three white blossoms! The Alyssum I seeded is coming along VERY s-l-o-w-l-y. I intend to put it into the terrarium. We shall see. 

My orchid has two long blossom stems coming out!

Here she is! It was a fundraiser for our local provincial park. The first photo is how the artist displayed it. I shall have to find a place for her. 

I cleaned my other heron, brought home from Halifax one year. Cinnamon seems quite concerned!

Archie turkey is a dedicated loner.

Archie the turkey from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Duke is holding his own.

 

Duke Feb 4 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We had a nocturnal visitor, Fuzzy Fawn, Feb. 7th.

 

Fuzzy Fawn from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Critter tails

How good it was to see the sun, however briefly. There is another storm on the way. Happily, it looks like just snow and no rain. I can deal with the snow. We make sure we have food, gas for the snowblower, and I can take my time to shovel. We had 4 cm Thursday, not even worth shoveling!

I cannot complain, though. The high temperatures for some parts of Canada are -30˚ C. today! Sorry, Red!

Cinnamon enjoys a moment on his cat tower, and my first paperwhite bloom. The ceramic rabbit sits atop my gifts from Jean! She is a peach. 

I went for a walk to fetch trailcam cards. I met the deer trio, Momma and twins. It was funny, as they lined up, all looking in one direction, then looking at me.

deer trio from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I think the frog pond trail cam froze after the snow and rain. Nothing on it, yet two pieces of Fisher poopies in front of the trailcam. 

A big coyote track, as well.

There was a lone turkey about, in the snow.

  

lone turkey Jan 11 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I often wonder about the critters in the snow. We've another big storm on the way, potentially 20 cm. Again. 

  

King Charles dec 28 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Coyotes 

coyotes from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.