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.

Spring means ducks

Phoebe's nest still awaits its owners, well, builders, to move in. It is very pretty. It's been a tad chilly, again.

We should get our trees cleaned up next week. 

The forsythia is in bloom. I don't know if it will get better than this. I thought it prudent to take photos now. This could be it, or it could have more blooms, or I might forget all about it, since it hides behind a tree in our front yard!

I'm still watching Pepper. Here is a photo of Nutmeg to compare his size. He's not as big as Cinnamon, but Cinn sure is afraid of him.

Pepper from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We went for a drive to Narrows Lock in the sunshine. I saw a pair of mergansers and hooded mergansers. I wasn't feeling well, so we headed back home. I have archive photos from Bala, Muskoka!

The frog pond has mallards and wood ducks. These were taken in Muskoka, and Vancouver Park. 

 

I find it impossible to get any photos of our ducks on the frog pond. They spook too easily, seeing me coming down the hill they flee. 

I cannot get photos, but I have set up the trailcam traps. Somebody likes the cracked corn I put out for the ducks!

 

dock tails from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Saturday's Critters

For more critters: Saturday's Critters # 442 <= visit Eileen's blog.

I'm still watching the bird nests. Phoebes should fledge June 11th. 

The robins have gone. 

The House Wren is still singing from the top of the flag pole, or from the nesting box, poking its head out. 

I was going to use my snake scope to peek in the nest, but the app is no longer working with my OS. I've tried to find a new one but failed. While I was poking around, I noticed a nest in the bush beside the flag pole nest.

This is my non-mental note, reminding me to check it out. The nest is very much hidden.

The wrens built their nest in the Blue Bird nesting box, you see.

The wood ducks should launch themselves into the wetland any day now. The photo of the duckling is from 2014.

The goldfish are getting along swimmingly. I think Percy has grown, as well. The rain we've had has filled and refilled the pond.

The trailcam on the meadow continues to have a frequent flyer! I think it is a phoebe. The video is a bit slow for it. 

I find this so funny! 

bird on a trailcam from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We have a still pregnant doe, as well. She seems a tad shy! This is an image from the video, that's all I saw in the 30-second video.

The other trailcam shows the crows.

crows May 28 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

young buck from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I think Butch racoon stomps to wake the worms up!

Butch in the meadow from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

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!

Happy trails abound!

The frogpond is waking up. The ice and snow are gone.

I looked out the kitchen window, and spotted a pair of wood ducks. It would have been a better photo if a) I'd cleaned the window, b) used the tripod, but it was a brief moment, captured for posterity. I've encountered a pair around the wetland, not at the frogpond, and wondered at placing one of the wood deck nesting boxes in a different spot.

This is great wood duck habitat, with lots of wood frogs singing at the point.

wood frogs at the point from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I've set up the oldest trailcam at the end of the frogpond. It is a popular path for the deer walking around the wetland. It's not a bad video, all told. 

doe a deer from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We had a porcupine come through, and then two go back the way they came. In the first clip, it is snowing. In the second, you can see their cute waddling as they motor back along their way.

porcupine from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Along came the red fox. I could have shortened the clip, but like the previous clip, you can hear the spring peepers calling for love! It is such an iconic sound.

forest fox from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I've been watching the northern flicker. I think it is nesting in one of the big dead elm trees. I love hearing them call around the permieter of their area. They will start at the front, go to the backyard and call.

flicker from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

April showers bring May flowers!

Also ticks! Nutmeg had her first Monday, Apr. 18th. We'll get some goop from the vet and treat them. 

We are getting closer to spring! Saturday night, April 16th, we had a skiff of snow. It's been cold. This morning, it is snowing some more, big heavy flakes! April snows aren't unusual. Besides, it'll melt soon. 

We've a crocus or two, but someone has nipped off the tulips!

Daffodils
 

As I approached the dock, I had a pair of wood ducks fly in, and promptly climb up the hill away from me. Then, they took off to the wetland. 

wood duck pair from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The nesting boxes are ready, #2 (on the left), has had a potential guest check it out.

April 6th for comparison!

The wood frogs have laid their eggs!

Mosquito larvae are active in the pond.  The bugs will be next! mosquito larvae from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

It's quite the sight, wood frogs mating:

🐻SNUGGLE Bears – April 15th