May the 4th be with you!

 Wednesday, it poured rain, about 11 mm. I could see it on the radar. It was a damp kind of cold! It was only about 10 C., and while the grass and the plants are happy... it would have been nice to get out.

There was lots of thunder and lightning that didn't make it to us!

Yesterday I noticed the cedar tree roots. I think it may be good for an online puzzle. I'll get on that.

The dryer is repaired! Our old dryer, which we bought with the house in 2010, konked out mid-dry. (Happily it was sunny at the time, and I hung the sheets outside.) When we reached our repairman, he said that this dryer is worth more money than a fancy new one, as it is much more reliable. That says a lot about modern machinery, with all the technology. He replaced the fan belt and we are good to go.  

The trailcam picked up some forest friends.

I haven't seen a coyote in awhile.

coyote from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

After seeing the porcupine up in the tree (that was amazing!), it was fun seeing how it walks, plodding along, on the ground in the night.

porcupine from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

It seems butch is getting its summer coat in. You can see a tuft of fur falling out near the base of its tail. It came by in the night as well. It stops and digs for bugs, there are little holes dug all through the forest.

Butch day & night from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

🐻SNUGGLE Bears 

They celebrated the fourth of May! 'May the 4th be with you!' They all have a little light sabre! 

Spring unfolds

I've begun a post on my Spring Chores, but I'm not quite ready to post it. I keep finding more chores to add to the list! You know how that goes. 

You can see the leaks in the bird bath. I checked and even though it has begun raining, I think the mend is holding. It cracked up around the base, as the snow got in after the heater busted. 

It's been chilly. They ended up sleeping in the same bed two days in a row!

The hosta has survived, and is beginning to grow. We'll see if their days are numbered, though. 

This may be the only evidence of my tulips, and please don't tell the deer they are here. 

Then, there are the lily bugs. I have my neem oil spray.

The horse chestnut buds are amazing.

tulips raise faces to the sun
leaf buds burst with sweet sap
-deer snap off a snack

The backyard daffodils are coming along. Don't blink! The season seems so short. The deer don't like the daffies. Isabelle helped me plant them, such a wonderful memory!

Trailcams

I've been thinking about the camera placement, screwed into the tree. I think it is a mistake. I'm sure the raccoons could use it as a stepping stool. I have a video of them trying to get into this nest box – not that I can find it! If ducks lay eggs in this box (they didn't last year) I'll have to move it. 

I managed to capture the deer at the pond. It attracts a lot of wildlife.

 

deer on pond from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

 The wood ducks I finally have on video. Almost. All I have to do is turn the camera a touch. 

You can see what I mean, he's just about in frame, though. I've begun reporting them on Project Nestwatch. Those, and the 🐣ROBIN  (3 eggs), as well as 🐣PHOEBE  who seems serious about nesting. 

wood duck from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Things are hopping in the pond. The fairy shrimp and mosquito larvae are quite active. The irony is that the Wordle of the day was 'larva' but I did not get it. I'd just processed this video!

 

fairy shrimp & mosquito larvae from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

🐻SNUGGLE Bears – Blues Bears Band!

JB is so creative! It's lots of fun.

Chores, Snuggle Bears, fencing

Sunday was a wonderful day in terms of weather. The sun shone, I didn't need a jacket! I did a lot of yard work. The thermometer made it to 26 C. This morning it is only 10 C., with clouds. The furnace is off, but I may just have to turn it back on.

Last night, just before bed, I peeked out into the Muskoka Room and two cats were happily snuggled in the cat bed. 

First frog of the season in the goldfish pond. It disappeared later. They don't usually show up in the pond until the wetland dries up. 

🍃seeds grow

The veggies were happy in the sunshine. I remembered to bring them in that night.

Chores

 Repairing the bird bath was a bit of a mess. We'll see how it holds up. Otherwise, it's a trip to Kemptville and another $50 to replace it. 

The deer are beginning to eat my garden, so the chicken wire fence is up. We've only a few deer left hanging around, as far as I can tell.

In the lower right of the second photo is the hosta they trimmed for me. Next, I have to take the bird feeder down, I've just a potful of seed to use up. The first photo is from last year, just before a couple were lopped off. This is why I need to put up chicken wire! The deer love the flowers...

Dratted red squirrel thought the arrangement quite lovely!

The daffodils in the front yard are lovely. I bought 100 a couple of years ago. They promised they would 'naturalize' and spread. Not so much. 

Don't tell the deer, but you can see that I hid a clump of tulips in front of the daffodils on the left. Deer don't like daffies, but they adore tulips. They've grazed on the leaves just outside the front door. I offer proof that there are tulips there, for now! I'll keep you posted.

Cinnamon and I took a walk around the wetland shoreline. You can hear the birds, and the moss are such a beautiful green colour. It warms the heart.

Cinnamon in the swamp from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

🐻SNUGGLE Bears

They were dancing around the May Pole for May 1st! The bears had to dance in the guest room. I was washing our sheets!

🐣ROBINS

This is an archived photo, but there are two robin eggs, so far! It's been a bit chilly since they laid them, as well as cloudy. We'll see what happens. The phoebe are still working on the nest on the shelf. Yay, SPRING!

Look up. Look waaaay up!

It was our last adventure listening for frogs. They are diminishing in numbers. Well, they are calling in reduced numbers! I can hear just the odd one, not the overlapping chorus. Also, we are only expected to visit our assigned sites three times. We are done! 

I can retire my clipboard, ably shown by 'Vanna White', my personal assistant and driver. Now I have to input all the data on the website. 

We went back to Wildlife Rd. (honestly!)  and while I heard some chorus frogs, the wood frogs have left evidence of a job well done! There are lots of wood frog eggs.

As we headed from site #3 to #2, there was an odd site in the tree. "Stop the car! Stop the car!"

Under the tree were quite a few branch ends!  

We often see porcupines! Their claws are amazing.

At 30 seconds he chews a branch right off, and backs up to a fork in the tree to nestle in and eat it!

porcupine from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I'm daffy for the daffies!

Things are hopping in our part of the world. The frogs are nearly done their mating season. The birds are still hot to trot. The wood frogs are done, the spring peepers still peep at night. Saturday we finished our frog surveys. More on that tomorrow. There is news from the south, as well!

Journey North

Great news, the monarchs who overwintered in Mexico, have bred, and new generations are making their way north. I've a great ton of milkweed, in a normal year. Thank you, Karen, for the offer of seeds, though.

The same is true for the hummers! They are up to Toronto and Montreal. It was zero overnight, again. I'll put the feeder out just in case. I haven't seen any, though. 

I love the birds! This sparrow graced me with its presence. Not bad for taking it through the window!

In the wetland, the marsh marigold is beginning to show. Eventually, it will look like the second photo. I may forget to snag a photo later!

These are the five sister. Although, they are down to four. Magnificent trees in their old age.

The daffodils are looking wonderful!

Again, I could have snapped an elegant, artistic macro photo, but I had a suitable one in the archives!

I took a video while we were walking. I spotted the chickadee coming out of this hole. The little thing didn't cooperate. You must imagine the little chickadee poking its head out and taking off! Can you do that?! It was sitting above my head, a little disturbed with us.

chickadee nest from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The northern flicker continues to be observed! I believe she is nesting in the dead elm tree. I shall keep watch.

 

northern flicker from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I spotted this bird, and tried to photograph it to later ID it. hah! It did have a caterpillar, which it was whacking on the dead tree. The beginning of the video shows my forsythia beginning its bloom.

 

mystery bird from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.