Crumbly Acres catch and release

 First, our precious LGBTQ flag is gone. They ripped the pole off the fence, screws and all. It wasn't a good day, yesterday. 

I don't know where this came from... it is poignant. 

I did some yard work. Both the goldfish pond fountain and the bird bath are going great guns. There is one little goldfish in the pond. I'm still figuring out if I can repair or should replace my 60 gallon tank. 

I peeked out, and saw a little lump on the chair! A gray tree frog was sitting on the chair.

There was another on the railing. JB and I sat there watching the birds.

🦇Going Batty

The bats are out from hibernation. I thought I saw one out of the corner of my eye Thursday night. We both looked around. Nothing. 

Friday night, I'd gone to bed at 10, and at 11:30 I heard someone call out that there was a bat. I am losing my touch! Cinnamon stayed on guard in the Muskoka room. (At least he was out of the way!) I kept tripping on Nutmeg as I went from the dining room to the bedroom, and back to the kitchen. I caught the bat three times, but my net is too shallow. It crawled out. Three times! It's not my first rodeo , but we'll see what happens when it gets dark.

Saturday night I closed up all the curtains to encourage it to come out when the house was dark. Sure enough. Sunset is around 8:15, and I knew something would happen. The poor little flying mouse would be hungry. I used the net with the more depth rather than the fish net. 

Finally, it landed on the wall, where I could catch it. JB held the door, guarded for cats, and VOILA!

🕷To top it off, after working outdoors in the warmth, I had a tick nymph in my armpit. I plucked it off with tweezers, and doused us both in rubbing alcohol. No worries. 

🦆Wood duck nest box

🐦It is with sadness that I report that a weasel or mink has done in my wood duck nest. I'd taken a video last week. The nest is abandoned, 4 or 5 shells on the ground. Two left, cold, in the nest and no adults. 

I think the bunnies have nipped all but one of my trillium in the garden. Happily there are more in the forest. Silly Labbit.  The bird feeder is done, all cleaned and no more bird seed. They are adorable, and there are two. We'll expect more bunnies.

 

Saturday's Critters

 Critter Watch 2024

It is a busy ecosystem. A wonderful habitats for lots of critters, we are so grateful to live here.

• 🦉 Barred Owls are singing from time-to-time.
• 😼 Cat visitors – currently a Harlequin Tabby.
•      FISHER – all winter! Now scarce. Thankfully.
•      Fred Groundhog - showed up March 30th. Fred now has a mate.
•      Muskrat – under the dock, April 12.
• 🐣  PHOEBE - began visiting the shed March 28th, settled on the old nest under the deck. First egg, May 3rd. 
• 🐣 ROBINS – first sighting May 4th.
• 🐦Wood ducks – eggs April 28. 
• 🕷 TICKS – first one May 5th, only 2 this year.

Phoebe egg

They will lay one a day until there are five. They don't sit on them until they are all there. This way the first one hatches at about the same time as the fifth. 

Fred in the flowers, and fred in the shed! We had a chat about his redecorating.  He squeaked at me.

 

Joseph Brian rescued a turtle and took him to the vet. They have a turtle specialist. If it is a female, and pregnant and dies, they will harvest the eggs. All our turtles are at risk. The poor turtles are crossing from winter habitat to their summer habitat. It is often across a road. We lost a large bullfrog on the highway last month. It was the same issue. 

The coyote in the forest:

 

coyote apr. 25 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Deer in the forest:

 

doe a deer from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Emerging from below, I climbed up the hill and spotted deer across the highway.

 

deer friends from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

In the backyard, Labbit Cottontail.

 

cottontail 'Labbit' from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

In our frontyard, Labbit! I have bad news for them. The bird feeder has its last handful of food. I'll wash the feeders and put them away until the fall.

cottontail Apr 29 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

This was really fun. If you don't watch any of the other videos, watch this one! Fred gets goosed by mate Fred. The squeal is a hoot.

Fred goosed from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Saturday's Critters # 542 <= visit more critters here.

Frog pond tails

Firstly, the ducks have been busy!

ducks on pond from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

 I've the camera set as the wood duck is on her nest with about a dozen eggs. 

I think the male uses a lot of energy keeping the other males away from his mate. That said, the wood ducks have eggs!

 

wood duck eggs from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The lone muskrat! This is the new home of the muskrat. Under the dock.

You can see that Muskrat likes several paths through the weeds. 

I went down May 1st, and spotted the little varmint!

The Spring Peeper tadpoles have hatched out! 

I've spotted it on the pond, first time in April. I wondered what it was up to!

muskrat frog pond from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The raccoons like the fallen log, although it goes nowhere. In the middle ground, Muskrat goes under the deck.

 

raccoon & muskrat from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Crumbly Acres has signs of spring

 First, the front window provides entertainment. I am slowly finishing up the last of the bird seed. I was hoping to see the rose-breasted grosbeaks before the bears were roaming. We've a gray squirrel hanging around. I think I can see teats. It is the one I caught on video📹 flinging itself from the bird bath to the feeder. She is persistent. 

I found the Flicker nest! I went back and saw it at work.

xxx

Cinnamon and I went out the back 40. First we visited Fred in the shed.

I went back later in the day and saw Fred looking back at me. Can you see him?

On we went. Cinnamon flung himself up the trees.

The wetland is wet, with lots of invasive European Frog Bit growing on it.

Our frog pond used to be covered in it before the muskrats nested here several years ago. 

We carried on...

Here is a better photo of my garden. 

Labbit Cottontail in the dark under the feeder.

The pair of them are fueling up! 

Apr 26 cottontails from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Crumbly Acres turns yellow

The daffies I planted last year have popped up. It looks so pretty beside the driveway, on the bright green grass.

Also out front, I snuck some tulips in with the daffodils. Deer like tulips but not daffodils. 

By the house, my yellow tulips have popped open. I took a photo prior to blooming just in case Labbit or the deer nipped them in the bud! The day after they bloomed.

Out back, the water fountain is on the go. 

It's a little the worse for wear. The photo below right is what it looked like when I bought it! When it warms up I should repaint it. 

Sparrow and golden goldfinch:

Indoors, it is lovely seeing the flowering orchid. I love the pink on the underside of the petals. There is yellow in the orchid face!