29 December 2008
Fresh pileated woodpecker work
Beneath this birch snag was a pile of fresh wood shavings, indicating that the pileated had been working on the tree in the last few days.
29 December 2008
Black squirrel
The most abundant creatures today were squirrels. I counted an unprecedented number of grey (mostly black phase) ones, 16 in total, some in groups of 5 or 3. Many were actively seeking food, of course. One black one was investigating every manitoba maple key it found on the ground, picking each one up, doing a quick bite test to see if it contained a seed, and going on to the next. A grey was sitting on a branch eating a sumac seed head, a few others were tentatively chewing at manitoba maple branches. Others were gathered underneath the two feeders.
29 December 2008
Sumac on birch snag
Several sumac seed heads had been stashed in various locations, some distance from the nearest sumac shrub.
29 December 2008
Red squirrel
Red squirrels were also very visible today and I counted 14, though there might have been a few more (I didn't want to double count). While watching the group of five grey (black) squirrels, I saw four very active reds coming and going. They seemed to be ferrying walnuts from one spot to another. In fact, they were carrying them from some distance to the foot of a walnut tree - talk about coals to Newcastle! As most of you know, red squirrels are just about my favourite animal (after foxes!). And speaking of foxes, I saw one today, a nice sleek healthy animal. I would imagine that regular visitors to FWG have seen the numerous piles of fox scat scattered all over. Voles, their favoured food, are numerous again this winter (if you saw the Dec. blog entry of a few weeks back, you'll have noticed the photos of vole tunnels and piles of scat).
29 December 2008
Scotch pine cone stash
This pile of cones from a Scotch pine has been gathered by a red squirrel. In some years, when pine cones are abundant, the cone stash can achieve quite sizeable proportions.
Ending on a sad note - I found a dead orange and white cat today, at FWG. It had obviously been dead for a little while as it was not only frozen solid, but patches of fur were coming off. But what was very bizarre was that it was missing its head. I haven't quite figured out what might have occurred, but no predator around our site would take only the head, so I am worried that something else might have happened to the cat. At any rate, while I was standing back, wondering about this poor animal, crows came to feed on it. A red squirrel was nearby and agitated by my presence, and I was curious to see if it would also feed on the cat, since they are scavengers. But it ran off when the crows arrived and that was that.
20 December 2008
American robin
Diane Lepage photographed this robin in the late afternoon light, eating mountain ash fruit at the FWG.
20 December 2008
American robin
Another view of the robin by Diane Lepage.
19 December 2008
Sharp-shinned hawk
Sharp-shinned hawk with prey sitting in a cedar tree near our Backyard Garden. Photo by Helena Garcia.
