The furries
are also quite active, now that all the plants are lush and the flowers start to bloom. This weekend, we also saw a young Groundhog (the one here is Forrest, the big guy), as well as a bunny and some toads. There is a mole digging tunnels all over the backyard too.
Video: Surprise night visitor!
Yesterday in the evening, I decided to put some peanut butter on the branch to see if anybody would come to check it out during the night. We have several species of squirrels in Michigan, and this is one of them - a Flying squirrel. These guys look like straight out of an animation movie, and they are so elusive and fast that it is hard to spot them, let alone capture them on film or photo. This is not perfect but still a lot of fun to watch, and only the second time I saw one in my yard.
I hope
that you all had a Christmas that was as fun as the one I had. There was no snow, which was a bit sad, and it felt like the birds were all having their very own gatherings, bird traffic is slow right now. So today is another good day to introduce who is in the calendar. October is the “furry birb”, one of the resident groundhogs. They are not at our house and they make us laugh, so we tolerate them. Since the year is ending soon, I have added another promo in the shop that begins tomorrow and is good until January 1. Check it out here: https://www.createphotocalendars.com/Shop/ostdrossel
Another stormy day here
in Michigan, and I decided to not put out cameras on a tripod because of it. Instead, I put them on the ground. I would still love more Junco footage, and Cardinals too but the weather has been so weird and erratic that things are just super duper boring. However, here are a hilariously “shy” squirrel and a Goldfinch with lots of stuff blown towards him/ her. Come good into Friday!
Video: Last but not least,
Herr von Bödefeld finally made another showing too 😍 I always feel so bad for opossums in the winter and want to make them little possum mittens. By the way, if you find little compact pellets in your feeders in the mornings, you might have an opossum coming around to feed. They munch on the seeds and then make a compact pellet out of the hulls and spit that out. It is not poop!
I am sorry for not posting more frequently
right now, but work is busy and there is also not really a ton going on bird-wise. Nature is amazing right now and providing a lot of food to birds and wildlife. It is a bumper crop year for Black Walnuts and acorns here, and I am excited to see what that means for the winter bird population. Here is a view into the current regulars, furried and feathered. Also, since it is Thursday - check out the Ostdrossel calendars!
Video: Thirsty bun
Good morning! The yard is still slim pickings when it comes to birds but there was a thirsty bunny at the pond last night that I thought people might enjoy. It is still very mild out and I think I will give the pond one more thorough cleaning before I close it for the season.
Two days ago, there were Bluebirds at the Gilbertson box, and I heard them yesterday in the morning too. This made me incredibly happy because they have been absent since the Wren destroyed their eggs earlier this summer. I hope they will start sticking around again, I miss seeing these lovelies. Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Video: Look who it is!
In the last weeks and months, I mostly saw skunks and raccoons in the night recordings, but look who was back last night, happily running into the frame 😁 Herr von Bödefeld! I love Opossums and always feel lucky to have them visiting my yard. And I hope this one returns for some more muncher videos.
And when the camera is on the ground,
non-winged creatures also find their way there. And this Groundhog seems to have had a blast 😆 Get something fun to eat and come good into the weekend!
Videos: late summer life at the community pool
There is still not a lot happening at the moment so I am thankful even for little scenes.
I love Nasturtium and this year, it grows like crazy all over the yard (but also in a fenced-off section in my veggie garden). I often gather some for salads or just to eat plain. It has a peppery flavor. I am surprised to see that the groundhog likes it too, but it also looks like it has to take a big sip right after 😜 Once again, I know they are destructive but they just crack me up.
Happy Friday!
Robins are some of the best bathers around, and I thought it was so funny how these two made way for the young Flicker. I never see Flickers at my feeders so I always love it when they pop up at the bath.
Last but not least...
A nut connoisseur 😆
(This is the Groundhog. I often get comments about what kind of fancy food the birds are getting here, so… I think the company that sells this mix buys stuff that fell to the ground in places that package nuts for human consumption, which is why sometimes there are more fancy nuts in there. I am a birder on a budget and would never buy snacky nuts to feed them to the birds or animals.)
Videos: Critter cam!
It’s been a busy work week and there was little time for photo editing, but here are two videos to hold you over. I have always loved seeing what the Birdsy Cam recorded at night but of course it is especially fun when something more unusual shows up. This week, the Flying Squirrel came over again (last showing on cam was last October!), and two frogs were practising the famous Lift Scene from Dirty Dancing in the pond 😆
I am processing photos as we speak and will post some in the next two days. Friday is finally here! Have a great one!
This is my one side...
And this is my otter side. This Groundhog seems way too happy with himself 😆
Video: Not the Nasturtium!
We plant a little flower patch each year around the bird bath, and this year, the nasturtiums are plenty. I was so happy because I love using them in the kitchen, but I guess others like them too 😆 (I know that groundhogs can damage gardens and sheds, but we have one every year and the house and garden are still standing.)
Now with birds feeding babies,
I often see them coming to the feeders with natural food, mainly bugs from the garden. I always find it interesting to see what they find. This Robin looks to have a caterpillar, and I am wondering what kind it is. One of the dreaded Gypsy Moths?
(This Robin has a skin condition that shows on his legs. He has been coming for years and it does not seem to affect him, in case anyone is wondering.)
Video: Raccoon babies!
We noticed a nipply mommy raccoon recently, and were wondering if or when we would see babies. Well, tonight they came. Once again, I did not have the heart to edit, so please enjoy five minutes of baby racoons, and choose your favorite :D
Video: A very elegant nightly visitor and a PSA
During more boring times like right now, it is often wonderful to see something unusual. Like this Fox that came at night for a drink. He looks so elegant, and I love how attentive his ears are.
PSA - the livestream will be inactive for a couple of days but will be back live soon again.
Video: A Michigan Stand-off
The Opossum was back tonight! But also meeting a Raccoon. This was neat because I have never seen the 'possum show it's teeth. We are still wondering if we will see a mommy opossum walk by carrying the babies.
Video: Looks who's back!
Temperatures have gotten a little milder, and last night, this cutie came over. He/ she looks quite sturdy and moves very carefully so we think it might be a mommy to be. (I have sped the video up in the middle part) It would be so cool to see an Opossum waddling around with babies on their back.
Video: Sir Hoppy!
Sir Hoppy Swiftfoot, the resident snow bun, has been checking out the area around the bird bath more frequently recently. There is no seed there, and he does not seem to drink, so I am not sure why he likes the spot. But I love that he does :D The cam captured him during the day and at night.
