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Old 01-22-2012, 10:56 PM
 
Location: Pacific Northwest
589 posts, read 7,637,985 times
Reputation: 1172

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A quiet one today, the wily 11 year old had to go back to her father’s for the week so the blonde and I went to the nature park for a walk by ourselves along the Alouette River in the rare winter sun. We had a good time together by ourselves but were both taken with how quiet the place is this time of year. We saw the remnants of last year’s nests in the trees, but there were no birds. We saw the now exposed rabbit burrows along the pathway, but there were no rabbits. We even saw the bee boxes hung in the berry bushes, but again, there were no bees. Nor were there any other souls out walking the path on a splendid winter afternoon; I suppose they all had more important tasks to attend to at the malls or at home playing video games, or maybe in front of the TV.

Wonderful as the day was, I’ve always disliked this lifeless time of year. At least I can take comfort knowing that in less than two months now the park will once again be teeming with life amongst the spring blooms. As we were leaving we looked up and saw a bald eagle perched high up a snag leaning over the flowing river, it never moved while it waited patiently for a fish to come into its view in the rapidly flowing water. Apparently there were no fish present at the park today, either.

When we got home Herr Squirrel was sitting on the roof of the squirrel hut eating hazelnuts that the blonde had left out for him and there were no less than a dozen birds at the feeder. The chickadees were taking turns feeding on peanut butter from the hanging box; they’re going through about 4 tablespoons of it a day now.

“Interesting, isn’t it?” The blonde murmured to me. “It’s only here at the house where we see some wildlife.”

And, of course, she was right. We entered the house and before we could get the jackets off both felines came running up to us making a great clamor; their bowls were empty. But that’s another story again.

Good night.

Ron

Last edited by Da Grouch; 01-22-2012 at 11:23 PM..
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Old 01-22-2012, 11:09 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
61,094 posts, read 85,880,338 times
Reputation: 130735
Attached Thumbnails
Tell me your nature observations!-bear2.jpg  

Last edited by elnina; 01-23-2012 at 11:45 AM..
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Old 01-23-2012, 10:04 AM
 
Location: Nantahala National Forest, NC
27,074 posts, read 11,694,412 times
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Oh same for me, nms.... My cats could watch for hrs from inside (me too)... think I fed them about 50 lbs of birdseed each year!

Since I moved, no more chippies...



Quote:
Originally Posted by nomoresnow View Post
Neat photo, red. We have squirrels down here - smaller than those up north. I do miss the chipmunks, tho. IMO, they're the comedians. Loved to watch them stuff as many p'nuts as possible into their little faces. It was worth the $$ we spent feeding them, the squirrels and the birds, too. And our kitties loved their kitty tv (they're indoor cats, too, DaGrouch). THey'd sit next to the sliding glass door and "chase" those chippers from one end to the other. I swear we could hear the chippers going "neener, neener, neener" knowing that the cats couldn't get to them! It was funny watching them all.
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Old 01-23-2012, 11:08 AM
 
Location: ...
3,919 posts, read 2,550,087 times
Reputation: 9044
Quote:
Originally Posted by Da Grouch View Post
A quiet one today, the wily 11 year old had to go back to her father’s for the week so the blonde and I went to the nature park for a walk by ourselves along the Alouette River in the rare winter sun. We had a good time together by ourselves but were both taken with how quiet the place is this time of year. We saw the remnants of last year’s nests in the trees, but there were no birds. We saw the now exposed rabbit burrows along the pathway, but there were no rabbits. We even saw the bee boxes hung in the berry bushes, but again, there were no bees. Nor were there any other souls out walking the path on a splendid winter afternoon; I suppose they all had more important tasks to attend to at the malls or at home playing video games, or maybe in front of the TV.

Wonderful as the day was, I’ve always disliked this lifeless time of year. At least I can take comfort knowing that in less than two months now the park will once again be teeming with life amongst the spring blooms. As we were leaving we looked up and saw a bald eagle perched high up a snag leaning over the flowing river, it never moved while it waited patiently for a fish to come into its view in the rapidly flowing water. Apparently there were no fish present at the park today, either.

When we got home Herr Squirrel was sitting on the roof of the squirrel hut eating hazelnuts that the blonde had left out for him and there were no less than a dozen birds at the feeder. The chickadees were taking turns feeding on peanut butter from the hanging box; they’re going through about 4 tablespoons of it a day now.

“Interesting, isn’t it?†The blonde murmured to me. “It’s only here at the house where we see some wildlife.â€

And, of course, she was right. We entered the house and before we could get the jackets off both felines came running up to us making a great clamor; their bowls were empty. But that’s another story again.

Good night.

Ron
…
Very nice. If you feed the whole woods, you'd find more wild life there too. hahaha Glad you have wild life at your place!
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Old 01-23-2012, 04:48 PM
bjh
 
59,731 posts, read 30,168,527 times
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Recently I saw a hawk swoop down from a tree and tackle something in the grass. It probably feasted on a mouse.
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Old 01-23-2012, 06:14 PM
 
Location: Nantahala National Forest, NC
27,074 posts, read 11,694,412 times
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I didn't see it but suspect my barred owl of the same...I woke in early morning to a terrifying screeching sound, not a person/dog/cat but some poor thing being attacked... it was dreadful to hear... yes, I know, part of nature.

Saw a beautiful Great White Egret today in a pond, searching for lunch...some Pied-billed Grebes (ducks)...sparrows passing through. Ms Cardinal at the feeder, raccoon early morning.

Have a lovely evening/day! gbh
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Old 01-23-2012, 07:32 PM
 
Location: grooving in the city
7,371 posts, read 6,810,582 times
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Interesting and enjoyable posts everyone!! Today for the first time, I saw a rabbit running through the neighbour's yard. Their cat in the window was going crazy!!
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Old 01-23-2012, 07:48 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
61,094 posts, read 85,880,338 times
Reputation: 130735
Yesterday late evening, when driving home I saw 4 beautiful raccoons cuddled together middle of the road. I stopped my car but they didn't move, and we are just looking at each others for a while. I had my headlights on, but they were not scared at all. Only when I decided to take a picture of them and opened the car door, they ran to a nearby street gutter and disappeared inside.
I was sad, that could be such a cute shot ...
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Old 01-24-2012, 12:29 AM
 
Location: Pacific Northwest
589 posts, read 7,637,985 times
Reputation: 1172
So today I come out of the shop to head out for lunch and I see this damned crow walking back and forth across the cowl of the truck. He (she?) is looking through the widshield and banging his (her?) beak against the glass. If I'd actually thought there was a chance the stupid bird could've done some damage with its hammering of the beak I probably would've had to end its meaningless existence on this planet; instead I just watched with amusement. After a few minutes of this my partner came out the door, also on his way out for lunch. He saw what I was looking at and joined me in watching and head shaking over the antics of this demented bird. Another couple of minutes go by and the black feathered fiend grasps hold of the (vertical) antenna mounted on the mirror and starts trying to pry open the driver's side no-draft. I'm sure the pea brain must have caused itself pain the way it was jamming its beak into the edge of the glass and pulling sideways.

Finally I decided I had to get going so I walked up to the truck, scaring off yon crow who immediately proceeded to lay a squawking session on me designed to hurt my ears and inform me of what a terrible low life entity I truly was. Once I got in the truck I noticed that my partially eaten bag of cashews from earlier was right there on the dash, in plain view from outside. The bird's unabashed display of determination to break into my truck was for no reason other than an all out attempt to commit larceny. I suppose I should have clued in sooner, seeing as how it was a crow and all, but I was still impressed with the level of commitment the bird had shown in its quest for a freebie.

I sprinkled a handful of the cashews on the sidewalk in front of the shop door, got in the truck and drove off. I hadn't gone 30 feet before I saw in my mirror that our intrepid hero was already on the walkway and inhaling the prized cashews as fast as he (she?) could.

I guess that's one of the things I've always admired about crows, they never give up; and the thought occurred to me that maybe if we all pursued our (hopefully more honest) objectives with as much perseverence as crows do...we'd all end up a lot farther ahead.

Good night all.

Ron
...
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Old 01-24-2012, 08:37 AM
 
Location: grooving in the city
7,371 posts, read 6,810,582 times
Reputation: 23537
Quote:
Originally Posted by Da Grouch View Post
So today I come out of the shop to head out for lunch and I see this damned crow walking back and forth across the cowl of the truck. He (she?) is looking through the widshield and banging his (her?) beak against the glass. If I'd actually thought there was a chance the stupid bird could've done some damage with its hammering of the beak I probably would've had to end its meaningless existence on this planet; instead I just watched with amusement. After a few minutes of this my partner came out the door, also on his way out for lunch. He saw what I was looking at and joined me in watching and head shaking over the antics of this demented bird. Another couple of minutes go by and the black feathered fiend grasps hold of the (vertical) antenna mounted on the mirror and starts trying to pry open the driver's side no-draft. I'm sure the pea brain must have caused itself pain the way it was jamming its beak into the edge of the glass and pulling sideways.

Finally I decided I had to get going so I walked up to the truck, scaring off yon crow who immediately proceeded to lay a squawking session on me designed to hurt my ears and inform me of what a terrible low life entity I truly was. Once I got in the truck I noticed that my partially eaten bag of cashews from earlier was right there on the dash, in plain view from outside. The bird's unabashed display of determination to break into my truck was for no reason other than an all out attempt to commit larceny. I suppose I should have clued in sooner, seeing as how it was a crow and all, but I was still impressed with the level of commitment the bird had shown in its quest for a freebie.

I sprinkled a handful of the cashews on the sidewalk in front of the shop door, got in the truck and drove off. I hadn't gone 30 feet before I saw in my mirror that our intrepid hero was already on the walkway and inhaling the prized cashews as fast as he (she?) could.

I guess that's one of the things I've always admired about crows, they never give up; and the thought occurred to me that maybe if we all pursued our (hopefully more honest) objectives with as much perseverence as crows do...we'd all end up a lot farther ahead.

Good night all.

Ron
...
Very interesting observation, Ron. Crows are extremely intelligent. I lived in the far north of Canada for awhile in a place called Thompson, Manitoba. They were so large, they were known as "Thompson turkeys". Folks would have to put small boulders on top of their trash bins. It was not ususally to see them successfully hacking off lids..
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