A busy yard yesterday (Sunday)  I found it a bit distracting, but I did get a few things done.  I moved some hostas, dug more up, fixed my rock outline that's been buried in sand and dirt, weeded a little,  planted a vine, moved the bird feeder and started cleaning up the mess that is my yard and table. 

All in all each thing took little time, but with all the distractions going on, it took the better part of the day.  And I love days like that.

The heat was finally gone.  Though more clouds then sun and a constant breeze, it actually started to feel like fall. Every bird and mammal around seemed to appreciate the change also!  The feeders were all very busy.  Lots of scuffles between them as they all wanted a spot NOW, not in a minute.

First when I got home in the morning I heard a noise outside that alerted me there was some animal close by. Sure enough there was one of the groundhogs on the patio, moving around a storage container where I keep some yard/feeder supplies, as he was trying to get it open.  I was impressed, he had the right idea, but not the angle to be successful.  He was trying to pry open the lid with his teeth but didn't have enough leverage, and he kept putting a paw on the lid. Once he realized I was watching he took off as fast as he could.  When I checked the bin, you couldn't tell anything was trying to break in.  Apparently their teeth are not sharp enough to leave marks on plastic!   The bin everyone else has been getting in to was opened up by a squirrel.

Anyhow, this wasn't little dude.  I think I mentioned before about the other groundhog that was close in size to Dude. And I think it is a sibling from the same litter.  I often wonder about this because there were two that I rescued last year. Could they really be the same ones?  This one has more true white on it's face, while Dude's color around his nose and mouse is more of a brownish white.  The difference shows up more in real time then photos. For a time it was easy to tell them apart, because the other was heftier then Little Dude. But now Dude is making up for lost time it seems and has gained a goodly bit of girth!  And the other is very sensitive to any perceived danger, including me.  Perhaps I should say his reaction to people is normal, where Dude's become more adapted to me being close by.

I saw the granddaddy (as I call him just for his sheer size) groundhog eating some cracked corn, while 2 squirrels were chasing each other, while eating some corn off a cob at their feeder when through the yard flies a hawk.  I was concerned how oblivious the squirrels were acting. The groundhog didn't seem to care.  Then again at his size I don't think this hawk was of great concern to him.  The hawk flew into a nearby tree.  I didn't get a good look at him at first, and wasn't sure what it was.  After studying the photo, I thought it had to be a Cooper's Hawk. Later I was able to confirm it.

Here he is across right above the stream.  His eyes are still yellow, which indicates that he is still young. They'll turn more of an orange when he matures.

Another reason I thought it was a Cooper's Hawk is the way he then flew through the trees. I had read once where it's quite a daring behavior as when these hawks are captured and studied they are often found with injuries, broken bones, etc from their encounters with tree branches, etc.

I'd gone outside and filled the feeders and had left the bucket on the table, still with sunflower seeds in it.  At one point I looked out and saw a squirrel at the sunflower dish, behind the bucket, and all of a sudden a chipmunk pops up from inside!

 

 

 

 He would stuff his face for a bit, pop up and look around, go back to stuffing those cute cheeks some more. Too cute!  He ran off to store his treasure and while he was gone, I thought I'd surprise him with another treat in the bucket and placed 2 peanuts in there.  He made his way back and was ducking down to get more seeds.  By this time I'd moved to the back steps instead of being in the house. Trying to get better photos! The chipmunk peeks out over the edge again, and aI'm ready to take a photo when a bird swooshes right by me, startling me, and dives over the chipmunk! He jumped out of the container and dove onto the chair, hunkered down for about 10 minutes before he'd even move.

 

It all happened so fast I didn't know what it was at first.  Turns out it was a blue jay.  He wanted that peanut!

I usually throw out some peanuts every morning.  Some extras when the squirrels or Jays demand.  But once winter gets here, those blue jays will be here every morning and if I'm mere minutes late in getting the nuts out, they will squawk and carry on until they get their food.

Have a few minutes for some stories? :D

Reminds me of a few years ago when there was a chipmunk living here. I would hand feed him, he would jump onto my lap for a peanut. One day I was inside, my son still living here when I thought I heard a noise at the door.  My son said he heard it too. When I looked out there sat the chipmunk looking up at me.  I've no idea how that little thing made enough noise at my door for me to hear. For all I know he threw himself against it! 

One time I was sitting on the back steps, I'd been giving peanuts to the squirrel. The squirrel was burying them around the yard, not far from where I sat.  Never a good idea.  The chipmunk came out, sat at the bottom of the steps and watched the squirrel.  When the squirrel took a treat and went up the tree, the chipmunk went into action and dug up 3 peanuts, stuffed them in his mouth and took off.   The squirrel came back down, started running over to me and saw an open hole and stopped.  Next thing he is sniffing all around, finding every hole the chipmunk had opened and stolen the peanut!

Once the chipmunk was on my lap, while I saw on the porch. At the bottom of the steps, was a squirrel, who was cautiously approaching a peanut I threw down for him.  He took to long to grab it, a blue jay swooped down, stole the nut and took off.

It wouldn't be the last time a Jay stole from the squirrel.  I watched from inside one day when the squirrel was burying a peanut.  Of course squirrels are not always efficient and was 'burying' it under some dead leaves.  A blue jay stood watching from less then a foot away.  Once the squirrel ran off, the blue jay used his beak and pushed all the leaves aside, grabbed the nut and flew off.  One could almost feel sorry for the squirrels.

ok back to yesterday....

I'm still enjoying some color in the yard.

 

 

These black eyed susan were planted a year ago, but didn't do well.  I thought they didn't survive. But they came back, under my now full grown butterfly bush. So now one end shows them peeking out all over.  

I don't know why I didn't take a photo of the whole plant below, but these are the seed heads (and below that shows a tiny delicate flower which quickly turn into pretty red seed pods) from a limon talinum plant.  They have such beautiful lime green leaves that are gorgeous.  Planted with something purple or dark blue really makes that color pop! It is an annual that seeds very easily. Sister had given me some of the seeds, saying, just drop them in a pot.  Literally that's what I did. Tossed them in and voila` there was the plant.  If I can grow it, anyone can! LOL  There was another limon plant popped up in the yard, right next to my clematis, that kept dying off.  easy peasy!  I've been collecting the seeds and look forward to some different placement, now that i see just how easily it grows!

 

Now this plant makes me laugh. It's one of the plants that got flooded out of its pot and I just plopped it into a nearby pot that had lost it's plant.  I never got back to fixing it. But that didn't hinder it's continued blooming, even through all the harsh sun and drought conditions this season. 

a tufted titmouse. As the weather cools their numbers are increasing. I love these little birds.  Along with bird seed they love peanuts too.  In the winter one or two will get used to me and come right to me if it means they get food.

Male red cardinal.  The younguns color is deepening. There still seems to be a whole family of them still coming together in the late afternoon, early evening.

The hummmingbird is still making appearances. He first showed up yesterday afternoon, hitting up the butterfly bush. I had company at the time so I didn't have a chance to get a better photo while the sun was still out.  I was surprised to see it when it was getting darker.  But I had the camera at hand and took a photo of him sitting up high in a tree. (I'm sure waiting for me to get out of it's way!)

Here's the reason I had the camera in hand.  A flock of Blue Jays flew across the yard, landing in the trees across the stream making quite a racket.  And it didn't end when they landed. I figured what was going on and within seconds the hawk appeared flying through the yard.  The jays took off, still squawking and yelling. I could hear them nearby, then saw the hawk return, landing on a tree trunk by the stream.  He had something he was tearing apart.  I tried to get close, but with every tear he was making, he'd look to see where I was. I couldn't see what he had, but after he flew off I went to the area, but only saw two small white feathers.  So I'm not sure if the bird he caught was a blue jay.  I suspect it was just from the noise level of the jays, who stayed nearby with their non-stop chatter.



 Here you can at least see the telltale bands of the cooper hawks tail.

He left for awhile but came back, landing in a tree across the stream to consume some prey.  I need to start taking my binoculars outside with me! 

It was getting late in the day and there was little light left.  It's very frustrating when all I have is a point and shoot. Some day I'll have that better camera :D  So I gave up and left the yard to the critters.

A few hours later at work, I saw something moving about in the yard. Using a flashlight I was able to illuminate the skunk that was probably digging up grubs.  Since I was on a second floor balcony he wasn't concerned about me (thankfully!) .  I wish I could have gotten a better photo of it. He had interesting and well placed markings.  The skunks huge full tail is amazing though, isn't it? 

Today we are getting some much needed rain! So I'll have to get done some indoor chores...finally :) 
Have a great day everyone!