more Spring is happening

Just a heads up...I started this two days ago!

The problem with not blogging as often as I should, I forget things. Both things I want to blog, as well as what I may have already mentioned.  If I repeat myself, I tell myself that it's a good sign that someone is paying attention to what I write!  I tell myself a lot of things. Not all of them are true but it makes me feel better. :D

First let me tell you that mother nature was up to her tricks again.  After lulling us into thinking we would, as the groundhog told us, have an early Spring, she hit us with everything at once in the past 24 hours.  Torrential rain, small stream and road flooding, big drop in temps, sleet, snow, blustery wind, followed by beautiful (though still cold) sunshine. That should have taught us something.

But still in the past week more signs of Spring keep showing themselves to me.  so mother nature have at it one or two more times, but the earth turns and you'll have to make the change to Spring.  So THERE!

I was concerned about Bob.  I hadn't seen him for three days. I noticed the opening to his burrow looked larger and I wondered if something had been after him, or worse, had gotten him.  I spent a lot of time looking out the window hoping for a glimpse of Bob.  Finally I looked out and noticed the opening to his burrow was closed up!  A good sign because he'd be the only one to do that.  Either that part of the burrow is already full of the goodies he's been collecting, or it's preventative to keep something from getting at him. Maybe he was sick of me waking him up in the morning as I'd call out "Wake up Bob!" when I got home in the moning and walked by the opening. I looked across the yard and there he was.

Welcome back Bob!!

I was hoping that he'd put the new entrance under a plant, but no it's still right out in the open. Maybe yesterdays weather will show him the error of his ways.  I've not seen him since the snow.

One lone little crocus has appeared.

The daffodils are sprouting!

The dianthus that grows wild is perking up.

This mallard was stranded momentarily until he figured out what to do.  I swear some times ducks forget they can fly!   With snow on the ground, they prefer to rest in the water. So they have to stay near the edge where the water was more calm and not let themselves float out too far.  Interesting that they can tolerate the cold water, but they definately don't enjoy sitting their butts in the snow and having to tuck their feet up into their feathers.

On a recent warmer day I finally got around to fixing the bird feeder station. Much more stable. This is proof!  They'd been avoiding it. One tried one instance but apparently didn't like the feel and have since left it alone.  I got a new stand for the pole, and I tied a few of the 'branches' together so that there was more room between feeders. This way hopefully the birds won't feel so crowded and more will feel safe using the feeders. 

this squirrel obviously approves.

Bob cracks me up.  Something scared off the birds overhead so Bob took off too. Suddenly he pops up behind the herb box. But I've no idea how he is standing there because there is nothing there. It drops down to the stream.  Later I looked and found that my homemade planter is missing the front board on the back and he managed to sit on the next one. Must have felt safe!

One of the females riding the rapids to the far fork of the stream.  This is where they usually walk over.

Who doesn't find the tufted titmouse 'cute'!

Not sure what I'll do when I need my planters for plants.  This winter, to make sure everyone gets some food, I often scattered seeds into the pots. They've gotten used to looking here.  This is a male house finch

black capped chickadee

house finch

one water logged squirrel sitting on the edge of a planter.

Yesterday morning I was leaving the house and noticed a squirrel sitting on the tree branch, her tail twitching madly.  I knew she wasn't worried about me. This is one squirrel I  can identify because she's lost a clump of fur on her tail and I noticed it when she had been obviously bursing. Anyhow, she looked distressed, and I realized there were no birds around. Looking around I finally spotted it.  A juvenile sharp shinned hawk.  At first, seeing the barred tail I thought it was a coopers hawk, but it was so small!   You can see better in the second photo a better perspective for size.  So I checked my bird book and decided it had to be the smaller sharp shinned hawk. It's eyes are still yellow, rather then orange, the creast is streaked rather then rusty, which indicates a juvenile.  though I haven't seen any in the yard lately I have been seeing quite a few red tail hawks in the area.

We have a muskrat once again.  He's a bit on the small side but obviously strong, and determined.  He's been out all through the storm and raging waters, up and down stream, gathering up home building supplies.  The past 2 years I only usually see one muskrat, unlike several years ago when oen found a mate and spent all season having babies. At least 3 litters.  They weren't shy about coming to the yard for corn, and the babies, I could walk right up to them while they are and take video and photos of them.  The only time it ever creeped me out was the day they just kept coming over. More and more until there were 25 in my yard at once!  LOL a tad freaky! But one day while talking to Sister on the phone I happened to look out and saw a mink going down the bank into the stream. Minks kill muskrats.  Surprises me since those muskrats seemed much bigger then a mink.  Anyhow, that was the last time I saw any young muskrats.  Last year the one muskrat I did see, was very shy and often, instead of following the stream around the bend to get some sticks, he would go through the small wooded area.

Nice to see my one eyed squirrel has been surviving the weather.  He's gotten brave enough to come to the porch for peanuts.

This is the female that has paired with blue eyes.  Blue eyes has been fighting with so many males lately. I've never witnessed such ferocious duck fights before.  But I've seen her be a little instigator too. Non-chalantly getting out of the stream only a few week in front of another male that had already been fighting with Blue Eyes.  Blue Eyes of course puts his head down and charges after the other male. This female turns around and slips back into the water and acts like she doesn't see a thing.

I've seen them seemingly try to drown each other, holding them under the water.

For some reason she wasn't coming up with BE to eat. Not sure if it was because a hawk had been around, or if she was just being the look out this time, as he walked around scarfing up food.

My brother aksed me the other day when he stopped by for a visit, what duck has blue eyes.  I thought I'd looked it up before but must have thought about it, then promptly forgot. I was motivated to look again and it's the Muscovy duck that has blue eyes.

May explain some of his odd white markings?

I

I did see some ducks mating the other day. It's always a little distrubing when you tend to put human emotions into the animal world. There were two males and one female.  Male A and the female seemed to be a couple.  Yet it was Male B that was trying to mount her. She was protesting and trying to get away every time he grabbed her by back of  the neck. At the same time Male A, her partner would stay in front of her. I saw him put his head down in front of her, sort of a butting motion, but I've no idea if he was trying to head butt and push off the duck that was successfully mounting her, or trying to get her to stop trying to get away.  Eventually the two, Male B and female, tumbled down the bank into the stream, still in a mount. Her head was being held down in the water at first, until male B finished.  So male B glided off in the water, while Male A and the female sidled up next to each other and floated around together.  Now you know, in the people world, someone would have been arrested for sexual assault!  hahaha

On the groundhog front, looks like Little Dude is out of hibernation!  I haven't seen him, but all the entrances to his burrow are now open.  I had placed a heavy rock at one entrance, so I'd know when he's out and it's been moved away from the opening.  All the dead leaves that collected over the front entrance have been cleared away.  

Then I noticed that the hole one of the groundhogs dug out of the bank on the other side of the stream, then never used, has been remodeled. There's fresh dirt and rock outside of it now.  I don't know if it's in use, but the muskrat took shelter in it during the rain, only briefly, on his trek downstream during the storm.  Resourceful little guy!  Hopefully I'll get some better photos of him soon.

Looking over the chewed stems I'd posted about last time, I've concluded it's most likely a rabbit that chewed them.  If it was  groundhog the damage would have gone much higher on any of the plants (burning bush and spicebush).  If it is the bunny, it means the poor thing was really hungry, from things I've read online. Hopefully now that things are starting to grow again and most of the latest snow is gone he'll be finding better things to eat then my bushes!

Last but not least, I did see two robins today. Hopefully they'll soon discover I've cleaned and refilled the grape jelly feeder for them.