What's This?!

I was putting away some gardening tools when I noticed a newly-made dusty hole near the shed.

Groundhogs?? Oh, no! Not again!

I guess we'll have to wait and see! Last time we had groundhogs in our yard - a few years ago - one would sit outside the hole and keep watch.

They build networks of tunnels to other places - like under sheds! I wouldn't be surprised if this hole is connected to it. 

It was a lot of work getting them to move - but we did finally succeed!

Every time I passed the window I'd look out to see if a groundhog was sitting outside... 

But a few days later,  I saw - not a groundhog but a chipmunk come out! Is that his or her newly created nest - or was the chipmunk simply checking out the newly-bored tunnel?!

A quick online search revealed that the tunnel was probably made by a chipmunk!

That's a relief! 

Wow! They also make complicated homes underground.

Critters!

Friendly looking little critters...

Babies almost ready to leave the nest?!

Cute - but not what I would want living in my garage roof!

Free-Range

A few days ago, Terry and I took our grandkids to an interesting "market garden" farm - where they also have "free range" chickens - and cats!

I'm not sure if these hens lay the eggs that are sold in the shop...

But we enjoyed just hanging out with chickens of all sizes and colour combinations.

My favourite was this black and white striped one with a cute tuft of black feathers on top of its head. I think its beak is white!

This one reminded me of a cartoon rooster I remember from my childhood days.

Jericho looked around for eggs. Last time he found one tucked behind a box. No eggs found this time...

But he did find a cat! (See top photo)

It was fun just to hang out with these "free range" animals... 

... and walk a pumpkin maze in progress.

Living With a Cat

I'm not used to living with a cat - not used to the door quietly moving - and there he is...

But I spent a few days in Toronto last weekend, staying with my daughter and her cat. He showed me the best view of the city...

"Nice, isn't it?!"

He was right!

Later, he joined me in the bathroom...

"Don't mind me - I like watching people brush their teeth..."

Didn't Know That!

You don't have to go far in Ottawa to come across Canada Geese! Here they are - next to some office buildings.

Rivers and creeks criss-cross throughout the city - and geese are never far away!

I've seen a mama goose sitting on a nest on a cliff above a river - and another in a planter in a shopping centre - with no river in sight...

I find them beautiful - and interesting - but I'm no expert on them.

I was recently listening on a podcast from the UK when the speaker, a bird watcher, mentioned birds she enjoyed watching. Among them were Canada Geese, migrating to the UK for the winter...

I was surprised! Really?!

So I looked it up online: Do some Canada Geese migrate from Canada to the UK for the winter?

The answer was NO - but... apparently more than 150,000 Canada geese live in the UK permanently. They are the offspring of some that were taken to Britain from North America in the 17th century to live in St. James Park in London - as exotic birds.

Unlike in Canada, they can be hunted in duck- hunting season.

They have been known to migrate - to Europe -  if there is a food shortage for them in the UK. But otherwise they don't normally migrate.

Interesting!

Enjoying ... Chickens!

Terry and I were planning a day of "Grandma Camp" with our grandson.

Among the activities I suggested was a visit to a pick-your-own-vegetables farm that Terry and I had visited last year.

I looked forward to picking - and eating - tomatoes fresh off the vine.

I also remembered some exotic-looking free-range chickens wandering around.

Would they still be there?!

They were! Jericho enjoyed hanging out with them.

Then he found an egg - smaller than ones we buy at the grocery store. He took it over to give to the lady in charge. 

You can have it, she said.

What can I do with it? he asked.

You can eat it, she replied.

He wasn't sure about that! He held on to it all the way home. A little crack eventually developed.

When we got home, we asked him what he wanted to do with his egg.

Tomorrow, I'll open it. If it's an egg, I'll eat it. If there's a little chicken inside, I won't.

Nice to see that he has figured out a plan!

Bees? Or Wasps?!

The Japanese anemones are in bloom... 

And the bees are out... or are they bees?!

I think of bees as yellow with black stripes ... These seem more white with black stripes!

After looking "white bees" up online, I came across a website where black and white bees are really wasps... But that was in California...

Are these wasps, too?!

There's so much variety in nature! So much to learn. So much to know...

Learning About Kangaroos

On my virtual walk along a coastal road in eastern Australia, I've reached the natural habitat of kangaroos ...

I was surprised to learn several facts about these animals. First, that there are different kinds of kangaroos - different sizes. 

(Much like we here in eastern Canada have different kinds if squirrels... Sitting on a Montreal park bench one day, I noticed that the brown and white squirrels in the park were about 30% larger than the squirrels in our neighbourhood. That's a significant difference!)

The second surprising fact was that kangaroos can swim - in fact, they are surprisingly good swimmers.

The third surprising fact was that, if threatened in the water by an animal like a dog, they use their upper limbs to push the animal's head under water to drown it! 

Wow! I had never heard that before!

(Makes me realize how little I know!)

Cat Feeder

We have this large plastic cat head in our basement storage room. I'd like it to find a new home for it - if it still works.

It's a food dispenser once used to feed one of my daughter's cats - the one who always seemed to be hungry. He would wake her up several times during the night wanting to be fed.

To dis-associate herself from food, in her hungry pet's mind, she purchased this feeder - which we affectionately called "cat mom." It was programmed to portion out dry kibble at set times during the day (and night)!

It worked well for years, until one day the cat got angry at "cat mom" - and knocked off her head, spilling a large quantity of kibble on the floor!

The dispenser was never used again!

Now I'm hunting for instructions - to test the feeder. If it still works, I'd like to include the instructions with the feeder when I pass it on.

Rabbits in Our Neighborhood

I don't notice a lot of rabbits in our neighbourhood -  maybe because they're nocturnal - like skunks.

Or maybe because they blend into the background so well. Great camouflage! No flashy colours!

They also look different when they sit DOWN LOW (like the first picture) or UP HIGH (like the second one).

Our local rabbits - with their smallish upward-pointing ears - don't resemble this rabbit statue I came across in a store... Garden art.

The statue's ears are definitely much larger! 

I know there are lots of types of rabbits in different parts of the world. I wonder where this rabbit is from?!

"Strange" Animals

I usually have my phone in my pocket - because it also counts my steps.

So it's handy if I want to take a picture of something interesting - like our neighbour's cat with his head stuck in a cedar branch. I suspect he's spying on potential prey.

Then there's the squirrel with no tail... just a stump, that I see from time to time.

After noticing it the first time, I looked up whether squirrels can lose (and regain) tails. I discovered that, yes - one of their tail vertebrae can snap off, if the tail is caught or grabbed by an enemy. But no, the tail won't grow back again.

I'm seeing this striped chipmunk more frequently in our yard. Not sure where he lives. 

But I don't always get a good picture - even with my phone at my side. 

I looked up to see a large bird walking down the path... A wild turkey, perhaps? I've only seen one once in our neighbourhood.

But at the very moment I snapped the picture, it must have lowered its head to eat... I only caught part of its back bending down.

Why didn't I run out of the house to get a better view?? Next time, I will!

Mother Goose Update

Week three of my 'mother goose watching' sees her looking healthy and strong... more alert than ever.

She is sitting next to buckets of water which someone fills regularly...

According to one account I read online, the mother goose does not eat at all during the weeks that she's sitting on her eggs.

This week I saw the male - the "gander" - for the very first time. He was "patrolling" nearby.

I guess he spends his time guarding... and eating! 

(It doesn't seem fair, does it?! But I guess he needs to be strong - and ready to attack!)

Our Ducks are Back!

One duck family considers our neighborhood their summer home...

Every spring they arrive...

Are they looking for a new location for their nest? Or just checking out their food options?

This squirrel ran over to check them out...

Then quickly ran off ... (to tell the others)?!

Welcome back! Since you've arrived, it must be spring!