Creature Feature

Animals, it would seem, are the photographic subject we have most of around here. Whether they're our own pets or one of the birds or mammals which look to us for daily feedings, or those which will have nothing to do with us at all, there is no shortage of creatures around here. Hence this creature feature. I hope you enjoy our critters as much as we do.


My beautiful Zephyr. He (along with his brother Skitty) is fifteen and truly hasn't changed much since the day I brought him home at 10 weeks. He's fearful (mostly of that killer vacuum cleaner, unexpected sounds, strangers, a cough, his shadow, his thoughts and just about anything else), gentle, loving and sweet. We won't get into his IQ, but let's just say that his tender heart more than makes up for what might be lacking in that department. This is his kissable nose.






This little cutie is a juvenile white throat sparrow. He was hanging out on the decorative (lichen covered) bird house outside of our kitchen window. It was through that window that I snapped this photo several weeks ago.






Oh yes, I know. You've met him before. Our sweet little red squirrel ex-regular, Rufous. He pretty much believed that he owned the place. He kind of did. We've not seen him for quite a few weeks now but Noivus (a very nervous red squirrel) and Sprout (or Little Red as Frank calls him) have taken his place.






Every now and then, through the summer and early autumn, a couple of families of geese would wander by our dock. Sometimes they'd hop onto the shore and nibble on grass. Other times they just peacefully paddle past our place. The young ones were growing nicely. They've all moved on now because that lake is now frozen over (at least in our bay) and it carries a few inches of snow on top. Winter happened very quickly around here. Much quicker than I was able to get these photos out to you in a timely fashion.






The always-present blue jay, snacking on some seed. They're a handsome but very noisy bird. Last winter, they were quite destructive - picking and eating the finish off of our house, in search of the calcium citrate found in paint. This year, we're ready for them with cooked, crushed egg shells.






Benny semi-recently got a new collar and he's proudly modelling it for you. Doesn't he look fetching? Oops, did I say fetching? He'll be running off in search a stick now.






The sweet, little red-breasted nuthatch has been a regular visitor to our feeders all summer. They are truly a joy to watch. Even with the snow, they've stuck around and have recently been joined by the larger white-breasted nuthatch.






I think I caught this chipmunk in mid-chew. He reminds me of Buddy Hackett in this photo. And you might have to be bordering on old to know who he was.






This is Hunter, my son's beautiful trouble maker. You wouldn't think by looking at those innocent green eyes that he has caused my old guys such stress and angst and frequent emptying of bladders throughout the house - but he has. And yet, despite it all, I love the beast and miss him terribly now that he's moved on to Jeffrey's Dad's place where he is the only feline and gets all of the attention he loves and needs - without causing trouble. It would have been so much easier to see him go if he wasn't also such a sweet cuddler and purr machine. In this image, he was lounging atop the kitchen cupboards. He thinks he's a wild cat - see those furry ear tips? Just like a lynx. If he was here right now,  he would be hiding behind my monitor and attacking my hands as they move around the keyboard. My cats do not miss him, however. They are much more relaxed, not fearing surprise attacks, eating better, not afraid of using the litter box and not peeing inappropriately any more. It was the right move but I still miss you, Hunter.





I believe this was a young phoebe preening itself on our front deck a few months back.






Most nights, we get visits from not one, not two but up to seven flying squirrels. We once believed they were a family - some of them are considerably smaller than the others. Now, I'm coming to realize that the larger, more friendly squirrels are of the Northern variety. The shyer, smaller cuties are Southern flying squirrels which have been making their way up north through the years. They're all quite sociable with one another. This image was taken with a flash and I have re-darkened the eyes in Photoshop.






And last, but not least, my two boys together, lounging on the kitchen island. Zephyr is enjoying his kitty massage. Skitty is happy to preen his brother. Can't you just hear the purring?

That's all for this post. I'll have more photos for you before too much longer.

That Beautiful Season... Summer

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....

Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape

Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life. ~ Jean Giraudoux

Love comforteth like sunshine after rain. ~ William Shakespeare






Anyone can shoot a moose that's just standing there. If you really wanna brag, hang a pair of chipmunk ears on your wall. ~ Jass Richards






Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity. ~ John Ruskin






Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them? ~ Rose Kennedy






A flash of harmless lightning, A mist of rainbow dyes, The burnished sunbeams brightening, From flower to flower he flies. ~ John Banister Tabb






I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck. ~ Emma Goldman





The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. ~ John Muir






Oh, if you’re a bird, be an early bird
And catch the worm for your breakfast plate.
If you’re a bird, be an early bird—
But if you’re a worm, sleep late. ~ Shel Silverstein






Swinging clusters of red, the hedges are full of them, red-currant red, a graceful ornament or a merry smile. ~ Denise Levertov






Sing loud for the sunshine. Pray hard for the rain. ~ Led Zeppelin






Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature. ~ Gerard de Nerval

I know my visits are few and far between, these days. I've not been home much but I did have the foresight to schedule blogs posts for the past several days. I hope to catch up with all of you very soon, and create a few more posts - so I can spend some more time away from home/at Frank's.

Be Faithful in Small Things

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.

~Mother Teresa

Below are a simple collection of little items which have caught my eye over the past month or so. Come take a peek at these wee things with me.

These blossoms are small but it was this busy honey bee which challenged me to snap a shot. It never held still for very long so I have something like 24 images of an amber blur and only a couple like this one.

A walnut half. What else is there to say about that?

Frank has officially named this little guy Patio Bob. If it wasn't already obvious, he lives under one of his patio stones, or at least that's one of the places he stashes the cheeks-full of seeds he collects from the various feeding stations. You'll be seeing more of Patio Bob as summer progresses.

This little car is just about the right size for Patio Bob to scoot around the back yard. But it belongs to my neighbour's son.

Tiny irises in Frank's front yard. Each blossom is about 5 cm (2 inches) long.

These tiny fish, so plentiful in my local pond are part of the reason we have so many water-loving birds such as herons, terns and kingfishers.

A peony, about to bloom in Frank's back yard, plays host to a wandering ant.

This fence overlooks the dam at the pond. Smack dab in the middle of the link, is a confused dandelion seed. It won't find a fertile place to grow on this rusted bar.

This adorable baby robin sits patiently amid the forget-me-nots, hoping that his mother will remember to return to him with a worm.

Early one morning, I took a walk along the creek near Frank's place. The sun was shining at such an angle that colours appeared particularly saturated and brilliant. What I first thought were tiny lights from a distance, turned out to be these vibrant maple keys. The bonus surprise came after the image was uploaded when I saw the little visitor exploring the bottom key.

Thanks always for taking the time to help me enjoy some of life's little things.

The Seedy Side

Autumn is a time of abundance.

Birds happily feed on seed which Frank spreads around his place. This sweet little chickadee enjoyed the feast.

The creatures are quite cooperative and as soon as the chickadee flew off, this adorable chipmunk took over.

He wasn't alone. A few feet to the right, his buddy was getting ready to fill his cheeks with premium bird seed.

Nature has her own way of spreading seed around. This is the pods of the Indian Balsam flower, photographed shortly after a rainfall.

The lightest touch will cause them to pop open and scatter their seeds. This is why they're also known as Touch Me Nots.

Cedar seeds are very lightweight and by late September they're scattered all over the place with even a gentle wind. These landed on the frosted glass top of the patio table.

An unknown (to me) seed, up close and personal.

I took the macro lens out around the fields near Frank's place, one day. I enjoyed taking photos of what has become one of my new favourite subjects - milkweed seeds. These recently escaped from the pod.

I love its silky, white hair which glistens in the late-day sunlight.

Today's seed, drifting in the wind becomes next year's flower for butterflies, once again.

Thanks for joining me on the seedy side.

Foraging and Critter Updates

When we were up at the cottage last month, so many creatures were preparing for the upcoming winter by foraging, storing and filling up on munchies in order to weather the cold. We've been leaving bird seed for our feathered friends and whomever else might want to indulge.

One by one, chipmunks have been gathering to take part it their cheek-filling. We counted seven of them in one gathering.

This little guy was chowing down on a grasshopper.

Cute little critter, isn't he?

This little red squirrel was busy biting off cedar fronds, heavy with seeds.

He kept at it for hours over the course of a few days and nearly emptied the tree before our very eyes. He was really quick too.

We kept hearing the thump, thump, thump of seed clusters hitting the canvas canopy of the camper trailer below. Every now and then he'd take a break and either munch on a few seeds, or scamper down the tree, select one seed-laden frond and run off with it in his mouth. Eventually he'd return to his work and the thump, thump, thumping would continue.

Updates:

• Speaking red squirrels, Roxy (introduced here) has been released near Theresa's home and is doing well. She returns regularly for feedings and cuddles.

• And you might also remember Bubbles and Binky, the two raccoons who shared the summer with us up at the cottage. Binky was also released near Theresa's home last winter and she returns for meals and occasional cuddles and belly rubs.

• Bubbles was released up at the cottage last summer. We continued feeding her until the cottage was closed up for the winter when she was left to fend for herself. She's been around a few times this year. I was looking out the living room window, one evening. The sliding glass is just about a foot above deck level, and looking right back at me was a beautiful, young raccoon with a healthy, full coat. We were nose to nose with just a screen between us and she stayed right there, looking quite intently into my eyes. I talked to her for a bit and then she moved on. We're not supposed to be feeding the raccoons this year because of a bear which was spotted in the area, so I refrained. But I was pretty sure it was Bubbles. A week or so later, Theresa confirmed that it was her. She visited again, one night and Theresa coaxed her over. She was shy at first but before too long, she was up on her lap accepting cuddles - a full year after her release. What a relief to know she was doing well - a bit thin, but quite strong and with a beautiful coat, and every bit as sweet and gentle as ever.

And as has been the case for all of the cottage posts, so far, I'll end with a sunset.

This beautiful light show changed colours before our very eyes. I love the window of red in this one.

Another view of the gorgeous, purple sky.