What's new in the yard

You remember this situation from a previous blog post?

Well, that squirrel is about to go on a diet. We have a new strategy to deal with those critters:

The new improved squirrel inhibitor bird feeder pedestal thingy.

So far, so good. No squirrels yet.

The birds are pretty active in this cold weather here. They queue-up in the trees then swoop in for their turn at the feeder.

Bluejay waits for a turn.

This robin is the first that we've seen this winter. I'm guessing that it's going to work its way back up north.

And yes, we still have deer in the yard. This day we counted eleven at the same time, it was a record.

As cold as it's been, they are moving slow. On this day they hunkered down for a while to wait out the cold.

But a deer has to eat, so they get right back to grazing. Yum.

Damn, that's good stuff!

What? Time to go? OK, I'm outta here.

Game camera photos

A lucky person in the family received a game camera as a gift for Christmas. Now we get to see the backyard in action day or night. So far we've only captured deer with the camera, but over time we expect more animals to show themselves near the "water feature". Especially when the hot summer weather hits.

Because there are soooo many pictures from the camera, we've just posted a whole bunch of them for your viewing pleasure. Let the game begin!  (If you're bored, skip down to picture 0082.)

Caught ya!

Move along, nothing to see here....

Living proof that the water feature gets used.

Drink-up little doggie.

whazaat?

Happy New Year's morning after....

Hightailin' it outta here !!

A rare day with a little sunshine.

Hey, you're blocking the picture.

Nice trot.

Butt shot.

Not again!

Here's looking at you, kid !!

Nice profile.

You're too late for the action big fella.

THAT'S   ALL,    FOLKS  !!

Road Runner

Every so often we spot a road-runner in the yard. One had even jumped up on a window sill in the past.

No coyotes around here. At least not now.

He went "that-a-way".

Changing the subject, there was a lot of activity at the bird feeder.

A cardinal pair at the feeder.

Nooooooooooo!!!  Time to go back to the drawing board to figure a better way to foil the squirrels.

Meet ya at the bird feeder

We started filling up the bird feeder now that the days are short and cool. Right on cue the birds found it and love it. But it also attracts other critters too.

Hey, what's going on around here?

The squirrel wants some too?  I wonder how I can get some of that tasty bird seed.

For now I'll just have to settle for the same old green stuff.

What's all that racket going on over there?

Movie time

It's our first cold snap of December. We've got the bird feeder filled and we're ready to see some action. But we were not expecting this critter so soon:

If at first you don't succeed, just keep on trying.

A mother and child moment near the new water feature:

Checking out the new "cairn" in the backyard:

These animals always can find something to eat.

Thanksgiving eve

The deer are back again. This really young buck is barely a teenager in human years. Notice those tiny horns.

Oops....... busted!

A doe enjoying the morning air.

An older buck heading to the front yard to get in on the action.

Hey, where did everybody go?

Chillaxin' in the front yard

Sometimes you just gotta take a break and relax a little bit. A little while ago, the following little group was layin' around the front yard.

Buck, doe, and an immature deer.

Could I just take a break here without a photo-op? ?

Gettin' all wound up

As we get deep into the fall season, the landscape is turning. One thing that turned up was a water feature in the backyard in the middle of some rocks. After much hauling of heavy rocks we have a mini oasis to be part of the backyard habitat. It's plumbed with a hose for now, to be piped-in at a later date.

What the heck is this? It wasn't here yesterday.

The bucks are even more active. We had one visit yesterday morning. In the next picture, you can look closely at his horns. He's gotten tangled-up in some twine that he will need to live with until the horns fall off next spring.

Striking a pose for the camera.

A close-up view of the antlers:

All tied up.

Time to move along. Nothing to see here.

Then when the backyard seemed deserted for a while, something popped up:

There's a furry lump to the right of the tree in the middle.

Fox !

Close-up.