14-JAN-2011
Beaver
Despite the pond being almost entirely frozen, the beaver is managing to get out onto the ice. I think he must be hungry. And he may be coming out to try and repair the dam which someone keeps breaking. It is an offense to do so in winter as the animals can suffer or even freeze to death. This is deemed cruelty to animals and is an offense under the Criminal Code.
13-JAN-2011
Deer track
Looks like we've been visited by a deer again! Jeewa found this track at the garden yesterday, but didn't see any sign of the animal.
13-JAN-2011
Red squirrel at feeder
Jeewa took some great shots of this feisty little red squirrel who was determined to get at the feeder!
13-JAN-2011
Willow catkins
This beautiful shot was taken by Jeewa in the Arboretum. There is one willow tree, a native of Asia, that always sends forth catkins very early in the winter.
13-JAN-2011
White-breasted nuthatch
These birds (there are a couple of them) have been very active around the garden and are almost always found, sometimes alone, sometimes two together.
13-JAN-2011
Mourning doves
Jeewa photographed these four doves all in a row. I really like this photo, it has a dreamy, soft quality to it and the four all lined up side by side make for a good image. This is a small group compared to what we saw a couple of years ago. Perhaps their numbers will pick up later.
13-JAN-2011
Female Downy woodpecker
Jeewa was also at FWG on Jan. 13, and found this woodpecker busy in the woods.
13-JAN-2011
Red squirrel snow tunnel
Reds make these temporary tunnels under the snow as a safe way to travel. In this case, there was a red in the tree who, upon my approach, emitted an "eeek" sound and jumped straight into the tunnel! THere was another tunnel nearby, and though I waited some time for him to emerge, he didn't. Instead, I heard the sounds of an annoyed red squirrel in a spruce tree not far away.
13-JAN-2011
Red squirrel at feeder
The feeder near the Ash woods, has a large metal canister type thing, a squirrel baffle, underneath the feeder, around the pole. It works well to keep squirrels off the feeder. Invariably there are squirrels, usually reds, and sometimes chipmunks (fall and spring), who try to get to the feeder by running up the post under the baffle. This one was completely unafraid of me, being more focussed on trying to get up to the feeder. He was pretty riled up! He was murmuring constantly, all sorts of little disgruntled squeaks and peeps. Eventually he just gave up and sat on the ground eating the seed spilled on the snow.
13-JAN-2011
Peering out from under the squirrel baffle
This baffled squirrel is not happy about being unable to reach the feeder.
13-JAN-2011
Grey squirrel in Amur maple
This fat guy was one of 4 grey squirrels in the tree eating the maple keys. Many of the Manitoba and Amur maples have been stripped of their keys now, so I am hoping that there will be enough left to see them through the winter.
10-JAN-2011
Pelt of mouse eaten by crow
I watched a crow sitting high up in a maple, eating something. It was some sort of small animal with a long tail of a mouse. Eventually, a scrap of something fell to the snow below and I went to take a look. It was the pelt of a mouse, the whole body minus the head and some of the legs, about 1.5 inches long. Whether the crow caught the rodent or found it dead, I don't know, but crows will catch live prey.