Current Topic: Deer

The Snowiest February

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My township is less than two inches away from the being the snowiest February ever recorded set back in 1958. This coming Tuesday snowfall will most likely surpass the record. I am at my wits end with all of this snow!! There is still one thing (and one thing only) that I enjoy about it. That is, of course, the amount of birds that utilize my feeders and the photo ops they bring.

Let’s just say that my feeders were pretty busy…

Busy bird feeders

Busy bird feeders

My most abundant guest is the Goldfinch… I lost count at 40 the other day when counting them for the GBBC. The only other finches I have been getting this year are House Finches.

American Goldfinch

American Goldfinch

Male House Finch with ice

Male House Finch with ice

Female House Finch

Female House Finch

I live in the woods, so I also have tons of Woodpeckers.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Along all of my other regulars…

Mourning Dove braving the storm

Mourning Dove braving the storm

White-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Tufted Titmouse

Tufted Titmouse

The snow was so heavy on Thursday that it quickly accumulated on birds if they stayed still for a moment.

Dark-eyed Junco with snow accumulation

Dark-eyed Junco with snow accumulation

Mourning Dove with snow accumulation

Mourning Dove with snow accumulation

Some birds took cover in the Christmas tree I have set up under the feeders.

Black-capped Chickadee in my Christmas tree

Black-capped Chickadee in my Christmas tree

Dark-eyed Junco in my Christmas tree

Dark-eyed Junco in my Christmas tree

I think, overall, the birds are as sick of all of this snow as I am.

Carolina Wren

Carolina Wren

Even the local mammals have had enough…

White-tailed Deer with a lot of snow

White-tailed Deer with a lot of snow

Backyard Wildlife – It’s Not Just Birds

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I’m often highlight my backyard birds so today I will give my other backyard friends (and foes!) the spotlight. Along with the birds, I get a variety of mammals, amphibians and some reptiles. Having bird feeders attracts many of these non-avian guests – both predictable and unexpected.

My yard and woods are loaded with Squirrels, mostly Gray Squirrels along with Chipmunks and a couple of Red Squirrels.

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Eastern Chipmunk

Eastern Chipmunk

Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

I do not mind them foraging for fallen seed, but it was a long and frustrating process to fully squirrel-proof all of my feeders. I have also caught other visitors cleaning up messes that the birds leave.

Skunk foraging under my feeders

Skunk foraging under my feeders at night

Northern Raccoon under my feeders

Northern Raccoon under my feeders at night

I get plenty of Eastern Cottontails and Groundhogs during the summer. Both of them seem to like to eat some of my nicer garden plants so I can’t say that I am too happy to have them hanging around; however, I realize that this is their home too.

Eastern Cottontail

Eastern Cottontail

Groundhog on my deck

Groundhog on my deck

My neighborhood gets a lot of White-tailed Deer.

White-tailed Deer

White-tailed Deer

I’ve never had issues with them on my bird feeders, but I do have an even larger mammal who wants the seed.

Black Bear making his way to my feeders

Black Bear making his way to my feeders

Last year, a bear family of four visited us on multiple nights. This month was the first time I saw one of them during the day. We scared him away by making loud noises out the window.

Black Bear

Black Bear

I do have an unfortunate visitor as well. I found a mouse inside my home only once – after my cats already drowned it (don’t ask…). This particular one photographed below one made her nest in my grill cover when I had it folded under a table. I lifted the cover up and this mother mouse and her small babies fell out along with the nest. She quickly scurried away.

Mouse family

Mouse family

After she disappeared, I noticed that she left behind one of the babies! Even though it is just a mouse, I felt bad. I put the baby mouse and the nest inside a small box and left it near the bottom of my deck. Mom came for it shortly after and all were safe.

Mouse baby left behind

Mouse baby left behind

My best mammal visitors were a huge shock for me. I saw a Gray Fox walk past my yard one morning. I did get a couple of photos, but they were taken in a hurry. Later that day, I ran into an even bigger surprise as soon as I walked into the woods. I had TWO Foxes – a mom and her teenager.

Gray Foxes

Mom Gray Fox and her grown up Kit

All three of us stopped in our tracks. I was shaking when I took my initial photos, but they came out well enough. I ran across these foxes every day for a week and ended up getting some better photos, despite the dark, yet brightly back-lit woods.

Gray Fox

Gray Fox

Young Gray Fox

Young Gray Fox

I have one reptile yard visitor who I often find in my grass and under the rocks.

Ring-necked Snake

Ring-necked Snake

And many amphibians who visit – more so when I had a small pond in the back. I get American Toads, Tree Frogs, Wood Frogs and Peepers.

Eastern American Toad

Eastern American Toad

Birds, Bears, Foxes and Frogs – I wonder who else will show up?

Gray Fox

Gray Fox

My Local Creek and Favorite Patch

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One of the things that I instantly fell in love with when I saw my neighborhood for the first time was the creek that runs along the road. It was in the summer, so the water flowed very peacefully. Little did I know that I would eventually become a birder and the creek would become my favorite birding patch.

Some of the regular visitors to the creek are very chatty Kingfishers.

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

And Green Herons, who I typically see flying away before I even spot them. Sometimes, they stay put.

Green Heron

Green Heron in breeding plumage

Green Heron

Green Heron, digiscoped with my Nikon EDG and Canon 7D

Great Blue Herons have been spotted a few times, even though the fish are pretty small.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

I often get waterfowl, mainly Canada Geese, Mallards and Common Mergansers.

Common Mergansers

Male and Female Common Mergansers

Common Mergansers

Two female Common Mergansers

… who also brought their families along.

Common Merganser Family

Common Merganser Family

Canada Goose Family

Canada Goose Family

I have some one-time visitors that are worth mentioning such as Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers.

Sandpipers

Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers

As well as one lone Double-crested Cormorant.

Double-crested Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant

Some other nice surprises included a Veery, a very vocal Towhee and Great Crested Flycatchers.

Great Crested Flycatcher

Great Crested Flycatcher

I also often get Warblers, mostly during migration. However, the Yellow Warblers and Common Yellowthroats sing throughout the summer.

The best life bird I had at the creek was such a huge surprise. Before I was a birder, I adored the beauty of Cedar Waxwings. You can imagine how excited I was when I found them hawking insects at my creek. Now I get to see them all the time!

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

They would perch on the rocks and on the fallen branches that were scattered throughout. They always seemed to return to the same perches making photos pretty easy.

Cedar Waxwings

Cedar Waxwings

At one point, a bit of flooding washed away the branches, so I replaced one in their favorite spot. Not a minute later, I had a taker.

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

This past summer I found a Louisiana Waterthrush fledgling.

Louisiana Waterthrush Fledgling

Louisiana Waterthrush Fledgling

And then Mom showed up, gathering some grub. These birds were very reliable for about two weeks and very easy to spot as they pumped their butts up and down while foraging for food.

Louisiana Waterthrush

Louisiana Waterthrush

The creek gave me my first close up with Turkey Vultures, a bird who is normally seen soaring the skies. They didn’t mind my presence as long as they had their food. They were munching on the bones of a raccoon that is hidden behind a rock. The smell was awful, but the photos were well worth it!

Turkey Vultures

Turkey Vultures

And of course, it is a creek, so birds will find shallow places to bathe…

Bathing Grackles

Bathing Grackles

Bathing Birds

Bathing Robin and Catbird

… and sun bathe!

Sun Bathing Birds

Sun Bathing Kingfisher and Catbird

It’s not just the birds that I enjoy here – there are also mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects!

This summer, a pair of Beavers were spotted, but did not stick around. They had many small trees that they chomped down, but perhaps the creek was too much for them to dam up.

Beavers Pair

Beavers Pair

I often see deer crossing the water.

White-tailed Deer

White-tailed Deer

White-tailed Deer

Deer Couple

Along with many frogs and snakes that I find if I look close enough in the water.

Snake in the Creek

Snake in the Creek

Frogs

Frogs in the water

The frogs also find their way on the rocks by the dozen. I have to really watch my step sometimes because they are everywhere.

And, of course, the outdoor and feral cats that rule the neighborhood have to cross over at some point.

Cat at the Creek

Domestic Cat

All of this is seen within a quarter mile walk along (and through) the water. I really love this creek. Even on days that there are no birds or other animals, there is always something to enjoy.

Autumn at the Creek

Autumn at the Creek