Happy New Year! Big News!

Just stopping in to wish you all a very happy new year.  I had a wonderful surprise today when a squirrel came charging up to me when I stepped out into our backyard.  He ran around my feet, grabbed my pant leg and looked up at me.  I thought to myself "Ripper?" as I looked down at him, trying to check his right ear for the rip.  As I knelt down, he gently jumped onto my hand.  OMFG!  It IS Ripper!

Ripper has been missing for 5 months.  I last him in the first days of August and then he just vanished.  I kept an eye out for him with my daily wanderings about the yard before work.  That's the thing about making friends with your wild neighbours, there comes a time when they just don't come back.  You never really knows what happens to them most times.

Of course I never forgot about him and was just thankful for the years he was here and all the fun we had out there.  He was a very accommodating squirrel for me with my Santa hat and Halloween mask photo sessions.

So having him show up today, on New Year's Eve day is pretty epic.  What a wonderful end to a difficult year!

Welcome home Ripper!  If only you could tell me where you have been.

Again, I want to wish you all a very happy new year.  See you in 2022 for more of my sightings and adventures.

Cheers!

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and thanks for following me along with my stories.  I was looking at Facebook memories the last couple days and some of the pictures from past years put a smile on my face but also pulled on my heart strings just a little.  I do my best to just be grateful for the time I had with these friends of mine.  It is a shame that they just don't live nearly as long as us.

No, not Pierre here but one of my buds that came to be in the years to follow.  He was a very calm accommodating pal during my silly moments.  We named him Sherman.

Our newer backyard pal Gulliver enjoys the one on one time too.  Not every pigeon likes the Santa hat.

Then there's Ripper.  He disappeared late this summer after over 4 years of being such a great backyard friend.  I miss him so much as he was always a great distraction from the crap in the world.

The fun with Meadow.  Merry and Molly try to be as good as Meadow; key word is try.  LOL!

Animals are an important part of my life.  I assume they are with you who follow my blogs.  Can't imagine a world without them, eh?  They make every moment special and these holidays a little more fun.

Anyway, all the best to you all.  I'm sure you have better things to do than be on here reading my blog.

Cheers!

Gift From Nature

For the third time in 5 years on the third week of December we have been blessed to have an eastern screech owl visit our backyard and spend time in an owl box.  Only this time around it wasn't just a one day visit as the owl came back for a second day!  Here's a little bit about the weekend with this owl.

On Friday night I had set up my trail cam down back as I am monitoring that opossum house which I recently blogged about.  So come Saturday morning, before coffee, I stumble outside to retrieve the camera in a half awake state.

I'm walking down the yard, taking in the crisp morning air and getting my bearings.  I'm listening to the first birds of the day as it's a count day for project feeder watch.  I'm mere feet from the trail cam when I look up and ahead, and notice there's an owl looking at me from the box down there.  For a moment I froze as our eyes met.  I was very surprised the owl did not flush as I was so close to it.  This box I lazily set up in the fall after I switched it out with the other newer box.  This box is maybe 8 ft from the ground which is quite low for a screech owl to be using.

After I picked my jaw up from the ground, I slowly back stepped away.  Once I was far enough away, I turned around and ran back to the house.  I had to tell Angie about our backyard visitor as well as get my camera.  She had a good look at it from the kitchen window with the binoculars.  I got some decent shots despite how dark it was outside and the snow was starting to come down.  Then I went back inside and we just monitored from the house.  The owl sat at the edge of the box for the next hour before ducking down inside.

We had to leave for the afternoon around 2 PM and wouldn't be back until later in the evening.  I knew we were going to miss seeing the owl leave the box at dark.  After we got home, I set up the trail camera pointed to the box, hoping it might catch the owl returning at some point through the night.  I was a little sad the following morning when I checked the cam pictures and there was no activity.

Sunday was a usual day for us, going for a nature walk before doing things around the house.  We talked about that owl a few times throughout the day.  I mean, how could we not?  We had an owl in the yard!

Late in the afternoon I happened to be looking out the kitchen window and thought something looked different about the other owl box.  I put the binoculars up to it and was over the moon with excitement that the owl did come back and it went to this other box.  This other box is much more suited for a screech owl as there is predator protection beneath the box which is stove pipe wrapped around the tree trunk so no creatures can climb up and disturb or harm the owl.  There are no branches nearby where a squirrel could jump from to get up to the box.  The box is at least 15 ft off the ground.

I called Angie out to the kitchen so she could see.  I then stepped out the front of the house, sneaking up the side so I could take some photos from the back corner of the house.  The owl just sat at the entry hole, all squint eyed and paid little notice to me. 

From there, I went back inside, sat in my chair by the window and was glued to it until darkness set in when I could just make out when the owl took flight and flew to the back of the yard, disappearing in the tall cedars next door.

Monday I went to work.  Angie is off on Christmas break so she kept watch throughout the day to see if the bird appeared at either box.  She didn't see him.

Last night I set up the trail cam and pointed it at the second box which I hoped it would continue to use.  Unfortunately no sign of the bird coming in at any point through the night.

Two days of the owl here is better than one.  We hope for a return from it through the winter months especially if the weather turns cold and snowy.

All the birds and animals that visit us are gifts from nature but there's something about getting an owl.  Such mystical creatures that most people don't get to see. 

If he does come back, you all will read about it here.

New Opossum Shelter

We have two Virginia opossums coming around although I am certain there are three.  We've got a small dog house down back behind the shed that I packed with straw as an available shelter for an opossum or any other creature to use.  I've seen them use it but so do the raccoons and skunks on occasion.  

Last week while we were on vacation, I was out back one night and got the idea to set up another potential 'possum place.  I've had a wooden box out there for a while now and decided it might be good to try and set it up for the creatures, if they need a place to hide.  It was a rather quick set up, placing the box down back, out of sight, filling a good portion of it with leaves, concealing the box with various odds and sods of wood, branches, more leaves and so on.

I've been setting up the trail cam near this new house most nights and it took no time for the opossums (and others) to find it.  Seeing these images below drive me crazy (in a good way) and give me hope that one will stick around our yard more often.  Anyone who knows me (and Angie) as well as our wildlife friendly backyard, knows this would be a great safe place for one.

Here is one on the third night at 1:21 am.

He, or another is back an hour later.

Now at almost 7:30am.  He didn't spend the day in the box but I am thinking he lives very close by to still be around as daylight is almost upon us.  

Here is the next night.

An early riser, just before 7pm.

Almost 3 hours later.

Away he goes.

Two and a half hours later.

A half hour later he's going back to the box.

Now here is another regular, he's got no tail.  I've been catching this one on the cam for well over a month now.

Here's the next night.  Just a couple shots.  I think you've seen enough for now, right?

Peek-a-boo at 2:25am.

Peek-a-boo again about 3 hours later.

There's at least 3 skunks coming around the backyards the last while and I am pretty sure there's at least 5 raccoons but there could be more.  I wonder if it is because our backyard is such a busy spot that they won't use the box?  Maybe I need to conceal it more?  There's lots of old sheds and garages surrounding, many places for the animals to burrow under.

Oh well, at least I am offering them more shelter if need be.

A lot of people have weird thoughts and misunderstandings towards the opossum.  Such ugly animals, giant rats, probably have rabies, etc.  If only they would take the time out to research them and learn.  

Like seriously, look how cute these guys are!  Both of them were in our backyard.

And baby opossums...  OMFG!  I've yet to see one in the wild.  I would just die.  I *borrowed* this image from Google.

Both Angie and I hope to see a mother opossum with young in our backyard one of these days.  Providing them with shelter could help make this happen.

Here's some bits about the pros of having opossums around our backyards.

Stay tuned for future updates as I have them.

Anniversary Surprise

So yesterday, November 30th, was Angie and I's 9th wedding anniversary. 

We have the week booked off for vacation time and just doing a bit of this and that, here and there throughout the week.  We're enjoying the extra time together and not having to go to work.

At some point in the afternoon of the 30th I step out back and in flies a pigeon.  It was Charlie!  I hadn't seen Charlie in roughly 2 months.  She's been hiding away from here due to the hawk activity, at least that's how I see things.  Some of the birds do this through the winter months.  You may recall Charlie disappeared for a really long spell last winter, 70+ days I believe, maybe 90 (I'd have to look back for a more accurate number but it was a very long time).  I thought she was gone for good but one day she returned, landing on her usual spot outside the back door on the clothes line post.  Yesterday she did exactly that as well.

On our wedding morning, before we started the ceremony in the kitchen, I was having a time out with Pierre at the back door.  I joke that he was one of our witnesses, perhaps even my best man.  There were more animals present at our wedding than humans.  Pierre is no longer with us but this is one of those special memories of him that I will never forget.  That's the clothesline post behind us in the picture.

Having Charlie here with me on our anniversary was nice, especially after her absence. 

I know Pierre was here in spirit.

I don't seem to get a lot of love with my blogs about the pigeons but that's okay.  These birds certainly did change me as a person and it all started with my big boy.

I aim to be back with another blog next week, sharing a handful of catch up bits of some cool creature sightings the last few weeks.  

See you soon!