Peculiar Squirrel

We have a rather bald squirrel visiting the backyard lately. 

He's very young looking in the face.  Angie and I noticed him a couple weeks ago, before he was bald. We thought he looked rather fresh out of a nest.  He could be a twin to this squirrel we had the other summer. We thought he was orphaned as he was out on his own at a very young age.  We named him Chewie.

Now he's balding.  I suspect mites.  I see many of our other squirrels go through this in February of all months, even Ripper.  Not exactly the best time of year to be losing fur.

Now here is why I have titled this blog "Peculiar Squirrel"...  my trail camera is catching him out in the garden well into the night.  What's up with that?

Here he is on December 5th.

Again on December 6th.

Early into December 9th.

He's going to be Great Horned Owl chow if he's not careful.  I know there's a pair in the golf course just north of us.  I've heard them from the backyard.  So while it's not a great chance he will get taken out by one, the possibility is there.

Why is he out every night like this?  I wonder if he's just not found a suitable place to sleep at night?  Maybe he's not getting enough to eat during the day?  Not that there's a buffet of food after dark, and he's got to work around the local raccoons and skunks too.

This has to be one of my favourite cam captures in weeks.

He's made the backyard a little more interesting, that's for sure.  I'm starting to look out for him every morning and he does show up.

Hopefully he figures things out, like how a squirrel is supposed to act.  Or at the very least, hopefully he does okay living the way he is...  and grows some fur back soon!

Any of you have any thoughts on this?

No Harassment

The last few years I have made attempts to discover "new" natural areas to explore void of people, either for just me or with Angie on our weekend outings.  Why?  So we can really be just with nature and not surrounded by people.  Now don't get me wrong, we don't mind to be social with some outings like during spring migration, seeing faces we don't see the rest of the year, or chancing upon meeting someone we know through social media.  But the quiet outings are much needed, de-stressing, or as Angie calls it "our yoga".

I always keep my eyes out for new areas.  If I am able to, I will physically explore.  If not, a mental note is made and I will look at Google maps when I am home on the computer.

Two springs ago I found an area not far from my work.  Looking at it initially, it looked awfully dumpy, and it still does as garbage collects since it is close to two major highways.  Looking past the trash, observing the habitat, I thought it would be quite good for bird watching.  I've seen dozens upon dozens of White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows in the early spring.  Then the thrushes come through.  This fall has attracted American Woodcock and small flocks of Common Redpolls AND....  a couple owls, Long-eared Owls to be exact.

Last weekend we visited this area.  I've been letting Angie lead the walks this fall in hopes of doing some owl spotting.  It was a wonderful surprise when she spotted one in a tree along the path.  YES!  I knew it would be a good area to find one some fall/winter.

The moment was hilarious and video worthy but it was all unexpected and in the moment so no videoing was done.  Angie spotted the owl, quickly and gently announced it, then fast stepped it ahead a number of feet, doing this excited little jig.  She was shocked and thrilled with her find.

I observed it as I walked ahead to catch up to her.  We calmed ourselves.  Then backtracked for a better but also quite brief view.  I took 5 photos from the path.  Then we continued our walk.

We didn't see much else in our journey.  We had to pass the owl tree on our way out.  When we got close to the spot, I walked ahead, adjusted my camera settings, and took another 4 pictures from the path.  It was then that I noticed there was a second bird in the tree.  It was slightly higher and deeper within.  As I started down the path towards the car, I turned to Angie who was waiting well behind, I held my hand up, raising two fingers to let her know about the other.  She then continued down the path, stopping for one more quick look and then caught up with me.

Overall our viewing time may have hit a full 90 seconds between both encounters.  We saw the owls.  I took less then 10 photos.  That was it.  One of the images may make our 2021 calendar since it was a very memorable moment.  

Meanwhile out in Whitby, there was a major shit show of people sitting on an owl.  Word quickly spread on how people conducted themselves in front of a saw-whet owl.  Photos of the crowds on the tiny owl in the tree surfaced on social media.  It was one of the worst things I have ever seen as the number of people was double digits, there was some trying to take selfies with the owl.  It's been an ongoing issue for weeks now and just seems to be getting worse.  The mild November has brought more people out.  I have thought about adding one of those photos here but they are not mine to share.  Paint a visual and I assure you that you are probably close to what was happening.

Finding your own owl(s) is a very rewarding experience.  Conducting yourself as an ethical "birder", limiting your time, keeping your space and walking away without, like here, flushing a Long-eared Owl all makes for a wonderful memory.  More people should try it instead of just following the masses to the "celebrities".

If you feel like another read, here is a great one someone published today.  Whether you are new to whole bird watching thing, not totally understanding my rants on social media about people harassing owls, or perhaps need a reminder at the start of the winter season, check it out here.

Long Time No Owl

 Approximately eight years ago I saw an owl at this tree cavity.  

Someone had reported it to a birding forum and it caused a bit of a shit storm with photographers.  I remember seeing an army of camouflaged men for the most part combing the woods, looking for this tree cavity.  It was early on in my days of birding and using a camera.  It was shocking to see as many were not staying on the paths.  It reminded me of a movie, where there is a search for a child or perhaps a man hunt to see a large group of people walking in a line across the woods like this.  I kind of took offense to what they were doing as this was one of my favourite spots to look for birds since it was so close to home.  A couple days later they were all gone.  I don't think many found the cavity or the owl, at least not when I passed through (I would not make it obvious if I peeked at this particular tree, and would keep walking).  It was nice to have a quiet woodlot once again.

Over the years I eased off on visiting these woods just because of the rampant off leash dogs and steady flow of joggers and cyclists.  Avoiding dog shit all through the trails was another annoyance.  I would still venture into these woods a few times yearly, mostly in the winter, because there was always a good bird or two to spot, and less people.

This week I took a walk in, first time since I think the winter of 2018/19.  Long overdue!  It was kind of drizzly so I knew it wouldn't be as busy.  I passed that tree which I never forgot about and to my joy and surprise there was an owl roosting the morning away at another cavity.  I was happily shocked at my "find".

I smirked about the people who all walked right under this sleeping beauty and did not see it.

There was no point to hang around at the owl now.  I had a great look at it.  I took a few photos.  Now it was time to continue my walk to hopefully find something else I had in my mind to see.  I really wanted to see a Barred Owl; this is my wish bird for this season.  I did not find one on this walk.  Maybe next time?  Perhaps I should think about finding a Screech Owl and maybe it will turn into something else, like a Barred Owl?

I passed this bird on my way back to the parking area.  I went for an artsy shot.

Then one last look before I was gone.  He's turning into the bark now.

Owls are something to see in the wild.  It's unfortunate that sharing the location to the general public always turns into something negative and disturbing for the owl as well as the habitat.  A few of my friends and I always wonder what it is about owls and people here?  When we were in Las Vegas, and out with a bird guide there, we talked about this.  There's nothing like the owl craze here in other regions.

Wish me luck in my continued search for a Barred Owl.  I do know where one is, that seemingly everyone else knows too, but I will hold out hope to find one in not such a popular spot much like this forgotten about tree.

Coyote Encounter 2020

 A morning stroll had me cross paths with this beautiful girl.

My first sighting of her had us about 50 ft apart.

I froze in my tracks.  Not out of fear but out of awe, and curiosity as I wondered what she was going to do next now that we were looking at each other.  I was heading north on the path and she was heading south.  After this short pause, she started to walk again, continuing in my direction.  I stayed still and took in the moment.

At approximately 15 to 20 ft from me, she stopped.  Our eyes met again.

I guess she considered me a road block and decided to go around me, stepping off the path and passing me on my left.  She still wasn't more than 15 to 20 ft from me.

I remained standing where I was, only twisting my body to take more photos.

It was when she came back out onto the path behind that I turned around so I could continue enjoying this one on one moment with her.

Seconds later she squatted and did her business right there, having a pee along the side of the path!

Then she kicked up the leaves after she was done.  I was really getting a show from the coyote like I have never experienced before.

It was obvious that by this time I was no longer anything in this coyote's world.  She didn't give me another glance and then continued on her way south.  I found it interesting how she was staying on the path.

I had hoped for just one more glance.

That was not to be.  A thought to make some sort of noise to try and get her attention came to mind but I didn't want to ruin the perfect silence here in the woods.

As she went around that last bend, I quietly thanked her.  Holding a little smile, I turned around and continued on my journey.

I saw zero birds of any kind on this walk.  I saw zero humans too, which was fine by me.  Encountering this coyote as I did here made for a nice, very unique outing, something that I won't soon forget.  I rarely see coyotes, especially this close.

She wasn't tame.  She wasn't vicious.  She wasn't sick.  She's just older.  She's obviously been around, seen some s**t in her territory and has defended it as such (my take anyway) judging by the wound on her right eye.  She deserves respect, to which I gave her, and in return she blessed me with a few minutes in her world... allowing me to forget about covid, work and any other stresses in my life.  The encounter played over in my mind throughout the rest of the day, even as I drove about the Pepsi warehouse on my forklift for 8 hours.

Dumb Asses

The other week I went for a walk to one of the nearby lake parks.  I was there a day earlier releasing some birds for Toronto Wildlife and heard eastern bluebirds in the meadow.  Time was not on my side to go seek them out for a look and a photograph so I vowed to come back.

Unfortunately they did not stick around.  Boooo!  I love bluebirds.

I tried to make the best of the outing and walk around, see what else was in the area.  A lot of the birds to be expected were about...  robins, chickadees, cardinals, hermit thrushes stopping in for a feed and some rest while on their migratory journey.  Then near a small pond I saw what looked like a chubby wren.  Quick glances I knew it wasn't the usual house wren species that I often encounter in our area through the summer.

It was difficult to stay on the bird with my bins.  It was in and out of the reeds and other plants surrounding the pond.  I was making mental notes of the field marks on the bird.  A quick look at the bird app on my phone and I guessed it was a marsh wren.  A few more looks at it plus some "so so" photos and I was certain on my ID.  This may have only been my second time ever seeing this bird species.  I thought it was pretty cool and moved along, feeling satisfied with my walk despite not getting to see bluebirds.

I passed a guy along the path and he asked me what I had been seeing,  I ran off a short list with the marsh wren being last (but not least).  He immediately blurted out at me "No way!  Impossible!"  I tried to explain something back to him but he cut me off, told me that I should go buy a better bird guide than whatever I had.  I wasn't going to argue back any further.  Why bother?  Plus with us being in a pandemic, I wanted to stay far back and eventually get away from his loud mouth.  So no showing him photos on the back screen of my camera.  I ended up telling him where I saw the bird and then moved along.

It would be nice if he went and sought it out.  Finding it.  Then hopefully learning something.  But I doubt it.

I somehow think he looked at me, seeing the long hair and immediately judged me as who knows what on top of being someone who isn't a "birder".  I never call myself a birder.  I never call myself a photographer.  I'm just a guy that likes everything from the natural world and also likes to take pictures of the creatures I come across.  F**k the labels!  F**k the stereotypes too!

Some years ago I ran into a guy taking photos of a northern mockingbird.  He was insistent that it was a northern shrike though, and he was so happy to see one so accommodating for the photo opp.  I politely tried to correct him on his bird identification here.  He got quite irate, called me a "stupid metal head who doesn't know birds" and went back to shooting.  That was enough for me.  I just walked away though I should have said something unkind in return.

A friend tells me to ignore these bird snobs.  I think dumb asses is a better term.

They're Back!

In mid-August we had a Cooper's Hawk here for a short bit.  It managed to take out 2 pigeons in 3 days.  I thought "oh man, they are early this year!" because normally we don't start to see migrating hawks in our backyard until mid-September.  But the hawk moved on.

Then nothing in way of hawks for many weeks.  I even commented to Angie how odd it was that we were not seeing any hawks all through September.

Now, mid-October, about a week and a half ago I saw another Cooper's Hawk.  This one appeared to be very thin.  It was not successful in a hunting attempt and left.

A couple days ago Angie spots one out back.  My first glance I thought it was a Sharp-shinned Hawk because it didn't look as big to me.  Another look and I agreed it was a Cooper's; perhaps a male?  With birds of prey, the male is smaller than the female, so a male Cooper's could be mistaken for a female Sharp-shinned with just a quick glance, missing finer details such as the shape of the tail tip for one.

Yesterday we had another visit from a hawk.  Now there was no mistaking that this one definitely was a Cooper's Hawk.  The screaming birds out back alerted me to the predator's presence.  

So like what I normally do if I feel like going outside for a better look, and hopefully a photograph, I step out the front door.  I then go up the side of the house.  I then put on my imaginary Ninja gear and go into stealth mode, trying to conceal myself at the back corner of the house, skulking along the back wall, the side of the deck, the greenery along the fence, whatever, just to hopefully see the bird and not spook it away.

I was fortunate yesterday because one part the bird was very focused on the hunt.  It was sitting on a piece of lattice that we have in the garden for our morning glory plant to have something to grow upwards on.  The hawk was peering down into the honey suckle bush beneath.

It was peculiar because most times the hiding birds will shut right up and it will be eerily quiet.  This time, not the case as the sparrows all screamed loudly.  The Blue Jays in the trees above added their own disapproval to the hawk's presence.

It wasn't long before the hawk made it's way to the ground...

and began a hunt around the perimeter of the honey suckle, looking for it's next meal.  Then not long after that, it came out with a sparrow in it's talons and flew up to a tree behind the shed to enjoy it's meal.

My poetic moment here...  I did not pursue as a hawk must eat too.  I've seen it happen and did it once myself a long time ago, flushing a hawk off it's kill, unintentionally of course, and the bird abandoned it's kill.  A wasted death.  A hawk goes hungry until the next successful hunt, if it makes it that far.  Often at this time of year, there is a juvenile on the brink of starvation out there trying to survive.  Spooking it away from a meal could be the end for that bird.

I was happy none of my pigeon pals were present and fell victim.  I wish I could warn them when they are here and all seem so content (and oblivious).  I know Charlie will catch on quick to the threat and most likely pull another disappearing act.

Oh the drama I create in our backyard!  How's your yard action?

Pure Evil

Last week a call went out for a volunteer driver to pick up a very young pigeon.  It was noted that the bird was rescued from a harmful situation.  I was at work and could not assist.  It was later in the afternoon and despite it being JUST a pigeon, I had hoped someone else would pick it up.  I say "JUST" because unfortunately pigeons are quite low on peoples' lists and can wait a long time for help unlike cooler birds such as hawks and owls.  

The next morning I woke up, still saw no other emails regarding the pigeon so I called in to inquire about it, if it still needed a ride and said I would do it if need be.  The bird's location was less than 15 minutes from us, which was good, because it was another work day for me.

No one had called in, so I got the information, and off I went.

I met a woman outside of an apartment building in Rexdale, Ontario.  She had brought the bird down in a milk crate with a couple t-shirts.  The bird was steadily crying.  Hearing baby animals cry always guts me  I got him in my car and then briefly spoke with the woman.  I had to know what about the harmful situation he was saved from.

As it turned out, someone had the little guy and was trying to wedge his neck in the spokes of his bicycle.  It was his intention to then take his bike for a ride with the pigeon stuck in there.  This would certainly kill the bird in a rather cruel and horrific way.

A young man happened to see this guy with the bird, confronted him, and then managed to take the bird from him.  I don't think there was too much of an altercation.  Apparently the individual has "issues" and is known in the community.  I would hope he's being monitored, perhaps even assessed by professionals.  I somehow doubt it.

The bird then spent 3 days in the care of his rescuer and the young man's mother.  They were trying to feed and care for him.  He was too young to feed on his own.  It was then they sought other help.  I later learned another person with an affinity for pigeons advised them to call the Toronto Wildlife Centre.  Then me, also having an affinity for pigeons did the drive.  Pigeon lovers unite!

I held off on this blog until I got an update.  He's doing well, eating, and is comfortable in the centre with his own kind.  Surprisingly, and thankfully, he has no injuries.  He was very lucky that someone who gave a s**t walked by when they did.

He was named Tweeky by his temporary caregivers.  At the centre, he's a patient with a number because they don't personalize the animals.  I will always know him as Tweeky.

Seeing this bird.  Knowing his story.  Having a name to go with that face.  Well it's all touched me so.  I've thought about him every day for almost a week now.  I've been haunted by the terrible tale of what was to become of him if not saved.  It is disturbing to know that this person is out there.  Obviously he's done things to animals before and will do it again.  To even come up with the malicious idea like he had here...  I hope he gets help.  I hope those around him see to it before he makes the news for doing something to another animal or steps up his game to harming another human being.

I've asked that if Tweeky needs a ride one day, to see the wild world again, that I can join in the release or do it myself.  This would be the perfect ending, the closure that I would like to have here.

Here is Tweeky as I transferred him from the milk crate to a card board box in my car.  I knew he couldn't fly yet but having him on a fresh towel in a box that closed up, giving him some darkness to lessen the stress was the intention.  Also the bedding in the milk crate was a little, um, soiled and smelly.  He still cried the whole drive to TWC because he was scared and starving.

Won't you wish him the best?

Still Here - October 2020

I haven't blogged here in a little while.  Bad me but with some valid reasons which I won't get into.  I wanted to pop in with a little of this and that, like I tend to do after a bit of an absence.

First off, we are still seeing one of the skunks very regularly.  He wanders about dusk and dawn almost daily.  It's been fun watching him grow over the last few months, getting bigger (and fatter) for the upcoming winter season.

He digs around the garden much of the time and has left a couple small holes in the ground throughout.  We don't mind.  We always say we would rather have a backyard with a lived in look and seeing the wildlife; over a pristine lawn and worrying if even a couple leaves fell on it and seeing no wildlife.

He sure appreciates the bath basins that he can easily get a drink from.

The neighbourhood seems to now have a resident raccoon.  I bet there's a dozen around us but this guy makes his presence known.  He's young and is out at random times during the day.  Most are respectful of seeing him, one neighbour kindly and softly says things like "you should be sleeping somewhere" whenever he appears in her yard.  We see him here a fair amount too and it's good that while he is out during daylight hours, he is cautious and skittish at the sight of humans.  He runs, ensuring there is a lot of space between us, when we step outside.  I kinda wish some people would do this, keeping space between us, during this pandemic.

I spotted an Eastern Cottontail in the yard last week.  This is the first one to be seen since back in the early spring.  Let's hope he becomes a regular like the winter visitors last year.  Perhaps he is one of them?

Ripper the Squirrel is still coming around.  Sometimes I won't see him for a few weeks.  Then we will have time outs on the deck for days in a row.  He's still awesome!  And we are in our 4th year with him.

Charlie the Pigeon is still another regular.  We had a Cooper's Hawk come in mid-August, which was rather early for us.  The Hawk managed to take out 2 Pigeons over 3 days but moved on after that.  Charlie went MIA for a few weeks which is her thing, being smart, knowing to stay away while danger lurks.  But she's back now.  It is odd that we aren't seeing any Hawks now into October.  I'm okay with that, as are my Pigeon pals.  I don't hate Hawks by any means but having the Pigeons and other birds here, well, you surely understand.

Charlie is just months away from her third anniversary with us.

I'm still volunteering with the Toronto Wildlife Centre when possible.

Here's some release birds from this fall that got a second chance.  Not very many stick around for a photo opportunity so when one does, I certainly take a shot at it (pun intended).  I've said this before and will again, I do not chase the release birds.  I stay where I am and just take in the positive moment, seeing these birds go back to a wild life.  I got lucky with a few of the birds in lovely autumn backdrops.

Bay-breasted Warbler (that is my guess...  fall warblers can be a challenge to ID)

Swainson's Thrush

White-throated Sparrow

I have an odd story that is blog worthy, once again about dealing with some of the public while picking up an injured animal.  I will leave that for another entry soon.

This was just a "I'm still here" blog notice.  I'm wondering if you are still here too?  Please say "hello" if yes.

Skunk City 2020

Here we are in August and like the last few years, here come the skunks.  Two weeks ago we started out with one lone skunk staying up way past his bedtime.

He has been finding bits and pieces of food under the one bird feeder we have out back, which is filled randomly.  We really cut back this summer on bird feeding to help out pollinator garden grow without being overrun by birds and critters.

Watching him every morning has been a lovely distraction from the bizarre times we are currently living in.  He's so freakin' cute!

About 5 days later, a second skunk appeared.  Both of them have been making appearances morning and evening ever since.

I'm usually out of bed around 7:30 am most days of the week and they are out there in my waking moments.  They come and go over the next few hours although a few mornings I have seen one or both still digging around parts of the yard come 11 am.  Why do they do this?  To me, it's because they are young and don't know any better.  I hate talking with some people about this because they instantly declare the animals are sick, usually throwing the word "rabid" out and must be dealt with.  Rabies is a scary word and should not be thrown around so lightly.  That word alone spreads fear and misunderstanding to those not all that familiar or comfortable around wildlife.

Angie is lucky to be working from home as much as she is through the pandemic; she gets to watch them in the evening while I am at work Monday to Friday.  She texts me reports of when they appear and she will sit out back and watch them if it's not too humid and gross outside.  So come the weekend, I am happy I get to enjoy some extra time with them during the "golden hour" as some call it.

We leave numerous water sources out for all the birds and critters during the hot summer months.  Fresh clean water is harder to find than food.  Keeping the water fresh and clean is hard to do but I change all the baths and basins a few times each day.  The ground basins are great for the skunks and opossums who cannot jump like the squirrels or climb like the raccoons.  

What a face on him, eh!

Here they are at one of our other ground basins.  This one is deeper and I find the raccoons really like it.  I have seen adults sitting right in it some nights during the high humidity we've had this summer.

For nature lovers, morning sights like this are great!  A cute little skunk getting a drink in a flourishing pollinator garden.

Then this happened the other evening...  3 skunks!  The word must be getting out that our backyard is a safe haven for them.

The other backyard creatures don't really know what to make of the skunks.  It is comical to watch their cautious interactions with them.

The squirrels get a little too close and then quickly run away.  The pigeons stand further back and watch these newcomers.

We hope to enjoy many more weeks of seeing these animals like we have been.  As I mentioned earlier, they are a nice distraction from what is going on in the world.

Yes, the skunks dig a few holes in our lawn as they look for grubs.  We are okay with that natural lived in look of the yard over stressing about keeping it in pristine condition.  I am forever telling people who don't appreciate the wildlife that we live in our homes, the outdoors belongs to them.  You will have a better time accepting that and hopefully appreciating it one day.  Another thing I say is I would rather find a couple skunks in our backyard over a couple humans any time!

As for spraying...  respect them, give them their space, don't freak them out and you will not get sprayed.  Now if you have a dog, inspecting the yard before letting the dog out is vital.  Every dog I hear about getting sprayed saw a skunk and went right after it.  Then it got blasted.  Why some people get so angry at the skunks about this?  Sure it is frustrating and a pain to de-skunk a dog; just be proactive before letting it out to pee.  Here is a homemade recipe to try if your dog does get sprayed along with other useful information about living with skunks in your neighbourhood.

I hope to get some more skunk photos to share in the coming weeks.  Thanks for stopping by!

Sinatra Update

It was nice to hear from someone at the Toronto Cat Rescue, sending us an update on Sinatra the kitten. If you need a catch up, click here for the story. 

Hi there - I thought you might like to know how the kitten is doing. 

Andrea is currently fostering him and reports yesterday that he is over 1kg, is in good health and spirits. He is eating well and stools are mostly solid. No behavioural issues, and is now waiting for neuter. 

Andrea’s mother has already expressed interest in adopting Sinatra. 

He has been fully vetted, vaccinated, and microchipped 😸 

He has been watching cat YouTube. 

And posing cute. 

Please let the rescuer(s) know they brought him in at a good time! 

Thank you again for caring for the wee boy and hope that you are well.

We knew we did the right thing for him, taking him in to the TCR.  He's in very good hands with them.

A life on the street is no life for any cat, especially a little kitten.  

I like this photo, even if it is a little blurry.  Sinatra feared the wasps that tried to share his breakfast.  There were times the insects were too much for him and he would completely back away under the shed.  I'm sure he's never been stung but they were intimidating and annoying.  I know exactly how he feels which is why eating outside isn't always my favourite thing at this time of year.

I noticed his plastic bell ball was pushed out from under the shed last night.  A squirrel or raccoon maybe had a moment with it, or it was just from the heavy rains yesterday.  Seeing it made me miss those 4 days with him and working with him.

Let's hope Sinatra gets THE BEST furever home possible!

NOTE: there's a lot of changes to Blogger that I see here.  Apologies if it doesn't look quite right while I figure out how it works now.