September With The Skunks

A highlight this September for us is seeing a pair of Skunks in odd hours, under better light conditions than the middle of the night in the darkness. Many morns and eves one or both have been spotted in the garden beneath the feeder pole. 7am and 7pm, give or take 15 minutes. How cool is that? Well, if you love nature and wildlife, you will agree.

No real story to tell here. They show up. We watch and enjoy the show. I sneak outside as quiet as I can be, find myself a position to hunker down in and try for photos and videos. The encounters get pretty close at times as they forage about, sometimes coming within 4 or 5 feet of me. I remain still and eventually they figure out I am there and back away.

Today one of them was out there up until about 7:45am. He was even chasing the Squirrels out of the feeding zone. Comical to see.

Here are a few photos from the last couple weeks of creatures many of us see only after dark.

Just before dark.

Seems someone else likes to watch them too!  Normally I chase all cats out of the backyard, but for this moment, I sat back and watched, curious what would happen.  The cat wandered off after about 10 minutes or so.

Pausing to look at his friend the Frog, whom he sees every visit to our garden.

I think this is the best of the photos I've gotten of them this year, perhaps ever.  The Salvia flowers sure add a blast of color to the photo.

A rainy morning.

This one, lacking much of the white stripe, showed up on my birthday...  September 15th!

The one from this morning, being September 24th.

It's been a great season for seeing these guys! And to see them more than the Raccoons is a nice change.

Here is a short video from this morning if you want to see some live foraging action.

All this diversity at home, when it happens, sure makes it less desirable to go out to other places and look for things.

Thanks for stopping in!

Didn't Thunk I'd See A Skunk This Morning

Being on vacation, time is a little messed up for me.  Routines have gone out the window!  So today I found myself crawling out of bed shortly after 6am.  Kettle on by 6:30am (yes I do instant coffee) and looking out to the backyard in the meantime.  Alls quiet.

7am comes and suddenly I spot this guy.

We decide to watch him from the kitchen window for a bit.  So I'm taking photos through the kitchen window screen.

We recognize this one easily with the large white stripes on him. It's the same one from last summer. He's surfaced a couple times this winter but never in morning light.

I'm not sure what his deal was. Really hungry? Why else would he be up well past dawn?

I thought he was going to take refuge in this hollow log I "borrowed" down near the Humber River a few weeks back. It's open on both ends but I've placed a lot of branch bits and tangle on one end, and cedar branches on the other. He did go in but came right back out.

And he kept on his mission of ???

It wasn't long after this next photo that he disappeared. Angie was worrying about him being out at this time of day, people out and about, kids going to school, adults to work, more traffic on the roads, etc.

Not long after he left. A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird showed up at our feeder. I went outside to get a better view of the bird and hope for some photos. BUT, next thing I see, is the Skunk is back and he's coming closer to me! I kinda forgot about the little bird and focused on the Skunk.

It was difficult to get photos of him. The sun/cloud mix for one, and his constant movement being another reason. But I stood very still and just watched him, almost tempting fate as he got really close to me a few times, while he sniffed and grazed about the ground. One sudden move, startling him, and I could get sprayed. I'm still a believer in them not spraying until absolutely necessary, rather taking the chance to run away first, but I'm not pushing my luck here. Just be quiet and respectful. And once again, all was okay.

I'm not sure how many people are into Skunks, and would enjoy watching them with some daylight compared to a flash light at night. If you have an opinion on this, comment below or via the social media pages I share this.

For some reason I think this is the male. We've seen another Skunk periodically, along with a little baby one last summer. Why do I think this is a male? No idea. I just get that vibe. Some are thinking maybe a female after this morning, like she's out trying to load up on more food, as she's got a litter somewhere in the neighbourhood. I recall some years ago Angie and I were shining flashlights in the garden late one night and caught a glimpse of an adult Skunk with at least 4 babies babies behind it. All staring up at us on the deck with our lights.

The next few are some of my fave pics I got of him. He's not one for posing. So whenever I got some clear face shots, I'm happy. I forsee one of his photos making print later in the year. Some may figure out what I mean there.

Another close walk by here.

He got in the neighbour's garden along the fence line and spent a lengthy amount of time digging here.

Amazed with how much dirt digging he does, that those stripes stay so white and clean!

It was well after 8 in the morning when he finally ventured off for the last time.

I made 2 coffees since this all began and finished neither of them. I went back inside, grinning at the cool nature moment I just had, and went for the third cup. I made a toast to him with this one, thanking him for the moment, which was the longest I ever spent in the company with a Skunk. And still have not been sprayed as many of my friends are betting I'm in for one day. LOL!

If you'd like to learn more about these creatures, check out these links. Wikipedia. National Geographic.

Please don't view them as pests but more like interesting neighbours. Cheers!

Whiskey Wednesday

Usually every Wednesday I celebrate getting over the hump of the work week with a shot or two of some spirits.  40 Creek is my top choice these days, but Jack Daniel's and White Owl Whisky are great substitutes, or when I feel like something just a little different.

Of course my celebration, and drinking, is limited to one or two drinks because I do have to get up for work the next day.  And unlike 20 years ago, I just can't handle hangovers nor do I want to waste a precious day of my life due to some self induced over indulgence.  It is funny how others perceive my weekly tradition, some get it, some think I'm polishing off a lot more.  I feel bad for those people who don't know me all that well.  Anyways...

I'm enjoying the last days of the year where it's mild enough to sit outside in a t-shirt and not worry about bundling up.  The lawn furniture is still out back and usually still dry by the time I get home from work and get out there to kick back with my drink.

The night time wildlife is great this year, seeing lots of critters roaming the backyards, as I've blogged a bit about everyone coming around.  And the lately things have been even better with more up close and personal encounters.  I figure its one part they are used to me sitting out there and more so its because of how I act around them being very quiet and slow moving if I am moving at all.  I've sat on the ground by the deck and have had all 3 mammal species (Raccoon, Skunk, Opossum) walk right by me, giving me a glance before moving on with their evening hunts.  My goal is to teach more people to not lose their s**t in the presence of local wildlife, just be quiet and calm, and embrace having a close encounter, especially around a Skunk.  Running around and screaming is the wrong way to deal with one near you.  They spray as a last resort in defending themselves.  My encounters prove they really don't care much about us if we leave them alone, and if they get spooked, they prefer to make a run for it instead of blasting the threat.

Here I am with one of the local Skunks, we've seen 3 in the past few months.  I am maybe 10 feet from this one and was for many minutes.  I sat on the bench at the back and just watched him.

Some nights Sniffy and his family show up, it's mom and the 3 kids.  So nice to see everyone is still with us and looking so healthy.

This is the kids from a couple months ago.

Another family come around other nights, its a mother with 2 kids.  This mom is very different than Sniffy's.  This mom is not very calm nor is she very nice, even to her kids.  She snarls, growls and swats at everything in her vicinity.  I feel bad for the little ones that are stuck with her.  And what blows my mind is when we first noticed this family last month (September), the kids were really small, like big kittens.  And cranky mom is smaller than the other adults I've seen.  So I'm not sure if she's a young mom and is lacking the motherly instinct or perhaps it's genetic, she's just smaller and it's been passed on to her children.  But what they lack in size, they make up in ferocity or giving off the show of being fierce.  Such noises the little ones make when another passes them too.  I wish I recorded them.  They growl and whine and charge at everything...  except me.  Why?  Once again, I'm just sitting back and watching the goings on.

One of the wee little ones.

The past few nights I've noticed the 2 little ones running around, and without their mother.  I saw a dead Raccoon on the main road the other morning.  I have to wonder if it's their mom?  One part of me concerns over this but really I shouldn't, they are old enough now, and have each other to look out for.  Or maybe they just had enough of their mom's nasty attitude and left on their own?  Whatever the case, I watch them more intently now.  And what I've noticed is they are calmer without her around.  They don't freak or hiss or snarl or just plain "lose their s**t".

We all had a pleasant evening this week, actually a few of them.

Someone found something to snack on.

Here is Stumpy the "tail-less" Raccoon. He sure looks odd running around without the tail, that high back end sure stands out.

"Hey, buzz off mister, this is private!"

All the critters love water.  Its true that its much easier to find food in their travels than water.  I try to keep it clean but...

And while I sipped my 40 Creek, he had water.  He has no idea what he is missing.  Haha!

I make the best of my work hours, coming home after 10 at night.  I prefer this over turning on the computer or television.  And its great on the weekends when Angie can join me since she doesn't have to get up at 4:30am for work.  But in those days in between weekends, especially on my Whiskey Wednesday, the wildlife do make for some great company.

What's Wrong Pierre?

Between work and nearly a solid month down at Etobicoke Sunlife with the Falcon watch; I feel like I've lost touch with my backyard friends.  All of a sudden none of the Squirrel gang have names.  Junior's visits are so few and far between now which boggles my mind (he's a very personable gray Squirrel).  And then there's Pierre.  It wasn't that long ago we were all happy to see him coming around with Maggie, showing her how things are done around here to get the best grub and not have to fight the other Pigeons for it either.  But something is up with him, and Maggie too.  They aren't together anymore for one thing.  And both are very skittish now.  Pierre is even snubbing the peanuts.  He took in a bunch the other afternoon and within 20 minutes or so, he was hacking them back up all over the grass.  Is he sick?  He flies well and quick like the rest of the flock, but he's not the guy I once knew.  And Maggie is back to her very shy self, unsure of me and comes so close but backs off with the slightest movement.

It's so hard in this sense with the wildlife, you just never know what exactly is wrong, when something is (or if it is).  They can't tell us.  Or we just can't understand.

The bond with a few of the critters out back makes the yard all the more special; but it also hurts a lot more when things suddenly change, be it they get sick, they die or whatever is the reasoning to what is happening right now.

I hope to have a better tale of them all in the coming months as we spend a lot more time out back.

Pierre and I on Canada Day weekend.  He wasn't acting himself even though this shot doesn't depict that.  And his visit was brief too. Photo by our friend Patty.

And in other news, a quick bit about what we experienced early this morning before work.  Seems I had the idea to give the feeders a top up around 5:15am.  I turn on the back light, step outside with a bag of seed, and my eyes fix on something large and white moving along the fence.  I'm thinking "Cool, it's an Opossum!" but then I get more focus in the dim light, separating the darkness from the black fur, and realize it was a large, but beautiful, Skunk!  I quickly turned back inside, told Angie and got my camera.  How I thought I could get a photo at this time of the morning but I tried anyways using the picnic table as a tripod for starts, cranking up the ISO, and turning on the flash.  The Skunk acknowledged me, and a couple times I thought he was going to head in my direction, but he didn't.  He checked out every nook of the yard from the back deck to the bird garden, stopping for a drink at the bird bath, which is where I got this shot.

We haven't seen a Skunk out back in many years.  This was quite exciting for us, observing him from a safe, respectable distance.  I hope we see him again over the summer, from a similar distance, and perhaps just a wee bit more light for my camera.  Hey, I'm allowed to want a better photo of our backyard visitor!

Thanks for stopping in.  Soon will be my next entry about the Sunlife Falcons.

Cheers!