for birds, squirrels, deer, rabbits, possum and yes, skunks!
My little acre is a haven for all kinds of animals and birds. This morning, wiile having breakfast on the screened back porch, two squirrels were vieing over the bird feeder. One figured out how to open the top and jumped inside and nearly had a coronary as the lid slammed shut. The other one was scared out of its wit and scampered across the lawn leaving the other one to fend for itself. It didn't take long for the squirrel to hammer its way out. Hysterical!
Blue birds began nesting in one of the several house we have placed at several hundred feet apart. We watched as the female (very promiscuous) taunted the male birds and flitted away as they began chasing her. I guess a lucky blue bird hit pay dirt.
Baltimore Orioles are here in numbers. The nectar feeders are swigged at a rapid rate and the sliced oranges I hang in the cherry tree are devoured in a matter of minutes. It's going to cost me plenty to hang oranges very day but it will be worth it. Orchard Orioles are here, too and they are beautiful. I suppose apples will be on my purchase list!
Hummingbirds, by the hundreds, are covering the eight feeders I have scattered around my back porch. Their antics are delightful to watch and even more aweing when the dominate females chase the males. One male, who has taken up residence on the telephone line, swoops down like a vulture trying to thwart other hummers from feeding on his selected feeder. Fifty pounds of sugar during the spring and summer months keeps them fit for migrating back to Mexico during winter.
Evening Grossbeaks are beautiful and the Red headed Woodpeckers are comical when they sit at the feeder and pound the daylights out of sunflower seeds. It makes so much noise I am surprised it doesn't scare the bird or knock out its brain. Blue Jays forage through seed to select the ones they want and gorge until they are full, then come back for more, as do the other birds.
Deer tracks were near the feeder after one of our rains but I missed seeing them. Down the street, near the bluff where we live, is usually where they stay. It's not uncommon for foxes to venture into our yard and one came close to me when I was outside one evening. It scared me as much as I scared it. Rabbits feed on lettuce leaves I toss out and are nesting in a thicket near our property and the neighbor yard. We see them pulling out their own fur to line the nest for their babies. It won't be long till I will have to cover my garden so the little ones won't do in what I have planted. Maybe, just maybe...they will learn to feed on what I throw out for them. Oh well, if not, I reckon I can share with them because they bring so much joy to our yard.
Now, if I can figure out how to keep the neighbor's six cats out of my yard so I can protect all these lovely animals and birds, it will be a miracle. It falls on deaf ears to tell her her cats are destroying what I enjoy. Maybe I should send her a bill for the bird seed, sugar and fruit. A hefty invoice might make her sit up and take notice, but alas, I seriously doubt it!
