Lessons learned

So i recently got a new phone and one of the things i wanted to be able to use it for was to look up birds and their songs. So this evening I was in the yard trying to entice the Orioles to visit the hummingbird feeds (a female Oriole has been seen quite often at the feeder farther out in the yard.) So when I realized they were not going to be persuaded I started playing other bird calls.

I decided to play the call of a House Wren because the House Wren I would like to consider it a friend of mine. Even though he has chosen to nest in a different bird house this year in the past he was more than glad to help with pest control on my vegetables. Well I have learned they dont particularly enjoy hearing the call of another House Wren and not being able to locate it. The poor bird was frantically looking all over the place for where the call was originating. I decided to take video of it calling back and I sure did get a nice surprise. The bird was perched on a small branch right above me and then defecated nearly hitting my camera but instead hit my hand (thank goodness). This is only the second time I have been pooped on by a bird. Funny thing is that it happened in the same exact location last year (I dont remember the culprit).  So enjoy my close call.

Not sure but possibly a Brown Thrasher

Common Yellowthroat
I have been trying to get pictures of this bird for weeks. I decided to play its call and it brought it right to me. Still wouldnt sit still for very long for me to get some better photos but I am happy I at least got a few.

I do feel kind of bad confusing the birds by playing calls from my phone. Its interesting that not all the birds are attracted or interested. I assume it would have to do with how close by to a nest I am.

Great Blue Heron

I got out into the garden today and planted some stuff.

I put the trellis netting up and planted cucumbers.

I also planted Acorn Squash

I put in some more cucumbers. So everyone be warned I will probably have too many cucumbers and will be giving them away.

And I put in a row of dill seed behind the cucumbers right in front of the area I sit to watch the marsh.

Some Milkweed popping up in the trellis bed. I try not to pull milkweed or Spotted Touch Me Nots. I dont consider them weeds and am more than happy for them to grow where they wish.

The only vegetable bed I havent gotten around to cleaning up. There is lettuce everywhere and weeds. I did plant a lone Eggplant. I need to go buy it some friends. I will hopefully have it cleaned out and planted with beets and parsnips by saturday.

Potatoes are popping through. The tomatoes are still alive.

A Cool Day

Its was a cool day outside, weather speaking and animal wise as well.
I was out on the deck with the tripod hoping to get some good pictures of the hummingbirds and maybe some video when somehow something on the roof caught my eye. It was most likely a weasel or a feret or something along those lines. Definatly not a flying squirrel as it was too big and the wrong size. Unfortunatly by the time i got the camera and tripod set in the right position and turned the camera back on i was notified that my battery was dead and also it was time for me to go into work. So no pictures of the animal.

But I did find a few different piles of fresh (at least from today) weasel scat.

According to my scats and tracks book you can tell its weasel scat because itsstriped like toothpaste. And well see for yourself.

 

 This is the area of the roof i saw it pop out of. There is a hole that was gnawed open almost near impossible to see it in the picture.

I am unsure if it is living in the roof or if it just found it way up there and is now devouring mice and any flying squirrels or other smaller animals living up there. Will be keeping an eye out for it for sure.

Here is one of the baby squirrels living in the tree nearest the deck. He poped his head out a few times today.

 A female Ruby Throated Hummingbird

 And the first few Milkweed Plants poping up

A few pics and shaky videos

Went out in the yard for a bit before D&D. Grabbed a few pics and two videos.

Here is a video of a Pileated Woodpecker on a powerline pole at the edge of the marsh.

A Black Capped Chickadee

Grey Cat Bird

 Video of the Grey Cat Bird

Cat Birds have the ability to mimic the calls of other birds. They nest in bushes and are called Cat Birds because of the meow and cat like cries they emit.


 Jack in the Pulpit (native plant)

 Columbine (native plant)

 

Calm after the storm: Pics of the sky

So its been rainy and storm. Tornadoes are apparently raging some sort of war on humanity or at least that is what the news media wants us to believe.

So here are some photos.

This is down by the marsh. I think a long time ago they intended to make this into some sortof dock like platform but since ive lived here its just been these posts. The water level in the marsh is the highest ever. The bottom set of  wood posts are covered with water.

I realized yesterday i messed up an ID. This is a picture of Waterleaf.(im pretty sure this time)

 Azaleas (ornamental perennials) in bloom

 Some pretty sky pictures

 Im sure this is a Turkey Vulture

More pictures of the sky

 Pretty Bunny

 Green Heron

Ticks

A few weeks ago it was thick with ticks out in the yard. I would pick off 5 or 6 in the time i took me to smoke a cigarette. Then it cooled off and was wet and they had seemed to have dissapated. And the last two days I had only found a few ticks on my clothes so it wasent a big deal.

Well now im a little worried.

I just found 2 ticks on me. Both had biten me. Im not very good at ID'ing things.

The first tick I found was attached to my bicep. Obviously had only been there for a few hours or less. I am pretty sure its just your average wood wick but.... I dont know. Even if it is a deer tick apparently it takes 24 hours for the tick to be attached for the bacteria that causes Lyme's Disease to be transferred.
I put him in a nyquil cough syrup cup to give you an idea how big it is.

The second tick however, is what worries me. Its tiny. I actually thought it was just a new freckle. (i seem to get new freckles/moles almost daily). But then I realized it wasent a freckle.

Yes, that little black dot on the q-tip is a tick.

I have no idea what kind of tick it is. All i know is it was more difficult to get off than the bigger tick. And there is an obvious sign of irritation to the area. I dont have a picture of the bite because its in a location i would rather not be sharing with the world.

I guess my only option is to wait. See if anything changes by Monday and go to the doctor.

And as I was typing this post, I found a 3rd tick.

Im guessing the wildflowers I brought in to ID brought little friends.....

The Garden

So I finally got around to planting some things. I put in 7 mounds of potatos this week. Which is half as many as i did last year. I went and bought some tomato plants and an Eggplant and put them in the ground today. I pulled up the last of the parsnips and they are being cooked on the grill as I am typing this. I also started hoeing and raking out the terrace beds. I think I may just grow Acorn Squash in the terrace this year. I need to get the trellis netting up for the cucumbers before I can plant the seedlings. I plan on putting some beets in the ground in the next few days.

I am dissapointed I dont have as much time to grow as much veggies as I did last year. But with the spring being as slow as its been I may somehow find time to put more seeds in the ground than I am anticipating right now.

Had a fun day hauling woodchips and digging in the dirt even in the light rain we have been having.

Other than that nothing stands out as being note worthy animal wise today.