Thieves

If it’s not snow or orange trees…

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…there’s bound to be another boring sunrise on offer.

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Perhaps I should save some of these for when nights shorten, bringing dawn too early.

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And I could save pictures of snow for the height of summer in the hope of a cooling effect.

But I prefer to post things when they are at least vaguely current.

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In six months, I was going to say I might not be able to identify them, but I sincerely hope I’ll still remember that this is a horse.

The swirling snow set it off nicely, I thought.

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A young white-tail buck had found something to eat and was not bothered as we passed by.

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Back at home a Cooper’s Hawk rested on a snowy branch.

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It perched in an old dead tree that we call the Waiting Room.

Hoping other birds and small furry creatures would forget it was there.

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Two days later another “Coop” was ferreting in the hedge for breakfast.

It is amazing to watch these big birds climbing about in the narrow confines of those branches. I root for their prey, while hoping they will find a meal elsewhere. Cooper’s hawks are not carrion birds. They insist on fresh food, unlike many that feast on road kill.

Hawks have to eat but I’d rather they didn’t feast on my friends.

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Mostly, Coop targets doves or sometimes a blue jay, but Zoomer the chipmunk needs to keep a low profile when a hawk is around and so do the Little Red squirrels.

They all live in or under that hedge.

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Chipmunks disappear down tiny holes in the ground, so small you would hardly notice them, that is until some other creature decides to expand. Last Spring I assumed enlargements were the work of groundhogs and it was certainly them we saw using this entrance.

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The groundies, however, retired for the season in the middle of October, before this latest excavation was undertaken. The chipmunks and Little Reds use both of these large holes but they are not capable of such enthusiastic digging.

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These guys are and we often see them going in and out of those burrows. I’ve also smelled their perfume around that newly enlarged hole. Just why they are doing it is another question. Perhaps it has to do with a noticeable increase in their numbers.

Groundhog burrows are extensive and comprise numerous chambers including a bedroom and a bathroom. Other creatures are known to use “guest” rooms, so hopefully the groundies are sleeping peacefully, undisturbed by all these activities.

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Not only do skunks dig – they also steal. Their specialty: metal bowls.

We have no idea why, but they do it often. We have recovered most of the stolen bowls but not all. They are carried off down the hill, or more likely pushed. It’s hard to imagine them carrying a large seed tray, but they always thieve under cover of darkness.

Do we mind? Not in the least. Could you be annoyed with a creature this cute?

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