ONE OF MY FAVORITE FILE PICS FROM A SWAMP NEARBY
Well, my new bird station was a big bust:(( The two feeders in it were totally empty this morning with birdseed scattered all over the platform & on the ground. One of the feeders had been moved so I suspect the work of a Raccoon & not Squirrels. It was done in the night & that is the time of the Raccoon. So far I have not seen a single Squirrel on the new structure. However, I was so discouraged it was all I could do to keep myself from taking the whole bird station down & just forgetting about the whole thing. I did remove both bird feeders today though.
BOTH THESE BIRD FEEDERS WERE EMPTY THIS MORNING WITH SEEDS SCATTERED FAR & WIDE. SQUIRRELS ARE BAD ENOUGH BUT RACCOONS ARE FAR WORSE
We do have a couple Squirrel proof feeders up but I like the bird station idea because I enjoy watching the birds just hanging out on the platform. The Mourning Doves especially like sitting there for long periods of time. Right now the Squirrels are cleaning up all the seeds on the ground & the Grackles are scooping up what has been spilled on the bird station platform. Kelly said to leave the station standing so guess that is what I will do for now.
Little Cora was needing a Jeep fix this morning so the two of us took a spin up to Goderich for breakfast & split a single Burrito at McDonalds. We sure miss the big guys:((
KELLY SNAPPED THIS PIC A COUPLE EARLY MORNINGS AGO & ALTHOUGH I HAD JUST GOT UP I THINK I AM ASLEEP AT THE COMPUTER ALREADY. YEP, I'M IN MY JAMMIES WITH MY FAVORITE BLANKY ON MY LEGS & MY VERY MUCH MOST FAVORITIST LITTLE MOTORMOUSE ON MY LAP:))
Since Max & Checkers are gone we have not been doing our morning walks like we used to. Cora doesn't seem interested in walking without her two Pals anymore & I must admit we haven't felt much like walking either. I have not been going for a walk at nights like I used to when Max was here either. The doggy guys were always our prime reason for walks & without them we seem to have lost our motivation, our purpose & our spirit. Guess this is all just going to take some time.
Looks like we have ourselves a fine weather weekend coming up for Bayfield's annual Sail & Canvas Days. There will be lots of sailboats on the lake tomorrow so I will see if I can catch myself a few photos. There will be a lot of people in town for all the arts & crafts on main street & if I can steel my nerves against the crowds I may wade into the masses with camera in hand. Then again I may just remain here in the beauty & quietness of our own little jungle in the Pine forest:))
SWAMP SHADOWS
GROANER'S CORNER:((
An old sea captain was sitting on a bench near the wharf when a young man walked up and sat down. The young man had spiked hair and each spike was a different color.... green, red, orange, blue, and yellow.
After a while the young man noticed that the captain was staring at him.
"What's the matter old timer, never done anything wild in your life?
The old captain replied, "Got drunk once and married a parrot. I was just wondering if you were my son!"
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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.
too bad about your bird feeders or rather squirrel/raccoon feeder!..enjoy your weekend whatever you do!!..be it stay home or venture out to town!!
ReplyDeleteAl, you could try setting out a live trap to catch a raccoon. We had a guy put out two of them here in our yard once. Caught two raccoons, one in each trap. I saw them myself that night when the dogs raised a fuss. The next morning, one of them had escaped. Never could figure how it got out of that live trap. The guy said he'd never seen that happen before either. I broke down and got my own live trap, and use it only when the dogs tell me critters are coming into the yard. I've relocated some possums that have come into the trap, but never have gotten a raccoon. Still trying.
ReplyDeleteLike your swamp shadow pictures. There may be an alligator in those shadows, you just never know!
Al, our cat Luna died over a year ago. We no longer mourn her as we did, but there is something missing from our lives that is difficult to describe.
ReplyDeleteShe was so loving and lovable. So many of our decisions were based on the needs of our threesome, rather than just Odel and me. So many ingrained habits, so many thoughts of how to make sure she was contented. I miss holding her, Odel misses her loving self in bed with us in the morning. She was the other third of our family.
We haven't acquired another pet because we know we have much more freedom in our travels without one, but there is definitely something (someone) missing.
I sure understand your comments about the loss of Max and Checkers. Some of the joy is gone.
Several years ago I saw a squirrel proof bird feeder. It had a battery powered motor that turned on from the weight of the squirrel on a platform. As the motor gained speed, the squirrel tried to hang on, but eventually would be thrown free from the platform. When he landed, he was so dizzy he could hardly run away. Now, that would give you something to watch!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the walks. When my last lab girl was still strong we would walk a couple of miles every day. As she became frail , the walks stopped. I just don't go out alone. At first it was a betrayal of her. go for a walk and leave her home unthinkable!
ReplyDeleteBut without her I don't Want to go.
We both may need new dogs to love and walk with.
Cute picture of you and Cora. When I catch Russ like that he always says, "I was just resting my eyes, I wasn't sleeping." I'm glad you have your little Motormouse.
ReplyDeleteThat first swamp picture was SCARY!!
man I wish I had squirrels down here in Phoenix. I had a rat in our pool the other day, but it was easy to catch. I let him go out in an open desert lot near the mall.
ReplyDeleteI now want to build a squirrel proof bird feeder, but I'd have to go find some squirrels up in the mtns.
A Arizona Holiday
I don't think I'll go out for walks at all when Lady isn't around.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I can think of that might stop the squirrels for a couple of weeks at least, is for the feeder to be away from the trees, and a great big baggle placed just underneath it. If it was made of something slippery maybe they couldn't climb up the cone-shaped device to get to the feeder. Not being handy in building things like that, I never tried it out.
Love the swamp photos....kinda spooky and yet peaceful.
ReplyDeleteGrieving is a process and it does take time to work through it all. Just be gentle with yourself.
What a bummer about your super duper feeder... must be a way to keep the reccons out too!!!
ReplyDeleteLoved Graoners corner today.F-U-N-N-Y... :-)))
Have a gret day and keep thinking...I am sure you'll defeat those critters!!!
Donna
Debbie took the words from my mouth (or my keyboard as it were). Grieving is a process. It takes some longer than others to work through the gaps in your life.
ReplyDeleteI still miss my Bear and Oscar very much and there will always be a hole in my heart from their passing.
Just getting used to the new way of doing things will take alot of time. You lost two great companions. That will take time to get through.
You are doing good helping Cora work through the absence as well. They really feel it when someone goes missing like that.
Nice pic of the swamp. Spooky too!
Cheers!
I am already looking forward to some great pictures of the sail and canvas weekend. Sounds like my kind of event.
ReplyDeleteWhy not just put bars around the feeder just big enough for the birds to slip trough and eat? Sounds crazy, but just a thought.
ReplyDeletedoes that cone-shaped squirrelguard tip and tilt easily? We found that when ours was frozen into place one winter the squirrels could very easily climb up and over it. Warmer weather it defeats them, but has to be low enough that they couldn't grip the lower edge of the cone with their back feet and swing up (don't ask me how they do that) to catch the edge of the feeder with front paws. It also needs to be high enough that they can't jump from the ground to the pole above the cone. And far from any trees/branches. There's a real art to placing these things, but my husband the engineer is determined, as you are. Our feeder and cone are on a shepherd's crook pole from the Wild Birds Unlimited store.
ReplyDeleteI was walking through the Bird Watcher store in Julian the other day. There was a new tube bird feeder with a cage around it. The sign said 'Squirrel Proof' in very large letters. The cage supposedly had wires large enough for the birds, but too small for squirrels (kind of like what another commenter suggested). It gave me a giggle as it reminded me of you and your battle with the squirrels. I know you're annoyed with the little buggers, but I really look forward to your stories of how they foiled your latest attempts at squirrel proofing. The Bird Watcher wanted $70 for their squirrel proof tube bird feeder contraption. I'll just bet that it's not as squirrel proof as they would have us believe. I'm not paying $70 to find out.
ReplyDeleteI still think you need to design an obstacle course for the squirrels to see what lengths they will go to in order to get to the food. You could have Squirrel Olympics and time them... but I think medals would be a little much.
Sorry to hear about your feeders! We have had squirrel issues but never raccoons.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy the weekend....I think I would get my camera out and enjoy my peace and serenity at your place!
Good luck with those raccoons..I hope you win!!