Some dog walk pics…normal gray light Portland

Bloged in Nature,Portland by mark Tuesday May 14, 2013

We woke up to a low thick marine layer of clouds. I grabbed the el-cheepo camera thinking the light THIS day would be good for pics, and actually show what kind of rich light the park usually displays in the spring when EVERYTHING is green.

We leave Skyline here….trespassing across Dave’s side road….where the little road ends, Forest Park begins:
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Some places are SO full of growth, not much light is there on a cloudy day:
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And further down, things just get rich and green:
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On this walk, we went along Firelane 10……nice vistas, not sure this cheapo camera shows that:
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Still a few trees left waiting for leafing out:
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And, Lower Newton Road…..
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Newton Road, on the return: **we’re listening here to Pileateds calling from the top of an old growth cedar…that has long seemed to be telegraph central here….SO tall, the top 40′ is dead…and always being used as a calling point…
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And finally going homeward bound, leaving Newton, we’re back on the little ‘private’ trail from Arnie’s house to Skyline….. Peter and Jeanne, I’m sure, are discussing Mystical Philosophy:
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Oh well……not much said, just what a rain forest looks like in mid-spring…..w/o rain, and before anything dries out……nothing spectacular.

And the 3 legged Coyote Lives to thrive another day

Bloged in General Home Life,humor,Nature,Pacific Northwest by mark Monday July 30, 2012

We have talked about the ’3-legged’ coyote that’s been in our neighborhood all summer. Eventually almost everyone’s seen it and often more than once. At first you’d feel sorry, then the longer you look you realize it’s completely healthy and that fact even more amazing when you’re realizing watching it move that the missing leg is a front leg, the very leg needed to “pounce’ on the prey.

AND as you will see, the leg seems so smoothly covered, it “appears” to be a genetic birth defect, not an injury……..

Well, we finally have a neighbor story moved down to our block that’s the best of the summer, I think, and the “guilty” shall rename nameless to avoid …. some perhaps wanting to dine on what “R” is placing on his compost heap.

So. Yes, the coyote’s been doing well. “R” greets morning one day last week…. and as he looks out his back window realizes there is a coyote lying on its back in the middle of some tall grass….. Then he realizes it IS the very 3-legged Coyote that’s gotten all the attention. He grabs his camera….takes a couple pictures…

“R” realizes the animal seems perfectly content laying there, rolling back and forth some, looking at the trees & sky…..even looked at “R” a few times.

“R” gets out to his shop and works a bit…comes back in to see the coyote’s still laying there. Concerned he wonders about calling for help…..rabies? ill? Sad, that the animal hasn’t left.

As he calls for help, “R” remembers the KEY element that may just explain it all! ***Yes, he’s put out lots of food scraps out back, a perfect place to compost and yes, it might feed a lovely wild animal or two.

BUT, a light dawns! “R” just remembered finding that ‘stale’ batch of marijuana brownies in his fridge yesterday. Guess where he tossed them last night? Yep. Right where Mr. Coyote seems to be unable to move. ….. It appears we “KNOW” who ate the entire batch….this poor 3-legged guy who needs to eat EVERYTHING he finds along the trails………..

Oh, the mystery of those brownies! We’ve all experience it at least once! So. A VERY stoned coyote it seems that took most of the day to get itself together and wander off……about 5:30 that afternoon.

We’ve laughed and laughed…….I can only WISH “R” would have called me to some see the scene……

NATURE 130% in June / Portland, OR.

Bloged in birding,Hummingbirds,Nature,Oregon,Pacific Northwest,Passerines by mark Monday June 4, 2012

I can’t imagine how brilliant writers have the day I had today and not make a complete NOVEL out of what tiny little nature things that walked/flew around this house.

1) Squirrels. Have born young, the young are no longer nursing, and are out in the “community of squirrels” (Eastern Fox, Eastern Gray Fox, Douglas **native)… They only localize off our rear deck because of the 8 bird feeding stations where seeds drop to the ground.

But ONCE in June when the young are no longer allowed to nurse, and are brought TO this feeding station, to learn the science of what their diet IS, they are so soon spurned and turned away, and chased away by vocalizing parents (and others)………that it’s a bit sad, but they learn they must go off and find their own “territory”….not uncommon in nature. **At least I’m happy they’re eating most of the dropped seed….to keep any mice/rats at bay.

2) DEER. ONCE A YEAR, Doe give birth to fawns…and just AS they do, they give their yearlings eviction notices. Only Once a year, the deer seem to disappear, then while Mom and baby are quietly hiding/nursing, the yearlings appear alone, seemingly a bit lost, and HUNGRY. Today! That happened a yearling buck walked right by our windows to the seed/log we just got……and relished in that find for about 5 minutes…when MAC realized there was an alien who he KNEW was going to destroy our civilization. The barking spooked the dear, but he was back soon SO hungry. It was a fabulous watch for 5 minutes….then he ambled up the side of the house toward the vegetable garden. WOOPS! I have NOT put that deer fence that goes up EVERY year June 1………….. I finally had to let him know I WAS in this “pasture”….and opened the window….he pranced quickly away.

***and of course NO photos……when I simply turned my shoulder, this askeered little deer immediately looked my direction……quiet and NO movement allowed this to happen. I had a great time.

BUT……..TONIGHT, JUST NOW, I spent 30 minutes watching him return to the SEED BLOCK 20 ft from the window…..dine to his hearts content….then amble to the front of the house for salad, aka, apple tree leaves….and I think he ate too much for MY comfort, and then graze in the pasture. THIS was a NATURE MOMENT of a lifetime……..beautiful young sleek native DEER!. Ah, Yes.

3) FLYING SQUIRRELS: After not seeing them for a couple weeks, was SO happy to see -4- of them at once last night in the feeder….seems like THEIR young are ALSO not nursed to completion, and, NO, we hadn’t love them, they’re back! HURRAY. AND it was FUN to see them comfortable 15′ from my chair dining at length.

4) OWLS. Yes, it’s their time too. JUST Thursday, on the dog hike, I was a bit ahead of the group, and SAW a barred owl, very close, FLY in front of me, turn and land on a branch not 100′ away……she watched us…until the group got close and flew further……. End of story? NO! On the weekend, group member Arnie ran into the scientist doing the wildlife count this month for Forest Park, fabulous John Deshler (google him)….. and John not only showed him that very NEST that I was SO close to) but sent him photos of the chicks his nature photog Scott Carpenter had taken.

I am SO thrilled to NOW be able to not just walk the dog, but go check on the progress of the 4 little owlets………….

5) Oregon Juncos. These poor little bottom of the food chain birds NEST IN THE LAWN or on the ground…..SO defenseless…..almost EVERY year we get ONE….we found one, she had five eggs. NOW, 2 are hatched doing well (today), one egg/young disappeared, and should be 2 more tomorrow or……. AND yes, we protect them by putting a tomato cage around that lawn spot…..that is not touched or mowed until the young are fledged:

6) RAIN. Yep, it’s becoming the Junuary I hate……….I HAD to put sluggo on the borders of the garden near the lettuce…..who knows…….and snow levels will get down to 3500′ tonight…… We will know Wednesday……..

What an exciting 2012 THIS is starting out to be…………I had a nature day I’ll never forget.

The Garden June 01 2012. a warmer spring this year.

Bloged in garden,General Home Life,Nature by mark Friday June 1, 2012

Some interesting changes (so far) in THIS year’s plant growth…..even though our RAIN amounts the last 3 months his a record (14″), the temps were SO much warmer to include DRY SUNNY periods, the plants in the garden are doing amazing. I’m remembering HOW much I like gardening because of this fun change……..

So a quick camera walk around the house let’s me celebrate the GREEN beauty NW Oregon is right now. Some shots of changes in the yard:

This little water fountain was given to us by the friend who made it…..and birds have QUIT even going to the one with NO water movement…they ALL bathe in this because of the fountain….it’s fun to watch because it sits 1′ from the window:

This hemlock was planted from a volunteer tree about 5″ tall 8 years ago…it has struggled EVERY winter until 2010 against the Buck Deer who liked to rub the new antlers clean during the rut….it’s FINALLY over 6′ tall, and I believe, is gonna finally take off:

Every year this looks so lush even though it sits where little water gets to it:

And it seems only 4-5 years ago that we planted a “few” Japanese Iris bulbs dug and given to us by pal Karen Smith from her yard, and now, in 2 places they look like this:

And really the same about this berm along the driveway which was no more than spare dirt brought in when friend Dave dug his septic tank for his new house and we spread it here…..we planted a few things as “experiments”…..and they seem to have managed just fine (yes, a couple things are buried in here and need to be moved):

I LOVE the grape vines (that never mature in our little micro-climate) that give us huge leaves by Pickling Time….”1 per jar”….that’s rule…..

AND….it’s peak Rhody time…… all these plants ever get is a dose of Epsom Salts every spring:

And a quick peek at the garden……….at the row’s west ends….fingerling potatos are on the way while marigolds, leeks, onions, tomatoes are growing:

This doesn’t often happen by June 1…..tomato plants are growing out of the TOP of the Kozy Coats already proving temps have been WARM here since we planted them:

****the aqua jackets are around all the hot peppers and will be until Jun 30…..unless it really DOES warm up and stay there.

Here’s a little task for next week…..these corn starts (Golden Bantam is this year’s experiment) will go into the ground:

HERBS are doing fabulous….we’ll be eating cuttings within a week or two from: chives, oregano, sage, basil, rosemary, celery….. and the sprouted cilantro seeds will take 3-4 weeks. LETTUCE will begin getting trimmed and eaten in a week. Yum.

Mac has carrots planted for himself in one row……………(no I haven’t told him they’re up yet).

The curly willow trees we cut down last fall? some of those cuttings started sprouting….I’ve given away a couple and potted 3 more…..any takers?

It’s a good spring here.

ARIZONA 2012 DAY 1:

Bloged in General Home Life,Nature,TRAVEL by mark Wednesday May 16, 2012

April ended with a bang! A trip to a state I have NEVER visited because of something I don’t tolerate well at all: HEAT. And NOW, the religious right has a stranglehold on its government, so I was leery of visiting our friends there…. Knowing I was pasty white, I thought I’d give it a shot hoping the Border Patrol guards wouldn’t arrest me as an illegal.

Yup, we two departed April 27 for a 10 day stay in AZ…..and experience yet another modern life miracle: After becoming on-line friends with bloggers, getting to meet them personally…..and SEE IF the friendship magic really IS in the mix. We already knew HOMER in Tucson. Homer’s been to Portland twice and each time we had a grand time with him….. He’s recently become partnered, so we were anxious to meet Evan. Michael and David are in Phoenix…..we have mutual friends of theirs we DO know who’ve all been to Portland a FEW times and in each case has another grand time becoming friends, so we really looked forward to actually getting to know these two. Not only did they host us like royalty, they arranged our lodging for Flagstaff the next 3 days…. since they knew the owners, they arranged a “2 for 1″ deal for us at one fine gay-owned victorian lodging B&B……..more on that later.

We arrived ready to meet Michael & David. We were told to report to: “THE MISSION ” . . .a wonderful welcoming “Old Mexico” feel restaurant where your Guacamole is made tableside…is chunky as it should be. We hadn’t sat long when Michael walked in, and within a couple minutes, felt like this was NOT a NEW meeting, but a reunion of old friends. David followed shortly, and we spent a delicious fascinating evening with wonderfully warm friends. The next day, we departed for the ” DESERT BOTANICAL GARDENS “….and what a way to begin a stay in the Sonoran Desert….LEARNING about an ecology neither of us were very familiar with but would be in for 10 days. A GREAT TIME:

Simply desert beauty as soon as you walk in (click to get a better feel of this grand plant collection):

The harmony between the birds that live off these huge saguaro’s is amazing…they both EAT from the flower, and nest lower on the plant:

We’ve forgotten the names of these beautiful trees…. they not only brighten the surroundings when they bloom, but when the blossoms drop, the ground becomes very brightly buried in gold:

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It was SO wonderful to see the desert when SO many of the cacti were in full bloom…..

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I don’t think a pic captures the rugged beauty of this winged creature …..elegant statuary:

JUST to get the size of these giants in perspective, to you see the little midget in the lower middle of this picture?

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This cactus sends out growth arms….until it settles on other plants, and slowly chokes them out….wish I’d remembered the name:

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What an extraordinary plant….again, huge….see that same midget in the background? An exotic beautiful plant going to seed:

ALL round us, this late spring in the desert was full of blooms everywhere…..best time of year to see desert life:

Even a better one (this one SHOULD be seen original size: please click):

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Remember the bird above eating from the cactus flower? Here’s the nest….fascinating:

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ALL through this tour, the density of plant life taught me that life isn’t rich and full in a rain forest, it’s rich and full here too:

LUNCH… Scottsdale, AZ
We left the gardens early enough for lunch………..and at the airport we’d seen signs for: * GRIMALDI’s PIZZERIA *
What? Our favorite Pizza experience in both of our lives was found at Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn….right under the bridge. THEN, it was a one-shop only place….they’ve now expanded. Yes, we ate there, and enjoyed the SAME fabulous NY thin crust pizza! WE KNEW we’d be back at least once more before we went home.

From there, we had to get back to M & D’s to meet Homer….our good friend from Tucson, a real archeologist, who was taking us north to Flagstaff where he and his partner Evan were to show us the BEST of that gorgeous area. We got to Flagstaff, checked in the *STARLIGHT PINES BED & BREAKFAST* ….and our Flagstaff Weekend will be chapter two of our vacation diary.

What a way to begin a desert adventure! Thanks, Michael & David.

Fall Ends. Winter Begins…. Bye Fall.

Bloged in Fall,Nature,Oregon,Pacific Northwest,Portland by mark Tuesday November 22, 2011

Fall went on a respectfully long time it seems across much of the country. We kept snapping pics because fall colors have never been so brilliant so long.

But with the first REAL winter RAINS in the forecast, and most leaves exiting the trees, I grabbed the android a couple days ago to snap a few “bye” pics around the place or on the trail to say “bye” to our unusual fall. **pic quality suffered a bit** it was foggy in places.

**I can COUNT the last Gravenstein apples left (4). All that fell have fed deer & coyotes. These last four are feeding birds….I love it:

I am quite sure it’s birds….. squirrels would have pulled too hard and they’d have fallen. This is delicate eating:

But, at least the Granny Smith tree is now about ripe. A pie in December?

Once again, as in the spring post, at the top of the trail, we start down Dave’s little road….the leaves WERE SO THICK I took the mower / bagger to them twice in the last 2 weeks. This is what was left 2 days ago….the leaves are almost ALL gone off the tree today:

Then on to Arnie’s stretch of the trail where several perfectly healthy Vine Maples seem to enjoy their warm quilt of MOSS:

At the bottom, I’ve mentioned the mammothly tall cedar…here’s looking up from the bottom…to PROVE it IS alive. What’s interesting, the top 40 feet of this tree sits ABOVE those branches as dead as can be…and serves as a feeding/calling post for EVERY woodpecker in the area:

MOSS! IT WAS a rather cool summer, not too dry . . .so the MOSS has hung on….can you imagine what this will look like in the spring?

MORE MOSS….it’s beautiful right now:

And some of it’s LONG:

And as you walk BY the MOSSY branches, the leaves on the trail make a lovely carpet:

If you’re in the right place, thin branches look good under moss:

The Newton Fire Lane ……

One of the first markers one reaches from OUR starting point is this old growth tree with MilePost 25 1/4 on it. This means you are 25 miles from the Wildwood trail start in MacCleay Park downtown:

Just this week, as some wind began prior to this incoming BIG storm, three week thin trees came down…. IN a park like THIS, they don’t leave much of a mark:

One Ravine view is a natural pic place….taken by one of the few OLD growth Fir trees left after the 1940′s logging:

A Fall Trail view;

Trail view 2:

And on to beginning a few things for the weekend dining……………..

Sauteed Sprouts….stir-fried w/onion/garlic/brown sugar / touch of peppers & soy, YUM:

Roasted Asparagus:

Tomorrow…..Winter Garden Salad, Rodger’s Pies, and more and more.

Tis the season for family and friends.

Summer Puddin’ Time it is!

Bloged in food: recipes + dining out,General Home Life,Nature,Pacific Northwest by mark Thursday August 4, 2011

NOTE: ALL the photos here were caught JUST with the PHONE Camera…it was all I had…. I AM surprised how well it does, I know some aren’t composed really well….but……..it summer’s moving too fast to pose for long.

On to my favorite summer dessert.

You KNOW your summer’s peaked when you eat SUMMER PUDDING (link to Recipe) . . . . . the first time.

Nancy had a few family members over last evening for a summer picnic evening ….yes it was fabulous. We both made a little of that magic dish and “I” thought it was the highlight of the evening.

There’s no stopping me now….after the dental appt this morning, picked up 4 mixed berry containers and am on the way! (Blueberries, Boysenberry, Blackberry, Raspberry)………

***** SOME of these pics can be enlarged ******* They get a little more interesting on a hot day if you can almost FEEL some of this summer air *****

Summer Pudding starts this way:

Next thing you know, your berries are mixed, and brought JUST to the point that the juices start to run:

Next thing is slapping down the pound cake slices around the bottom and sides of the bowl, pour in the fruit & juices, then TOP the thing with more pound cake:

NOW:
Weight that all down, set in the fridge for 12 hours. You’ll pull out a purple lovely Dessert just begging for a little whipped cream………. Yep, that was Poor Man’s Dessert in England 100 years ago.

We’re STILL enjoying the best of summer, and hoping friends suffering from the 100+ temps back east can feel the falls, here’s photo of La Tourell Falls, this time kept LARGE so you can feel it’s power…..CLICK on this photo:

And sure, portland has lots of rose gardens. Here’s a minor one: Peninsula Park Rose Gardens #1:

Garden Pic #2

And those SAUVIE ISLAND FARMS old trucks they keep seasonal flowers in? Here’s what they look like this week.

Truck 1:

Truck 2:

Truck 3:

Let’s try to cool off a little…..Here’s a Columbia River Gorge Shot from cooler times in the early summer, shot from the Washington Side of the river, simply with the Android phone camera….

And lastly, a little wild foxglove….really stood out hiding there in the forest:

Ah summer. It’s too short.

Seen on the Wildwood Trail July 7 2011. nature at work

Bloged in General Home Life,Nature,Pacific Northwest,Portland by mark Wednesday July 13, 2011

* As we came back out of the park on the way home………. Right in the parking lot, OWL MAN (a scientist, who’s been studying the progress of owl growth inside the park for some time, was lecturing to a group. **Mark’s history with Owl Man:
One morning OUR little walk-group was hearing OWL Hoots as we descended Newton Rd to get to the trails. I, being SO famous for making owl hoots, hah, began answering back to see what the owl would respond with……. Hoots came back, and I kept answering, MOST coollll……. As we neared the lot, I saw a guy nearing the lot also with packs, etc. I asked him if he’d “heard” the OWL calls in an excited birding guy way, to which he responded that he WAS the Owl Scientist, and those were HIS calls to a Pygmy Owl he’d been listening to, and that MY sad imitations, my “karaoke” of owl hoots wasn’t fooling anybody, in fact, his Pygmy Owl was NOT amused……. THAT was how I met Owl Man…..

Nonetheless, I continue to walk in the park, and today, took a few cheap shots of a few nature items I noticed this day in july……they’re posted in random order….. (and, most can be enlarged w/a click…..I felt a larger pic on some view points was worth it)……

The kids and dogs await for me to catch up (embiggen this picture for a better feel:)

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Another corner, one of many on the hike……

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There’s always a few winter trees w/stumps down that get lost during our WET winters: This tree will take years to finally decay:

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Here’s very last remains of a tree whose little bottom shell remains standing……all the rest now forest compost. Of course, one could only guess how many years ago the top fell over:

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A favorite early summer week….the small native tiger lilies bloom, and this year, there’s lots of em:

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If you’re starving, the salmonberries are beginning to ripen….make sure you let ‘em get soft/bright….they can be bitter:
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One of many scenic little ravines, and in winter, every one has a little stream in it:

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Here’s a tree that began its life growing out of a decaying old log….that old “nurse” log still giving some support…..

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Another old nurse log….this one LONG gone, and a lot of weight now on those roots:
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Love the old growth trees that get enough just-right setting to grow moss:

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There ARE a FEW old growth trees still in the park….most lost to logging just before the place was established as a park 70 years ago:

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and here, as in many corner turns/ravines of the trail….an offshoot little trail goes UP the ravine….and is probably used by many animals at night….. for…. ??

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The Vine Maples grow well in the shade, hence: they develop moss that is there all year, just gets a little dried out during the summer. It’s STILL nice stuff:

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Nice Wildwood Trail markers? Ev 1/4 – 1/2 mile ……a tree tells you just how far you are from City Center, er, rather, the START of the Wildwood near downtown:

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Here’s a clump of Maple trees…obviously started when the old one died out….now as they mature, lucky they’re all alive as they compete below and above ground for space, light, soil, water:

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As Mac and I head home, ev day, we’re kinda happy to reach this point…..we’re only about 3 blocks from home now, and some water, or breakfast maybe:

And summer is on……………..The BIRD CALLING is strong now…..I can tell OTHER birds are fledging young besides robins.
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Woods Life: Nature puzzles

Bloged in birding,General Home Life,Nature,Pacific Northwest by mark Monday April 19, 2010

AH! We’re finally peeking out of the house! Some sunshine is sneaking in here, and I can feel a LIVE heartbeat again! Happy! A week ago, we grabbed the scopes, cameras, and joined cousin Nancy for an outing to Oaks Bottom…..a fabulous bird watching wetland…..3 mile hike around it and you have some heartwarming experiences. We saw our FIRST baby ducklings of the year (10 and Mom)…. THAT was a Fabulous day. Thanks, Nancy!

This week, We even ventured out to Cirque de Soleil – Kooza (fabulous). After that worked so well, we drove down yesterday afternoon to friend Ian’s surprise Birthday Party / Softball Game yesterday thrown by fabulous wife Kate (fabulous):

We made cookies for the party, plus there was lots more:

YES, we are gaining weight off the leftovers…

HOWEVER. There HAS been some strangeness worming through the little ranchette lately………… We ARE in the woods, we DO have wildlife of all kinds. Sometimes it takes a week or two to solve……maybe.

First mystery was solved yesterday. The puzzle? We have a strange little suet feeder meant to keep large birds/squirrels out, and allow the little birds in to feed:

…you just pour the seeds into that “suet cube” holder”:

….hang it on the tree

and voila! It worked that way for a season….THEN, a little native Douglas Squirrel (our favorite little brown squirrels…), realized he WAS “skinny” enough to squeeze through, grab a nut, slip out, and feast. HENCE: No big deal, we kept putting peanuts in there, and our favorite native squirrel can had his own private food stock.

THIS year, we tried that again, and for some reason, that squirrel (or his descendant) must have been eating too many quarter pounders….HE’s a bit too fat to squeeze in…. THAT is WHEN the mystery began. The feeder remained full all day. But the next MORNING, it was empty……. WHO DO YOU BLAME? You ALWAYS BLAME the raccoons, of course. I moved it, and began placing it on the barbecue some nights:

Of course, if I did, I had to make sure I was out early and got it back on the tree, else the big Fox Squirrels (yes, your cute big thick bushy tailed ones) tore the heck out of everything. So I just moved it around, but every morning it would be empty.

I kept wondering why or HOW a raccoon was getting the peanuts out and not ripping apart the feeder itself.

Yesterday arrived with sun, 70 degrees and a decision to maybe have our first BBQ’d chicken of the year! Rodger’s the great BBQ chef, so naturally, Rodger faithfully accepted BBQ cleanup task. Armed with brushes, cleaner, he took off the cover, lifted the lid to see this:

Apparently, most of the mouse family had grown and gone, we only saw 3-4 escape this lovely Mouse House. Are we MORE annoyed it was there (yuk), OR because it was made with insulation from under the house! Dang! No wonder the heat bill’s going up! The BIG part of the story was this: About a gallon of peanut shells were in here, around it, below it. Peanut Mystery Solved! Poor raccoons had nothing to do with it.

Okay, moving on, mystery #2. We have 3 shepherd hooks with bird feeders hanging from them. You can only do that successfully if you mount baffles on the pole to keep the squirrels from climbing up and devouring it all. THIS M.O. has worked beautifully for about 10 years:

This time of year, we’re looking out there a LOT waiting for the arrival of our songbirds for their annual nesting and rich singing extravaganzas we love every summer. SO. TWO weeks ago, I look out there to see a big Fox squirrel sitting in the feeder eating. Mac ran him off quick, but he was back in an hour. This had only happened once before, and that time, the feeder was simply to close to the Cedar tree so he simply jumped from the lowest branch onto the feeder. Was that the problem?

**I moved the pole out one more foot…..and waited a day or two. Woops! There he was again. Was he jumping from the ground?

… I have watched and watched and seen nothing to support that belief.
From the slope side of these feeders there’s another small tree…maybe he’s jumping from there?

….I measured and still don’t think this was the take off point.

SO: We do NOT know HOW this one aggressive squirrel is doing it.…..THAT mystery remains unsolved….can ANYONE please come up and we take turns sitting at the window till we catch him in the act?

By the way, on that slope side, there is a trail that runs down into the forest. NO HUMAN walks it. It is used by wildlife only, but is used heavily enough, you’d swear it was in a park for hiking:

….I would LOVE to have a NIGHT camera and record everything that moves out here at night…………. THAT would solve a few mysteries on its own.

So, ONE mystery solved (and the BBQ chicken is delicious!!! Rodger’s a GREAT BBQ chef), and one remains in the dark.

**ONE another note, as I was walking back up a trail this morning, I hear/see a pickup park on the gravel road TO the lot in Forest Park, see a guy get out and start making Saw Whet Owl whistles (a plain one note call)…….I thought “weirdo” until I HEARD the OWL begin to answer him. The guy pulled out his binoculars and began to look for the bird. Guess what “I” will be doing tomorrow morning!!!!!!

Saw Whet Owl Call at this link: Northern Saw-Whet Owl Call.
….and why am I happy he’s here? These guys will kill LOTS of mice!

And lastly, our own home SUET FEEDER that gets our Home-Made Suet is doing WELL:

….Seems EVERYBODY loves that feeder….I suppose the “post” the holes are drilled into gives it a very natural feel……

AW! Doesn’t this sound like spring!

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