Sitting in the Morning Sunshine

Fresh Snow 2°C

 9:00 a.m. - a deer rests on the hillside
 

Perhaps you can also see the smaller mammal in the foreground.

Habitat

In this tree....

 a small finch (Common Redpoll)

In this tree....

a squirrel (Red Squirrel)

In this tree....

a nuthatch (White-breasted Nuthatch)

In this tree....

a nest for young crows

Busy Squirrel

Rascally Squirrels

This rascally squirrel has found the perfect place to sit and wait for a certain other rascally squirrel to quit hogging the seeds scattered on the ground.

Her chattering friend eventually climbed onto a branch for a bit of a rest, all the while keeping a close eye on that little patch of property below.

Little Ones

(for better viewing please click on the pictures)

This photo was taken last Saturday during some warm weather that was melting the snow. I could hear it when I went outside. Drip, drip, drip. Dripping from everything, even the blue clothesline.

Little Red Squirrel was over by the sleeping lilac bushes searching. Searching for what? No one knows.

On Wednesday, a flock of twittering birds had gathered in this tree. I couldn't see what kind. They had a short rest, a big discussion and then were gone. But the peaked crests that I see in the photo make me think that they could have been waxwings migrating south. I hope they flew far that day because on Thursday the temperature took a dip.

Pine Grosbeak, male

Ah, here's one, no, two of our winter visitors. But, where is the second one? Funny about the Pine Grosbeaks. I haven't seen any for ages, but on this very chilly day I observed several, both male and female, perched in the trees near the feeders. I'm happy to see them again.

Also for N and E xox

Harvest Time

For the past month the squirrels have been very active.

This one spent a great deal of time nipping the birch tree seed cones and letting them fall to the ground. For days he could be seen jumping from branch to branch and scurrying about almost in a frenzy.

One morning, not too long ago, I saw this unusual sight - a mushroom lying upside down on a spruce bough. Squirrel again, this time harvesting mushrooms and putting them in the sun to dry.

Now, how clever is that?

These were taken just the other day when I noticed some rustling and bending of branches in the saskatoon berry bushes. This little chipmunk wasn't going to let anyone with a camera disturb her berry picking, and I was able to take a couple of zoomed in photos.

Yes, Autumn is well on its way!

Squirrel's Harvest

I think she's gone inside. I'll make a dash for it now!

This strawberry isn't entirely ripe, but it still tastes delicious!

Do I look guilty?

I hope you enjoyed seeing my little friend and will visit other wonderful participants by clicking on the badge below.

Tree Bark

May 09/08
This solid, enduring Spruce tree,
has tufts of lichen attached
to its rough bark and a small friend
peering out at me. In the background
a slender Poplar stands with its smoother
bark and characteristic markings.

May 12/08

I pass by these "Painted" Poplars
almost every day

May 16/08
New leaves emerge

from this Cottonwood's trunk
expressing continued growth

May 25/08
Deeply furrowed bark

of a grandfather Cottonwood tree

Simple Pleasures

"The little things? The little moments? They aren't little."

~John Zabat-Zinn

It seems as though overnight the forest floor has been altered, and the colour scheme has gone from brown to green. Of course, Nature has been steadily progressing towards this day a little at a time. Still, I am surprised and, Oh so delighted, to see that many of the woodland plants have revived, popped up, leafed out. . . .

"Each moment of the year has its own beauty."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wild Rose stem

A lot of the shrubs and trees
are almost ready
to put on their green leaf finery.

The very first flower - the dandelion
always reminds me of the sun.

Oregon Grape cluster of buds

that will very soon become
a beautiful yellow colour.

Arnica

This lovely fuzzy plant
has just begun to emerge
and is one of the first to flower - yellow.

One stray Johnny Jump Up or Viola -

not the wild variety, but
it looks so pretty I had to include it.

Several of these wild Columbine plants

have seeded themselves in the garden.
See the tiny forget-me-not
that has cozied up beside it?

No matter what,

I can always depend on
the little red squirrel
to make me laugh.

That's not me or my camera.

Squirrel is making short work
of peeling this spruce cone.
Look at those scales!

<<<<<>>>>>

Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)*

Squirrel was very upset with me for spoiling his plans for an afternoon snack. I saw him on top of a log when I came back from a walk. He took one look at me, jumped down in a flying leap and then hightailed it to safety in a nearby tree. He had been on his way to the sunflower seeds that were scattered on the ground under the bird feeders. Usually when danger is present, and he's eating seeds, his escape route is through a tunnel that he's cleverly made in the snow at the bottom of an adjacent log pile.

Crouching on a limb halfway up the tree, and peering out from behind an evergreen twig, he scolded and scolded, bushy red-brown tail flicking all the while. He didn't let up on his tirade the entire time I stood there. On and on he went, this fearless little forest dweller. I was the intruder this time.

*Note: tamias is from the Greek and means one who stores or hoards; sciurus is derived from two Greek words and can be translated as 'shade-tail'. hudsonicus is the Latin word for Hudson Bay where European naturalists first reported seeing the Red Squirrel in 1771.