Thursday, February 5, 2015

Some of the Critters this Week

We had just gotten 6 inches of snow when I did my last post.  Yesterday, we got 6 more!  I've been looking out the door to see what kind of critters we have visiting, and taking some photos from inside the door.  My husband is the one who takes care of the feeders.  He has other feeders in different parts of the yard.  He also puts out suet for the woodpeckers, but other birds also eat it.

The photos with the snow coming down were taken yesterday.  I couldn't get a good photo of the bird on the left, but I'm pretty sure it's a woodpecker.  The others are some of the plentiful sparrows.


This photo is not as clear, but more of the beak shows.  After looking up woodpeckers in Nebraska, I'm thinking it's a red-bellied woodpecker.  Do you know if I am correct?


 The blue jays have been around a lot lately.  I also saw a cardinal or two the other day.


There have also been a number of dark-eyed juncos.


We have just gotten to today's photos.  There were quite a few birds and other critters hanging out today.


This morning, before I opened the main door, leaving the screen closed, I counted 4 blue jays.  They all flew off as soon as I opened the door, but this one came back, seeing that I did not open the screen door.  He or she kept a close eye on me, though.  Larry must have just had a bit of seed left, so he put it on this old apron.


The squirrels like to scold Heidi when she goes out, and she has been looking for them when she goes out.  She's not a fan of them.  I am not, either, but I don't dislike them as much as I used to.


I actually dislike rabbits more than I dislike squirrels.  Squirrels dig out plants, and if you find them in time, you can replant.  Rabbits eat things down to the ground.  Sometimes they regrow, and other times they don't.  I wish rabbits would just eat part of the plants, and not the whole things.  This one lives under our deck, and Larry said he saw two the other day.  We all know what that means!  Dang it!  Well, I do have their favorite plants caged so that they can't get to them.  Larry has been teasing me about wanting to get some alfalfa hay for the rabbits.   He said he saw one eating some bird seed the other day.


I counted 4 or 5 doves in the back yard a few days ago.  I really like them, and the sound they make as they fly off, which is made, I think, with their wings.


What kinds of wildlife are you seeing at your place? 

In a few days, our highs are supposed to start getting into the 40s for a couple weeks.  The snow will melt, and the ground should go into garden season in pretty good shape.  I am starting to see some of the posts from places where spring is waking up.  I always enjoy that.  We actually have some early things starting to green up as well, but it will be awhile before we see blooms. 

12 comments:

  1. Hi Sue, Yes, that is a red-bellied woodpecker. We see them too. Beautiful birds! I believe yours is a female. Males have red all the way up on their head. I love watching the wildlife out my windows! :)

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  2. I enjoy seeing your birds. We have many of the same ones as you. And yes--rabbits and squirrels can be real pests at times.
    We have a lot of black squirrels here which are really pretty and a lot different than the red ones we had back in Illinois.

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  3. Great photos, Sue!. And I agree with Beth - a female red-bellied woodpecker.

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  4. Lovely photos! I especially like the squirrel clinging to the fence. Good photo of the dove, too (the last one).
    Have a wonderful day!
    Lea

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  5. Hi Sue, I have most of the same birds at my feeders. I just put up a peanut feeder that the bluejays are crazy about. I had a feeder like your green metal one but the squirrels found a way to get into it. Next fall before the ground freezes, I need to put it on a different post the squirrels can't climb. Rabbits are bad. They eat the bark around small trees and shrubs killing the plant. It really makes me angry to go to all the trouble and expense of putting in a new tree only to have rabbits kill it.

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  6. Love the photo of the squirrel. We get a lot of doves in our garden. I put a birdbath tray on the ground so they can drink too. You got the snow. It didn't get this far south.

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  7. Yes, that is a red-bellied woodpecker, Sue. They have been visiting my feeders more frequently than in years past. I'm not sure why they're called red-bellied when it's only their heads that are red:) Great photos of the snow! I missed the best opportunity here for photos last Sunday when it clung to everything for awhile. I've been kind of lazy about getting out and taking pictures, plus a couple of days have been bitterly cold.

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  8. Yep, your identification is right on. I love the shot of the squirrel and rabbit. I don't like either near my garden though.

    We have had a good snow so far this winter and we are down on moisture of any kind....not good.

    Keep enjoying the wildlife from the inside looking out!

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  9. Sue, the black squirrel and the hybrids with the brown squirrel are from a population that has been moving west from the northeast Mississippi River Valley.They come with the oaks, I think. When I was a child and later, in Des Moines, they were always a feature of the Iowa landscapes. Now they have made it here and are quite a treat , although a rarity still, over here on the prairies. I am listening to two different level of sounds of the woodpeckers out in the alley and down in the Park. Those sparrows look like they might be the pretty natives, or are they finches? bloopgardens.

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  10. Hi Sue, Isn't the snow pretty? It really is and I love seeing critter footprints in it. I'm nuts but I love the squirrels.....they are so funny.you have so many birds at your feeder!We are getting our 3rd major snow storm in less than 3 weeks! This one will drop 18-24". The mailbox is a memory! I saw two deer across the brook in the back of our house. They were bounding through the snow. Probably the only way they could get through such high snow......

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  11. We hang suet out for the woodpeckers and frequently see the red bellied ones. I'm looking forward to taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count this coming weekend. You should do it too, Sue, because you have some great birds there. P. x

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  12. It's nice to have those little critters to look at when our flowers are sleeping for the winter. And snow doesn't bother me so much, because I always think of it as a blanket for the plants. Our snow cover has been light this winter, but the cold has been bitter, so I think I'll see some losses again this spring. I hate when that happens!

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