Critterlings

Just a brief update on some of the critters that wander across our lawn on occasion.

Hummingbirds.. The hummingbirds seem to have taken to the idea of the free lunch we've been providing. When we first put out the hummingbird feeder we only saw one or two would come around. For the last few days, at times when I look out the window at the feeder it looks like WWII over France. As many as six hummingbirds were swarming around the feeder. It seems a bit late in summer for them to be "flirting" so I'm thinking defense of food source would be the most likely explanation.

I was out attempting to hoe out the grass/weeds growing between the rocks of our walk (very near the feeder) and heard the buzzing of a huge bee. Having had a grandfather that kept bees I knew better than to run...but it sounded like a really big bee. I stood still and soon a small creature hovered around to the front of me...a inch long hummingbird. Hovered there, looking like if it would have had hands or hips to put those hands on..it would have been hovering there, a bit askance, hands on hips and giving me that look.

At first I was impressed since I outweigh it by about 3500 times. On thinking about it a bit more, I'm thinking it probably could have kicked my butt if it so choose. It's got a pointy beak and moves really, really fast. I would have zero chance of actually hitting it and it could easily move around and poke at me with that pointy beak. Yep, that's not a battle I'm likely to win.

We had a slight mystery with the feeder. We would fill it up and during the course of the day the level would drop about 1/5 of the amount. The next morning we would get up and it would be empty. I was starting to think that hummingbirds are nocturnal. While filling it up yesterday morning we discovered the probably cause...which brings us to...

Raccoons.. We have at least one family of raccoons that come through. We've seen them more than once, a parent and 3 younglings. While filling the hummingbird feeder, upon looking closely at it we discovered tiny paw prints and some scratches. What is probably happening is that the raccoons had discovered that the hummingbird feeder can serve very well as a nightly dessert banquet for enterprising raccoons.

I'm thinking one of them gets on the steps rail and pull the feeder over sideways. This causes the vacuum seal to break and the water to run out the other side. I don't know if that raccoon gets the goodies or if the others gather on the ground below it and catch the sugar water on their tongues like school children and slightly deranged adults do with snowflakes. If you look below the feed it's clear that something has been in the vegetation below the feeder. I just wish I could get video of it before we relocate the feeder.

Deer.. We appear to have an orphaned fawn. Several times we've seen a lone fawn wandering through the yard with no mom in sight. A few weeks ago we saw a fawn/mom pair where the mom was severely limping. It's possible this is the fawn from that pair. It seems to be doing okay now but I'm not sure how well it will do after the first freeze. Anyone out there understand deer biology enough to know if fawns require the milk supplement to survive through the winter?

I'm not opposed to setting up a corn feeder and probably will anyway just to keep the deerkin fat throughout the winter.

Coyote.. haven't actually seen him but do keep running across signs he is still coming around. A paw print here and there. A bit of scat around the corners of the yard.

..take care.. tim b