Wild Turkey Leftovers

Or Why did the Turkey cross the Road?

This morning, just leaving home, we came across 10 or so Wild Turkeys crossing the road. I grabbed my camera, but with the car moving and the window a bit blurry, I didn't get a terrific photo.
The birds crossed the road and ran into the woods, some running, a few taking to the air for a short flight. They didn't sound like turkeys, but maybe they speak a different gobbledygook

I have not seen so many turkeys in one spot. (not wild ones outdoors, anyways). . . although when we had a picnic on our lawn??

Did these turkeys realize that Canadian Thanksgiving is over? Is it safe to come out? Have the turkey recipes been all put away?

When does turkey hunting season end?

Bat Cave under the Patio Umbrella

Earlier this month I opened one of the patio umbrellas. This was in the early afternoon. A few moments later, I saw a bat flying around the patio. Not a normal sight at that time of day. (Actually the first one that I have seen that close in our yard.)

A few days later, I opened the same umbrella. This time the little fellow just fell onto the table. Perhaps a little shaken. And, scared- I think he left a puddle.

But the bat flew off into the wild blue yonder. Hasn't been seen since.

Thinking of how can I get him to stick around so he can feed on the bugs. At the same time, maybe I'll have to build him (or her) a bat house somewhere else. Maybe somewhere on the other side of the lawn.

Maybe some swallow nesting spots or a purple martin house at the same time.

Killdeer Nest

A Killdeer made a nest in the driveway gravel.

Camoflauge Eggs

Can you find the eggs in this picture? Almost ran over them.

Don't know which parent lead me away but take a closer look. . . .A set of Killdeer eggs.

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Winter Snowfall

It snowed a few inches last week, then yesterday it warmed up to 6 degrees Celsius with lot of rain. So all the snow melted.

This morning there was a light snowfall. Just enough to rest lightly on the branches in the garden. I makes the world seem like a fairyland.

This first picture shows (l-r): a dwarf Alberta Spruce, a Blue Fescue grass, and a dwarf Hemlock.

The second photo shows the painted tree (see the post of The August Garden)

As we drove to work, it seemed that the snow on the bigger trees along the road had started to come off. So it seemed that the snowiness was best at home.

Also saw a flock of crows in the field just over the hill. There were probably 40 crows that dispersed as we drove by. What was that all about? Don't think I've ever seen that many crows in one spot all at once.

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Is that Alligator Alive?

We drove the Black Point Wildlife Drive on
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near
Titusville, Florida. We saw some great birds as well as some small and one very large alligator. Greg & Justin were sure the big alligator was dead, until it moved, and then they could not get into the car fast enough!

Lots of Ibis, gulls, herons. a couple of kingfishers, a roseate spoonbill, osprey, and a bald eagles nest, and more.

Cardinals Galore

The other day, before going to church, I looked out of the kitchen window a the bird feeders. I told Rosemary, "there are about a dozen cardinals at the feeder."
"What kind?" she asked. "Are they male, female or other?"
I assumed she asked because the male Northern Cardinal has red plumage in contrast to the female with her duller, drabber feathers. I just wasn't sure what category the 'other' was about.
However, when I went back to the kitchen, there were now a dozen males and a dozen females. Don't know why. Maybe the recent snow or the coolish weather. I went out and threw some handfuls of black sunflower seed on top of the snow. Cardinals rarely land on the feeders- they seem to prefer to pick the seeds from off the ground or snow. In that way they are dependent on the goldfinches, sparrows and chickadees to scatter some seed from out of the feeder. The mourning doves are similar in that they also seem to prefer to feed from the ground.

On Sunday, however, the squirrels moved in. Now that our dog has gone, the squirrels come around to the feeder with impunity. There had to be 7-8 squirrels gobbling up the seeds as fast as they could. Some grey, some black.

I'm going to have to rethink some strategies to cope with the squirrel invasion.

Lighthouse

The Kilauea lighthouse sits on a rocky lava promontory. It no longer functions as a lighthouse, but the area surrounding it has been designated as a historical site and as a Bird sanctuary. There were lots of birds flying around and along the path there were holes in the soil. Someone pointed out that there were baby birds in the holes. All you could see was a ball of fluff or a fuzzy ball.