Baby Bunny

Shutter speed, check....Aperture, check....ISO, check!

I found myself a little helper!  This wild baby rabbit

is only about 2 weeks old.

There you go! We are all set for some flower photography!

Hmmmm .... Are we taking a break ?!?!

Did you see my feathered friends that
assisted me a few months ago?

Tree Swallow

Tree Swallow posing for a portrait!

I stand on the deck with a feather in my hand, and at just the right time, I toss one up, and a Tree Swallow comes swooping down and catches it in her beak right before my eyes, and off to the nest she goes with it!  Sometimes, they let it go in mid air and catch it again.  I read somewhere that they do that to dry the feather before taking it back to the nest, and sometimes, they are just playing with it.

This little beauty is waiting on the ''fly through'' perch for a feather to take back to the nesting site.  The Tree Swallows will use the feathers and dry grasses to keep the nestlings warm and dry.

Do you remember seeing my Tree Swallows post last year?  You can revisit them here

Connecting with Nature

Northern Red Squirrel - He's a regular resident!

A daily dose of nature is
the best medicine, don't you think?

North American Beaver

This regular visitor to our pond is also known as the Canadian Beaver.  He weighs about 40-50 lbs and is a very active rodent.  He is seen here munching on some aquatic plants, mainly water lilies and pond weeds, oh, and did I mention, he fell the odd tree this past week; four of them to be exact!!  "That will be enough spring cleanup from you big guy!  If you take my weeping willows, then we have a problem!!"

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Here is this year's Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird.  Isn't he handsome!  The females are here too and busy making their nests.  Maybe this year, I will find a nest with the babies!!

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird

The hummers are back!!  This little beauty, a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird is filling up on some nectar.  She just traveled many miles to get here!! She and a few males are sharing the feeders and we will enjoy their presence until sometime in September!

Want to see one of the male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds we had here last summer?

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warblers are mainly insect eating birds, but you will see them hanging from a suet, fetching sunflower seeds and peanut butter, or maybe even the odd raisin.

Drop Me Off At My Den Please

It's way past this bandit's bedtime!!!!

This Raccoon looked quite comfortable sitting in our little wagon while snacking on some of my homemade bird food.  One of the main ingredients in this bird food that Raccoons absolutely enjoy is corn!

Keeping at a safe distance, I snapped a few images before she darted off into the woods!

Did you know:

Raccoons are noted for their intelligence .... studies show that they are able to remember the solution to tasks for up to three years!

Happy Easter ~

"Cupcake" found the easter bunny!

Spring Frost

Heavy frost on the Tamarack trees

Black-capped Chickadee perched on a frosted branch waiting for the morning sun to warm her up!

This is Spring .... Right ????

Supper is Served ~ Gray Jays

My Assistants

My feathered friends quickly made their presence to observe the ''new camera gear'' !!

I think they got the hang of it; well almost ....

''Teamwork"

I think this is just an overload
of ''cuteness''.... do you agree?

Canadian Geographic Publication

THANK YOU & WOW Canadian Geographic for choosing my ducklings photo & publishing it in your PETS 2015 Special Collectors Edition!

To meet Squirt and her friends

on our farm: click on this link

Frosty Feeds Our Feathered Friends

Thanks, just 'our size'

Incoming....

Hey Frosty....what's up?

 

Feeding frenzy....lot's for everyone

 

Having too much fun !!!!

 

Chillin with Frosty....

Gotta go....the freezing rain got the best of me
and my feathered friends.... 

Tomorrow is a new day!

Common Redpoll

This is a male Common Redpoll,

a small songbird from the finch family

The males have a pale red vest on the chest and upper flanks.  Although Redpolls travel in flocks, this little fella was the only one to be seen.  He stayed around all day and hung out with the chickadees!!  Maybe I will see him again tomorrow....

Aside from playing with his new feathered friend,
this chickadee also found amusement in his own shadow....

Did you know:

Some Common Redpolls make little tunnels in the snow to stay warm during the night.  The tunnels can be up to a foot long and 4 inches deep under the insulating snow!!

This post is dedicated to my friend Nancy :-)

Welcoming Winter ~

Our feathered and furry loved ones have everything they need right here to survive the winter elements ....

Four basic habitat components they require is:

SPACE ✓
FOOD ✓ 
WATER ✓
COVER ✓

Let's just say our residents are pleasantly spoiled....we even captured some eating out of the palm of our hand !!

Burying Beetle

Burying Beetle carrying phoretic mites, meaning the mites are only using the beetle for transportation.

When I came upon this beetle, it scurried in the grass in attempt to find a hiding place from me, which made it extremely difficult to maintain my focus on it.  I had my 250mm lens on my camera body and did not have time to change it as I was anticipating the beetle would soon fly away.  So, I took a chance on getting a photo or two.  When I found focus again, there was only one hitchhiker mite left on it's back.

I had no idea what this beetle was until I researched it.  These beetles are called "Burying Beetles" because they gradually bury dead animals by excavating the soil beneath them.  The female will then lay her eggs on the carrion and their larvae feed on it.  The quicker they bury the dead animal, (mice, frogs, birds), the fewer the flies.  The fly maggots are their competition for this food source.  That is why the mites ''hitchhike'' on the beetle, because they feed off of the fly maggots.

p.s. I am glad I didn't take the time to change my lens....you got it, he flew away a few seconds later!

Happy New Year !!!!

Like the birds...., Let us leave behind

what we don't need to carry

~ Life is beautiful, enjoy it ~

Happy New Year !!!!

The Gray Jay gives me a couple of pecks on the hand....that's as good as a kiss on the cheek for me....

They are very loveable

Chickadee-dee-dee-dee

The Black-capped Chickadee has to be the cutest songbird I know.  They can accept you as a natural part of their environment and can be your favorite feathered friend. 

Did you know:

Each year, around autumn, Black-capped Chickadees allow brain neurons that contain old information to die, replacing them with new neurons.  This is so they can adapt to changes in their environment and social flocks.

Black-capped Chickadees hide seeds to eat later. They can place them in thousands of hiding places.  For the tiny brains they have, they are extremely intelligent.