Tag: Back Yard Wild Kingdom

Birds

I filled the bird feeders yesterday while the weather outside was beautiful. Today is the first day of summer, and it’s father’s day… therefore mother nature is literally pissing on us. It’s been pouring rain like the end of the world all day.

That isn’t slowing the birds down one bit though. They are outside chowing down. I saw a cardinal, a woodpecker, and some black and white colored thing I’d never seen before, all out there at the same time. I grabbed my camera and they all split on me. Jerks. I hung around for a few minutes, always hoping to get a clear image of a bird in flight, but it was too dark out and the shutter speed was too fast and the ISO was too high and I was left with this ugly mess. I got a decent picture of a bunny though, so that’s a win.

This is the goal, of course this looks like cow shit.
DSC_0054

This guy eats like a pig. Every minute or so he’d come back for more. Enjoy, little birdie friend.
DSC_0039

I had just decided to close the window and pack it in when the cardinal came back. I think he had been hiding on the roof waiting for the camera to go away, but he just couldn’t hold out any longer.
DSC_0069

Oh, here’s the bunny I mentioned.
DSC_0002

It Burns

I’m working from home today and I just went outside to cook some lunch for me and the Mrs, who is also working from home. As I was cooking the burgers and the dogs a shadow crossed over me. I looked up and there was one of the red tailed hawks! Right above me! Cool! It landed in a tree just out of site. A few minutes later? Boom, he’s back! Kinda circling around. I tried to follow it as it flew and wouldn’t ya know it, I pretty much burned out my retinas. Damn thing flew right into the sun! I think it was just messing with me. I thought for a second I could hear it laughing.

Freeze Gopher!

I think I just saw a gopher in the yard. It was much bigger than I thought a gopher would be, having never met one in person before. My first thought was that it was a beaver, but it lacked the tail. I wanted to get my camera, but it ran away too quickly. I didn’t have a chance.

I’m pretty sure that gophers in your yard is a bad thing… isn’t it? If only it could have scared the squirrels away.

Deer Everywhere

The deer were out in force tonight. They were all over the woods. The herd (is that the right term) was a lot bigger than I’d ever seen it. I tried to count them as they were wandering around, and I probably got it wrong, but there were nine or 10 of them. I’d never counted more than eight before.

I love when they hang out. Especially when the light is pretty good.

DSC_0032

DSC_0027

DSC_0021

DSC_0017

DSC_0008

Day Eight – Natural World

Nature… that’s what they want. When I leave for work in the morning it’s dark. When I get home it’s dark. Not much chance for nature for me.

This was taken out of the back door. It’s a two second exposure. Pretty much the best I could hope for today. It would have been awesome if a deer had come by, but no luck today.

DSC_0007

Depressed Deer

There are seven deer in the woods right now. The snow is so deep it comes up to their belly. Their legs are completely buried. They trudge along for a few steps, then stop for a breather. They are all looking kind of depressed, like they are thinking… Enough of this crap.

I hear you, deer. I hear you.

Big Bird

Look who I just saw in the back yard!

x-default

x-default

I’ve been hoping to get a picture of one of the big suckers living out in the woods. He flew into view as I was walking past the window and he was (finally) nice enough to stick around for a pic.

The question now is, is it a hawk? Is it a red tailed hawk? Is it something else? I think it’s a red tailed hawk but I really don’t know for sure.

Lots of Deer

I’ve been seeing deer nearly every day over the last couple of weeks. In the past it’s often been a case of seeing one means there are five or six more out there and if I look hard enough I find them. So far this year though there have never been more than two, and it’s most often just one. I wonder if something happened to the rest. I hope they are all right.

Trash Barrel Success

I did it. I faked out the residents of back yard wild kingdom.

A couple of months ago I bought two new outside garbage barrels. Big suckers with lids and everything. While cleaning the garage I moved them from their winter home, the garage, to their summer home, outside next to the garage. We went a whole week with trash in the new barrels and not a single animal made it through the lids.

Success!

At least until the squirrels decide to gnaw their way though, of course. Until then… Success!