Spring Visitors

Posted on April 7, 2006 by Dave Pollard

It’s been busy around the bird feeders lately. A couple of weeks ago, at midnight, we had these visitors, very charming, but very destructive: They pulled the feeder down, dismantled the pole, smashed the feeder, and absconded with the foot-wide metal squirrel baffle, which is nowhere to be found. Perhaps it’s now a useful door for their warren, or a fashion accessory for Mrs. Raccoon:
raccoon2
Incidentally, the raccoon on the right wasn’t growling, merely chomping on a mouthful of sunflower seeds while staring at me through the window curiously.

Last week was the time for a meeker visitor, nibbling on various grasses and plants for a half hour in the late afternoon while eying me nervously, finally deciding I wasn’t a threat:
bunny2

Yesterday was beautifully sunny, and the grackles and redwinged blackbirds, who always travel together and in packs, were hogging the feeders, forcing the chickadees, juncos and sparrows to wait their turn. I had a staring match with one of the grackles:
grackle2

When they departed, the chipmunks timidly returned. In the late afternoon sun, I managed to snap this one having a late snack:
chipmunk2
Happy spring, everyone.
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8 Responses to Spring Visitors

  1. Joan says:
    April 7, 2006 at 14:46

    Thanks Dave. I read your blog every day, and almost always you write about weighty topics that I do like to, and need to, think about. But it’s great when you occasionally inject the site with something that just makes me smile and think “Yeah the world can still be a pretty fine place”. Happy spring right back at you.

  2. pohanginapete says:
    April 7, 2006 at 16:34

    Spring?? What Spring? It’s autumn here. Never mind, I’ll enjoy a virtual Spring through your photos.

  3. theresa says:
    April 7, 2006 at 18:41

    That is amusing. Also, maybe you should leave some sunflower seeds for the visitors to the comment box who dart in and out hoping not to be seen? It is spring here too. We went from about a hundred trumpeter swans to 300 overnight. Welcome visitors when the days are getting longer and there is still nothing green to look at.http://www.environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca/viewing/Swan%20Haven.html

  4. cindy says:
    April 7, 2006 at 22:02

    Hello Dave,Thanks for the photos!Now that I live in an appartment I miss the chipmunks, squirrels and the noisy raccoons!! And the hope of seeing that breath taking, beautiful fox on a silvery moon night (that is the truth!) again is going to be ‘mission impossible’. At least for this moment. Cindy

  5. Wandering Willow says:
    April 8, 2006 at 09:55

    Such cute photos! Not just cute, but really nice photography, actually. Dave, I wanted to invite you over to my other, newer blog (my “serious” blog) wherein I discuss environmental concerns and related issues. I think you might be interested in the caliber of respondants and participants over there.

  6. Mikhail Capone says:
    April 8, 2006 at 17:43

    Happy spring to you too, Dave!

  7. Ginger says:
    April 9, 2006 at 12:18

    My favorite time of year! Thank you for sharing your photos and stories of the wild creatures who still manage to live among us.

  8. Barbara W. Klaser says:
    April 11, 2006 at 18:42

    We get raccoons here, but they don’t seem to get the opportunity to destroy much. Our roof seems to be one of their crossing places, and the dog once treed one in the palm tree in the back yard. (We brought him inside and let the visitor go peacefully on his way.)We also have coyotes and (very few) mountain lions nearby, so I’m sure they help keep the raccoons under some control, along with all the dogs in back yards.Happy spring!

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