[Magdalen] wildlife and not-so-wildlife report

[Jay Weigel]

Yesterday was warm and wonderful and today promises more of the same. I
went for a walk yesterday afternoon, enjoying watching the preparations of
wildlife for the approaching cold weather. S/O and I both remarked on the
unusual number of small squirrels about; it seems that a bumper crop of
acorns has been accompanied by a jump in the squirrel birth rate, as these
must be this year's kittens. They are quite amusing, as they keep
forgetting what they're doing in order to play, mostly chasing each other
up and down or around and around a tree trunk. One came all the way down a
tree to yell at me as I made my way up the driveway, while its sibling
stayed farther up the tree hollering worriedly at it...that was so funny I
stood there for about five minutes just to keep them going. Also the small
woodpeckers, chickadees, and titmice are starting to investigate the
feeders, wondering when the birdie cafe will re-open. Not until frost,
quoth S/O!

On Fri, Oct 24, 2014 at 6:28 PM, Don Boyd <thedonboyd at austin.rr.com> wrote:

> Our suburban neighborhood is host (well, not exactly; the deer were here
> first) to a herd (maybe a dozen or so) of white tail deer, and they are
> indeed fascinating to watch--fawns, young bucks testing their fighting
> skills, several does and one older (and rarely seen in front yards near the
> street) buck with an impressive rack.   I am told that deer rarely go more
> than a mile away from their birthplaces, and although residential
> development has constricted their range the deer herd has survived at its
> present size for several years.  Their only natural predators hereabouts
> are coyotes, but since household pets are easier prey for the coyotes than
> the deer the main danger for deer (apparently not among the brightest of
> fauna) is the automobile.
>
> Home gardeners here know which plants deer will leave alone unless they're
> starving (there's no such thing as an absolutely deer-proof plant) and
> which plants one may as well not try to grow unless they wish to provide
> candy for the deer.  Garden centers and the county agricultural extension
> office provide lists of "deer-resistant" landscape plants.  (These tend to
> be bitter-tasting, thorny, or hairy.)
>
> Don in (droughty) Austin
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "James Oppenheimer" <
> oppenheimerjw at gmail.com>
> To: "Magdalen at herberthouse.org" <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
> Sent: Friday, October 24, 2014 11:48 AM
> Subject: Re: [Magdalen] wildlife and not-so-wildlife report
>
>
> Yes, nothing is quite as joyful as joy!
>
> We have a number of deer in our yard.  A special treat are the fawns,
> especially when they are obviously out with mom for the first few times.
> They will frolic, sometimes two or more together, and sometimes they even
> get mom involved for a moment or two.
>
> Pure joy.
>
> James W. Oppenheimer
> *“If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better
> for people coming behind you, and you don’t do it, you're wasting your time
> on this Earth.”  -- *Roberto Clemente
>
>
> On Fri, Oct 24, 2014 at 11:09 AM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>  Hawk migration is in full flight currently, and S/O reported seeing 6 of
>> them in our yard this morning, some of them quite big. I am really sorry
>> to
>> have missed them! They seem to overnight in the wooded area behind our
>> house. We are also hearing owls calling one another back there at night,
>> so
>>  it appears to be courtin' time for them. Now that the leaves have mostly
>> fallen we can see the deer as they make their trek back and forth down the
>> hill. There seems to be lots to eat as they look very well-nourished this
>> fall.
>>
>> Yesterday S/O was standing at the kitchen sink and called to me, "I think
>> Cat the Younger has caught something out there." I joined him to look out
>> and it soon became apparent to me that the black and white Rodent Control
>> Officer, the one I call Deputy, was simply having a wonderful time playing
>> in the leaves, rolling in them and kicking them up into the air. He's a
>> big
>> cat, I think quite likely the son or brother of the one who took up
>> temporary residence with us last summer, who he greatly resembles except
>> for being black and white instead of gray and white. He's also a good deal
>> less approachable, but yesterday he was just like a kitten, playing in
>> those leaves in the sunshine for about ten minutes. Such a joy to watch!
>>
>>
>