[Magdalen] Rodent patrol news and wildlife update

[Grace Cangialosi]

Red-headed woodpeckers? Lucky you!! I’ve never seen one. I have five different species here, but never one of those!

> On Jun 21, 2019, at 4:58 PM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> The Northeast Broadway division of the Rodent Patrol has a new officer.
> With the departure of the two felines known simply as Captain and Deputy,
> possibly for Rainbow Bridge as we haven't seen them for over a year now,
> and the fact that we haven't seen the one we called Rookie for quite
> awhile, our yard seems to have been handed over to a long-bodied brown
> tabby and white kitty we've christened Officer Whitefoot for his very
> spiffy four white boots. (I presume it's a him, though I haven't gotten a
> good look yet!) I'm assuming he comes up from the neighbor's barn, though I
> don't know. He patrols the yard in a very businesslike manner and then, I
> presume, goes off to patrol some others. Rookie, female by her coloration,
> may be off training a new generation.
> 
> We have been graced this year by a nesting pair of red-headed woodpeckers.
> We have not, in my time of residence here, had them as more than occasional
> visitors, although we have all the other varieties as permanent residents.
> However, this year they've come and stayed, and we're pretty sure we've
> spotted their nest hole. Mama and Papa (they're indistinguishable) are
> extremely busy at the moment and rest frequently on the stump of a branch
> outside S/O's office window, looking visibly exhausted. They must have a
> nestfull! There's something else with a nest in a hoe in a tree up the
> driveway, but we haven't spotted what, just seen the droppings at the
> entryway.
> 
> We've also observed a pair of possums strolling about looking pretty darn
> well-fed. There are a lot of ticks this season already, so that may account
> for it. And it's baby bunny season, making both driving and lawn-mowing a
> bit hazardous. The wee squirrels should be making their debut soon too.