Two Young Bucks Having a Scuffle

We've had many bucks in the yard this year.  These 2 were having a scuffle while our ladies were feeding.

Pileated Woodpecker

Just at the edge of the woods, at a dead tree, this Pileated Woodpecker spent a great deal of time pecking away looking for insects.   


See Video:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHRl1FQfQQc&context=C33080f1ADOEgsToPDskLLYig02rikKZQMXZaXa6Oq

Enjoying a Little Pumpkin Dessert

Cider and Apple eating a chopped up pumpkin.   The three youngsters showed no interest.

And Another One!!

Another Buck Looking at the Ladies

We've had some nice big bucks in the yard this year.  This one was checking out Pie and Pumpkin this morning.

Sunday Morning Buck

Spicy, one of our frequent visitors this time of year.   He was checking out all the ladies that were in the yard this morning.

Praying Mantis

We rarely see a praying mantis.  This one stayed around the porch area for many days.


The European praying mantis (Mantis religiosa) was designated the official state insect of Connecticut in 1977. The praying mantis is a green or brown insect that eats aphids, flies, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and moths. Not native to North America, but found throughout the state of Connecticutt, the praying mantis is a beneficial insect for farmers and a symbol of the importance of the natural environment..

Morning Feeding

This video shows our 2 new fawns, Sugar and Dumpling, suckling on Cider.   Since we believe that Dumpling is Apple's fawn (Apple was also in the yard at the time), we found it curious that Cider would allow Dumpling to suckle.   Any comments from our followers would be appreciated.

All the new fawns for 2011

Our resident deer have brought 3 new fawns to the property this summer.  It's getting hard to tell them apart!!

Apple and Dumpling

Dumpling

Cider and Sugar

Sugar

Pumpkin

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (female) on Monarda Plants

I was excited to capture these pictures today!!

• The Ruby-throated Hummingbird beats its wings about 53 times a second.

• Ruby-throated Hummingbirds prefer to feed on red or orange flowers. Like many birds, they have good color vision and can see into the ultraviolet spectrum, which humans can’t see.
• Ruby-throated Hummingbirds normally place their nest on a branch of a deciduous or coniferous tree; however, these birds are accustomed to human habitation and have been known to nest on loops of chain, wire, and extension cords.
• Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are eastern North America’s only breeding hummingbird. But in terms of area, this species occupies the largest breeding range of any North American hummingbird.
• Male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds don’t stick around long. Pairs are together long enough for courtship and mating – just a matter of days to weeks. Then he’s off on his own, and may begin migration by early August.
• The oldest known Ruby-throated Hummingbird was 9 years 1 month old.

Apple and her new fawn, Dumpling

A short movie.  They stayed in the yard for about 30 minutes.

New Beginning......Happy Ending

May 6th - A robin starts her nest in a tree next to our back deck

May 15th - 3 baby robins are born

May 17th -

May 19th - Sleeping and eyes opening and hungry!!!

May 22nd - Getting bigger!!

May 24 - Hey, it's getting pretty crowded in here!!

May 28th - Almost time to go!!

May 29th - Everyone left the nest today

The Proud Father!!

Woodchuck\Groundhog

I always think the woodchuck is so cute.....until I discover that he has just eaten our newly planted perennials (which he did today)  GRRRRRRRR!!!!  

Sharp-shinned Hawk (or Cooper's Hawk)

The Sharp-shinned hawk and Cooper's hawk look very similar so I am not certain which one decided to take a rest on our fence!! 

Barred Owl at Eklund Gardens

Although I typically post wildlife that visits our property, a friend asked me to post these pictures of the Barred Owl which currently is nesting over at Eklund Gardens (which is a short walk from our property via the Open Space trail system annexed to our backyard).  These pictures were taken at approx. 7:30am  on May 2nd.

The Barred Owl's nest is often in a tree cavity, often ones created by pileated woodpeckers; it may also take over an old nesting site made previously by a red-shouldered hawk, cooper's hawk, crow or squirrel.  It is a permanent resident, but may wander after the nesting season. If a nest site has proved suitable in the past they will often reuse it as the birds are non-migratory. In the United States, eggs are laid from early-January in southern Florida to mid-April in northern Maine, and consist of 2 to 4 eggs per clutch. Eggs are brooded by the female with hatching taking place approximately 4 weeks later. Young owls fledge four to five weeks after hatching.  The Barred Owl has been known to live up to 10 years in the wild and 23 years in captivity

Pileated Woodpecker

It is rare to see a pileated woodpecker on the property.  Bridget spotted one today and grabbed the camera. 

After reviewing the photos, we noticed a downey woodpecker on the next tree which gives a good perspective to their respective size.

The pileated woodpecker is about 15 inches in length and is one of the largest woodpeckers found in North America.  It has a black body, a red crest, white stripes on its neck and black and white stripes on its face. It has yellow bristly feathers over its nostrils that keep out wood chips. It has a long, sticky tongue; a long, sharp pointed bill and yellow eyes. Males and females are similar, but males have a red forehead, and females have a gray to yellowish brown forehead.

The pileated woodpecker eats insects, fruits and nuts. A large part of its diet is made up of carpenter ants and beetle larvae. It uses its sharp bill to pull bark off a tree to expose ant colonies. It uses its long, sticky tongue to poke into holes and drag out the ants. It also digs out large rectangular holes in trees to create roosting and nesting spots and to expose insects!


From a previous hike, here is a sample of the large rectangular holes in trees made by the pileated woodpecker.
 
 

Friendship

Our resident opposum brought a friend to the feeding station yesterday.   Maybe we'll have baby opposums this Spring!!!