Sharp-Shinned Hawk

This Sharp-Shinned Hawk made a visit to the yard yesterday.

• Behavior

  Sharp-shinned Hawks are agile fliers that speed through dense woods to surprise their prey, typically songbirds. They do not stoop on prey from high overhead. They may also pounce from low perches. When flying across open areas they have a distinctive flap-and-glide flight style.

• Habitat

  Sharp-shinned Hawks breed in deep forests. During migration, look for them in open habitats or high in the sky, migrating along ridgelines. During the nonbreeding season they hunt small birds and mammals along forest edges and sometimes at backyard bird feeders, causing a wave of high-pitched alarm calls among the gathered songbirds.

Baltimore Oriole Nest

For the first time this year, we had a beautiful pair of Baltimore Orioles in the yard.  They have such a beautiful song.  I discovered their nest, hanging high above our driveway, when all the leaves came off the trees.

Like many other birds, the female Baltimore Oriole is the primary nest builder. Making a hanging nest made from plant fibers and suspended from a branch 6 to 90 feet above ground. While it's quite common for them to return each year to the same territory it's rare that they will use the same nest itself. They often take parts of old nest to build a new one, so you may see them at the old nest site.

Below photo from web showing Baltimore Oriole and his nest.

Dumpling 2012

Our resident male deer, Dumpling, is all grown up.  He was born last year and he has turned into quite the stud!  The first shot was taken in August with velvet on his antlers.  The second picture was taken September 28, 2012.  

Snake Skin

Found this snake skin in our shed this morning.  Oh, my goodness, could this be the mate to our one-eyed black rat snake?   I was in the shed 2 days ago and this skin was not there.   Hope he has left.  Any volunteers who would like to come and look for him in the shed are welcome!!

New Arrival for July 4, 2012 - Apple's Fawn

Today, July 4th, at 6:00 am, we had the first glimpse of Apple's fawn.  In honor of Independence Day, we have named her "Flag".

Return of Black Rat Snake

I first posted a pic of the Black Rat Snake in June 2009.  When we saw another one in June of 2010, we wondered if it could be the same one except this one was blind in one eye.   Now, 2 years later, the snake with just one eye was on the flagstone in front of the shed again.  He was rubbing his face against the stones trying to remove some of his dead skin around his head and neck.  While I watched him perform this task, he was able to remove a large piece of dead skin from the top of his head...including a thick mass which was covering his blind eye.   Since he has apparently made a home under the shed, we will have to give him a name.  Please send me your suggestions! 

Skunk

At this time of year we have several skunks come to yard looking of grubs and worms in the lawn.   This one was a bit unusual in his coloring as he is almost all white.