Passersby and Ponderings

Sitting on our over turned row boat today pondering how it got to be the middle of Autumn so fast movement caught my eye. I live on a lake channel and if you are quiet and watch closely you will catch nature at it's finest. Swimming toward me was a very busy muskrat. I don't know why he or she was so busy but back and forth it would go. From one side of the shore to the other and then under our pier and back it would go. During the summer I saw it often swimming back and forth but always over to a patch of weeds and what I call muck about 6 feet from our pier. He would always bite off a branch of the weeds or plants at the lower stem of the plant and swim back to his house. Several times he would bite off a water lily leaf and carry it back to his little house in the water bank. But today I saw nothing in it's mouth just swimming across the lake and back. Maybe he just can't stop moving back and forth.

While watching this busy fellow I heard a Flicker but could not see it. It had something urgent to say it seemed.  It was making a racket and then flew out from the trees from the same side of the lake bank that the muskrat lives. Maybe it was scolding the muskrat. It screeched as it flew over the water landing in a neighbors Oak tree. It must have found what it was looking for because I no longer heard it.

Swimming by was also two Grebe's. These small ducks only show up in the fall. Now these cute ducks are small compared to other ducks and dive like a Loon. They can dive in one spot and come up 20 feet away in no time. I don't really know why they aren't around here all summer. I should look that up. But I do know when they do show up winter is around the corner.

The phone rang,  I was carrying it in my pocket because I was expecting an important call. Or I would not bother with the phone sitting outside. Later I came back outside and was sitting on the bench under the Blue Spruce watching one of the bird feeders. This feeder has sunflower seeds and suet block. Such activity!

Cardinals, Blue Jays,  Tufted Titmice, White Breasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch's, Lincoln's Sparrow's, House Sparrows, House Finches, Hairy Woodpecker is what I can remember. Then the racket started again. In flew the Flicker. Not to the feeders but to the Lilac Bushes next to them. He, and it was a male, was busy going up and down the branches pecking here and there.

 The Hairy Woodpecker

The Hairy Woodpecker minds it's own business staying out of the other birds way. I can't even remember if I have ever heard one. Oh yes, they make a low peeping type sound I think. Nothing like the Flicker which sounds almost prehistoric.

Over in the neighbors yard were two Black Squirrels. The male is black and the female is greyish black. They were running from the neighbors yard to our side yard burying the nuts from the neighbors Oak tree. I watched them for awhile and then got up to see the damage they did in the yard. Not to bad. They make a small hole about the size of a 50 cent coin. Course they make these holes everywhere!

But nothing like last year when the Fox Squirrels dug up half the back yard and ruined the yard.

Fox Squirrels and I do not get along. They get into everything and ruin many a bird feeder. At least when the Black Squirrels come to the yard they climb the Lilac Bush and sit and watch the feeders  and then run back to the neighbor's nuts.

After dinner hubby and I were sitting in the garage just starring when here comes our other household member.....Cheeky Chipmunk. Now it does not share the inside of our house (thankfully) but does share our front porch. Or rather under the front porch. Every day for hours it runs all the way around the house to the neighbors Walnut and Oak trees I am guessing and fills it's pouches and runs back, around our back yard, across the driveway, under the car in the driveway and across half the front yard to his house under the front porch. All this in a matter of minutes. And then back to the neighbors again. What I don't get is if he (or she) went the other way around the house it would be a quicker run to the front porch. I pulled up a chair a few days ago in the driveway behind the car to watch for it. He runs under the front of the car and did not see me sitting there. I watched it to see where it's destination was. Under our porch.

Just what he looks like...stuffed cheeks of cuteness. Hubby doesn't think he is as cute as I do. He says this winter it will get into our garage and do damage. I told him no, he has his own house.  We will see!

It started to get cooler so we went in. Now it is gently raining. Good night

Other birds at the feeder today:

Blue Jay

Cardinal both male and female plus a juvenile female that kept insisting it's mother feed it. It was almost the mother's size and color. (this is a male)

White Breasted Nuthatch

Tufted Titmouse

Female Goldfinch

I am not posting the common sparrows. I chase them away whenever I can