Nocturnal Visitors Return

Got an interesting picture 2 nights ago, the backend of an Raccoon either drinking or fishing from the large pond. We know they are around all the time but this time he was caught by the camera. Today we saw a bunch of tadpoles that are the result of the recent Frog night all over both ponds. Not to be outdone, the next night the Owl came in for a landing on the other side of the large pond. Quite a good view of the owl with his wings fully spread.

Beautiful Daffodils

The Daffodils are incredible this year. They bloomed three week later because of the long cold winter but it seems like there are a bunch more this year. These are in the bed behind the shed and were originally planted 15 years ago. They have been coming back every year but I think this is the best year yet. My wife has been cutting them for a week to brighten the house and her office at work.

Spring is Just Around the Corner

Not long ago, I was shoveling snow and now we have had two days in a row sunny and over 70 degrees. The frogs returned along with the warmer weather and the evidence is here. The first picture show our Sweetflag plan sending up new shoots in the small pond. The blob in the middle is a bunch of frog eggs mixing with the algae. You can see the pattern since the frogs lay eggs in a string. The second picture shows the Sweetflag jumping up in one of the 20 gallon buckets we use for plants and in this case a tadpole hatchery. This bucket was where we put the tadpoles we rescued from the front porch planters. I can report at least 2 tadpoles survived our severe winter so with luck we will have some new frogs - don't know how long since I don't know what species of frog produced these tadpoles.

Frog Spring Fling

The frog spring fling is happening again. This spring rebirth is very interesting ever year. Due to the colder winter, spring fling is 5 days later than last year and is seems to be quieter. When we checked the party last night, there were toads hopping all over the place. You had to be very careful with where you stepped. These guys were all headed for the ponds to lay eggs so there family could grow even larger. These pictures show the well attended party in the small pond with multiple couples getting ready to start the egg laying process and other single frogs still looking for a mate.

Squirrels 6 Me 0

In the continuing battle with the squirrels and bird feeders, I decide to try a new feeder. It seemed to stump the squirrels for several days and I started bragging that I won. As you can see that was a very short victory. The guy in the first picture is pretty talented with his front feet on the birds perches and his back feet on the top of the feeder. With this new feeder, I did learn there is more than one smart squirrel. In the second picture we see one squirrel on the feeder and a second one hanging on the bird bath waiting his turn.

Hawk Visit

I don't know where the Hawk has been for so long but he is back and showing off. In these pictures the Hawk is coming in for a landing on the float and looking for some fresh fish for dinner. With almost the end of winter, the weather is getting warmer which mean all the hibernating critters will be waking up soon. It is always a pleasure to see the spring rebirth year after year.

Owl Fishing at Night

It seems we have the Owl visiting the pond almost every night. On this night, the Owl is caught landing on the Styrofoam with his wings spread hoping to grab some juicy Goldfish. I can't be sure but it looks like he was unsuccessful since the second picture in the sequence shows him sitting on the planter at the end of the pond looking over the back yard. The third picture not shown has the Owl on the ground - maybe an unsuspecting mouse ran by at just the wrong time.