Second Visit by the Gray Squirrel
We just had our second visit ever to our backyard feeders by a black phase Gray Squirrel. I wanted to add a picture but it got spooked up a nearby tree by some noise outside. So far it hasn’t returned.
Was on Lake Ovid today fishing, and watching a juvenile Great Blue Heron fishing up a storm on the humps. It was standing in deep water almost swimming, and every once in awhile would dart its head and snap up another small bluegill!
A new observation at our backyard feeders. Red-bellied Woodpeckers had been gone from our backyard for a few months but one male recently returned to our feeders and is doing something unseen before – eating whole corn kernels off the deck!
Another first at our backyard feeders, this big male Red-bellied Woodpecker bypassed the peanuts and suet to eat whole sunflower seeds on our feeder!
This only started happening the past two seasons but for brief periods we get invaded by cute little Pine Siskins that fly down out of the North woods to visit our backyard feeders.
Black-capped Chickadees are another one of those overachiever birds. They work hard for their food and energy.
I haven’t seen any Red-bellied or Hairy Woodpeckers in weeks. A neighbor had a risky big old dead tree cut down a while back and I think that dead tree was a home to the bigger woodpeckers.