More Carnage in the Pond Pump

Just a quick update this morning...Chris had to unclog the pond pump again this morning and this time it was a dead bird that had been sucked in! Yikes!!! He said it was bald and I asked if he thought it was a baby bird or just had been stripped of feathers either by the pump or by decomposition (no telling how long it was in the pond before it got swept into the pump housing). He said it looked like a fully developed bird, but he could not tell what kind. Sad. :(

We have set a trap for our resident groundhog even though we have not seen him since before we left for our beach vacation back in mid-July. A kind gentleman here at work retrieved his trap from his farm for us, so we figured we'd give it a try. If we are successful in trapping the varmint, we are going to relocate him to some state game lands about 5 miles away. I don't want to risk him/her finding his/her way back! We're leaving it out during the day while we're at work up through dusk. Chris springs the trap each night when he takes Oscar out so we can avoid trapping a skunk. We saw one in the neighborhood about a week ago. That's the LAST thing we want to trap!!!

I blanched three gallon size bags worth of squash and zucchini Monday evening. I have more to steam blanch and now that my new 12-cup Kitchen Aid food processor is here, I will be able to make short work of the zucchini. Mike (a co-worker) gave me a recipe for zucchini chocolate chip cookies (and a delicious sample of his work!) so I will definitely have to try them! With the new food processor, I can also chop tomatoes for salsa in no time and also cucumbers for pickle relish. Do not be surprise if you live nearby, work with me, or are within a short driving distance, if I show up at your house with jars of pickle relish in the coming weeks!!!

Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...

It's an Official Hummingbird Garden!

Great news! The area I designated just off the deck and outside of my home office/craft room as a hummingbird and butterfly garden is, in fact, a real hummingbird garden! We have spotted a male ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) at the feeder each day since Sunday.

This morning, as he has on several occasions already, he was sitting on the top of the shepherd's hook that hold the feeder in the garden. This time, however, he was actually facing my office so we could see his vibrant red throat and his face. I hadn't put my glasses on yet this morning, so I had to rely on the binoculars I keep by the windows to get a good look at him.

His throat was so bright - it was almost a neon color. His face is adorable even if he looks like he is scowling! He took off from the hook and drank at the feeder for a minute before another hummingbird swooped in. As quickly as the second one flew in, it flew right back out. We think it was another male. The first male returned to the top of the hook and remained there.

Also of note this morning - the giant groundhog (Marmota monax) that lives under our shed was out for breakfast this morning. He waddled his way around the yard this morning in the thick fog as he munched the dewy grass. Closer to the house, just under the birdseed feeders, two Eastern Cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) fed in the grass.

Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders!