Happy Easter!

We had a glorious weekend!

There were eggs to dye

Pastries to bake

A Butter Lamb to complete

and the many delights of our long held Slovak Traditions to share and enjoy.

We managed to to set up our camera for a photo of us all dressed in our Easter finery

and even Wellie posed for a fancy photo

And he didn't seem the least bit dismayed that we enjoyed ham as part of our Easter feast!

But while we were enjoying ourselves, a quick peek out the window made me realize that someone obviously finds us interesting enough to set up surveillance.  At first, it appeared this guy was on the sly, popping up for a quick peek.

But, the next thing I knew, he was demonstrating his balancing skills.

Definitely entertaining.  But his tricks don't have me fooled.  It's obvious to me that I better be on guard.  

Because you never know who might be watching.

I think I'll play it safe and hide the leftovers!

Hope your day was wonderful!  Happy Easter!

Squirrel Happy in Spring

It dawned on me today that it's been nearly a month since I posted a squirrel update!   Wow!  Time sure does sneak by, doesn't it?

I don't know about your area of the woods, but the idea of spring certainly hasn't matched the outdoor expectations in this neighborhood!  Here you see our early March snowfall.

Birds have been awfully hungry this winter, and after filling the feeders that weekend, it wasn't too surprising to see Snacky return.  He was perched on the railing, gobbling up the sunflower seeds that had been discarded by the birds when it was obvious that he spotted me looking at him through the window.

Unfortunately, I did not have a camera nearby to capture the moment.  

Snacky sat up on his haunches, perked up his ears and stared directly into my eyes for at least 30 seconds.  

It was a look of disdain and disgust.  No fear in his eyes.  In fact, he had the look of contemplative retaliation as he stared me down.  I have witnesses to this behavior, and the comment was made that Snacky appeared to have a grudge regarding the sticky candy cane episode.

Ok….that's fair.  How was I supposed to know that he'd be so silly that he'd manage to get the sugary treat stuck to his tail?  Really…is that my fault?  After all, if Snacky had not been hanging on the feeder, sucking down the bird seed, there would be no debacle, right?

So, I claim complete innocence here.  I was merely protecting the right for poor, cold, hungry birds to be guaranteed a meal. After all, they deserve to eat, too!  And Snacky was being quite the Glutton, which was what prompted me to take action in the first place.  

And, let's not forget that I supplied a perfectly good cob of corn, covered with peanut butter and sunflower seeds, which Snacky did not seem to feel was up to his satisfaction.  Who's fault is that?  Certainly not mine!

Surely, he found sustenance elsewhere, because he was noticeably absent for several weeks and seemed no worse the wear when he did reappear, on the first day of Spring, after yet another snowstorm dropped 6 more inches of snow on the ground.

And, a few days later, little Red appeared.

And you can tell how frigid it is outside by how his tail is snug against his back, attempting to help keep him warm.

Brrrr!   

Both squirrels seemed quite content eating the scattered seed off of the railing.  It appears that the candy cane idea did the trick keeping those furry creatures out of the feeders.

But, one thing that I did note about one bird in particular:

She doesn't seem to be too pleased by the food selection.

I'm hoping this is a soon-to-be Mommy bird.

Because if she got that rotund feasting on birdseed, I'd better reconsider rationing Snacky!

Only time will tell.  

Happy Spring!!

Snacky Sighting.....Plus

Look who I spotted today!

A happy squirrel munching on the dropped sunflower shells.

But, there was something different this time.  Notice anything unusual?

It appears that Snacky has been a bit Sneaky.  Or is it via-versa?  Does the tip of that tail behind the orange pot look a little shaggy?  As if a candy cane may have been responsible for some lost tufts?

I can't be certain who is who, but one thing's for certain.

Snacky is no longer single!

Skedaddled?

I know that Snacky has a small fan base, eager to hear of new adventures, but I am sorry to say that it appears that Snacky, alias Sneaky, alias Sassy, and at least one time, Slick, not to mention Sticky, has

SKEDADDLED!

And I felt bad.  Now, you would think that after I went out of my way testing ideas to squirrel proof my deck, that I'd be elated.

But there hasn't been a sign of he or Red this entire week.
Well, actually, I did see Red darting across the road down by the highway, and Marty was sure that he spotted Snacky up by the park, but there was no sign of either in my backyard.

And, to be quite honest, that 's probably a good thing, because those birds have been starving, gobbling up bird food at a rate that we can hardly keep up with.

We've inherited a pair of mourning doves who show up several times a day.

And the lilac bush is a safe haven for many as they scope out the feeders.

waiting for the opportunity to grab a bite to eat.

In addition to our usuals, we have some new visitors like this Nuthatch

And this surprise visit from a Red Bellied Woodpecker

which is kind of an odd name for a bird which obviously has a very RED head, and, perhaps, just a tint of color on that belly.  But, hey, I didn't name him.

I've spent the last few days trying to figure out how I would break the news about Snacky to my readers.

Had I really discovered the secret to keeping those squirrels away?

Could it be that the candy canes were effective?

Or had the candy cane incident affected Snacky so significantly that he feared for his tail should he dare venture near my deck?

But today, as I peeked out the bedroom window at the backyard, look what I spotted!

and then, out of the downstairs window:

Snacky Tracks!

And, it appears to me that those are the tracks of one Springy Squirrel!

Wasn't it nice of him to send me a message telling me that he's still around….. and having a grand time hopping around!

So….this blog is devoted to all of my Snacky followers!

 He lives!

No News is Good News.....Right?

Well......it's been a couple of days now with only a few brief sightings of Snacky.

Red was back, briefly

and, once again, he seemed quite content just nibbling shells off of the railing.

He sure is cute, and I couldn't resist snapping just one more shot.

A new friend showed up

but he was just interested in the suet. 

And I was happy that he was!

I still find it interesting that Snacky has not been attempting to raid the feeders.  I attribute his standoffish behavior to the candy-cane/tail debacle.  

And, unlike his sassy gray cousin........Red is really quite skittish, and if he sees as much as a shadow from the window, he scampers off in a jiffy.

But, there were signs that Snacky was still very much around.   Note the two different sizes of squirrel paw prints. 

Let's face it,  squirrels need to eat, too, and I did go out of my way to try to appease them, if you recall.

Here you see a perfectly good corn cob, posted within easy reach for Snacky and Red.  Yet, neither one of them have expressed the least bit interest in nibbling on it.  Although, Snacky did pop over and sniff it the day I first put it out.

I'll admit it,  I'm a bit dismayed that the woman at the Wild Bird Specialty store insisted that the squirrel would find this tasty.   Obviously, she was wrong.

So, I decided that I should try to do something to make it more enticing.  

I went out and bought an inexpensive bag of sunflower seeds with the idea that I would spread some peanut butter on the cob to help hold the sunflower seeds on the cob.  My thought was that once the squirrels began munching on the seeds, they couldn't help but keep munching into the cob.

So, I set about on my project, braving the cold, peanut butter jar and bag of seeds in my hands.

For the record, peanut butter is not all that easy to spread on a cold cob.  Particular when one is surprised to find the jar nearly empty and must scrape the goods out of the jar.

And, sunflower seeds are not all that easy to stick into cold peanut butter.  But, I did the best that I could manage, considering the limited supply of peanut butter and the extremely cold conditions.

But I was pleased at my idea and headed into the house, eagerly anticipating the reaction that the squirrels would have when they spotted my creation.

Would you like to see the finished product?

Ok, I'll admit that it isn't the most enticing looking creation.  Actually, it kind of looks like a bunch of ants crawling around, doesn't it?

And it has been sitting on my deck since Friday, without even a nibble.

Even the birds don't seem interested in the seeds.  

Apparently cheap seeds don't appease anyone.

 And, let's face it......I obviously do NOT think like a squirrel.

Snacky is Back!

Today while I was buzzing around the kitchen,  I just so happened to look out the window, and guess who I saw?

It was Snacky.

Obviously, he was not being Sneaky, and he wasn't acting too Slick.

And, much to my surprise....... he wasn't even Sassy!

In fact, I would describe his demeanor as rather subdued.

But he was apparently hungry and having a grand time snacking on the discarded shells from the feeders.

And rather than run to the window insisting that Snacky scoot, I decided to wait and watch and see just what he'd try today.

Amazingly,  he seemed to be quite content gobbling up the seed shells that were strewn about the railing.

And, this time, Snacky wasn't responsible for those seeds scattered about..... it was the birds.  No false accusations here.

Interestingly enough,  Snacky was perfectly content to just clean up.  And, anyone who likes to clean up earns a big plus in my book!

The next thing I knew, he was hopping over to the other railing, which was also covered with shells.  (Those birds have been mighty hungry.)

I figured this was it........  He'd try to go for the feeder.

But I was wrong!  Snacky was content, once again, to spend his time cleaning up the railings.

And, I thought that was pretty Sweet!

But you can bet your bottom dollar that I won't be changing his name to that!

Not while he's still under scrutiny!

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

There's a New Kid in Town

There hasn't been much happening around here.

You wouldn't get much done either if you were constantly peering out the window in search of the seed snatcher.

Let me give you a brief synopsis of the last couple of days:

Snow fell on Sunday......but there was no sign of Slick.

Ice fell on top of the snow......still no signs of Slick. You'd think ice and Slick would go hand in hand, wouldn't you?

Rain fell on the ice......and...you guessed it.....no sign of Slick.
Then the winds came rushing in, dropping the temperatures to single digits which resulted in some very hungry birds.

The feeders were quickly emptied, but this time, it really appeared to be from feathered friends, not from a sneaky furry creature.

I bundled up and carefully maneuvered the ice to replenish the supply of seed, excited that I had somehow succeeded in foiling the antics of Sneaky.

What do you suppose made the difference?

Was it rearranging the feeders, making access a bit more complicated?

Was it the fear of sticky peppermint matting a furry tail?

Was it the shrieks of disbelief echoing through the neighborhood near the end of the Super Bowl?
(Perhaps Sneaky was watching it while munching and ended up choking at the interception......who knows?)

And then I wondered, do I really need to know what happened to Sneaky?   The present set up was working for now, that's all that really mattered.

Sipping my morning tea was becoming quite entertaining as I watched the birds seemingly enjoy jumping off and on the Slinky.  Who knew that 20 cents could offer so much entertainment?  It kept Sneaky from climbing the pole, and acted as a trampoline for the finches!

A smile came to my face as I watched the goldfinches enjoy some breakfast.

And then, this cute thing flew in

which was obviously much larger than the purple finch, and reminded me of a female blue bird.

My suspicions were confirmed when this guy flew in

They didn't stick around long, but it sure was exciting to see them in the area!

I also spotted a beautiful flickr at the suet feeder, but I wasn't fast enough with the camera to get a shot of his bright red head.  

Yes....the day was really getting exciting...don't you think?

Then, when I least expected it, I looked out and saw......... Red Squirrel.  

. He certainly was very cute, and, much to my surprise,  he didn't make one attempt to jump into a feeder or climb the slinky.  Red seemed perfectly content munching on the leftovers from the birds.

This is my kind of squirrel.  Tiny, cute, and satisfied with leftovers.  And, he has none of those sneaky, sassy qualities exhibited by grey squirrel that we all know.

I have the feeling that we could really get along.

But then again, I noticed something just a bit concerning to me.

Is it me, or does Red look as if he is rubbing his hands together, as if he is planning something sinister?

Only time will tell.

Guess I won't be getting much done tomorrow either.

I'll keep you posted.