dead Hermit Thrush

Wee Hermit Thrush -- Such a sweet song silenced -- Apparently flew into the garage windows on a perfect sunny 55 degree Autumn day.

On Sunday October 18, 2015 around 1 pm we had a snow shower!  Pretty cool.

Groundhog

Groundhog contentedly surveying the yard from a perch on the bench out back on September 4, 2015.

Praying Mantis

While harvesting green beans today, I had a little company -- in the form of a brown praying mantis.

We've had Cabbage Whites, Yellow Swallow Tails, Great Spangled Fritillaries, and Giant Swallow Tails -- but today we saw our first Monarch of this season.  [Love hearing the Cicada on this audio.]

Skunk

Last night as I got home around 9 pm we had a surprise visitor in the back yard.  I snapped on the flood-light and shot this video (Sorry it's shaky -- there were obstacles to step over.)  

We haven't seen a skunk in over a year, and it was nice to see it clearing some grubs out of the lawn.  About 2 hours later you could tell the skunk had sprayed -- guess someone else got a surprise too.

Fawn calling

All day on Friday June 26, 2015 a little fawn kept calling out and running up and down along the golf course fence.  Gather either an adult deer found it that day, or the coyotes found it that night.

I hate being repetitive, but the coyotes were just going at it again over towards Vassar Farm.  What a ruckus !!  Yipping, howling, barking, and a call like I've never heard before -- sort of like an owl's bounce call -- up and down, loud and soft, all in rapid succession.  One of these times I'll try to get a recording, but it happens so quick they'd be done before I set up.

Garter Snake

A wee garter snake lounging atop a boxwood next to the front sidewalk around 11am this morning.

A few minutes ago @ 12:05 am the coyote pack was yipping and howling far off towards Vassar Farm.  Beautiful 65 degrees with a yellow waning gibbous moon on the rise.

All day today -- Flurries!  Listen carefully and you can just hear the male Red-Wing Blackbirds calling by the pond just beyond the tree-line -- got to hold onto territory for the mating season.

1145pm -- Just heard the coyote pack yipping and howling South on the golf-course -- not surprising since we've seen many extra deer this past week.

9am -- Red Tailed Hawk (lower left corner) perched at the edge of the golf course looking for breakfast .....and a wee grey squirrel (upper right corner) hiding on the opposite side of a Norway Maple trunk trying to stay off the menu.  

A fine pair of Spring-heralds -- 
      Two days ago at 630 am a woodcock (aka timber-doodle) was "Peenting" near the golf course pond at the edge of the woods by the fairway, and yesterday at 7 am a red-wing blackbird was calling from that same pond.  
      So now today, on the Vernal Equinox, the First Day of Spring.....snow.  

      Quite fitting since this past Thanksgiving was laden with snow, but this past Christmas was warmer than usual and snow-free.