Winter

A loud flapping sound right behind my head scared the dickens out of me but when I turned around and saw that a Spruce Grouse had landed on the railing right behind me all was well.  The Grouse was on its way to a birch tree to eat the tender buds at the very top.  It flapped over to the tree ( they don’t really fly well ) and then started climbing up and up until it got to the tiniest branches at the top.  There were two other Grouse already up there and I hadn’t even seen them.  I was surprised that the tiny branches held their weight while they stretched their necks out to get the buds and clinging to the branches with their feathered feet.  This group of Grouse were up in the tree tops each day at dusk while I was visiting my friend in Northwestern Ontario. They roost in the spruce trees and also forage for food on the ground.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Red squirrels are active during the winter and can be seen running around in the snow and on trees on milder winter days. They build great  nests sometimes lined with stolen fabric which they have borrowed from lawn furniture. Fur lined and cozy they can keep warm on blustery winter days.  Their nests are built in spruce/fir tree boughs, inside hollows of tree trunks or in homes/garages and sheds if they can get access.  I love watching their antics and get a kick out of them when they “scold” you from above.  They are territorial and although many squirrels can live in the same area they often go on real good chases chattering and uttering clucking warnings to other squirrels.  They can clean out a bird feeding station in no time but then they need to eat too. I always find many peanuts buried in my flower pots and beds every spring courtesy of the squirrels.

Enjoy!

Sharon

Another year round resident the Hairy Woodpecker is very similar to our little Downy Woodpecker only larger. Hairy woodpeckers are also a lot more skittish than the Downy variety who tolerate human presence very well. They also circle tree trunks in search of insects beneath the bark. Brains specially encased within their small heads  allow members of the woodpecker family to hammer away at trees without injury – what an adaptation of nature that is!  The woodpeckers love suet and will also partake in the black oil seed during the winter. They use their tail as a prop on the trees.

Hard to see in the re-sized photo below but when I enlarge this the woodpeckers tongue can be seen darting into the bark to retrieve its food.

Enjoy!

~Sharon