Spring cleaning

I was washing the exterior of the windows a couple of weeks ago, using a (not so great) squeegee to get the water off. The squeegee made a squeaking noise as I moved it across the glass. In my quest for crystal clear, streak-free windows, I inadvertently called in a male Wild Turkey!

Hey, I think I just figured out a way to get the men doing some chores around the house during hunting season.

Caught in the act

I'm afraid my new feeding station location has yielded the same visitor...

28 days and counting

We've had Wood Duck success (I think)! For the past several mornings, I've been seeing 5 Wood Ducks paddling around the pond - 2 pairs and one male. I'm pretty sure the missing female is actually in the nest box incubating her eggs. The incubation period for Wood Ducks is approximately 28 days, so by my estimation we should see little ducklings falling out of the box around April 26th.

WNS goes mainstream

I can't even begin to say how thrilled I am about this: just yesterday, Good Morning America featured a story about White Nose Syndrome and the dying bats. While the news itself continues to be bleak, I am so encouraged that the mainstream media has finally picked this up. You can go here to watch the segment.

Who's hungry?

I saw a healthy fox with a full, bushy tail trotting across the dam last weekend, but I'm afraid I haven't seen hide nor hair (pun intended) of ol' baldy. I finally got the camera trap working, only to learn that I've been making the resident raccoons and opossums very happy.

The bait usually sits out for a couple days before disappearing, usually enduring at least one downpour. So by the time anyone comes along to eat it, it's pretty soggy. I guess it's possible that my fox has paid a visit to the area, but prefers his meals a little fresher...and drier.

Anyhow, I'm making one last attempt to lure in my mangy fox. I've moved the feeding station to a more private location farther into the woods and have laid out a two-day-old, defrosted and waterlogged mouse. Who could resist THAT?