Find The Critter

Can you find the critter int he above picture?

8-Point Buck Visitor

We've bought our house back in 1999, so about 17 years now.  In that time we've had many, many visitors, two-legged, four-legged and even some without legs.  However, in all this time we've never had the pleasure of, or at least "seen", an adult White-tailed deer buck.  Of course they're out there, if for no other reason than all the spotted fawns we've seen over the years but the buck has been stealthy.

That all changed on November 18 of this year and what a treat it was.  For not only was there a big handsome 8-point buck calmly hanging out in our backyard, he was also hanging with a doe!

He was definitely smitten with her and didn't stray too far from her.  They were both contently nibbling on leaves and branches but oh so vigilant at the same time too.

He spotted the neighbor getting into his car -

He had some itches, prolly ticks -

At one point a black cat even ambled by to join the photo op -

They both hung out for well over an hour but eventually as the neighborhood awoke they were driven off and into the thicker, wetland underbrush they went.

The Last Remaining Blooms of 2017

Back on November 5, before our first killing frost, I took the below pictures of flowers still in bloom, or at their end, around our yard. There were only a few but surprisingly there were still some.

Lamb Ear -

Hydrangea -

Holly Berries -

Anise Hyssop -

Montauk Daisy -

Bachelor Button -

Till next year...

What If...

You Cuckoo

I saw this bird the other day but couldn't make out what kind it was.  I grabbed the camera and snapped a couple pictures, however, the way the sun was hitting him the pics were of no help in identify him.

A couple hours later I spotted him again in our Maple tree, so again I grabbed the camera and snapped the pictures below.  I've never since this type of bird before, never ever.

After doing some research I believe I've identified it - it's a Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, also known as a Rain Crow and Storm Crow.

I wasn't surprised to read the following, which would explain why I've yet to see one, "manage to stay well hidden in deciduous woodlands. They usually sit stock still, even hunching their shoulders to conceal their crisp white underparts, as they hunt for large caterpillars."

Hope to see more of him\them.

Yentas - More Than One

I had a follow up dentist appointment the other morning.  The initial appointment a week earlier, another early morning appointment, took over an hour to drive the ~15-miles, via back roads, from Franklin to Needham.  This ride typically takes ~30-minutes, however, at peak rush hour all time estimates are off.  Clearly, with GPS, which everyone now has on their cell phones, there are no longer hidden back roads, nope.

So, learning from this experience I left the house earlier for my follow up appointment to ensure I'd beat the heavy traffic and be on time.  As planned I arrived early, had the parking lot all to myself and chose an easy exit parking space.  Turned the radio on for some sports talk, put the seat back, closed my eyes and began to relax...

Until the annoying "honk honk honk", "honk honk honk" of a cars horn broke the morning serenity.  This was followed by the chalkboard type yelling from one woman to another across the parking lot.  This continued as the two walked towards each other. As Murphy's Law would have it the two yentas met right beside my car.  They were so close I could have literally rolled my window down and touched them, I kid you not!  They had the entire parking lot yet here they were talking as if they owned the place; as if they were in their living rooms carrying on without a care for anyone else, like ME, but themselves, UGH!

The both saw me.  I saw them each look over but paid no attention and kept on spewing.  Ironically, they both seemed a bit perturbed when I did in fact roll my windows down, adjust my seat-back up to the full upright and locked position and listened in to their conversation.  Dry, OH SO DRY it was, BLAH! BLAH! BLAH!

Good news is the dental visit went well.

Safety First!

our safety pool cover has been Oliver tested and approved!

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the below picture - 

Here's a close up of the critter -

Identification is tough but I believe this is a Sharp-shinned Hawk.   The Sharp-shinned hawk is similar to the Cooper's Hawk but regardless they're both beautiful accipiters.