Earmarks♥

The weatherman predicted patchy frost for last night, I am so glad that prediction was incorrect.  He also said the winds would diminish today. Wrong again! Wind gusts exceeded 35 mph, and the sustained winds are still near 20 ~  so strong, in fact, that the hummingbird feeders are slopping their sugary contents all over the deck!

Last night, the trail cam captured the image of a lone, pregnant deer; she came by again this morning. It’s about time for the fawns to be born, so I’m hoping she will remain in the neighborhood and bring some babies around, she should be easily identified by her battered right ear.   Our yard herd grew to 25 during the harshest part of winter  but I’ve not seen many of late even on the trail cam.  With such lush vegetation, I’m sure they are all quite well fed. Knock on wood, they’ve not devoured my daylilies and hosta this year; whether that’s because there is so much natural food, or  a result of the garlic shoots I put in the clumps of emerging plants, I couldn’t say.

Love the squirrel in the background☺  There are quite a few of them around, including flying squirrels, red and grey squirrels.  I haven't seen a black squirrel in several years though.

The bear who was here yesterday, dropped by again today.   Over a hundred clicks of the shutter later, I found an identifier that I can rely on …  a little notch on the top of the right ear.  Maybe the deer got me looking more closely at the ears … neither Spooky Mama nor Buddy have that, so this is certainly bear #4.  Is it Weiser??? Time (and tons more photos) will tell.  

Shadow and I watched the bear from the window for a bit before he decided to cause a bit of commotion by bringing a critter in from outside.

He enjoyed chasing it around hubby’s golf bags, with me running interference so it didn’t escape into the utility room.  After about ten minutes of this ‘fun’, I was able to retrieve the little vole and carry him back outside to freedom.  I have a hard time killing anything, although I feel it’s just part of nature if the cats kill the little varmits. Rodents are cool, but not in the house!

It's a good thing hubby wasn't home, he would not have been happy  about the game of hide and seek over, under, around and through the golf equipment!!

This afternoon, Notch Ear bear reappeared and despite gusty winds, my camera and I were permitted closer!  It’s awesome to watch them from close up! Looking from 100’ away, they seem rather small.  There’s an entirely different perspective, at their eye level from 25’ away.  I have great difficulty guessing weight though I suspect this bear is at least 200#, maybe more.  Maybe after seeing Ted, Lucky and Honey at the North American Bear Center www.bear.org in July, I’ll have some references to help me with that.  For the time being, I have enough to do to try to tell one from another!  

THIS JUST IN**** Hummingbird flew into window .... I scooped him up from the ground and cradled him in my hand until I feel a heartbeat and some warmth returning... then hubby took a picture before I carried him outside. 


I held out my hand, he shook himself a few times, and flew off into the sunset.  Perfect end to a windy but busy & critter-filled Friday.

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"Listen to the air. You can hear it, feel it, smell it, taste it.

Animals are part of us, part of the Great Spirit. 

The winged and four-legged are our cousins...

There is power in the buffalo. There is power in the antelope. 

There was great power in a wolf, even in a coyote. To us, life, all life, is sacred."

John Fire Lame Deer,  Sioux