The critters in my yard are always plotting against me, but when I’m away on vacation they really pull out all the stops. I never know what I’ll find when I return.
This time it appears some of the animals worked together to pull off a crime. One of my birdfeeder poles screws into the ground at least 8 or more inches. The pole is steadied by bracing feet that I pushed into the ground. I also placed a very heavy concrete paver on top of the feet just to be safe. When I left for vacation there was a full hopper feeder on top of the pole and two full hanging feeders to the sides. When I returned, the whole works was on the ground and all the seed was gone. I’ve had that feeder for years and it’s never tipped over.
I’m pretty sure some industrious moles or shrews worked the ground loose under the feeder. Then my guess is that a big, fat raccoon attempted to climb the pole, the whole thing toppled over and it was party time. Not only was my hopper feeder broken, but the ground nearby was ravaged. The animals wanted every last seed and they shredded grass, perennials and anything that got in their way. It looks like the work of an intoxicated man wielding a sod cutter.
The creatures that missed this exciting event were bitter and decided to attack my peppers instead:
I also found a big pile of dirt and a very large hole in front of one of my arborvitaes. I attempted to fill it back up with soil and even out the ground, but the next day the hole was back and as big as ever. It’s definitely not a chipmunk hole. I hope I’m not hosting a woodchuck.
Over the summer I was away for just a few days and returned to find a dead squirrel under the feeder. He was as flat as a pancake. I’m still trying to figure out how that happened. I should really set up one of those wildlife cameras. I bet it would provide hours of entertainment.
Sometimes it’s not just the critters that surprise me. I was gone a little over a week this time. When I left it was 81 degrees, and I had butterflies and hummingbirds flitting about my garden. I returned to temperatures in the 50s, and the hummingbirds had been replaced by a flock of fall-migrating White-throated Sparrows. Among them are some little “snowbird” friends, the juncos.
As I filled my dried-up birdbath with water, I noticed the neighbor’s hickory tree was no longer dark green, but a bright, golden-yellow. To add an exclamation mark to the scene, I heard trumpeting and looked up to see a small flock of Sandhill Cranes flying over our house. They were headed south.
We’re going to have some beautiful weather for the next few days, but it can’t mask the fact that winter is well on its way.