Cats Belong Indoors
I don’t know if this was a stray, an escapee, or a house cat, but let’s make a New Year’s resolution to keep cat indoors at all times whenever possible, please. You will do them, yourselves, and our environment a great favor. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreDead Mouse
This looks like a White-footed Mouse, and it also looks like a cat kill. My dog Zach located it for us, immediately picking up the scent from probably over 50 feet away. A dead rodent with puncture wounds to the body that is left in the snow seems like a cat’s play toy to me. Other mammals or birds would have scooped it up for a meal and made sure to go back for it, even if they had to drop it. This occurs many, many times…millions upon millions…to small birds and mammals each day because of cats. They kill billions each year for no reason whatsoever apart from their own instincts....
Read MoreHouse Wren at Home
Twan and I both have House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) at making homes at our homes – have you any nearby neighbors building a house in a house for their soon to be families? The House Wren’s song is probably one of the most often used songs for film and television, with their chattering call echoing through the background of so many classics. Did you know they are one of, if not the, most widely distributed birds in the Americas? At least before potential true species are further broken down in South America. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach...
Read MoreWhite-throated Sparrows massing and feeding
White-throated Sparrows have arrived in tremendous numbers across the region, ready to eat you out of house and home all winter long! Before then, while the grass and earth is still exposed, without being snow-covered or frozen, they can feast on more natural meals. I took a bunch of photos of a few individuals in a group feeding on the lawn last week. There would not be much to chow down on if this were uniformly treated bright, green grass, one species that was chemically induced to look like the perfect lawn. These monocultures are taking up valuable habitat real estate and often consist...
Read MoreLadybug hibernation
At this time of the year it is not uncommon to see ladybugs seeking space in your own home for the winter season. These pictures are two of the several that I spotted entering cracks and crevices in the siding on this house during a warm afternoon last week as temperatures climbed into the 70s. Hibernation has or will soon occur in many areas, and your place is probably not the best spot for them to be. When they feel how warm your house is they may think the winter is already over and join you! Homes are typically quite dry in the winter, lacking water sources with humidity lessened by...
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