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Buddies

It's been a while since my last post. I thought today would be a good day to update my imaginary readers. ;-)

My groundhogs haven't been as visible this summer as in past summers. We have two this year who have stuck around, popping up from their holes to grab the peanuts and carrots we place nearby. However they aren't too keen on visiting. They prefer to take their treats back inside and all we can hear is crunching from underground. When the crunching stops, we wait a minute until the nose, ears and eyes appear level with the hole to scope out the scene. Pop up, grab, hunker down, crunch crunch crunch. This has been the entertainment for the most part. However... I did manage to get a couple of pictures of one the other day who enjoyed his peanuts alfresco:

We have a new buddy this summer who love peanuts just as much - if not more - than the groundhogs. And this little guy is not shy at all. Meet Buddy:

This is our resident chipmunk who has taken a liking to the groundhogs' territory. He is adorable and amazing to watch, scurrying around stuffing peanuts in his cheeks. I never completely understood the term "chipmunk cheeks" until I saw it for myself. He can wad 4-5 peanuts in his cheeks. He hit pay dirt one day when my husband was outside picking blueberries, ready with a container full of peanuts should a groundhog appear. Well, the chipmunk found it... in fact, the above photo was taken as he eyed the container... and he had a plan for each and every nut.

One cheek full, one more to go.

Today my husband actually watched a neighborhood cat dash out of nowhere and scoop Buddy into his jaws and run off. We were sick about it. But you will never believe it: Buddy reappeared about an hour afterwards! I was never so happy to see this little guy as I was today. :) Now we know to be vigilant about keeping cats out of our yard.

Cats like birds too. Good thing they are no match for turkeys, because we have a bunch who parade around the neighborhood and make our front lawn a regular stop. Yes, they know they can count on getting bread from us. They are quite the crew, very protective of one another. I enjoy feeding them even though i suppose I shouldn't. But who could resist?

Baby birds on the move

A few days ago my husband and I saw the baby robin flapping his wings and wobbling on the edge of the nest. We knew it wouldn't be long before he discovered he could fly and fortunately I was able to get a picture of him after he settled back down:




The nest was empty that same evening when we returned home from work. It was so much fun watching the entire process right from our front porch. I miss the activity.



Today we saw MORE bird babies - turkeys! Yep, 4 grown turkeys and 10 babies at least. We cannot believe how much wildlife we see in this neighborhood. You would think we lived out in the country.




Now if we could just have more sunny days like today. Who knows what other visitors might appear! :)

A fox is in town

Yes that's right, a FOX. I saw a red fox sniffing around not too far from the main groundhog entrance last week. I was stunned, as I've never seen a fox that close. My husband saw him again last night and chased him away. I don't want him anywhere near my groundhogs.

Mama and the 5 babies have not been around since last week and I suspect she moved them to a safer location. I don't know for sure - I've tried to find some information about groundhogs moving their young if they sense danger, but haven't found anything yet.

We do have one groundhog that has stuck around and I'm going to make sure he is safe. I'm tossing food as near to his hole as possible. Sure, they are speedy little critters but outrunning a fox might be tough. I miss the wee ones and hope they are okay.

We have a precious new addition...

... no, not a groundhog but a baby robin has hatched! :) We were fortunate enough to be able to sneak a few photos, as mama and papa are fiercely protective. It is fascinating to watch this robin family. Nature is truly amazing.


Papa robin guards the nest while mom is away in search of food...

... then she returns and takes over which is good because

somebody is HUNGRY!

Once his belly is full, he takes a nap and mama goes out again for a bit.

Such a good mama

Our little buddies have finally decided that we are okay after all. They have come to trust us and look forward to the treats we bring to them. It is an incredible joy to sit and watch mama and her 5 babies (yes, there are 5!) eat and play... and learn how to become big groundhogs. This evening, they were eating with her and every now and then one would try to steal a peanut from her paw. But no sir, they had to get their own. They are so adorable and fun.

Mama watches over the wee ones during dinner...

... then sneaks away when they get the hang of it.

Kisses for mom. :)

The first outing

I came home from work this evening to find our groundhog babies playing and eating in the backyard near one of the entrances to their underground home. I can't say for sure whether or not it was their first real outing, but this is the first opportunity that I've had to spend some time with them completely above ground. Up to this point my husband and I have only seen them peering from their holes.

But this evening they were up and about, exploring their new surroundings and enjoying carrots. Baby carrots, of course! Mama was keeping watch the whole time and didn't seem to mind me sitting on the ground nearby. I just love watching their playful antics... next time I'm going to try to capture them on video. Awww just look at 'em! :)