• Friday-What'sUP April 22 - 07:08 pm

Donna MacIntosh was in the right place, at the right time recently, when her kitty and what looks like a Chipping Sparrow decided to have a stare-down through the sliding glass doors. One can only imagine what was going through the minds of both these critters. My thought was similar to what Tweety Bird says to Sylvestor: "I tawt I taw a puddy tat!" :->

The other three photos come to us from Rob Wetton, showing the Wetton Feed Mill that he made and has out in his Portage Township yard for the birds to feast from. But wait a minute, that's not a big black bird on the feeder, that's a squirrel, sneaking around it and grabbing some dinner for himself. Oh well, big black squirrels need to eat, too!

Thanks for the critter antics today, Donna and Rob!

The black squirrel is cool!

When we lived in Red Jacket, we had a pair of black squirrels that frequently visited the feeders year around; I'm only guessing that they probably lived very close by. We also had one very large fox squirrel we named "Fatso" because the thing was as big as a housecat. And then we had "Arnold", the mean red squirrel. This is the squirrel that would not only chase everything away from the feeders when he came in (including deer and raccoons), but also threw chesnuts at me when I was out in the backyard, for no apparent reason...... nasty little creature!! J

That is one gutsy bird in the first photo.
And Capt...it's time to confess! Arnold was hurling his nuts at you because you were snacking at his feeder...c'mon now.

During the recent snowstorm...I filled the feeders twice a day, and threw lots of seed on the ground...and here are a couple of the brave souls...and that one just kept watching the cat, the cat kept chattering at the bird.

I LOVE the Wetton Feed Mill feeder...

I have a very special favor to ask the Pasty Peeps....my neighbor's dog, Amber (the brown one in the pics https://www.pasty.com/discus/messages/6609/6686.html ) was injured yesterday (unknown how) and is in the vet's today and will undergo surgery for her injuries. Please say a prayer. Thank you all.

Quick question about last week's Eagle River falls
pix & chat (Apr 12): Has anyone ever scuba-ed or
snorkeled the pre-falls side to see what's under the
water? Does anyone ever check the dam's condition?
It'd be fun to see some underwater pix from around
the UP ... kind of the other side of my cuz Neil's
aerials. (Just curious, at a cafe [ERC] in Ann
Arbor.) -- Dennis

Dennis, I have a feeling that the water would be too murky to see much.

I scuba. Most inland lakes have very poor visibility. Too much organic material in suspension.

I was trying to keep red squirrels out of our feeder--finally put a metal sheild and it worked. They were so frustrated-attempting to jump from the tree with no success. Anyway me and my trusty broom crept on one at the feeder, I swung and he jumped from the feeder, to my head and then to a bush. Boy was I surprised. Could feel his claws in my scalp. They resolved to clean up the base of the feeder. Love your pictures. I too put food on ground for the Juncos during the storm and they ate all day.

We have 2 Scottish Terriers that keep red squirrels far away.

Amber update:

A Raccoon got her...she'll be home later today. Thank you for the good thoughts and prayers.

Donna, that's a big dog to have been injured by a raccoon! I hope she gets well soon. My Lhasa girl was bitten by a 'possum many years ago at our home in mid-Michigan. I didn't know about it, until after the vet's hours, when I found the nasty bite. Back then, our vet took emergency patients, unlike today, when we have to drive 25 to 30 miles to the emergency clinic. Had I known about the bite, I wouldn't have fed her. The vet was ok with it because she (vet) knew about it and gave her the antidote as soon as she was done. I held the dog, and we did fine. Poor dog got both injected and oral antibiotics, but she healed fine.

Capt Paul, many years ago, a squirrel down the street bit my Dad, when he was walking, on the sidewalk. Some squirrels can be mean critters (not just taunting dogs). They can carry rabies, too.

We have a squirrel family in one of our big trees here. The other day, we saw 2 large squirrels and 2 very small squirrels all in a line on our back fence. I'm hoping the parents teach the little ones about the Basenji that patrols the backyard in an ever constant battle to rid the area of intruders......