I Dare You ......

Nothing captures Penny's attention faster that a squirrel making a dash for a tree:

The High Wire Artist

Hanging food from a rope won't keep me away:

Wordless Wednesday

The Grey Acrobat

Earlier in the year I took down the pole which was holding the seed feeders and replaced it with a rope. The Grey Squirrel had been finding it too easy to get at the bird food and was eating a disproportionate amount. This way I hoped to slow it down somewhat. It took a few goes for the squirrel to work out the best way to approach the new set up but it soon became adept at balancing:







This morning I managed to grab a short piece of video before it disappeared:

Friday at the Flicks - Grey Squirrel

It's a while since I spotted a Grey Squirrel at the feeders.
I don't think this is the same one which visited several times earlier in the year. That one had a very distinctive large bald spot half way along its tail. It is possible the fur re-grew if it has been changing its coat for the Winter. Not sure whether it has a cast over its left eye or whether that was just the way the IR lights were reflected:

Wordless Wednesday

grey squirrel

Friday at the Flicks - Grey Squirrel

One of its daily visits to raid the bird feeders:

Breakfast Time

The daily bundle of mischief:

Mischief on Four Legs

Grey Squirrel

Hanging Bird Table

It was last Spring or early Summer when I bought a hanging bird table as a flat pack and it finally reached the top of the Round Tuit pile. It can tilt and wave about in the breeze so hopefully will put off the larger birds such as Collared Doves.

First I just put a pile of large suet sticks on to see which birds would show an interest and later added halved apple for the Blackbirds. I set the camera on its tripod in the kitchen and waited. The first takers were sooner than I expected as some new feeders can wait weeks for their first brave visitor.

Among those visiting were:

Starlings:




A Blue Tit:


and a Robin:


Also making a cameo appearance was a grey Squirrel which only gave it a quick look:




So far I am pleased as I can get some fairly clear shots of the birds which feed from it.

Friday at the Flicks - Robins + Grey Squirrel

The video clips I took when there were four Robins feeding in the garden:



It takes a bit more than sleet and snow showers to put off the Raider of the Lost Seeds:

Squirrel Visitor

A couple of days ago I spotted the grey squirrel visiting all the feeders but it didn't seem to find anything it fancied eating. Photos taken through the kitchen window with the Nikon S9050. Slideshow video made with mac app 'Photo Movie + DVD Slideshow Pro' (silent):



A bit of a shock waking up this morning to -1.5C and a thick frost. Quite a change from New Year's Day when temperatures reached 13C. At least the Sun is shining giving some free heat indoors.

It's Becoming a Habit

The grey squirrel is now making regular visits to the bird table.
Think I'll have to start putting some peanuts on there.



As it was an early dull morning there is a mixture of infra red and daylight which gives varying colours and makes the eyes look misty.

A Portrait of Mischief

The final two photos were cleaned up using MV's free Wire Worm plug in to get rid of the electrical cables. The originals, reduced quality:

   

Grey Squirrel

Really this is just an excuse to get a bit of practice with trakAxPC video maker. There is a 15 day fully working free trial period. It works very differently to other similar programs I have used but once it has been sussed out it is a very versatile program. The main thing lacking for me is in the text facilities. No drop shadow or outlining but otherwise not too bad.

A first completed result:



Saving the final result can take a while but working on clips and effects is very fast.
There are instructional videos on YouTube which are helpful with getting started using its many facilities.

Friday at the Flicks - Grey Squirrel

Tatty Tyke

A couple of days ago one of the local squirrels made its usual raid on the bird seed feeders:



As I watched I noticed it had several large patches of fur loss:

 

 

 

A search of the internet resulted in finding several possible reasons for this to happen:

1) Result of a fight

2) Mange which can be caused by squirrel mange mites

3)  dermatophytoses - a variety of fungal infection. The fur isn't lost but breaks off as it brushes against things.

There are other causes but I think in those cases the squirrel would likely be nearly or completely bald.  The above mentioned causes tend to be temporary and the probability is that the fur will grow back in time.

Friday at the Flicks - Song Thrush, Grey Squirrel, Nestbox

No apologies for another Song Thrush video. Every day as the light begins to fade a Song Thrush sits at the top of a tree close to my back door and tries to drown out the song from the Blackbirds:



A Grey Squirrel has become a regular early morning visitor trying to find any left over seeds from the previous day:



The remaining four chicks in the Great Tit nestbox continue to thrive and are growing rapily:



Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you.

Siskin Surprise

Had just returned from our afternoon walkies and glanced at the feeders. At first glance I thought there was a Greenfinch. Earlier in the week there had been a pair of Greenfinches (male and female) feeding side by side. On closer inspection this was no Greenfinch but a rather handsome Siskin. Possibly only the second time I have seen one visit the garden. The previous visit appears to have been in April 2009. As is often the case when something interesting visits, the Sun hid behind dark clouds so the shots I managed are rather grainy:







At least the surprise visitor made up for this morning's missed opportunity. There were two Robins on the edge of the bird bath. The male was feeding the female, something I have only seen once before. They should be nesting nearby fairly soon.

Not long after that a Grey Squirrel came bounding across the lawn hoping to raid the bird seed feeders. Just as it reached that part of the garden Penny decided to go out. The squirrel was out of view behind the summerhouse so she didn't spot it. Next thing the squirrel was on top of the summerhouse watching Penny for a while before deciding to try for a free meal elsewhere:



Mrs Great Tit continues to incubate her clutch of eight eggs. Hopefully by the middle of next week there will be some chicks hatching and activity in the nest box will become more interesting.

The Squirrel's Tale