Baxter is turning brown
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rmb...@istar.ca
Mar 29, 2025, 9:31:47 AM3/29/25
to Eastern Ontario Natural History listserve
I hadn't seen Baxter, my backyard snowshoe hare, for 2 to 3 weeks.
Last time I saw him he was white with just a few quarter-sized dark
spots starting to show in the fur. Wednesday afternoon I spotted him
on the hillside near the small cabin, so ran in to get the camera. As
you can see he's well under way transitioning to summer to his summer
colours. Back in January I had bought a bag of timothy hay, he
munched down the first handful I set out for him but then barely
nibbled on further offerings, so the bag was gathering dust near the
door. Yesterday while doing all kinds of preparation in anticipation
of this ice storm I went up the cabin where he often hides underneath
and put a few handfuls of the hay in there where it is dry. He can sit
in the shelter and keep his belly full.
The birds are really hitting the feeders this morning. Last night we
had ice pellets, just enough snow to make the ground white, and some
freezing rain, about 2 to 3 mm of ice on the branches. I looked at
the radar map earlier, looks like the worst of it for today will pass
just south of us. I had been busy for 2 days getting ready for the
storm, cutting a truckload of firewood and stacking it on the balcony,
filled just about every bucket and water container I could find, we
had stocked up on groceries Wednesday, put a bucket of sand/sawdust
mix by the door for the walkway, charged up all devices. If the power
holds and the internet antenna doesn't get too badly coated with ice I
will be a happy kid sitting here by the woodstove sipping my tea and
taking it easy for a couple of days. While in town I had bought
another bag of the small birdseed, the birds are really appreciating
the easy pickin's, not having to search through the icy landscape for
their breakfast. Since I still have a good supply of sunflower seed I
took pity on the squirrels and threw some out on the ground, they are
happily munching away.
On Wednesday morning before we did our shopping run I saw an immature
bald eagle on one of the patches of ice that have cut loose and were
floating around on the lake. It was checking to see if the 2 otters
swimming around had any fish they could steal. It was soon joined by
a second eagle. The otter came up on the opposite side of the ice
patch, then ran towards the eagle, and stood up and stared at the
bird, as if to say "This is MY spot." Otters are such cheeky
critters. After a minute it ran back to the water when eagle #2
landed. After a couple of minutes they were joined by a third eagle.
4 otters and 3 eagles. My loon chicks won't stand a chance this
summer. The loons have not yet returned but there are reports of
loons in Lake Ontario near Kingston, so any time now I hope to hear
them calling. There's a pair of geese, some hooded mergansers, and a
pair of mallards that have been hanging around near the beach. At the
moment there are chickadees, goldfinches, some chuckling red winged
blackbirds, juncoes, a sparrow, doves, and a couple of raucous
bluejays enjoying the seed. A good day to sit in the rocking chair by
the window with my knitting.
Rose-Marie
Last time I saw him he was white with just a few quarter-sized dark
spots starting to show in the fur. Wednesday afternoon I spotted him
on the hillside near the small cabin, so ran in to get the camera. As
you can see he's well under way transitioning to summer to his summer
colours. Back in January I had bought a bag of timothy hay, he
munched down the first handful I set out for him but then barely
nibbled on further offerings, so the bag was gathering dust near the
door. Yesterday while doing all kinds of preparation in anticipation
of this ice storm I went up the cabin where he often hides underneath
and put a few handfuls of the hay in there where it is dry. He can sit
in the shelter and keep his belly full.
The birds are really hitting the feeders this morning. Last night we
had ice pellets, just enough snow to make the ground white, and some
freezing rain, about 2 to 3 mm of ice on the branches. I looked at
the radar map earlier, looks like the worst of it for today will pass
just south of us. I had been busy for 2 days getting ready for the
storm, cutting a truckload of firewood and stacking it on the balcony,
filled just about every bucket and water container I could find, we
had stocked up on groceries Wednesday, put a bucket of sand/sawdust
mix by the door for the walkway, charged up all devices. If the power
holds and the internet antenna doesn't get too badly coated with ice I
will be a happy kid sitting here by the woodstove sipping my tea and
taking it easy for a couple of days. While in town I had bought
another bag of the small birdseed, the birds are really appreciating
the easy pickin's, not having to search through the icy landscape for
their breakfast. Since I still have a good supply of sunflower seed I
took pity on the squirrels and threw some out on the ground, they are
happily munching away.
On Wednesday morning before we did our shopping run I saw an immature
bald eagle on one of the patches of ice that have cut loose and were
floating around on the lake. It was checking to see if the 2 otters
swimming around had any fish they could steal. It was soon joined by
a second eagle. The otter came up on the opposite side of the ice
patch, then ran towards the eagle, and stood up and stared at the
bird, as if to say "This is MY spot." Otters are such cheeky
critters. After a minute it ran back to the water when eagle #2
landed. After a couple of minutes they were joined by a third eagle.
4 otters and 3 eagles. My loon chicks won't stand a chance this
summer. The loons have not yet returned but there are reports of
loons in Lake Ontario near Kingston, so any time now I hope to hear
them calling. There's a pair of geese, some hooded mergansers, and a
pair of mallards that have been hanging around near the beach. At the
moment there are chickadees, goldfinches, some chuckling red winged
blackbirds, juncoes, a sparrow, doves, and a couple of raucous
bluejays enjoying the seed. A good day to sit in the rocking chair by
the window with my knitting.
Rose-Marie
Fred Schueler
Mar 29, 2025, 9:45:57 AM3/29/25
to natur...@googlegroups.com
On 3/29/2025 9:31 AM, rmb...@istar.ca wrote:
> Last time I saw him he was white with just a few quarter-sized dark spots starting to show in the fur. Wednesday afternoon he's well under way transitioning to summer to his summer colours.
* oops, he'd better stay under cover now that everything is white!
Our "Hare Transect" on the south end of Bolton Road has been bereft of
Hares for the past few years, and none at all in the past winter, so we
can't follow the changes in colour. We suppose that either climate
changes have made the Snowshoe lifestyle less sustainable or that the
Cedar woods there have grown up to the point that there's not much
browse at ground/snow level.
fred.
------------------------------------------------------------
Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad
Fragile Inheritance Natural History - https://fragileinheritance.ca/
2024 annual letter: https://clt1233162.bmeurl.co/11E63979
6 St-Lawrence Street Bishops Mills, RR#2 Oxford Station, Ontario K0G 1T0
on the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain 44.87156° N 75.70095° W
------------------------------------------------------------
> Last time I saw him he was white with just a few quarter-sized dark spots starting to show in the fur. Wednesday afternoon he's well under way transitioning to summer to his summer colours.
* oops, he'd better stay under cover now that everything is white!
Our "Hare Transect" on the south end of Bolton Road has been bereft of
Hares for the past few years, and none at all in the past winter, so we
can't follow the changes in colour. We suppose that either climate
changes have made the Snowshoe lifestyle less sustainable or that the
Cedar woods there have grown up to the point that there's not much
browse at ground/snow level.
fred.
------------------------------------------------------------
Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad
Fragile Inheritance Natural History - https://fragileinheritance.ca/
2024 annual letter: https://clt1233162.bmeurl.co/11E63979
6 St-Lawrence Street Bishops Mills, RR#2 Oxford Station, Ontario K0G 1T0
on the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain 44.87156° N 75.70095° W
------------------------------------------------------------
Fred Schueler
Mar 29, 2025, 10:00:30 AM3/29/25
to natur...@googlegroups.com
> The birds are really hitting the feeders this morning.
* yesterday the trees here were swarmed by Chickadees and Nuthatches,
with a lot of back-&-forth Chickadee 'feebee' calls, as if they'd been
released from feeders at the other end of the village (and sadly
suggesting that Whittakers had stopped putting food out with Michael in
hospital with an undiagnosed problem in one of his legs). It's going to
be interesting to see if they're still around with 20 cm of heavy snow
on the ground.
Because of a caption in 'Wild Seasons Daybook" about the feebee call
beginning at the winter solstice, we've always carefully recorded when
we first hear it, and this winter it was very late, and only heard the
call a few times, as if the Chickadees were elsewhere, presumably at
feeders.
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