'FORUM FRIENDS, WILDLIFE-FROM-WHEREVER' (Off-season, all cams off at Loch Garten)

scylla said:

I couldn't wait to check the upper feeder download for the same time of day - but I'm not downloading it,

Got the Cowbirds the next day:

First time seeing a skunk for a while:

Lots of raccoon activity that night:

Doggie was out at top-up time, it did grab a small mouthful of seeds before speeding off with owner:

scylla said:

Got the Cowbirds

Cowbirds? Pull the udder one.

Apparently, they're called that because they follow cattle eating the insects flushed up by their grazing.

And, like cuckoos, they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds.

All news to me

Thanks Scylla. This is good news.

Unknown said:

Cowbirds? Pull the udder one.

Hahahaaa ;)

It was TEEJAY who ID'd a singleton several days ago - I was disappointed to find the same info as you did when I googled them - but what lovely "coats" they've got :o

A terrible storm in Sydney shut down the cams.  As you know, there is no sound on the Twitch long-distance cam but it was so strange without any that I put some on - so it's fake!

Family time

(c) www.youtube.com/watch

Grooming in the gloaming

(c) www.allaboutbirds.org/.../

 I got so far behind due to struggles with the dodgy NE Florida eagle cams that I had to delete many hours of feeders :(  Doing so took a great weight off my shoulders but now I'm miserable because of what I might have missed ;)

Samson and (most significantly) Gabrielle are first-time parents - this little mite, NE22, is getting fed just enough to keep body and soul together, Gabrielle's on a steep and long learning curve:

NE23 today:

The Starr Ranch barn owl family are doing great!  Five down and one to go, and that one's late - otherwise it's been textbook, with the female feeding appropriately (she lost 4 owlets last season due to expecting them to knock back huge hunks) and the male providing plenty to eat - tho I've never seen a male bring in so many tiny mice, they usually go for rats.

Starr  Ranch Mule Deer:

Some pics are far too big, sorry, they were done for Facebook, which resizes them to fit.

scylla said:

this little mite, NE22, is getting fed just enough to keep body and soul together,

I had to look twice at the photo as the chick looked very dark and I thought I'd got my species wrong. 

We have an injured deer hirpling round the garden. It can still move at speed. I called the SSPCA but they say unless they can catch it there's nothing they can do. It'll probably weaken through infection, then be able to be caught, but too late to be treated.

Love the ears on the deer! Prayers for the tiny eaglet and hooray for the little owlets! They are lovely pics!