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

So sorry to read about your dilemmas Scylla, all the IT teckie stuff is a real pain when not working properly, hope you are up and running soon.

Sorry to hear you are having electricity problems, Scylla. What a pain in the neck, and especially depressing at this time of year when there is little natural light. At least the days start getting longer again in only 12 days. Fingers crossed that your power is restored very soon. Hope you have other heating sources and a few safe candles--don't want you to heat your place by setting it on fire!

scylla said:

so no light on the horizon

I do hope scylla's not sitting in the dark.....Hurry back soon please, we're missing you 

I'm back, for now.

No I don't have other heating sources, GARDENBIRDER, the gas boiler doesn't work without electricity and all my supplementary heaters are electric, and it was very chilly this afternoon.  I wished I hadn't cut up that quilted dressing-gown 

It was so fortunate that an electrician had been booked to work on the communal electrics here this morning, so he was commandeered to look at my problem and as I mentioned the verdict was that a new box was required (I don't think it's standard, CIRRUS).  However, late this afternoon a more expert electrician arrived and did a temporary fix with strange-looking plugs wired into the "broken" box to tide us over until Friday, when hopefully the new box will be fitted, meaning I'll be cut off again.

Since then, sorting-out and catching-up has been going on here.  These contributions are probably in the wrong order.

.

A short clip retrieved from 25 November, African Grey Hornbill in Pretoria:

Sapsucker Woods

Two flying squirrels again:

Boreal birds, Ontario

This Western Meadowlark was a big surprise to Cornell when it first appeared on 28 November, and here it was yesterday, cut off in its prime at the same time as I was:

Cornell wrote this about the WESTERN MEADOWLARK's first sighting on 28 November: "These chunky members of the blackbird family are typically seen in open grasslands, meadows, and fields - not bird feeders. What's even more unusual is to see an individual this far north in November! Western Meadowlarks breed in regions of southwestern Ontario (Manitouwadge, ON, is north of their typical breeding range) and southern Manitoba, but they migrate to the southern regions of the western United States and Mexico for winter. This individual is either a very late migrant that has yet to fly south or, more likely, a disoriented migrant that flew in the wrong direction."

A very shortie:

First the female then the male Hairy Woodpecker, nothing special - they don't pile up the food in Ontario like they do in Ohio, but not nearly so many birds visit:

Wow, what a feast that was! :) Really enjoyed the pics and all the videos. Many thanks Scylla

 Forgot me snaps!

The Chickadee dug right under the cake to get this particular piece:

It was windy and the beautiful Canada/Gray Jay got tipped up

Well done Scylla, after all your problems today. Glad to hear you have a temporary fix and heating.

Ken Little's long-established cams in Hoover Alabama

A raccoon family was joined on 'n off by deer (don't know what sort).  This took so long, including interruptions,that I'm not going back over it to edit some out, which I probably should do 

EDIT - I now see that there is an error that's made it far too long, sorry.

A random snap from lots 'n lots of visits by this little guy and his mates:

This must be Ken Little putting Christmas lights on the trees:

Yes, but they're not close enough to the cam to technicolor it - and there's a new-style dish of food, I wonder who that's for in particular?

Wait and ye shall find out !!!

The snow at Sapsucker Woods was washed off by rain, no doubt it will reestablish itself soon.

Boreal Ontario

The previous day the whole peanuts were gorged on by Blue Jays, mainly, in no time

This day, they were mostly still there an hour later for the Common Redpolls to pick between:

And for the Gray Jay to take its pick of:

Ohio on the 8th

All morning there'd been no Red-winged Blackbirds or Grackles or corvids - there'd been masses of sparrows and plenty of NCardinals, Mourning Doves, Blue Jays, squirrels, etc - then, all of a sudden at 11:30, FIVE crows arrived - they didn't stay long, then the other birds and critters resumed as if they'd not been interrupted:

It was incredibly busy up to 15:30, then there was a break and the RW Blackbirds arrived with a Starling:

They didn't last long, being scared off by an unseen threat - then the sparrows etc were back - I've never seen it quite so busy there :O   The last influx was just before 17:00, then the NCardinals and Mourning Doves took over till dark, and the first rabbit appeared @ 17:38. 

Then an Opossum, who wasn't snarling, he was just munching too close and messily:

I think it was the broken-tailed one:

Just wonderful Scylla! better than telly any day. Enjoyed all the videos but particularly the Racoons with the little ones and the deer.. Ahhhh

Thank you

Hello again Scylla, glad you were able to get a temporary fix! Lovely snaps and videos, much activity here with many different species, lovely.