Happy Sunday folks!
Diane: Brilliant white! Wonderful. Ours don't hang about at all but tootle around the garden then disappear. That's interesting that yours sits by the window. I've never heard of that. We had a family of about 5 or 6 raccoons a while back that got all worried when we spotted them and tried to hide behind an ornamental little wheelbarrow in the corner of the garden. All we could see were their huge eyes peering out like little cartoon characters. Very cute. We haven't seen much this year given that that part of the house is included in the remodel and we aren't in that room by the patio right now.
Annette: Well, this is not a good practice (kids don't try this at home), but my Mom adored that little possum and she used to feed him. Thus, he has made our deck his home base for a long time. I think it is a genetic mutation that makes him white.
Oh how cute Diane. Do you keep up the tradition your Mom started? What does he/she like to eat?
How true Aquilareen, how true. So many birds, so little time...........
Hey Caerann: You're up late - another night owl like Diane!
The little guy would eat about anything...corn...fruit...an occasional cookie. Sigh.
I stopped feeding the birds and animals. For the last couple of decades, our winters have been getting milder. So the wildlife are faced with decisions about whether to migrate or not (or hibernate...), etc. I started to be concerned that if they were getting food, they would decide to stay. But here in Indiana, we can still have periods of bitterly cold, sub-zero weather and very high snows. Gale-force wind blizzards. I didn't want to be responsible for the wildlife that stayed for the food and then perished in the cold snaps.
Diane: Yes, that's an issue - before I put up the hummingbird feeders I called the Audubon Society and they said not to put them up every day during the summer otherwise they'd become too dependent on them, but that in the winter it would probably be okay for the Anna hummingbird, which doesn't migrate. So does the possum hibernate? Or do you put out hot water bottles and warm milk for him? :-)
I was just figuring that you, Diane, are three hours ahead and Caerann, in Chicago, is just two hours ahead of us. I was in Chicago once and had to drive to Notre Dame to interview Father Hesburg and got totally turned around by the time difference within just a few miles....
Possums will hibernate briefly during very cold weather. Their little bare claws are vulnerable to frostbite. But they have to come out and get food eventually. I don't think they can hibernate all winter like raccoons or bears.
The other thing about feeding animals: If people feed too many, then a habitat can become overpopulated, leading to disease (rabies, etc.) and lack of food, etc. So I decided not to mess with Mother Nature. I do try to enhance the habitat here to make it very lush and productive for the wildlife (I let them have the apples, etc.).
I was listening to something on NPR a few weeks ago that talked about shivering, and how when the body temperature (core temperature?) in hibernating animals drops to a critical level, they start shivering, which generates enough heat to keep things ticking over. Apparently, this happens on a regular basis throughout the hibernation.
I'm probably going to sign off pretty soon. If you miss all you guys, have a good Friday (another Friday?? how does this keep happening?)