Goose and Goslings
For the last two weeks of April and first two weeks of May, folks turning off Highway 61 onto Wacouta Rd. were greeted by from two to six adult Canada geese. Speculation was that there might be a nest nearby, but one was never observed from the road. Then on Saturday morning May 18th there were at least three families of geese with goslings that suddenly appeared on the grass adjacent to the road. The speculation was over.
Goslings Searching for Food
It wasn't long before the adults had their newly hatched gosling hitting the pond in search of aquatic sources of nourishment.
Male American Redstart
Because of the cold temperatures we experienced the third and fourth weeks of May, there were large numbers of warblers stranded in our area in search of food. The food of choice for these birds is insects. I had no less than six Wacouta neighbors contact me with the same question. "What are those small black and orange birds frantically flying around in our yard?" I have never observed so many male and female American redstarts in Wacouta before. This behavior continued for at least ten days.
Baltimore Orioles
While the warblers were actively in search of insects to eat, the Baltimore and Orchard orioles were busy attacking our grape jelly feeders. From May 24th thru the 26th, they consumed 5 32 ounce jars of jelly. The highest count of orioles at our feeders at any one time way 15!
Scarlet Tanager
To add to the excitement of the activity at our feeders on four different occasions during the oriole feeding frenzy, we were treated to a seldom observed bird in our yard. A male Scarlet Tanager! They even took advantage of the grape jelly.
Scarlet Tanagers are elusive birds most often observed in mature deciduous forests or mixed deciduous - coniferous forests. Their primary source of food is insects supplemented by small berries and tender tree buds.
Immature Bald Eagle
As Kathy and I were driving through Old Frontenac on County Road # 2 Saturday evening June 1st, we encountered an interesting sight upon approaching the intersection with Highway 61. An immature bald eagle had it's talons tightly secured to a recently road killed deer. Surprisingly, it even posed for this photo.
Red Fox Kits
Our excitement for that evening had just begun as we drove through Lake City. Approaching the south edge of the city, we observed three young red fox kits frolicking near an abandoned shed in someone's backyard. We watched them run around the yard for at least 20 minutes while I took these photos.
Red Fox Kit
In our area of the state, red fox mate in February and 52 days later give birth to 5 to 10 kits. The kits nurse for approximately 10 weeks and are fully independent in 7 months.
In many sections of the United States, red foxes increasingly are thriving in suburban and urban areas. Red fox are one of the more adaptable species on earth. They along with squirrels, raccoon and deer tend to do well in habitats heavily altered by humans.
Red Fox Kits
One theory for fox living among us is that with an increase in the coyote population, red fox are pushed into populated areas for safety. Coyotes do not tolerate red fox in their territories. Red fox are known to den in woodchuck holes and under backyard utility sheds.