Sunday, October 19, 2014

Random Thoughts on Backyard Wildlife




We are all just being lazy on this fall day (notice Sadie with the crazy eye even when at rest!)




Hi, all, Lily the Corgi here.  What a beautiful fall day it is here in the Arkansas River Valley.  I've been out hunting squirrels in the yard for the longest time today.  Sadie and Lucy got bored with it and went back inside, but I stayed faithfully on the chase.  The lovely fall weather makes it so pleasant to be outside enjoying the flora and fauna--well, the flora is dying but the fauna is still there.

For the past couple of weeks, we've had an infestation of moles in our back yard.  I've been doing my best to dig down and grab the little boogers, but haven't caught one yet.  They make the yard all spongy with their tunnels and I don't like it at all.  Mama says the yard looks like a Putt-Putt golf course with all the holes I've dug trying to get at them. (In my defense, Sadie and Lucy have also dug a little, but it is primarily my responsibility.)  I don't know that I've ever seen a mole, so I'm anxious to catch one so I can see what the little digger looks like.  Daddy says they are like an ugly mouse, but I don't think I know what a mouse looks like either; pretty sure I've never caught one of those guys.  

Another thing I know about are these sassy-pants little birds called mockingbirds.  They are attractive birds and they sing nicely when they want to, but mostly they just want to chatter and scold us dogs. They'll sit up on a limb just barely out of our reach and fuss and carry on something awful.  The other day, one of these little suckers got overly brave and swooped down to peck at my head!  In fact, he made 2 passes to try and get me.  Well, the second time I almost turned the tables on him; next time I plan to grab that sassy little guy right out of the air and then we'll see who gets the scolding..  

Not too long ago, we had a funny little visitor in the yard.  My mama came to the door to let us out to pee and noticed there was a little frog just hanging on the window screen.  I've seen a few frogs down on the ground, but I never knew they got on the windows!  I think it's okay that they are up high; when they are on the ground, they are pretty tempting to grab but I know that's a REALLY bad idea. Frogs taste so bad, they make dogs foam at the mouth.  Once you've had a taste of frog, you remember not to put them in your mouth again!
Mama said on their recent cruise, Uncle Roger ate frog legs.  I wonder if he foamed at the mouth?


Of course, the most important yard critter, in my expert opinion, is the squirrel.  They have been very active lately, getting ready for the cold weather that is sure to come.  It is my job to chase them and keep them away from the food in the bird feeder, and I take pride in my work. The squirrels climb up our trees and race across the top of our fence.  Once in a while, they will drop down on the ground and that's when I really have a shot at catching one.  But, they are pretty fast and I don't really try too hard to actually catch the squirrels--they are quite entertaining and I wouldn't want to hurt or kill one and lose all my fun. 
Here's where you'll find me much of the time--watching for squirrels on the fence or in the trees.


I'm happy to report that my sister Sadie's ear has been healing well.  She is still a little wary of me, but she did invite me to play with her for a while last night, so I think she's forgiven me for my indiscretion at the kennel.  Lucy ate a sack full of Halloween decorations this past week, so the parents' attention has been turned from me and that's good news!  

So, that's about all I know; it's been pretty low key here and that's fine by me.  Take care of yourselves and be sure to take time to enjoy the lovely autumn weather.

Til next time,
Love ya,

Lily the Corgi

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