Category Archives: wildlife

Late-night visitor

May 3, 2020Bob, photography, Sunnybook Farm, wildlifesusanmanzke

For the first time this year, I set up our critter cam. It was one of Bob’s favorite ‘toys’ and brought back many good memories of him.

What I hoped to capture was the black bear who pooped in our front yard Friday night–Bob had always wanted to see that wandering bear, but though neighbors had seen it, Bob never got a glimpse.

Well, it finally came close enough to our house to touch, yet I had no photo. The critter cam was still sitting on Bob’s desk, waiting for me and for new batteries.

These are a couple photos the critter cam snapped last night:

I knew there was a raccoon visiting. I had seen it before, eating leftover cat food.

I didn’t know two raccoons were coming for late-night snacks.

No bear showed up last night, at least not on camera.

Later, I’ll take a look around for more bear scat. Maybe it visited the other side of the house.

No matter, I’ll go outside during the day, but after dark you’ll find me indoors.

I’m not going to take any chances surprising visiting wildlife at night. It’s the smart thing to do.

Eggs of different colors

April 26, 2020animals, Chickens, wildlifesusanmanzke

Every day, I go to the chicken coop and look for eggs. I have five hens, but only rarely do I have five eggs. Mostly, I get two or three.

So where did the little blue egg come from? Not my chickens, for sure.

The little egg was not near a tree. It was on the edge of the road, on the blacktop. Really odd, so I picked it up.

I wonder about the bird (probably a robin) who left her egg in an inappropriate location.

Usually, I find eggs that were hatched, broken into pieces. This was whole.

I had found a similar egg long ago. I put it in a pill bottle, set it in the refrigerator for years. After that long period, the inside dried up and eventually went to a science teacher–I will try to do the same with this one.

The chicken eggs were used for a pecan pie. They were delicious.

Today I shared with you just a little bit about the wildlife on Sunnybook Farm. I hope you can find nature’s beauty where you live, too.

A furry visitor

April 25, 2020animals, Sunny, wildlifesusanmanzke

There are a lot of animals that visit our farm, but usually, they don’t live close to the house.

Adult rabbits have not been seen here for a couple of years. They are not the target of rural cats. Owls, hawks, coyotes, and bald eagles take the larger rabbits they find. Mostly, its the baby bunnies that end up as an easy meal for a cat or as a toy for Sunny.

I had one rabbit come for a visit today.

At least I hope it was just for a visit. The last rabbit made a nest in Sunny’s pen and Sunny found it.

Our dog did not eat the bunnies, but he did play with them. Like Lenny in of Mice and Men, Sunny doesn’t know his own strength.

I had to chase Sunny before I could take the last baby bunny from his mouth. It had not been torn to shreds. I think it died from the shock of being in Sunny’s mouth.

Anyway, I hope this is a rare sight and this rabbit has moved on to find safer accommodations. I sure don’t want Sunny finding more ‘squeaking’ toys.

A touch of nature in the kitchen

April 24, 2020animals, wildlifesusanmanzke

Sometimes my house is very quiet. When this happens I turn on the television and radio–not too often at the same time. Today the TV and radio are off, but my computer is on.

I listened to a podcast while washing dishes, but afterward, I changed to another link.

This morning I turned to an old standby, the Decora Eagles nests. They can be found at explore.org as can many other animal cams around the world.

https://explore.org/livecams/bald-eagles/decorah-eagles

When I checked today, the eagle parents were away and the babies were on their own for a little while–when the camera pulled back a parent could be seen in a tree, probably hunting.

It is not just the sights that come into my laptop, so do the sounds. I hear geese, blackbirds, frogs, and even vehicles passing nearby.

Seeing and hearing this bit of nature picks up my spirits. I hope it does the same for you.

They’re back!

April 18, 2020wildlife, Wisconsinsusanmanzke

I saw them from my kitchen window and reached for my camera.

Two, and then three, were on the ground right across the street from the house. At first, I thought I was seeing turkeys coming close to the house.

I was wrong. These are not turkeys, well not exactly.

This is a Turkey Vulture!

These birds return to this area the way swallows return to Capistrano, well almost, pretty close to the same date every year.

With a huge wingspan, these birds are fun to watch as they ride the thermal winds, looking for carrion to eat.

But don’t be afraid, though they aren’t the prettiest bird in the neighborhood, they won’t hurt you or your pet. They prefer roadkill.

Susan Manzke

Writer, Speaker, All-Around Good Person