Changing Seasons . . .

One of the great things about having a non-specific blog is that I can write about whatever I want, when I want. As an observer of life and things around me it makes for a fascinating outlook on many different things.

What a difference a few days makes! The rain we had constantly for most of the summer stopped Friday afternoon, much to our delight, though the news weather experts seen to have been stuck in the mode of predicted light showers through the evening hours all summer. You look at the 5 or 7 day forecast and it has constantly shown clouds, rain or both.

Normal times I think summer is the best for me . . . maybe not this summer with the rain and all but the fishing and outdoors in mild temperatures is great. I enjoy autumn with the wind in the trees, the changing colors, and the brisk feel in the air. I love getting up in the morning, walking outside, and having a cold blast of air hit me in the face. If I could choose any season to live out the rest of my life in, it would be autumn. I like seeing the looks on other people as they brace for winter. It’s a season of preparation, of solidarity, of courage in the face of unknown things to come.

Every creature knows it. You see moose grazing in the trees adjacent to the highway on the way home or the possibility of one in your yard as you pull into the driveway. In the evening a Woodpecker was on the corner of the house making a constant noise interrupting the silence. He wasn't exactly welcome, and I had to shoo him away.

Human beings have two important abilities to help us understand time. We are able to remember a sequence of events and we are able to anticipate future needs or events. But what about squirrels and other animals that hoard food for the impending winter months?

That behavior seems to imply the animals anticipate future needs but maybe not. Studies have found that animals don’t stop hoarding even when their supplies inexplicably disappear. This could mean the animals don’t understand why they hoard, what it means for their future or even what future is.

They simply do it out of instinct.

Humans, on the other hand, understand their preparations and quickly change strategies when plans go awry. Much like those on the gulf coast preparing for the hurricane season people in the northland make those gradual changes as we prepare for the oncoming cold. Studded tires are swapped out on vehicles and emergency kits are placed in the trunks of many people’s rigs in case they are stranded in the ice and snow. Those preparations or lack thereof could be the difference in surviving an unplanned incident.

With my window open in my office, I can hear all kinds of sounds. The birds may be squawking or chirping depending on the time of day or evening. Also, I’ve heard a kind of "plop, plop, plop" and at first I thought it was hail (but we really don’t get that much hail in Alaska) coming down until I looked closer and saw the tree cones. There was a squirrel at the very top working his way through the branches and cutting the cones which then landed at the base of the tree or on top of my shed in the back yard. Wow, that's a sure sign that autumn is on the way when the creatures begins harvesting and hoarding food for the winter (shhh, I don't want to say the "w" word too loudly just yet). The snow is steadily making its way down from the mountaintops but I’m not quiet ready to deal with that yet.

The squirrels and birds are more hurried now, more frantic as they hoard food. The birds and bugs are less talkative, their vibrant voices hushed by the chill. Everything seems to slow down and speed up at the same time - it’s not a season to be lazy, but rather a season to conserve, to store energy against the future winter cold.

I receive great entertainment watching them interact with each other and my wife’s dog, Gus as his barking and playfulness towards the birds and squirrels can be a fun but noisy thing to watch. I took pity (not really as I have done this for several years now) on them by filling the feeders full of sunflower seeds and peanuts. Usually I get aggravated by the squirrels pilfering the food meant for the birds. Not at the moment though. They have been eating non-stop lately, while the Blue Jays have been hoarding it in their cheeks (one whole peanut swallowed & one in its beak or bill) to take back to their nests (probably around our house somewhere). The birds have been very active at the feeders, as well.

The Blue Jays have been raping and pillaging the small bird feeder for at least a couple of weeks now. Apparently Jays love peanuts. Gathering our peanuts is a task this pair of Jays (The male and female usually pair for life) take very seriously and they seem to be at it non-stop all day every day. These birds are known for hoarding food, most especially acorns. While there are not a lot of acorns around here the in shell roasted peanuts seem to be a great substitute.

They take them from the tree and hide them, either underground or in crevices in other trees. My research has shown that Jays can store and, more importantly, retrieve several thousand acorns or peanuts over the winter months. The squirrels are going to be mightily pissed off when they arrive to find an empty birch tree!

I call them the kamikaze squirrels as they quickly grab a nut and head out to one of the hidden storage places. One young one lives above my kitchen window in a space in my chimney for my boiler. He jumps down on the kitchen window ledge as he makes his way over to the deck to find the peanuts. I think they are on a squirrel type Easter egg hunt trying to get the treats before the blue jays get to them and get them home. It only takes about 40 seconds to make the snatch, run to there stash and return for the next treat. I see them running around all jacked up like they've injected three non fat espressos in the last ten minutes. They've always got something in their little squirrel fingers whether it is the peanuts or sun flower seeds.

The fun part of observing this phenomenon is how competitive everyone is with each other. The squirrel jumps up the fence onto the bird feeder as the two blue jays swoop down trying to scare him away. Add Gus who also tries to catch one of them. This playful dog and bird show will continue for awhile or until the peanuts are long gone.

The two jays are cunning as they play tag team with Gus . . . one will divert his attention from the feeder as he chases away one bird while the other quickly flies in for a peanut and off to the trees. The squirrel in the meantime is going in and out of the BBQ grill trying to keep the birds from the stash of goodies on the feeder.

Blue jays seem to almost be fearless as I can stand right next to the grill or the feeder and they will land right next to me. I have tried a couple of times to let them grab a peanut out of my hand but with Gus barking either at my feet or inside the door they are a bit skittish.

I guess I’ll have to clean that grill really good before my next cookout . . . or possibly some kind of squirrel dish?

Now let’ see . . . let me dig out my Roadkill recipes and see what goes great with squirrel?

Ice