wildlifewednesday

Another Surprise

A small, brown and cream mouse is sitting in some brown undergrowth next to a small dark hole beside it. One eye is facing us warily. Around is green grasses and dried reeds and grasses.
Little Brown Mouse in the Undergrowth

Generally I quite like surprises. Having a mouse scurry under my feet in the house, first thing in the morning would not be ranked one of my favourites. We have, as you probably know, three cats. So, with a house full of cats, how did it happen that I came downstairs this morning to be faced with a (live) mouse in the house? The cats knew it was there. The poor little thing was terrified, running around and hiding frantically. So what did the cats do? They squabbled with each other over whose mouse it was. They chased it a bit, of course, then they sat and looked at it. Face to face, at one point. So it was up to me to catch it (by putting an upturned plastic pot over it) and take it outside to get on with its life. It was a cute little thing, catching its breath in the grass. This photo was actually taken years ago, as this morning was not the time for a photo session.

May all your unusual surprises end as well as this one did.

My gallery of photographs featuring animals including this little guy is here: https://www.elliekennard.ca/ekgallery/animals/

Dragonfly

A blue and brown dragonfly is resting on a branch that has cobwebs on it. Its wings look a little the worse for wear, like the cobwebs.
Dragonfly, Miner’s Marsh

This photo was taken a few years ago in Miner’s Marsh in Kentville reserve, one warm August noon. I hadn’t even seen this beautiful creature as I was busy photographing the sandpiper featured in the post from the other day until Steven pointed it out, so thanks to him for this summer memory on this snowy day today. Wherever these are now, we’ll see them again soon.

He’s featured in my Animals Gallery.

Solitary Sandpiper

A medium size bird with a long slim beak is wading in water at the edge of some mud. There are broken off stems of thick reeds sticking out in the water around the frame. The bird is in the left of the frame, looking towards the right.
Sandpiper – Miner’s Marsh , Kentville, Nova Scotia

This sandpiper was enjoying the summer mud at Miner’s Marsh in Kentville and apparently finding lots of eat. This was taken a few years ago in my early years of photography, so I was really pleased to catch it so well. I can’t wait until we can have a bit of summer, to be able to see the ground, mud or grass! Meanwhile, we can enjoy memories from past photos like this.

Click to see other wildlife and not so wild life in my bird and animals gallery

Snowed In

A bird with very fluffed up feathers is sitting on a snow covered branch looking directly at the camera. It has yellow eyes.
Snowed In

Winter’s coming and it’s getting colder for us and for all the wildlife around, including birds like this one. Here’s a challenge for all birders: what do we think this is? At first I thought ‘owl’ but on looking at it more closely I don’t think it is. I asked a local birder by email, with no response, but there were a few suggestions as to possibilities. This was taken through my living room window a few winters ago. The answer as to the identity is given below the next section if you want to see if you guessed correctly.

You can visit my animal photos, including birds, at my Animals gallery here.

It is a Red Tailed Hawk, fluffed up from the cold. It was difficult to be sure, as mostly these birds migrate south for the winter. In Nova Scotia, however, they stay year round. If you guessed that, then well done!!