Squirrels, salmon & other wildlife

Fall is falling...ok, the leaves are falling. The color is still very nice out a majority of the windows, but out front we are seeing a lot of bare tree trunks. So, of course we start to look around for other interesting sights.

There is so much wildlife around here we don't have to look far. Actually, I sit here typing and can hear the wildlife. It sounds like the bird-feeder banging against a post. This is rather funny (or not depending on your viewpoint) since Joe just spent a pretty penny (as my mom used to say) for two new 'squirrel proof' bird-feeders. Yes, it is the squirrels munching away on the sunflower seeds. We have black, gray, red, & fox squirrels. At the moment it is the black squirrels (one with a white tipped tail) that are filling their bellies, but the fox squirrels are standing around barking and trying to figure out how they can get a piece of the action. The poor birds are on their own. No matter how many times I chase the squirrels away they just keep coming back. Joe's suggested squirrel stew, but I'm not sure either of us are up for doing what it would take to get the little guys in a pot.



Stepping away from the house a few feet and wandering along the stream it is fun to watch the Salmon that are still in the creek spawning. Amanda and I went to the Jordan River National Fish Hatchery yesterday. At the hatchery (a must see for visitors who want to see a LOT of fish all in one spot) they have/grow lake & brown trout. Neither are as large as the salmon we see in the back yard. These are the fish that travel from the deep waters in Lake Michigan through Lake Charlevoix and into Porter Creek to spawn. They are either Coho or Chinook Salmon we see every fall and this year is no different. The females hollow out beds to lay their eggs in and the males are right beside them to fertilize. Many times we've been standing on the creekside watching while this dance goes on. Sometimes I feel like I'm watching a nature documentary being made, but this is real life.
Spring-time brings Steelhead into the river and we get the same show again with a slightly more wily fish. Since the Salmon die after spawning they are truly focused on simply getting up river and taking care of the business of creating the next generation. The spring steelhead return to Lake Michigan so are very skittish when it comes to being seen in the water. We typically find a place where we know the fish often make beds and then stand quietly waiting for them to show up.

Other animals in the neighborhood are the ever present deer & the wild turkeys. During the summer we don't see the deer much but we DO see their tracks. They are always hanging around and we're looking forward to more sightings once the leaves are down and the deer yard up for winter. The turkeys have been wandering around and nesting in the trees. We will be seeing more of them as well once the leaves are all down.

I talked about the squirrels, but not the birds. We have so many birds, I'm looking at a female cardinal just now, a tufted titmouse, chickadees, sparrows and goldfinch. In a few weeks we'll put out suet for the woodpeckers. We've seen the flicker on our bird-feeder, but most of the woodpeckers prefer wild grub or suet. We sometimes see pileated woodpeckers, those big woody-woodpecker variety with their ratatat tat call, and often see Hairy, Downy and other varieties year round. My goal this year is to take pictures of as many as possible and post them online. Look for more coming soon...