Black Snake!

This little critter was hanging out in our herb garden.

2012 Chicks Day 28

Second day out in the big world.

2012 Chicks Day 20

Yes - I know that today is actually day 22, but I took this video on the 15th, which was day 20.

The chicks started to outgrow their plastic container in the bathroom, so Thursday night we moved them out to our shed.

2012 Chicks Day 11

COME FLY WITH ME!

 

2012 Chicks Day 9

We had to put a screen on top of the container today. The Araucana flew to the top edge, sat for a few moments, then hopped back down.

2012 Chicks Day 8

We are now back up to six chicks. I went to the Ace Hardware this morning and picked up a Buff Orpington to replace the second little Wyandotte that died. In this video, our new additions are the two chicks you see between 13 and 17 seconds.

2012 Chicks Day 6 1/2

Sad news. We lost both our Silver-laced Wyandottes - one night before last and one last night. In all the years we have been keeping chickens, we have never lost chicks while they were still in the brooder. All the other breeds are doing fine, but the Wyandottes just did not seem to grow and eventually stopped eating and drinking. I let the feed store know, and they said they hadn't heard that any more had died, and they were sold out of the remainder.
We replaced one with an "Easter Egger" from the nearby Ace Hardware. I didn't take any video last night because the second chick was dying and it was sad, so I recorded this at lunch today.

2012 Chicks Day 5

The Silver-laced Wyandottes are lagging behind. They are the ones that look almost like little skunks - black with two white stripes down their backs. You can clearly see one at the beginning and both at the end of the following video. Notice how small they are compared to the others. And look how much longer their wings look compared to their little bodies.

Crabtree Plantation - Revisited

Last November, I blogged about the Crabtree Plantation and the 18th century house nearby.

Today, M noticed a  rezoning sign in front of the property. A little Googling brought me to a NEW REPORT dated February 10 and produced by the Raleigh Historic Planning Commission.

The good news is there is all kinds of information about the house in the report, including old photos, newspaper clippings, and the National  Register nomination. The bad news might  be that something may be about to happen to that piece of property.

Stay tuned.

2012 Chicks Day 4

Notice the little wing feathers starting to appear.

2012 Chicks Day 3

2012 Chicks Day 2

Having a little drink  and checking out the camera.

New Critters!

Made a trip to the Pittsboro Feed Store today and picked up these little ladies.

We have two each of the following:

 Welsummers are a very popular but rare breed that originated in Holland in the early 1900s and was first presented for show around 1922. Welsummers are known best for the eggs they lay, which are a beautiful dark cocoa brown. Although they are good egg layers, they are considered a non-sitting breed. They are good foragers, so they tend to consume less feed than other breeds.

Cuckoo Marans were developed in Marans, France during the mid 1800s. Although they are considered a very rare breed, they are extremely popular in the United States because of the beautiful dark brown eggs they lay. Cuckoo Marans look very similar to the Barred Plymouth Rock, with the exception of some subtle differences in the feather pattern.

Silver Laced Wyandottes appeared around the 1870s. They are very strong egg layers with most hens producing between 200 and 240 eggs annually. The rose comb of this breed makes it a better choice for colder climates, as the comb is less likely to freeze. The temperment of these birds is considered to be docile and friendly, doing very well in both free range or confined environments.

Stay tuned as we watch them grow and document their lives.

What was THAT???

Came home on Tuesday morning around 10:30 and, while looking out the back windows, saw a large gray critter run down from the railroad tracks, behind our shed, into the neighbors yard, and disappear behind the hedge. By the time I could get out for a closer look, it was gone.

This was an animal I had never seen before. It was larger than but about the same color as a gray house cat. It had a big bushy tail and ran in an undulating manner. I did a little Googling, and this is what I think I saw.

According to THIS ARTICLE, they are all over North Carolina.

FUR COAT ANYONE???

More Birds

It is a dull, gray morning, but our backyard is teaming with life:

slate colored juncos

white throated sparrows

Carolina wrens

tufted titmice

red bellied woodpeckers

downy woodpeckers

Carolina chickadees

towhees


brown thrashers

house finches

white breasted nuthatches

brown headed nuthatches

cardinals

crows


mourning doves

Cedar Waxwings

It seems every time I see these great birds, it is cold or cloudy or snowy or rainy. Today was no exception. A flock descended on a neighbor's  holly tree.

The click-like chirping that you hear is coming from the cedar waxwings. The other sound is from a cardinal. I couldn't get very close or they would fly away. Here are a couple of pictures from online so you can have a better idea of what was going on.

  

Close Call

Thursday afternoon, while  riding my bike, I encountered a 1950s-era, nuclear-sized critter high on a bluff overlooking Crabtree Creek, just off St. Mary's Street. I escaped, but my trusty Felt was not so lucky.

Governor Purdue has called out the National Guard and asked for federal assistance in tracking down this critter. Meanwhile...

this gal bides her time.

Giant Critter Attacked Me!

Stay tuned!!!

Strange Critter

The day after New Years, I took a ride on the greenway and encountered this strange "critter" in the creek.

According to the Raleigh police officer on the scene, someone stole it from an apartment complex on Noble Road and it ended up in the creek. Expert tracking noses were brought in to apprehend the "critter."

Kilroy was here

...or a demented cat.

This is a little more normal:

Frank is our oldest critter.  M adopted him on (you guessed it) Frank Sinatra's birthday, so he's named for the famous crooner, although he doesn't do much singing.

Frank is a gray and white tuxedo cat, very well-mannered and behaves well with others - except when he wants to beat the snot out of Ivan the Terrible.  He's 14 years old, but acts much younger.  He went through some trauma a few years ago when he developed pancreatitis and almost didn't make it.  After several weeks with a feeding tube, he finally recovered and is doing great.  He's a very sweet cat who will politely disappear when company comes and will alert you loudly when the food bowl is empty.

Sweet Francis.

Happy New Year!