Sunday, August 30, 2015

Bears, bunnies, a weasel, turkeys, and a rampaging hummingbird...



I was stuck indoors most of the weekend.  There were two bears to butcher and no excuses.  I spent three days cutting meat.  Yes, I am the world's slowest butcher.  It was a fine dance between frozen and thawed quarters.  In the end there was 37 pounds of roasts, stew meat, and meat to grind.  I also salvaged 5 pounds of bear fat that  can  be rendered down into the incredible bear grease.  While doing all of that, I canned 11 jars of bourbon peaches, 5 jars of peach syrup, one giant jar of peach bourbon, 8 bottles of rhubarb wine, and two little jars of homemade vanilla.  Somewhere in the middle of that I made a blueberry pie (using bear grease of course). 

I was pretty proud of my accomplishments, that is until I spent an hour outside.  In that hour, I saw a bunny, weasel (I have never seen a weasel up here), a hen turkey with her 5 poults, and last but not least I was buzzed by a hummingbird. 

I didn't get a photo of the weasel.  He was too fast.  Hopefully, he was looking for chipmunks.  We have a plethora of them.  I did get a photo of this shy guy.  He is the first bunny we've had around for a few years.  Though last week a huge jackrabbit was laying in the yard and staring at my garden.
This grand dame wanders through the yard about once a day.   Obviously, they are not worried about our bird dog.  Ella isn't too worried about them either.
The hummingbird just about ran into me.  It must have been the orange shirt I was wearing.  That was the first one I have seen since July.   Ella and I kept our eyes open, because there was a lot going on this evening.

Not only did we see those animals around the house, but we also got a photo of a fox on our game camera.  Our neighbor got a photo of a pine martin on his game camera. That is the first time we have seen a fox and weasel, after 12 years here in the woods.  We missed quite a bit being cooped up in the house. Of course, I won't regret it when we are enjoying some bear stew this winter.   

Have you seen any animals rare to your area this year?  What do you see in an hour around your home?







6 comments:

  1. Too many bunnies want to get in my fenced area, it is a bumper year for them.i have a lot of feeders for those hummers, and with all my flowers enjoy butterflies and lots of birds.Fox can be close, just crafty enough not to be seen.

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  2. Wow...you sure have a plethora of wildlife around your house! It's way too built up here to have anything too exciting...cows, dogs, cats, chickens, and the loud, noisy hawks that have been screaming overhead lately. It's so much fun to see what life is like somewhere else! :)

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  3. No different or unusual animals here. My brother in law claims he saw bear scat in our woods. I'm doubtful of that. I think if there was a bear around the neighbors' dogs would have gone crazy and the bear would have ambled into our yard. I think he's full of it.

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  4. I didn't know anyone ate bear meat! The peaches sounded wonderful, though, XOXO

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  5. I loved this and I am so impressed with what you accomplished.
    I don't like it when weasels are around. They can get into my chicken cool through a hole the size of a fifty cent piece. They look liquid.
    Now for what I have seen this year? Scorpions, snakes, more bugs than I have ever saw in my life.
    It is like I am living in a desert. Oh wait, I am. :) Nothing lovely with warm blood. Like bunnies, or even jack rabbits. The foxes haven't moved in yet. They do in the winter though.
    Lovely post and it looks so pretty and green in your photos.

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  6. Bonnie,
    You have been busy! Do you sell any of your canned products?

    We seem to have a lot of bunnies in the yards. Rosie has decided they are more fun to chase than digging holes in the yard.

    23 mice; that's a lot!

    Hope you have a great week.

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Sit on my porch and let's chat. Due to the amount of spam I am closing my comments to Anonymous users. Sorry.