Wildlife in Our Yard – The Petrini Page

Bird Call

I have been writing in my backyard today with my writer’s group, which we call Kittens With Typewriters. The rest of the group has gone, but it’s so nice to see the sun after many cloudy days that I’m still on the patio. I filled the bird feeder (the Library 4 Birds) a few minutesContinue reading “Bird Call”

Bird by Bird

I’m sitting in my backyard, and the birds are out in force. I just turned on my birdsong identification app. The birds it tells me it’s hearing: Blue jay American crow Northern cardinal Red-shouldered hawk Tufted titmouse House sparrow Eastern towhee Least flycatcher American goldfinch Common grackle Carolina wren Red-bellied woodpecker Gray catbird American robinContinue reading “Bird by Bird”

Wordless Wednesday: Hummingbird

Masked Bandit

The suet cage my husband hangs on the side of the bird feeder had been pried open and all of the suet eaten. Today we got a lead on the case. This little guy shows up repeatedly in our backyard wildlife camera photos, climbing up into the feeder. No smoking gun yet; we do notContinue reading “Masked Bandit”

Two Toads

Bob and I took a walk through the neighborhood last evening, and we were surprised to see a toad on a walkway in front of a house. I remember frequently seeing toads (and frogs, turtles, skunks, and salamanders) in residential areas when I was a kid, but I seldom see them anymore. It was theContinue reading “Two Toads”

Hummingbirds!

The hummingbirds have returned! Or different hummingbirds have. I haven’t decided yet. Last summer, a female hummingbird set up housekeeping in our yard. She laid two eggs, enjoyed the sugar water in our hummingbird feeders, and raised twin sons. I named the three Molly, Fred, and George, and we enjoyed watching them all summer. ThisContinue reading “Hummingbirds!”

Mouse Eggs

This morning, a post on an online home-improvement page startled me. A woman worried about how much it would cost to replace a lot of insulation in her home. Mice had gotten into the old insulation. She said they were pooping there and laying their eggs. Laying their eggs???

Wordless Wednesday: Backyard Fox

Preparing for Snomicron, Round 2

After weathering Monday’s storm and being spared the widespread power outages that persisted through Tuesday, we actually lost power Wednesday afternoon, after most people’s electricity had been restored. It was off for a few hours, and the house was beginning to get pretty darn cold. But it came back on that evening, and we wereContinue reading “Preparing for Snomicron, Round 2”

Friday Five: Christmas Eve

1) If you had to build a Christmas tree with just items around your house, what would definitely be part of it? Books, of course. I’ve built one of these before, and posted about it earlier this month. But here’s another photo. 2) What’s your favorite holiday to decorate for? Halloween. The decorations are fun,Continue reading “Friday Five: Christmas Eve”