Snacktime

Snacktime, originally uploaded by Hannibals Animals.

I was on the ground shooting chipmunks for quite some time when this groundhog approached, not paying well enough attention to his surroundings. He snacked for some time, not more than 15 feet away. Getting a good look at those claws, I was pretty nervous he might get even closer, but he eventually spotted me and ran.

4 Lifers in an Hour

What more can I say, it was a great day!



Black-throated Green and Tennessee Warbler








American Redstart Juvy








Swainson's thrushes

Monarch Migration

I drove across a "sea" of monarchs fluttering across Goose Lake Prairie to a concentration area near by. I was hoping to find the trees they would drip from as I've seen on T.V. and I did! It was an awesome site!

Lucky!

Lucky!, originally uploaded by Hannibals Animals.

I had a ton of migrating Common Nighthawks over my house a few days ago, so I took 100's of photos. This one surprised me. Although heavily cropped, I really liked that the bug was captured also.

Slumlord

Hannibal is a Slumlord. Interesting?!? I don't remember asking for squirrels as tennants. I don't remember getting paid rent. None-the-less, for several years now, a squirrel has had squatters rights to the Screech Owl Box I built a few years ago. She has been a terrible tennant too. She's ripped off the siding, broke the perch off the front entrance, and who knows what terrible things she's done to the inside, but I digress...She won my heart over a few weeks ago, as I saw new life peek out of the hole. A cute little squeak was the first clue, as I scanned the area for the source, and saw the tiny lil head trying to see out. (These photos were taken a week later, and they are MUCH bigger!) Anyway, This is what I saw:



Adorable right?



I knew there was at least 2, maybe three, as the days passed...



Here's a shot with mama, which brings me to the real story:



I walked by my kitchen window on Saturday, looked out to the Owlbox, hoping to see a lil face, and what I saw puzzled me. I saw what looked like a big ball of fur poking out of the hole. Weird! I got the binoculars and saw that is was mom with a baby in her mouth, and she was moving out! I knew right away that she was moving her babies, and watched her as she headed in the direction of her new home. She was moving across the street to a neighbors tree. Hmmm...She must think it no longer safe for her kids, as they are getting more curious with each passing day. I do have a dog, so I think mom is absolutely right in moving her children. Anyway, I grabbed my camera and waited for her to move the second one. This is what I saw:



This lil guy started crawling out of the box as soon as mom left with the first one. When mom came back, she was none-too-happy that the lil one was exposed...



She started scooping it up at a really awkward angle...





These frames only represent a partial segment of her scooping him up, but then this post would be extremely lengthy if I didn't jump a few frames at a time.



She moved them approximately 100 yards at my my best estimate. A really long trip with a load in your mouth with each trip.






She was amazing to watch!



The baby all tucked under was so cute!



She came back 1 more time to get the final baby. She had to be exhausted!



I miss them...I'm hoping she will be back to reclaim her Owlbox as her nest some day. This Slumlord smiles at the thought of it all over again...