Critters

Our home borders a wooded area. Critters tend to stop daily to sample hosta and birdseed in our backyard. Over the course of a year we regularly see: deer, wild turkey, coyote, raccoon, fox, opossum, rabbit, squirrel, an occasional stray cat and a couple years ago, a pair of fisher. Eagles flying over and recently one sitting in our yard, Cooper hawk, Pileated woodpecker, Downy woodpecker, Red-bellied woodpecker, Barred Owl, Oriole, Cardinal, Grosbeak, Hummingbird, Robin, Blue Jay, Bluebird, Indigo Bunting (2 days and gone), Mourning Dove, Gold Finch, House Finch, Junco, Wren, Flicker, Phoebe, Blackbird, Crow, Chickadee, Nuthatch, Sparrow, Nesting Mallards ...

Our new addition to critter watching is a smart bird feeder, equipped with a motion detection camera and WiFi service that transmits notifications. The best feature is a squirrel ejector. AI in the camera distinguishes between bird and "animal guests" and triggers a siren to eject the guest. Promising, and it worked for awhile but unfortunately, it either deafened our squirrel population or they've figured out the siren is just an annoyance. I'm waiting for the big raccoon in the neighborhood to discover this feeder. Not sure a measly siren will deter him.

Lonely tulip and masticated hosta

Wise guy

A visitor from Baltimore

Redd Foxx

Bird feeder vandals

Showoff

Wile E Coyote, but no sign of Road Runner 

Limpy of the broken leg

Wabbit, the hosta ravager

Roamy, the stray in search of a handout

Cooper Hawk, the bane of songbirds

Pileated & Red Bellied

Eagle & Hummingbird

Grosbeak & Turkey

Bluebird & Oriole

The trick is to plant enough for yourself AND the critters

Cheap entertainment for the old folks. 

Copyright © 2026  Dave Hoplin