Little People Stuff

Probably it doesn't seem like much is going on unless you've been here a long time and can sense things. The foxes are coming down to get their hot dogs and then retreating up the hill to the hogans and watching from there. They don't hang in the parking lot like they use to. Something has them spooked around the lodge. The song birds are under attack almost constantly.

When the Pinon Jays come to the feeding areas to eat all the songbirds have been scared and retreat into the bush. They are about half as large again as the songbirds but I figured in time they'd get use to them just like they did the Eurasian Collard Doves when they showed up. Because underneath they look much like a hawk coming in to land everybody ran. In time the Eurasian doves would land ten feet from the feeding area and walk over. Everybody figured it out.

A couple days ago I saw a Pinon Jay land in the feeding area, twice strike a songbird in the head with it's beak. The songbird fell dead and as it turned out it was the Loggerhead Shrike (Butcher) who is about the same size and almost same color. The Butcher reached down snatched up the dead songbird and flew off. I was inside looking out the office window thinking it was a Pinon Jay until death struck.

There is a small sharp shinned that comes in low over the hill and is on site before anyone has time to do anything. Because so many vehicles have pulled up to the front of the lodge across the parking lot and each pulls further and further up the hill they've crushed the bushes that were there and both the Butcher and Sharp-shinned can get into the bushes to attack the songbirds. Until I find a solution I'm feeding right up against the bush or inside the bush. Four or five times a day a large hawk, I haven't gotten close enough to see what kind flies right over the feeding areas and then dives down trying to pick off a songbird. Today coming back from Last Hurrah I saw it's profile on a rock as the sun set and I walked up the hill to chase it off. It flew across the river and landed at it's nesting place at Caveman Ranch or Tangri La, whatever it's current name is. So the hawk lives almost right here.

There are three ringtail every night in the rafters and I hear them go under the lodge when they are done eating. I can hear them in the insulation in the crawl space. At least two skunks are waiting for me each evening for food blow the porch and they also live under the lodge. For the first time ever a family of raccoons has found a home right under my bathroom. I'm good with the ringtail and skunk but the raccoon are going to be an issue at some point. Though I think I'm down to just one family that shows up each night and I assume it's the one under the porch.

It use to be the raccoons would eat both their bowls of Kit&Kaboodle and then head out into Kobae's pen and eat the foxes food also. Now it's the opposite. With few raccoons the foxes have found their courage and are constantly raiding the raccoon food bowls. I hear them eating outside my window all night and their crunch is lighter than the raccoon crunch.

I have not seen deer or big horn in over a week since the mountain lion was here. Everyone else has returned though so I assume the mountain lion is gone so once Jax returns and I start hiking again I expect to find another set of deer or big horn remains out there somewhere. She always takes one and then goes back up on top of the Anti-Cline.

There's still not a solid leader of the foxes but somebody is trying. Each evening when I go put the fox food out and bring the empty bowl back somebody has peed in it.