A Few Things

I don't waste a trip to town. Take trash, empty propane bottles, empty water jugs, or some combination in with me and bring back full propane, water, groceries and or wood. Walking up Monday morning to snow it was all gone in the afternoon. Three ringtails are back in the rafters most nights, at least two skunks every night under the porch, a few raccoons, including the one that's so big he could be a small bear, and a fox here and there.

Before I left I had begun feeding the songbirds as close to large bushes as I could to protect them from the hawks. Something I never imagined happened while I was gone. The ravens found and have decided they like the Kit&Kaboodle leftovers in the fox bowl out in Kobae's pen. Each morning at early daylight two ravens land by the bowl and begin chowing down. Immediately all the songbirds show up and begin eating at Tiffany's #1 closest to the bowl. When the ravens leave, the songbirds leave. Then I realized that the ravens have been killing the hawks with such frequency everyone knows. It's working. Not a single hawk has come to the feeding areas while the ravens are here and only one small quick flying sharp-shinned has come at all. I would never have imagined the ravens being my allies in the battle against the raptors.