Waiting for chow

[Cold Spring]

Well, I'm only a day late but here ya go.

We have a covered feeder behind the house and usually put down about 600 pounds of shell and cracked corn over the winter = 2/1 mix. Feeder has lights wth a motion sensor underneath the roof, and the critters sure keep our spirits up. This year we have way more birds than usual, along with a resident herd of deer, tons of squirrels, turkeys and once in a while a gray fox or two after the cracked corn. Raccoons when the weather breaks, they're just too much for our dog "Kaiser" who let's loose with the barking. Critters are having a tough time this year. So yesterday I got out to the feed store for another 300 pounds, that will make it 900 pounds for this winter. Here's the scene this morning, check out that dogwood tree to the left:


About 7 doves waiting for chow ..... what's taking you so long? Deer eat up everything at night so I put down a new ration every morning and evening.


Here's what we call our sugar shack. No coffee on the porch this morning.

[Marc Retallack]

Frank,

I always enjoy your photos, both here and on the Fox forum. I really like your sugar shack.

Since Christmas, I've put out almost 150lbs of sunflower seeds in my three bird feeders. Most days there are usually 6-10 doves feeding on the ground under the feeders which are loaded with cardinals, juncos, chickadees, etc. A couple weeks ago, I had my black lab out for a run around roosting time when he busted nearly 2 dozen doves from one of the white pines on my property. They just kept coming! One of my bluebird boxes stil has four bluebirds wintering in it but I never see them at the feeders which are only 75yds away.

I don't think a lot of non-hunters realize how much those of us who do hunt also enjoy watching and "caring" for game and non-game wildlife. Thanks for your post.

Marcus

[Wild Skies]

We also go through hundreds of pounds of corn and bird seed for the critters that are having a tough go of it this long and colder-than-normal winter that we're experiencing here in Northcentral Wisconsin.