Noticed something slightly off about the bird feeder this morning. Followed a faintly visible “bent grass" path into the woods, through a muddier section and right over a low point in our notably lame wire fence (to keep dog/chickens in) to find some faint, fresh tracks.
It's been years since a bear has visited and this seems half hearted, maybe because we only have a little bit in the feeder at any point? It didn't have any interest in garbage cans or the nearby chicken coop.
I'm outside, piecing together feeder damage clues, and a Pileated woodpecker flew across the yard and landed on a tree. Madly tried to take photos, as always, and have two “vaguely bird-like, mostly branches” results.
In 2005 I was one of multiple artists who created hundreds of illustrations for Dougal Dixon's THE WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DINOSAURS & PREHISTORIC CREATURES, published by Anness and Lorenz Book.
A few years ago we went up to Northland and took a walk through the forest to see Tane Mahuta. There was no sound from any birds. Speaking to the DOC guy in the car park, he told us the problem was pests.
I have just come back from a walk through an incredible small reserve near our house. The sound of birds here was almost deafening. They were mostly Tui, but I did spot some Fantails.
It is nice too no the eradication program is working.
Part 4 of my Newfoundland Cambrian diorama build, from 2005. Building something this big and complicated then shipping it across the Atlantic was a daunting challenge – but it worked!