Island Falls notes (week of March 14, 2018)

6 years ago

Still nothing going on here in our small town. Everyone is, I’m sure, sick of all the cold weather and the mounds of snow everywhere. And today we are all waiting patiently for another storm that is heading our way. Hopefully, it will be the last big one for the year.

I have had a spell of “being under the weather” and visited the ER at the Millinocket hospital, and there I ran into friends from Dyer Brook, Kathy and Dale Hosford. Dale was being checked for injuries suffered in a fall on the ice and I was checked for a minor infection. Both turned out OK.

Kathy informed me that she has had a female cardinal at one of her feeders but has not seen the male as yet. I haven’t seen a one of them at my feeders, but sure do have a big flock of finches that are really cleaning out my one tube feeder and also helping to clean out the big feeder. I have three or four chickadees that manage to get at the big feeder, along with a junco or two, and the nuthatches when the finches are taking a breather from eating it all.

My next-door neighbor, Susie, has been very helpful lately getting my mail and shopping for me while I was not feeling well, and another friend, Sheila More, has done the same. Great to have someone who is so thoughtful.

I have not seen a deer in my dooryard or backyard for about a week now. There are still trails all around my cedar trees, but no fresh tracks.

I saw a small red squirrel the other morning, but he knows he can’t get into the feeders so he stays under the cedar tree and waits for a stray seed to fall from the feeders. I haven’t seen a gray squirrel for a while, and guess he has given up trying to get at the feeders. About time.