lonely ole swing

corn on the cob anyone?

Found this squirrel hole on the side of a steep hill.  Apparently this squirrel has stolen some corn cobs out of the chicken coop.  I found five cobs near this hole. 

This kind of dumb but ...  last night I saw someone with a high powered spotlight across the valley signalling in our direction.  I estimate they were two or three air miles away, they were on top of one hill and we are on top of an opposite hill.  I grabbed my spotlight and signalled back to them.  We communicated for a couple of minutes by Morse code.  I have no idea who they are and I don't know Morse code but I enjoyed it.

First woodpecker

Saw my first woodpecker in Gavilan Hills.  Identified it as a female Nuttall's Woodpecker.  She was pecking my pine tree for quite a while yesterday.  The male has a streak of bright red on his crown.  They eat wood-boring insects and some fruit and berries.   Hope to see more in the future. 

More on the owls

I've posted a few times on the barn owls that have been hanging around the house lately.  As a former city girl, I've enjoy seeing them up close.  It got me thinking.  I was raised in an area that was ALL concrete.  The only area that was not concrete were the lawns in the suburbs I grew up in and at the neighborhood park.  We didn't even have abandoned or vacant lots with dirt.  It was strictly concrete and blacktop in my town.  That might be what helps me appreciate my life up here in Gavilan Hills.

Well as I said, there's been more activity with the owls lately.  A few nights ago two of them there squawking and carrying on, swooping down on each other and such.  They circled over my driveway, garage and roof.  I realized the next morning what the fight was over.  We found half of a dead rat on the roof.  My husband climbed up on the roof and kicked it off to the ground and I snapped the photo for your viewing pleasure.  The dilema this raises is: 1) I love the owls but 2) they are hanging around our house because there is obviously a plentiful food source. 

Such is country life....the mostly good with the occasional not so good.