Let Be or Not

Part of providing sanctuary and promoting ideal conditions for survival always involves little decisions that interfere in some way with the natural processes.  Even the little metal guard that we have protecting our feeders from squirrels and the feeders themselves, tip the balance in favour of immediate survival while they limit opportunity in some way for another species.  The feeders are a poor example, but the little weasel that is able to fit through the holes in the birds nests and chow down on the eggs or fledglings at will is a much better illustration of the dilemma.  

This morning Vince poked his head in the back door to alert me to the fleeting presence of the smaller of the weasel species that frequent our meadow, the same ones that have wrecked so much havoc with the tree swallow nests this year. 

He is small enough to fit easily through the entrance holes of a bluebird nest and once he finds out they are a lunchbox ....  We will be protecting them in some way next season, and will be more aware of this little critters perchance for eggs and chicks.  

Meanwhile, we are cutting the lawn after leaving it fairly long for the summer heat.  The voles have deserted the newly mown open spaces for the thickets and willow clumps that pose as our landscaping.  

We soon found that the menu had changed and this little critter was feeding a den of little rodent eaters on meadow vole of which we have plenty thankfully.  

Last winter we had an unusual combination of ice and snow layers that made the nivean world impenetrable to coyotes and foxes, giving the voles a distinct advantage for a couple of breeding sessions.  They multiplied!    

We are now past the warmest days at elevation, and although we might get a few hot afternoons, the summer is over and August is on the curve that ends with winter.

While this hunting and retrieval was going on, the chipmunks that more than match this little fellows size, do not match his ferocity by a long shot.

So they keep themselves high up in the branches and out of sight.  I suspect they might be able to outrun a weasel, but they aren't exactly lining up to try...

Among the other things going on today, a telltale shell appeared on our doorstep, a sign that the barn swallows at our back door have begun to hatch their second brood.  

They are absolutely unafraid of us, dodging around us to feed and perch,  It's so gratifying to see them raise seven or eight offspring every year ... and she is such a good mom.  

One pair of young swallows have just raised their first brood to the flight school stage, and we find them lined up along the TV cable, safe from predators, undercover and convenient to feed.  there are a couple of dozen at this stage in the yard, so there will be some exciting flight shows as the summer progresses.