Man Teaches Squirrels to use Stepping Stones and Play "The Grass Is Lava"

Man Teaches Squirrels to use Stepping Stones and Play "The Grass Is Lava.

I teach a new generation of squirrel prodigies to use the stone path in the Backyard, but it soon turns into a fun game and friendship - much like playing fetch with puppies! Backyard Squirrels are so under-appreciated. Notice that after awhile the Blue Jays get jealous or just want to join in and add another difficulty level to the games by playing with the squirrels fear of hawks to gain control of the peanut!
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Man Teaches Squirrels to use Stepping Stones and Play "The Grass Is Lava.

Giant Jack O' Lantern Mushroom Colony

Giant Jack O' Lantern Mushroom Colony

Hiking in the moist woods of the Great Smoky Mountains I come across the largest cluster of gorgeous orange yellow Jack O' Lantern Mushrooma I have ever seen. There are several varieties and I am no mushroom expert regarding edibility, but Jack O' Lanterns are poisonous. I just love to find, observe and record them. Mushrooms are simply amazing and often the highlight of a hike in the woods when animals are scarce!
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Giant Jack O' Lantern Mushroom Colony

Broad Headed Skink Lizard

Broad Headed Skink Lizard

The distinctive orange red head of the breeding male Broad Headed Skink Lizard filmed at Congaree National Park near Columbia, South Carolina.
Together with the Great Plains skink it is the largest of the "Plestiodon skinks", growing from a total length of 15 cm (5.9 in) to nearly 33 cm (13 in).
The broad-headed skink gets its name from the wide jaws, giving the head a triangular appearance. Adult males are brown or olive brown in color and have bright orange heads during the mating season in spring. Females have five light stripes running down the back and the tail, similar to the Five-lined Skink. Juveniles are dark brown or black and also striped and have blue tails.
Habitat
Although they do occur in urban areas, their preferred habitat is humid forest areas with abundant leaf litter, especially oak forests.
Behavior
Broad-headed skinks are the most arboreal of the North American Plestiodon. They forage on the ground, but also easily and often climb trees for shelter, to sleep, or to search for food.
Reproduction
Females typically are larger than males. The larger the female, the more eggs she will lay. Males thus often try to mate with the largest female they can find, and they sometimes engage in severe fights with other males over access to a female. The female lays between 8 and 22 eggs, which she guards and protects until they hatch in June or July. The hatchlings have a total length of 6 centimetres (2.4 in) to 8 centimetres (3.1 in).
Geographic range
Broad-headed skinks are widely distributed in the southeastern states of the United States, from the East Coast to Kansas and eastern Texas and from Ohio to the Gulf Coast.
Nonvenomous
These skinks (along with the similar Plestiodon fasciatus) are sometimes wrongly thought to be venomous.[3] Broad-headed skinks are nonvenomous.
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Broad Headed Skink Lizard

Baby Bunny Washing Machine

Baby Bunny Washing Machine

Five wild baby cottontail rabbits have a group bath where each one washes another and they all get washed at the same time. Amazing, Efficient and cute - a true synchronized washing machine you'll wish you were a bunny!
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Baby Bunny Washing Machine

Cedar Waxwing Calling

Cedar Waxwing Calling

The call of the Cedar Waxwing is sort of a soft high-pitched "bzee" or whistle sound. Not a boisterous bird, but a gorgeous songbird that I don't see that often in either Florida or North Carolina. It is unusual for one to stay at the peak of a cypress tree and call for so long. They are social birds - it may be looking and listening for others.
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Cedar Waxwing Calling

Bald Headed Blue Jay Versus Grackle

Bald Headed Blue Jay Versus Grackle

Close up of the Blue Jay head molt which is really fascinating because you can clearly see their ear and skull structure without any feathers. This is a normal process and not all Blue Jays do this every year. But for some reason this Jay is also having Grackle trouble!
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Bald Headed Blue Jay Versus Grackle

WOSPORTS W600 Laser Rangefinder Test and Review

WOSPORTS W600 Laser  Rangefinder  Test and Review

Review of WOSPORTS W600 Laser Rangefinder for Golf, outdoor activities and wildlife viewing. A nice solid accurate and affordable unit available on Amazon https://amzn.to/2vXADFY . Note shakiness is due to me hand holding camera to hand held range finder and looking through the camera, but you get the idea. Its not shaky like that in real use. I spend most of my spare time outdoors observing nature or in engaged in outdoor activities and often want to know how far something is, you would be amazed at how badly most people, myself included, estimate distances when you have no clear references. Problem solved and its fun.
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WOSPORTS W600 Laser  Rangefinder  Test and Review

Cloud Monsters Versus Hummingbird - A New SuperHero Is Born!

Cloud Monsters Versus Hummingbird -  A New Super Hero Is Born!

Cloud Monsters attack at dusk - Fear not Hummingbird has got our backs. I think we are safe....for now! You see some strange things when you spend a lot of time in the deep Mountains.
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Cloud Monsters Versus Hummingbird -  A New Super Hero Is Born!

Blue Jays, Squirrels and Rabbits Welcome Man Home After a Month!

Blue Jays, Squirrels and Rabbits Welcome Man Home After a Month!

I receive an enthusiastic welcome upon returning to the Florida Backyard from the birds and furry creatures after a month away. I think they refer to me as Mr. Peanut, but I get so much more Joy out of knowing them! The Blue Jays have their second brood to show off and the squirrels are not showing any signs of the dreaded Bot Fly Larvae this summer. Even the Cardinals and of the course the newest Backyard member - The Bunny - show up!
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Blue Jays, Squirrels and Rabbits Welcome Man Home After a Month!

Baby Rabbit Safety - Look Before Mowing the Lawn!

Baby Rabbit Safety - Look Before Mowing the Lawn!

A short talk on rabbit safety. After leaving the nest and out on their own is the most vulnerable time for baby rabbits! Covered in the nest below ground they are more protected from lawn mowers and predators. Once out of the nest their defense is to just sit like a statue and only move as a last resort. It is very easy to run up on them with a fast riding mower or just moving fast - the noise of the mower makes them turn to a statue. You should inspect your yard for foreign objects like sticks and stones anyway before mowing so give it a walk-through for that and baby animals, especially if you haven't mown it for a few weeks or longer. The little furry critters will thank you!
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Baby Rabbit Safety - Look Before Mowing the Lawn!

Campark X20 20MP 4K WiFi Touch Screen Action Camera Review

Campark X20 20MP 4K WiFi Touch Screen Action Camera Review

A real-life, practical and thorough review by a real-life user of the affordable Campark Action Camera Go-Pro alternative with WiFi, touchscreen and remote control. Ever wonder how I get some of those amazing wildlife and Nature close-ups - these cameras and a lot of help from my furry friends is how it is often done.
X20 Camera on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Mp1JPG
SanDisk Micro SD Card - in thousands of hours I have never had one of these fail in the field: https://amzn.to/2B8PpPh
An excellent and affordable GoPro type accessory kit for these cameras: https://amzn.to/2vIxXvO
This camera was provided by CamPark to test, the opinions are my own.
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Campark X20 20MP 4K WiFi Touch Screen Action Camera Review

Raccoon Versus Mouse!

Raccoon Versus Mouse!

Cat and Mouse game - no "Raccoon and Mouse" - a nocturnal battle of wits. Appreciate the amazing hearing and sensitivity of the Raccoon and the wily survival instinct of the mouse - not to mention the noises of the night when humans fear to tread into the Forest! Filmed with a CamPark T70 Night Vision Trail Camera 14MP 1080P available on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/2MjF9b3
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Raccoon Versus Mouse!

Backyard Birding....and Nature Blog Selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 10 Backyard Birding and Birds Feeder Blogs!

Backyard Birding....and Nature Blog Selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 10 Backyard Birding and Birds Feeder Blogs!

My Backyard Birding YouTube channel and Backyard Birding and Nature Blog have been named by Feedspot.com to the Top 10 Backyard Birding and Bird Feeder Blogs and Websites in 2018!  The release at https://blog.feedspot.com/backyard_birding_blogs/ states:

Backyard Birding Blogs List.
The Best Backyard Birding Blogs from thousands of Backyard Birding blogs on the web using search and social metrics. Subscribe to these websites because they are actively working to educate, inspire, and empower their readers with frequent updates and high-quality information.

These blogs are ranked based on following criteria

• Google reputation and Google search ranking
• Influence and popularity on Facebook, twitter and other social media sites
• Quality and consistency of posts.
• Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review

It's great to be recognized as a leading birding and bird feeding and Nature website and blog by Feedspot. They also provide an easy way to keep up to date on my pages and others in the top 10 by subscribing to the Backyard Bird and Feeding newsletter or RSS feed.

Florida Marsh Rabbit Update

Florida Marsh Rabbit Update

The young Florida Marsh Rabbit is doing well and has about doubled in size and has taken up living under my shed/office in the Backyard. The little one seems to be up to the challenge of surviving and is being more cautious now. This is turning out to be the summer of rabbits as Backyard North is full of them.
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Florida Marsh Rabbit Update

Campark Trail Camera 14MP 1080P T70 Review and Test

Campark Trail Camera 14MP 1080P T70 Review and Test

Me and my crack team of Backyard animal experts give the CamPark 14MP trail camera a comprehensive test. Campark T70 Trail Game Camera 14MP 1080P quality, low-priced motion detection wildlife camera anyone can use to see what's going on in their Backyard!
Available on Amazon https://amzn.to/2P1HLc3 .

This camera was provided by the manufacturer for testing - all the opinions are my own.
You can do this to. I will follow up with more videos and some more detailed tutorials about how to capture good closeup photos and videos of birds and small mammals in your Backyard in the future. Go Pros and similar action cams have superior quality, however they can only run a few hours - motion detection trail cams can be left in place for months, hours or days to document the action from wildlife to security concerns etc. day and night. Regular viewers of this channel know I have made dozens of fun trail camera videos over the years, but we are seeing new breakthroughs at this price point for the features and image quality.
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Campark Trail Camera 14MP 1080P T70 Review and Test

Five Baby Rabbits in the Yard

Five Baby Rabbits in the Yard

The five wild Appalachian cottontail rabbit kittens or kits as baby rabbits are called are doing fine out in the yard on their own. This is the most dangerous time in their lives and they instinctively know not to blink, twitch or move in the slightest. Raptors, hawks and snakes are their main concern along with careless big footed humans and their mowing machines.
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Five Baby Rabbits in the Yard

Determined Dove Stuffs Crop With Sunflower Seeds

Determined Dove Stuffs Crop With Sunflower Seeds

Mourning Dove "eats" whole sunflower seeds for eight minutes but really it's stuffing it's large crop. Very few birds can clean out sunflowers like a gluttonous Dove, but first it has to figure out how to get in to the clear window feeder.
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Determined Dove Stuffs Crop With Sunflower Seeds

Chipmunk Pushes Red Squirrels Buttons Then Steals Their Food

Chipmunk Pushes Red Squirrels Buttons Then Steals Their Food

Mr Chipmunk knows just what buttons to push to get the Red Squirrels blood boiling and their eyes involuntarily twitching. The Chipmunk is like What....? knowing full well the Red Squirrels blood pressure is off the charts and then steals his food to boot. If you are familiar with the Pink Panther movies you'll recognized the characteristic eye twitching beside the barking and snorting by the Red Squirrel. Mr Chipmunk is a bit of a Troll but the Reds need some anger management training.
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Chipmunk Pushes Red Squirrels Buttons Then Steals Their Food

Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies and Devils Walking Stick Superbloom

Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies and Devils Walking Stick Superbloom

Step aside Butterfly Bush - this large stand of Devil's Walking Stick trees in bloom is attracting hundreds of butterflies and dozens of my favorite Tiger Swallowtail's - the state butterfly of North Carolina. The beauty of the Spicebush Swallowtail is not to be taken for granted either, but the Tigers - Wow! If you are not familiar with the Devil's Walking Stick -they are fascinating trees - native and not invasive and can be managed as part of a transition from forest to yard as in this case.
Aralia spinosa, commonly called devil’s walking stick or Hercules club, gets its common name from the stout, sharp spines found on its leaf stalks, stems and branches. This is a large, upright, suckering, deciduous shrub that typically grows to 10-15’ tall, but infrequently grows as a small flat topped tree to as much as 35’ tall. In its native range in the eastern U.S., it is commonly found in wood margins, fields and pastures. It has interesting compound foliage, late summer flowers, juicy black fruit and spiny stems give this shrub distinctive and unique ornamental interest. Sparse, upright, mostly unbranched, club-like branches, ringed with conspicuous leaf scars and spines, are typically naked at the bottom but crowned at the top by umbrella-like canopies of huge compound leaves
It has stiff branches at right angles and huge, compound leaves that are the largest in North America. New foliage is bronze changing from yellow to red-orange in the fall. This plant is easy to transplant and makes an excellent addition to a pollinator garden.
The bark is gray-brown with persisting prickles and shallow furrows.
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Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies and Devils Walking Stick Superbloom

Goldfinch Versus Tufted Titmouse

Goldfinch Versus Tufted Titmouse

A little slice of bird feeder life. Mr Goldfinch is a bit cranky and the Titmouse is all wet and roughed up and not in the mood to be disciplined. The constant heavy rain in the Mountains is getting on everyone's nerves.

These clear window feeders are a lot of fun - this one is on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/2AAzRDF a small portion of sales through this link goes to support Backyard activities.

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Goldfinch Versus Tufted Titmouse

Squirrel Waits Then Runs to Greet Man Every Morning

Squirrel Waits Then Runs to Greet Man Every Morning

My best squirrel friend who would always wait for me in the morning and run excitedly on the stone pathway to get a peanut and then run all the way back to the bench each time. Squirrels are such unique individual characters and sometimes certain squirrels form bonds like this with humans.
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Squirrel Waits Then Runs to Greet Man Every Morning

Forest Elk Encounter - A Mini Documentary

Forest Elk Encounter -  A Mini Documentary

A "gang" of male elk (yes they are really called a gang) are encountered on a hike in the Great Smokey Mountains of North Carolina in heavy forest brush this past spring. You can appreciated the camouflage effect of their simple color schemes for blending in with the forest background - they are not easy to spot. These fellows were quite the gentlemen as we just relaxed until they moved on a bit and it was safe to pass without upsetting them.
The elk or wapiti (Cervus canadensis) is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, in the world, and one of the largest land mammals in North America and Eastern Asia.

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Forest Elk Encounter -  A Mini Documentary