Our neighbor sent me a text the other day to the effect that there was a rabbit in one of our vegetable beds. Knowing the damage a rabbit could do to the growing tomato plants, I grabbed my camera and went quietly out to the garden to see if I could catch the varmint in the act in one of the protected raised beds.
When I got out there, all I saw was a California Towhee scratching away in the vacant soil in the long raised bed, but no sign of a critter and no damage to the tomato plants (they can have the kale, as far as I'm concerned). A short time later she sent another text saying it was a squirrel, not a rabbit.
Ahhhhh, mystery solved. Big Mama, the matriarch of the resident
California Ground Squirrel population, has produced her usual Spring brood of babies; we've only seen four this year, not up to her record of seven from three years ago. See
"Baby Boom".
 |
| Fur-Covered Vacuum Cleaners |
As usual, she's taught the babies where the free bird seed buffet is located under the main bird feeder, although she herself prefers the tastier and more expensive Niger seed under the separate feeder we have for the Lesser Goldfinches. That feeder is in one of the open beds, so that's probably what Kathleen saw. The squirrels are welcome to clean up the loose seed; otherwise we'd probably have canyon rats after it.
Happy Mother's Day, Big Mama. Enjoy the bird seed, and stay away from the tomatoes.
