Water sources scarce in the Sand Hills

Our hot dry weather pattern continues, with 18 days of over 100 degree temperatures ( including one day when the high reached 111). Our little seasonal creek has nearly dried up, with only a couple of puddles remaining as water sources for the wildlife. Our trail camera captured a picture of a Gray Fox drinking from the tub, and a few days ago, I was surprised to see a young White Tailed buck and a young doe in the middle of the day, drinking water from a tub we keep near our birdfeeders. Thinking that these may be the twins born year before last. On one of the hottest days, I spotted a Fox Squirrel stretched out on its belly in the middle of the birdbath!

The birds, of course, are daily visitors to both the birdbath and the sunflower and millet feeders. We are seeing lots of Northern Cardinals, including a number of this year's chicks. Painted Buntings visit our millet feeder daily, and we've been seeing two of the brightly colored males, as well as females and immatures. Red Bellied Woodpeckers are other regular visitors. For a time we were seeing a male Red Bellied and one of this year's babies. The baby would hang out on a nearby tree trunk while the male patiently got a seed from the feeder, cracked it and fed the baby as it flapped its wings.

Posted on 03 August, 2018 20:16 by loblolly