Cast of Characters

I have now lived in my new house for a little over a month, and in that time I've gotten to know many of the birds and critters that hang around. In fact, I've gotten to know them so well that I've named many of them. Let me share with you some of the characters that visit us regularly.

Lenny (and Jenny, and Benny, and Kenny, and Denny), the Bunnies

I can't take credit for naming the bunnies; my kids came up with the whole "-enny" naming scheme at our old house. We love watching the -ennies while we (and they) are enjoying dinner outside. Most of them are impossible to tell apart, but there is one who loves to flop down in the cool dirt at the side of the house, as well as several clearly younger, smaller bunnies, including the cutie in the video above.

Larry, Moe, and Curly, the Blue Jays

I'm pretty sure that Larry and Moe are Mom and Dad, and Curly is junior. Curly has a tendency to whine a lot, and he is also a bigger klutz than the other two combined (and that bar is set relatively high). They're all a little too big to sit comfortably on the suet feeder, so they have a habit of frantically flapping their wings while eating in an attempt to keep their balance. Larry and Moe teeter on the edge of control but Curly has fallen into the rhododendron on more than one occasion.

Captain Hook (aka "Cappy"), the Hummingbird

Most of the hummingbirds won't put up with another hummingbird at the feeder while they're eating, but Cappy takes it to the next level. Before he eats at the feeder, he sits on top of the hook it hangs from and surveys the area, as if daring other birds to come near. Should another bird approach while he's at the feeder, he chases it away, twittering furiously. And he doesn't just chase it a few feet away, he zooms around the yard following it for several minutes. He is clearly the alpha bird and makes sure everyone knows it.

Toby, the Groundhog

Toby is just a little guy, as groundhogs go, which makes me suspect he is a baby. He wanders around the back yard, hoovering weeds and clover like it's going out of style. He trundles around on his chubby little legs, staying as near as he dares when chased, cheekily peeking back at the aggressor (me) from his perch on top of a big rock at the edge of the woods. So far he's been quite well-behaved, not attempting to eat our herbs or tomatoes or even the flowers in the garden. As long as he only munches on the lawn and the weeds, I'm happy to have him around. Hopefully he's smart enough to understand that we'll leave him in peace as long as he stays away from the good stuff.

Stumpy and Wallenda, the Chipmunks

Stumpy was actually the very first animal I named at the new house. There were probably dozens of chipmunks that we saw on a regular basis, zipping back and forth between the pool yard, the gardens, and the woods, but Stumpy was distinctive because of his unusually short tail. Chipmunks, like warthogs, have a hilarious tendency to hold their tails straight up in the air when they run, so Stumpy was noticeable and identifiable even when moving.

Wallenda, on the other hand, may actually be more than one chipmunk, but since I have never seen two chippies attempt his acrobatics at the same time, I am inclined to think that Wallenda is a single individual. His distinctive behavior is his ability to climb the shepherd's crooks that the feeders hang from, and to acrobatically climb down into the feeders and gorge himself on the seeds inside. I have seen a number of chipmunks attempt this maneuver, but they all chicken out when they reach the top of the crook, or else they attempt to jump from post to feeder but fail miserably. Only Wallenda has displayed both the nerve and the physical ability to complete the maneuver.

Flower, the Skunk

Flower is the one animal on this list that I have never seen in person. But he (or she) makes an appearance several nights a week on our security camera, trundling around the pool yard in the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning. And I assume he (or she) is also the cause of the occasional divot in the lawn that appears overnight. We have a terrible Japanese beetle problem, so Flower is welcome to eat as many adult beetles and grubs as he (or she) can hold. 

Rambo, the Attack Robin
I have yet to capture Rambo on film, mostly because his best work takes the form of sneak attacks. Rambo hates blue jays. I mean, he HAAAAAATES blue jays, with the fire of a thousand suns. He will not allow them to have anything to do with the bird feeders while he is in the yard. If he catches sight of them, he screeches and dive bombs them and chases them out of the yard. He simply explodes out of nowhere and scares the bejeebers out of them (and often me). Even when there are three of them and only one of him, he does not hesitate to attack. I know that robins are territorial but I've only seen them exhibiting this behavior against other robins. Maybe Rambo is color blind and thinks the jays are robins; I just don't know. All I know is that Rambo is the Snape to Larry. Moe, and Curly's Harry, Ron. and Hermione.

I'm sure that over the course of time, I'll get to know more of my furred and feathered neighbors. I just hope they're all as funny and fascinating as the ones I've met so far!