Two fat little sparrows are sitting outside my window on a trellis staring at my ripening grapes. I’ve already lost a lot of the muscat grapes to the birds. They seem to feed on them in the very early morning hours or perhaps the evening. I only know when I go outside in the morning around 6 am, lots of grapes are lying on the ground. Is it a nighttime visitor? Maybe I am accusing the birds unjustly.
We had a nighttime visitor last weekend inside our house. I noticed all the cat food and water was gone in the morning. We have left the cat door open all summer. It is a very small door which has a locking door outside. I am guessing it was an opossum again. Maybe the opossum is eating my grapes in the evening and climbing up on the the pergola; not the birds.
Since this last night visit, I’ve taking to locking the cat door at night. The cats weren’t pleased at first, but now they have really settled into this new event. In fact on this recent visit, I found one of my cats sleeping in the closet at the end of the hall. I did lock the doors at night all winter, and there were no complaints from either cat. I really don’t want the opposom coming back in the house.
Our last encounter during the spring with an opossum was difficult for us. I actually like opossums a lot, but I don’t want them in the house or possibly injuring my cats. I was watching TV and it was around 10 pm. I had all the lights off except on in our bookcase and the sound was turned very low on the TV. Maybe the opossum didn’t think anyone was up. All the sudden I saw this large animal out the side of my eye and screamed. The opossum ran and hide in our bookcase behind out firewood bin and log carrying bag. I locked the cats in the pantry and closed all the doors inside the house except the cat door.. My husband, who had been asleep, got up to find out what I had screamed about. I started talking nicely to the opossum. It was not growling or threatening towards us but it was scared. We started to move things slowly. First the fire log bag, talking all the while to the opossum in a gentle voice. Next we moved the firewood bin. Now the opossum was completely exposed. I could see it was thinking of what to do next. My husband put on his fire gloves and was gently nudging him from behind with the handle of a broom. I kept talking to it and encouraging it to leave. After about 20 minutes of this, the opossum decided to take a leap. Go down our hallway perhaps. No, go this way opossum. Finally we were able to get it to go back out the cat door. This is a feat really. My one cat weighs twenty pounds and has broken the door flap in half. I am sure this animal was at least that weight if not more.
I prefer, for the safety of my cats, that it didn’t come in the house at all.
On another note, just as I was happy with the return of the bees, they are now drinking the hummingbird nectar and the hummingbirds have to wait until dusk when bees rest to get their fill This is the first time since installing a hummingbird feeder 10 years ago that we have seen bees drinking the nectar. Right next to the hummingbird feeder are tall slender plants with intense pink flowers. When I bought the plant at the nursery, it was swarmed with bees. Alas, I forget the name of this plant so I am posting here, but apparently the bees prefer all the work done for them. Its really hot, so maybe they are just going after the liquid. I do fill little trays with fresh water every day for bees and butterflies. Anyone know the name of this plant.
Reflections Outside My Window 