A fox and the birds

This flea-ridden critter visits us most days and tortures the dog through the kitchen glass door.  He sat on the garden path for about five minutes scratching the same spot before this picture was taken.  It deserves a special mention for stamina, if nothing else.

I also expect to see more summer birds in the garden soon.  I was prompted to dig into migration patterns after seeing the swallows at Marsh Creek Lake on Sunday.  The nesting boxes were full of birds that weren't there a week or two before.  According to Spring Migration Predictions – First Half of April "Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are slowly pushing through the Carolinas and there are a handful of reports from Virginia. If you can, try to get your feeders filled and outside – any day now a hummer could arrive in PA!"  I'm not taking any chances so I emptied a million or two dead ants from the feeder that survived the winter cold and filled it with bee food (that's what we use).  I'm hoping that by filling the feeders early and putting out a few feeders, we'll attract more that one of the aggressive little buggers this year.