Look, A Woodpecker!

Hairy Woodpecker - male

While on a walk along a nearby trail, we hear the familiar hammering sound by a woodpecker securing food. Tap, tap, tap.

They’re very elusive and flutter from one location to another tapping and extracting grubs with their extremely long, flexible tongues. I’ve learnt through researching the Hairy Woodpecker, a common bird throughout North America, that their creative tapping starts off gently, which helps them detect the exact location of the food. In contrast, when tapping to declare their territory, they cling to a dry limb and tap rapidly, building up to a loud drumming and then fading away.

I was thrilled to have one sit for a moment on a tree branch. I put the binoculars to my eyes and memorised the male's red patch at the base of his crown, his light underparts, and white back with black wings and white spots. His scraggly black tail had white outer feathers. All of a sudden, he let out a loud, sharp peek! And then another. He flew off.

We didn’t spot the female but know that she looks similar but doesn’t sport the red patch.

Hairy Woodpecker - female

Nature opens our hearts. 

Photos courtesy of Joachin Ruhstein

Deer Oh Deer

Black-tailed fawn

Our current house and pet sitting location on Vancouver Island provides us with views of the endearing and enchanting Black-tailed Deer. In the early morning hours, a mother and her three offspring travel gently through the trees to access the pond built by the property owners. My attempts to take photos from the great outdoors is interrupted by the slight squeak made by the sliding doors. Frank wants to admire them too. They trot briskly into the bushes. Prey are famous for being skittish.

As I type this post, the gentle troop saunter across the lawn and nibble at the new shoots. Frank takes a photo through the window. It is our privilege to observe their beautiful coats, flickering noses and ears, and quiet attention to signs of danger. The deer are not aware that the birdseed set out for the local ducks is not meant for them and supplement their grazing by taking in the new food.

Young deer from the window

With urban development and the introduction of farmlands and non-native plants, shrubs and trees, deer habits are changing along with their habitat. On the Island, it is not unusual to see a herd of deer grazing alongside a herd of cows, both sharing the same field.

Courtesy of the Internet

During the day, the deer camouflage themselves among the trees. At dusk, they travel the same path back, past the pond, into the other edge of this property and beyond. Their presence seems magical.


Fawn photo courtesy of: http://wingtips.org/

TIPPER THE TRIPPER

Tipper

Tipper, the cat we are sitting these days, spends most of his day on the couch. He sleeps on a puffy bed on top of a cozy blanket surrounded by the heat emanating from the wood-burning fireplace located less than six feet away from his perch.

I sit at the other end of the leather sofa to read and watch television and when I’m off to do other things outdoors or in the house, Tipper saunters over from his cushion to lay casually on my designated spot. And when I am on the couch and wrapped in a luxurious blanket, he comes up to purr and sleep.

Tipper in Susan's spot

Frank sits comfortably on the large leather chair across from the big-screen television – a location of no interest to the cat for some reason.

Tipper’s day begins at 5:30 a.m. when he follows the prompt of the two dogs who bark to be let outside to relieve themselves. He is very persistent. His sits on his haunches at our bedroom door and waits for Frank to get out of bed. He will push it open if it is not latched properly. He makes an attempt to get into the room to hop up on the bed. 

Tipper accomplishes his goal

I prefer not to have the handsome fella in that room and scooch him gently back into the hallway. Although, one time he managed to curl up at the foot of our bed. 

Tipper pitterpatters after Frank who prepares his morning specialized gastro-intestinal meal first. He jumps up on his feeding shelf in the mud room and peers around the corner waiting for Frank to deliver his breakfast. Afterward, Tipper hops back onto his couch pad and begins his morning cleaning ritual. In the meantime, the dogs are barking to be let in and fed, and the birds are beginning to chirp for their morning meal.

Tipper is a tripping hazard. He has a habit of flopping down on his side to get attention and affection. For example, when either Frank or I get up in the middle of the night to stoke the fire, Tipper will hear someone approaching and sometimes gets off his couch to lay on the floor to greet you. Tipper is a tripper. 

Pet Me!

During the day, Tipper makes it known that he wants to be let outdoors, pet, brushed, fed again and to be left alone. We are starting to understand his various meow tones. He sleeps with the two-sided brush we brought along to use on him and is very passionate about being groomed. Another of his favourite spots is the four-tier viewing platform set next to a large unobstructed window. It allows him to view the great outdoors.

Tipper on top

Tipper is of the Ragdoll variety and, in our humble opinion, one of the most beautiful and cooperative cat breeds. 

House Sitting as a Lifestyle Choice

Frank and Susan with students

We registered with Housecarers in October 2009 and changed our six-year lifestyle as English second-language-teachers to apartment managers the following year and then to full-time house sitters in 2015.

We brought our bulky house items to the auction and wrapped a good majority of our personal possessions in colourful paper and gave them away as gifts to family, friends and sometimes complete strangers.

Sent to the auction

All of our possessions in totes

 We packed the rest of our things into portable totes, handed in our final notice to our apartment property manager and took on our first house sitting gig in Nanaimo, British Columbia.

Our lifestyle now consists of living full time in our recreational vehicle, which we’ve named Big White. We haul our Ural sidecar motorbike behind the converted bus and make our way from one house sitting adventure to another. 

Our sleeping quarters in Big White

We take our time in preparing for every new house sitting contract by familiarizing ourselves with the location and the animals we have been invited to care for. We even have a personal collection of tools to help us tend to the animals, like a cat brush and a sturdy pooper-scooper.

We love that homeowners trust us with their precious animals and property. We take our jobs seriously and adhere to the rules set out for us in writing and what we pick up over several face to face or phone interviews. We are now collecting a list of questions we ask the homeowners. We consider house sitting a fabulous career choice for us at this time in our lives.

Two Parrots Talking

George with Rose in background

Meet Rose and George, two spectacular African Gray parrots. These stunning talkers are, apparently, very rare because of their capacity to mimic thousands of sounds, including “I love you.” The joke between Frank and me is that they express the phrase more than we do.

It is our great pleasure to be sitting these two lovelies at this current house sitting engagement.

This morning, Rose and George are chirping, beak cracking, making clicking sounds, spitting, growling and talking.

“What’s your problem?”

“Want an almond.”

“Yummy. Yummy.” 

Sweet Rose

Their owners have housed them in a luxurious large aviary. It is set up in a bright corner of the living room and is filled with climbing branches of various lengths and thickness, a water dish and two food containers. They’ve hung thick ropes and a large bell from a heavy chain. 

At first glance, I was surprised to see a large shop-vac beside the birdcage but learnt soon enough that it was absolutely necessary to clean up the mess of birdseed and feathers strewn about by the birds.

Curious George

“What’s happening Rosie, girl?”

“Shorty, go lay down.”

“Wow!”

African Gray ~ distinct red tail feathers

Throughout the day, George clutches the metal bell and flings it about. It crashes against the back of the birdcage and his eyes widen with enthusiasm. He repeats his action over and over. Rose sits quietly. They have distinct personalities and we consider George a bit of a bully. Rose only has to make a curious peep sound, almost under her breath, to advise George that he’s gone too far.

“Get out of there.”

“What do you want?”

“Woof.”

Beautiful plummage

In the evening, it becomes pitch black outside and the owners have set up a nightlight near the cage. It was explained to us that the birds are frightened easily when it’s dark, and the low-watt light helps the birds see where they are.

“Meow.”

“Hello.”

 “See you later.”

Solar Panels to the Rescue

Solar panels on Big White's roof

 On Sunday, December 7, 2015, the power went out at the home we are caring for and didn’t get set back on by the hydro company until 3 p.m. the following day. A large branch had been blown down by the ferocious wind that evening landing on the nearby electrical cables. Frank watched as a blast of sparks lit up the sky.

In our case, we are always ready for a power outage. It was our solar panels that came to the rescue.

Our immediate reaction to the outage was to first light the candles the homeowners had provided for us. They had warned us that a power outage on their rural isolated location was a common occurrence this time of year.
 

Candles provide heat and light

We stoked the fire and located the house flashlights. It has been our practice over the years living on the Vancouver Island to be prepared for various disasters with a disaster-ready kit. Even more important, we have solar panels on the top of our recreation vehicle which, these days, is our home on the road between house sits.

Frank retrieves water from the pond

On Monday, Frank set off to fill a few buckets with water. Without electricity, you would pour water into the toilet in order to flush the contents. Also, the animals need fresh water every day and so access to water is critical. We have several large plastic containers in the house filled with drinking water.

 Without electricity, you cannot plug in any device let alone the coffee pot. That’s where our solar panels provided us a civilized resource to enjoy a sensible cup of morning coffee and keep our cellular phones charged.

Fresh perked coffee

Being ready for any catastrophe is a practical mindset for all house sitters. It would be sensible for all us to have a disaster-ready kit always filled with ready-to-access items.  A polluting noisy generator is somewhat common as a power source while solar panels are sensible, quiet and ready when you are.

Be Prepared!

One Spot Trail

Bird houses on house sitting property

“The continuous greenway habitat of the One Spot Trail is important for migrating birds, such as warblers and hummingbirds, that pass through in the spring and fall.” 

This first line of the Greenway Habitat sign posted along the 7.8 km trail could also include what an incredible venue it is for Frank and me to explore our natural surroundings. Walking in the great outdoors opens our hearts and fills us with scents from the giving forest.

Today, we stroll down the property roadway from our house sitting location leading to the footpath. These gracious homeowners have constructed a number of bird houses and feeders for the migratory birds, and for those that choose to live on the Island full time.

At the juncture, we turn left onto One Spot Trail. A cluster of odours wafting through the air include the aroma of decaying leaves, trees and mud. Along the way, we stop to admire a large tree filled with holes – the work of woodpeckers. 

Woodpecker tree house

Frank on the bridge

The new bridge over Smit Creek is a work of art put together by volunteers and a local construction company. We lean over the edge to admire the movement of the water gliding over the rocks. The trickles and splashes sound like laughter.

 Just on the other side of the bridge sits a fallen log and attached to it, giving off their distinct fragrance, are a family of fungus. 

Family of fungus

We trot further along and draw in the pungent smell of cattle manure. The large black Angus stock mill about in their pen. This area is well known for its rolling hills suitable to raise farm animals. We admire our immediate surroundings, turn around and head back to our temporary home to get out from under the rain.

Happy Trails!  

Susan on the trail