I almost put an angry message icon for this post. The not so little anymore moose is getting too big for her britches.

I was sitting with my back to the windows and kept hearing this strange sound sort of in the background. I was so intent on what I was doing, it didn't register at first what the sound was. When I finally clued into it, I realized it was the sound of a moose walking through the snow crust in the yard. This sound is very distinctive. The snow is still over two feet deep. Because of a thaw and freezing rain storm earlier in the winter, there is a heavy crust on the snow about half way down. When a moose walks through the yard, you hear it's hooves breaking through this crust. It is a hollow whump sound.

Anyway, when I finally looked out the window, she had started to take the bird feeder and suit feeder off of the hook. She had already dismantled the suit feeders hanging wire and had it tangled in the seed feeder. She was tipping the seed feeder so that seed would fall into her mouth. Such a clever dear. The more she did this the closer the whole thing came to falling off of the hook. I am watching, nosed pressed to the window, less than five feet away from her. She pays me little mind in her eagerness to eat black-oil sunflower seeds. At last the feeders come crashing to the ground and roll under a small table secured under the feeder hook by the snow and ice. Chip tries to figure out a way to get to the feeder, no luck. She eats a few seeds dropped on the snow with delicate tongue motions and then gives up. Chip spots my stained glass feeder hanging inches from the window and moves in on it. This beautiful feeder is the one I keep finch seed in. With her flexable tongue, she manages to eat some of this seed. I guess my scolding her with threats if she breaks my glass feeder finally got to her and she stepped away from it. Then tried a second time to get to the feeder under the table. No luck, a few more spilled seeds eaten, she turns to getting a few mouthfuls of snow for a drink. I bet all of that thinking/work made her thirsty. LOL As I type, she has moved back to the edge of the lawn and is eating shoots under the spruce trees.

I'm glad my glass feeder survived her hunger this time. It was totally awesome being inches away from her beautiful brown eyes, watching her pink tongue lap at the seeds, but I sure don't want to have to replace it.

Still no sign of Chocolate. I'm guessing she is with calf and we may see her after the first of May. (At least I'm hoping for that and that she hasn't become victim of an accident.)

Rose

I've used the 'thumbs up' icon because your beautiful stained glass feeder survived Chip's efforts. As much trouble as Chip seemed to get into just trying to get a sunflower seed snack, being able to watch moose up close still represents such a fascinating and different world compared to the squirrel attacks on feeders down my way. The squirrels in my back yard have been particularly mischievous recently, and one managed to dislodge and abscond with a suet cake just the other day. We've currently got no snow cover (although we could get a few inches tomorrow), so the squirrels have also been busy digging up the lawn in search of buried nuts.

I'm guessing, also, that the below the surface crust of ice up your way makes it tough for humans trying to tend to their bird feeders. Does it?

I'll also cross my fingers in hope that Chocolate is doing well and will reappear at a later date. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Leequi

Rose, couldn't you take in your stained glass feeder for awhile, just until Chip moves on? Or is she likely to be there year-round?

So do moose migrate for the seasons? Or are they back for the long haul until fall? I'm hoping the Chocolate is OK, too. But if she returns will that be double-trouble for your bird feeders.

All of these good questions.

Leequi, the snow doesn't cause much of a problem for tending bird feeders. At least not if you use your handy snow shovel and make a nice path to the feeders.

Shelley, If I took down my feeder until the moose were gone, I would never have a feeder up. They are like your squirrels, always around.

Lois, Moose come and go all year round. There are stretches of time where we won't see them in our yard, but we do see them near our house on any given day of the year.

As for Chocolate, I'll let you know if and when I see her. The fact that Chip has shown up alone more than once makes me believe she is on her own now. She looks healthy. It is not unusual for a pregnant cow to run off her older calves this time of year. The newborns will be showing up sometime in the next 6-8 weeks.

Rose