By Susan Jacques 

• I read the following on Facebook and felt it was too good not to pass on: Ring your doorbell on your way to bed at night. This will clear the dogs and cats off your bed long enough for you to climb in and be comfortable. 

• A bird lover in Fulford reported that in January, apart from the regular visitors to her bird feeders, she had a few newcomers visiting. Namely, 17 wild turkeys and a flock of ducks. She wondered if the ducks’ visit was due to the river being frozen over which has not happened for several years. One day she also saw a hawk which she suspected was not just there for the seeds. 

• Wild turkeys have also been daily visitors to a property in West Bolton. Their numbers have grown from 11 to 13 and they can be seen crossing the frozen pond, in formation, as they make their approach to the seed under the feeder. 

• Another unusual event was reported by a man who lives on the shore of Brome Lake and is also an avid birder. He watched a large grey squirrel physically shaking his magnolia bush which is situated on a bank above his bird feeders. It then jumped down and was obviously feeding under the bush and warding off chipmunks who wanted to share in the spoils. The man surmised that chickadees had been storing sunflower seeds in the magnolia and the crafty squirrels found a way to share in the fruits of their labour. 

• A resident of the Coldbrook condos had problems starting her car and asked a neighbour to give her battery a boost so that she could at least drive to the garage for assistance. Although the neighbour had booster cables, she was a little nervous to perform the task herself. She happened to look outside and spotted a good-looking, uniformed First Responder. She told him her plight and he willingly came to the rescue and speedily had the car started.