Critters and wildlife in your area - post your pics

[remy]

Remy found what I assume is a fish skeleton on our walk last night. We’ve found fish that were dropped by birds before, but this is the first that’s just the skeleton remaining. There are several small ponds in my neighborhood, plus we’re only about 3/4 mile to the ocean (if you could go straight there lol).

 

[Ravenbird]

I'm not familiar with fish skeletons but that head and vertebra look, well, not fishy. I guess you didn't bring it home, I'd be curious to see the skull up close. My true colors are showing...

 

[remy]

I'm not familiar with fish skeletons but that head and vertebra look, well, not fishy. I guess you didn't bring it home, I'd be curious to see the skull up close. My true colors are showing...

I’m really only guessing fish because it didn’t seem to have any limbs . I know where it is so I’ll get more pictures if it’s still there!

 

[remy]

I'm not familiar with fish skeletons but that head and vertebra look, well, not fishy. I guess you didn't bring it home, I'd be curious to see the skull up close. My true colors are showing...

I brought a paper towel to pick it up so I could get more pictures lol. I’d say it’s about 1ft long.

 

[BGpa]

Salamander?

 

[Ravenbird]

That's such a curious thing - thanks for going back - Such a strong backbone, lightweight ribs and a large head and no legs. I'm thinking @BG1 has a good guess. I first saw it I thought snake, but a foot long snake would not have a head that big.... will google image later if I get a minute.

 

[Ravenbird]

LOL, here's what AI said:



Gotta love the note about found in the Netherlands. That said, a catfish makes sense, it was the skull that threw me off since I think of fish being narrow in the head.

 

[Ravenbird]

Salamander looked possible if the legs had been dislodged except the ribs don't jive.



catfish:

 

[JanS]

I posted this on FB but since we've had so many pine grosbeaks this year I decided to pick up a new platform feeder on Saturday. It looks like they approve.

 

[Ravenbird]

So pretty!

 

[MyBuddy]

posted this on FB but since we've had so many pine grosbeaks this year I decided to pick up a new platform feeder on Saturday. It looks like they approve.

Oh, much better! It's a crowd pleaser!

And they are beautiful!

 

[MyBuddy]

Our daughter came in from Kentucky yesterday along with her two cats. She can stay longer than her husband and the kids because they all are scheduled to work after Christmas. They are arriving today and have to leave on Friday. She has a few more days off. So we get a little more mother-daughter time!

So last night we all went out to the barn to feed the horses and she heard something. She said, Can you hear that? No I didn't. But when she described it I said, it might be a fox. I remember learning here on the board that sound of a fox. It's like a scream almost. It's weird. I used to think it was a bird. But I heard a YouTube video and thought yep, that's what I hear.

But this was a little different. And it wasn't as loud. After I let the horses inside I had my husband take Annie and my daughter and I took took a walk! She was curious and so was I since she was still hearing it. We walked in the pitch blackness toward the back of the property. With only a flashlight. It's DARK out here! We couldn't see a thing! Only what was in the light of the flashlight. As we got closer and heard it louder I was getting a little nervous!! LOL I told her, isn't this how scary movies start?

Finally, when we got to the end of the pasture we saw something in the trees with the flashlight. The flashlight could have been brighter. I told her I hope it doesn't go out!

Then she said, "  There! On that one tree branch that's really horizontal. He's sitting there." I got a glimpse of him but only a shadowy figure. We both said, its an owl!

Then I got the bright idea of opening my bird app! I said, Hey, let's see what it says about what kind of owl!! Well, it caught the sound but it never displayed what it was it ! It just reacted each time he made a sound, but it never displayed an identity. I was so mad! We were practically on top of this thing and I wanted to know what it was! But at this point at least we knew it was an owl.

While we were staring at the bright screen of my phone, he had moved. She said, he's gone! And she was shocked that she didn't even hear it. She figured she'd hear him fly off. But she heard him in a different area calling out again and we moved towards it. But we never caught a glimpse of him. We were both disappointed! I told her, do you know how many times I wanted to see an owl up close and personal out here?? That would have been so cool!

So we walked back, disappointed, but it was an interesting Excursion.

So later we were in our sunroom by the fireplace and I'm looking at my notifications on my phone and I see this!



I said look look! It was a Great Horned owl! How come the app didn't say that at the time? Regardless, we got verification on what it was and we were both excited!

 

[BGpa]

Our daughter came in from Kentucky yesterday along with her two cats. She can stay longer than her husband and the kids because they all are scheduled to work after Christmas. They are arriving today and have to leave on Friday. She has a few more days off. So we get a little more mother-daughter time!

So last night we all went out to the barn to feed the horses and she heard something. She said, Can you hear that? No I didn't. But when she described it I said, it might be a fox. I remember learning here on the board that sound of a fox. It's like a scream almost. It's weird. I used to think it was a bird. But I heard a YouTube video and thought yep, that's what I hear.

But this was a little different. And it wasn't as loud. After I let the horses inside I had my husband take Annie and my daughter and I took took a walk! She was curious and so was I since she was still hearing it. We walked in the pitch blackness toward the back of the property. With only a flashlight. It's DARK out here! We couldn't see a thing! Only what was in the light of the flashlight. As we got closer and heard it louder I was getting a little nervous!! LOL I told her, isn't this how scary movies start?

Finally, when we got to the end of the pasture we saw something in the trees with the flashlight. The flashlight could have been brighter. I told her I hope it doesn't go out!

Then she said, "  There! On that one tree branch that's really horizontal. He's sitting there." I got a glimpse of him but only a shadowy figure. We both said, its an owl!

Then I got the bright idea of opening my bird app! I said, Hey, let's see what it says about what kind of owl!! Well, it caught the sound but it never displayed what it was it ! It just reacted each time he made a sound, but it never displayed an identity. I was so mad! We were practically on top of this thing and I wanted to know what it was! But at this point at least we knew it was an owl.

While we were staring at the bright screen of my phone, he had moved. She said, he's gone! And she was shocked that she didn't even hear it. She figured she'd hear him fly off. But she heard him in a different area calling out again and we moved towards it. But we never caught a glimpse of him. We were both disappointed! I told her, do you know how many times I wanted to see an owl up close and personal out here?? That would have been so cool!

So we walked back, disappointed, but it was an interesting Excursion.

So later we were in our sunroom by the fireplace and I'm looking at my notifications on my phone and I see this!
View attachment 157901


I said look look! It was a Great Horned owl! How come the app didn't say that at the time? Regardless, we got verification on what it was and we were both excited!

I love that app, too!
Whats interesting is how you can play back the recorded calls submitted by other users.
And how the various calls differ so much...

The Great Horned sounds almost like a dove with its soft "hoot hoot"...but there is another that is the female call...much different...

 

[BGpa]

I love that app, too!
Whats interesting is how you can play back the recorded calls submitted by other users.
And how the various calls differ so much...

The Great Horned sounds almost like a dove with its soft "hoot hoot"...but there is another that is the female call...much different...

Then check out the smaller and more common (in this area) Barn Owl for its "scream"...
Kind of surprising how the smaller bird sounds "bigger...scarier..."

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Our daughter came in from Kentucky yesterday along with her two cats. She can stay longer than her husband and the kids because they all are scheduled to work after Christmas. They are arriving today and have to leave on Friday. She has a few more days off. So we get a little more mother-daughter time!

So last night we all went out to the barn to feed the horses and she heard something. She said, Can you hear that? No I didn't. But when she described it I said, it might be a fox. I remember learning here on the board that sound of a fox. It's like a scream almost. It's weird. I used to think it was a bird. But I heard a YouTube video and thought yep, that's what I hear.

But this was a little different. And it wasn't as loud. After I let the horses inside I had my husband take Annie and my daughter and I took took a walk! She was curious and so was I since she was still hearing it. We walked in the pitch blackness toward the back of the property. With only a flashlight. It's DARK out here! We couldn't see a thing! Only what was in the light of the flashlight. As we got closer and heard it louder I was getting a little nervous!! LOL I told her, isn't this how scary movies start?

Finally, when we got to the end of the pasture we saw something in the trees with the flashlight. The flashlight could have been brighter. I told her I hope it doesn't go out!

Then she said, "  There! On that one tree branch that's really horizontal. He's sitting there." I got a glimpse of him but only a shadowy figure. We both said, its an owl!

Then I got the bright idea of opening my bird app! I said, Hey, let's see what it says about what kind of owl!! Well, it caught the sound but it never displayed what it was it ! It just reacted each time he made a sound, but it never displayed an identity. I was so mad! We were practically on top of this thing and I wanted to know what it was! But at this point at least we knew it was an owl.

While we were staring at the bright screen of my phone, he had moved. She said, he's gone! And she was shocked that she didn't even hear it. She figured she'd hear him fly off. But she heard him in a different area calling out again and we moved towards it. But we never caught a glimpse of him. We were both disappointed! I told her, do you know how many times I wanted to see an owl up close and personal out here?? That would have been so cool!

So we walked back, disappointed, but it was an interesting Excursion.

So later we were in our sunroom by the fireplace and I'm looking at my notifications on my phone and I see this!
View attachment 157901


I said look look! It was a Great Horned owl! How come the app didn't say that at the time? Regardless, we got verification on what it was and we were both excited!

That was a cool adventure! We get Barred Owls here not infrequently. They make that four-syllable call like "Who cooks for you?" The female Barred Owl's call is similar, but slightly different. You often hear a male and female calling to each other over the distance of maybe 1/2 a block. I recently experienced that they can make quite different sounds too, including some sort of screeches. When they are nearr our house, their normal call are surprisingly loud!

But back the Great Horned Owl: I don't think I have seen one around here! Very cool!

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Last night, I saw something quite cool.

I was sitting on the couch in the back room. The rest of the household was asleep. I will tell you up front that I didn't get a picture, sadly. I had rested my head on my folded hands for a few seconds, which I rarely do. I was sleepy but had a few more things to do.

I heard two noises (I think) that were like whistles, but not sharp. I looked up, then out the sliding glass door to my right and about 10 feet away. What should I see looking in our sliding glass door but a fox?

The funny thing was that Cosmo, our 7 month old puppy was snoozing on a bed some 1 1/2 feet from the fox. Zephyr was sleeping on a bed about 15 feet from the fox. Neither noticed the animal.

I think maybe the fox did not see me, or Cosmo who was right next to him. Then, he looked at snoozing Zephyr and immediately left. I watched him out in our small backyard poke around a bit. When he looked toward the window, I waved my arms. I needed him as gone as possible before I let our dogs out for their last pee of the night. It's hard to tell if he reacted to me or not, but he casually went behind our garage and disappeared.

 

[BGpa]

That was a cool adventure! We get Barred Owls here not infrequently. They make that four-syllable call like "Who cooks for you?" The female Barred Owl's call is similar, but slightly different. You often hear a male and female calling to each other over the distance of maybe 1/2 a block. I recently experienced that they can make quite different sounds too, including some sort of screeches. When they are nearr our house, their normal call are surprisingly loud!

But back the Great Horned Owl: I don't think I have seen one around here! Very cool!

They are not as common here but we have a nesting pair (or did until the city did a bunch of tree trimming in the open space park) in ghe area. I've posted a couple pics.

I have a cool true owl story to share, later if I havent already.

Just note that per some reading I did back then- the Great Horned Owl has second highest talon grip strength in NA, only beat by the Golden Eagle.

Horned Owls are omniverous...and predate upon other birds; crows especially...swoop in silently at night and pick them right off a branch out of the crows roost tree...

So crows hate owls...if you ever see a "mob" or a "murder" (flock) of crows buzzing around a tree cawing and fluttering around branch to branch excitedly, its most likely they have found an owl sleeping in daytime, and trying to drive it out...

 

[Ravenbird]

So crows hate owls.

In the chicken thread I posted about how our local ravens hate hawks (Hawks will eat the ravens chicks) but I also think they hate owls as well.

 

[JanS]

Our neighbor across the swamp has been seeing hawk owls lately, which is something I've never seen. He's a great photographer so I swiped on of his photos since he has them set to public.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

They are not as common here but we have a nesting pair (or did until the city did a bunch of tree trimming in the open space park) in ghe area. I've posted a couple pics.

I have a cool true owl story to share, later if I havent already.

Just note that per some reading I did back then- the Great Horned Owl has second highest talon grip strength in NA, only beat by the Golden Eagle.

Horned Owls are omniverous...and predate upon other birds; crows especially...swoop in silently at night and pick them right off a branch out of the crows roost tree...

So crows hate owls...if you ever see a "mob" or a "murder" (flock) of crows buzzing around a tree cawing and fluttering around branch to branch excitedly, its most likely they have found an owl sleeping in daytime, and trying to drive it out...

That is very interesting indeed regarding the grip strength of the G.H. Owl!

A funny anecdote on the Golden Eagle. One of my daughters claimed the Golden Eagle can pick up and fly away with calfs, or fawns or something. I had to say, uh, I really don't think that could be true. As big as the G. Eagle may be, it prrobalby weighs around 20 lbs. A calf or fawn even when very young might outweigh them.

Another one: When we lived on Bainbridge Island, sometimes local hiking trails would temporarily close due to the presence of an owl near a trail. It was for the safety of people, as owls could be aggressive – maybe only really when they have young? We had this one friend who often sounds dramatic (and I enjoyed talking to her), but she said that an owl can pierce through a human skull with its talons. I would just nod my head with interest.