Critters and wildlife in your area - post your pics
- Thread starter Oh Little Oji
- Start date
LifeofRubie
Moderator
There is a woman on social media who has a roadrunner (not sure if it's through some sort of rehab thing or if he's wild and just hangs with her) but I SWEAR that bird wags his tail when he brings her a treasure!
I know I posted the Chinese Mantis I found the other day in the garden thread but I'm here today so here is the Carolina Mantis we found last night and who was still hanging around this morning. A good sized female if I'm not mistaken! Hope she finds a safe place for an ootheca in the yard!
I didn't realize there were different types. The only time I've ever seen any is when I ordered them but I never saw them again after that.
I've never seen a roadrunner in my life either so I assumed they were huge like the cartoon makes them out to be. LOL
Will do thanks! Yep once you hear that call confirmed a couole times you cant miss them. Even as shy as they are, I can tell at times on trails how busy at work in the area. Keeping the bugs out of the 300 year oaks here is critical.
They like jack pines and eucalyptus are fire adapted, need lightning started brushfires to weed out underbrush, split cones to allow seeds to sprout (with the attending moisture of thunderstorms that made the lightening to during otherwise dry seasons)
and what kills the tree is non native beetles...lower sierras losing huge patches of the coniferous mix.
So I find the sound reassuring. Birb at work!
Crazy, how bout that @Doc ?
cowboystatedaily.com
Wow! Grizzlies in Montana Cornfield Scatter Like Mice As Rancher's Combine Nears
A farmer shot a wild video Thursday showing at least seven grizzlies scrambling like gigantic mice at the approach of his combine in a Montana cornfield…
cowboystatedaily.com
Doc
$ Forum Donor $
We don't have then here , LOL But I have farmer friends in Wisconsin and they told me storys about shelling corn and run over one of there den's and it collapse under the weight of the machine and then they have to pull it out , the best story was on one of them , there was a black bear in one when it caved in , he said you talk about one pizzed off bear when they pulled the machine out , , it was not hurt .
Me too! I was surprised at how small he was!
I suppose that's more like it. We're just used to that cartoon character!
And it's interesting that he's a roadrunner and he's on the road.
I've told my story about the black squirrel. My first sighting was in Colorado. Years ago. Like 40 years ago.
And then about 10 years ago I saw one at my sister's house. She lives about 4 MI away from me here. I was so surprised! And there were babies!
All climbing around the tree and having a ball. I told her I've never saw them here in Illinois until then. And how come they're not at my house? 
Well they're here. At least one of them is. And I call him my skunk squirrel! Easily recognizable by his white tipped tail. First time I saw him he was waaay out front in the trees. But he's gotten closer and closer until he was right by the house.
These pictures are right out front where I put that water for the Birds and animals.
And then I saw him right off the kitchen! Oh boy. Way too close for Annie. Did I tell you that Annie caught a squirrel? I didn't see it but my husband told me he was out with her and happened to turn around to look for her and she was throwing a squirrel in the air! I said, did she catch it or did she find it dead? He said I don't know.
. But she was having a ball throwing it in the air! 
Well I hope she doesn't get this guy. Unless he starts chewing on my cameras. Then....maybe!
Before Annie can see him, I opened the door slightly to scare him away!
Up the tree...
Wadd do I do? Wadd do I do?
Make a run for it!
Go, go, GOOO!
And then about 10 years ago I saw one at my sister's house. She lives about 4 MI away from me here. I was so surprised! And there were babies!
All climbing around the tree and having a ball. I told her I've never saw them here in Illinois until then. And how come they're not at my house? Well they're here. At least one of them is. And I call him my skunk squirrel! Easily recognizable by his white tipped tail. First time I saw him he was waaay out front in the trees. But he's gotten closer and closer until he was right by the house.
These pictures are right out front where I put that water for the Birds and animals.
And then I saw him right off the kitchen! Oh boy. Way too close for Annie. Did I tell you that Annie caught a squirrel? I didn't see it but my husband told me he was out with her and happened to turn around to look for her and she was throwing a squirrel in the air! I said, did she catch it or did she find it dead? He said I don't know.
. But she was having a ball throwing it in the air! Well I hope she doesn't get this guy. Unless he starts chewing on my cameras. Then....maybe!
Before Annie can see him, I opened the door slightly to scare him away!
Up the tree...
Wadd do I do? Wadd do I do?
Make a run for it!
Go, go, GOOO!
I wouldn't mind it if we had those squirrels here or really anything other than those red tree rats. They have grey squirrels in town but apparently our habitat isn't right out here here. I have seen a black one in town and several albinos in town but it's been a while.
Sunje
Hot Topics Subscriber
Oh, he's cool!! I've seen a fair number of melanistic squirrels here in CO, both on the northern Front Range and here in the SW. I don't think I've seen any black Abert's squirrels though (the ones w/ the long ear tufts, very cute), just grey squirrels. But never one w/ a white tail tip!I've told my story about the black squirrel. My first sighting was in Colorado. Years ago. Like 40 years ago.
And then about 10 years ago I saw one at my sister's house. She lives about 4 MI away from me here. I was so surprised! And there were babies!
Well they're here. At least one of them is. And I call him my skunk squirrel! Easily recognizable by his white tipped tail. First time I saw him he was waaay out front in the trees. But he's gotten closer and closer until he was right by the house.
These pictures are right out front where I put that water for the Birds and animals.
View attachment 163906View attachment 163907View attachment 163908View attachment 163909
And then I saw him right off the kitchen! Oh boy. Way too close for Annie. Did I tell you that Annie caught a squirrel? I didn't see it but my husband told me he was out with her and happened to turn around to look for her and she was throwing a squirrel in the air! I said, did she catch it or did she find it dead? He said I don't know.
Well I hope she doesn't get this guy. Unless he starts chewing on my cameras. Then....maybe!
Before Annie can see him, I opened the door slightly to scare him away!
Up the tree...
View attachment 163903
Wadd do I do? Wadd do I do?
View attachment 163902
Make a run for it!
View attachment 163904
Go, go, GOOO!
View attachment 163905
It's this time of year that we have the same and I'm always trying keep an eye out so I don't walk into one!!Sorry, have to add this photo of our Orb Weaver I watch from our window....thanks for the info that they are harmless! I get those webs wrapped across my forhead at times, and shriek like a maniac
View attachment 163939
Our granddaughter had a web outside her dorm window with one of these guys. She actually gave it a name,
but I don't remember what it was. I guess he's entertaining! 
LifeofRubie
Moderator
ooooh she gifted us an ootheca!! you can just see it behind her 
now I need to do some reading because the lemon tree will come inside for the winter this week. We've put ootheca's in the fridge but we only bring them in when we get into the -50F with windchills... not sure what the long term maintenance for being inside looks like
now I need to do some reading because the lemon tree will come inside for the winter this week. We've put ootheca's in the fridge but we only bring them in when we get into the -50F with windchills... not sure what the long term maintenance for being inside looks like
Last night we were getting in our steps in a nearby park with trails...just over the hill from where we saw the juvenile Great Horned owlets shed their baby feathers and grow up...every time they saw Bonnies they'd bob and weave heads like spider monkeys in fascination...a couple times flying after us to ogle here from the next tree...so I've been taking Bonnie for sunset walks and extending to after dark...confidence booster for her to range ahead as in day as my early warning device...
... and keeping an idea on the trees, hoping to see one again...
Its been no luck for a couple three weeks so I figured they moved on to more productive area...then four days ago walked up on one in full dark, downwind so that Bonnie missed scent nosedown getting sniffies...standing still on ground under a bush calmly watching us from about 30 ft away...(i think was feeding on a kill)
So I called Bonnie in on a loosed heel and said "whats that? (Our alert-look verbal prep) turned my head, did the fingerpoint and watched her pickup up on it...take a step together slowly...the Great Horned flapped off as we walked in slowly (me fumbling the iphone for a picture..., not) but not in a panic...i think taking its prey with as the ground was bare.
So that was reassuring- one was still around. I was worried they weren't getting enough to eat, hit by a car etc, maybe grabbed by a bold coyote (though doubt it...more on that later)
Anyway yesterday Bonnie stops on trail about five feet up on a bank sniffing and lets out a growl, hackled up looking at a branch 15' above...
Is it just my imagination or do owls and other birds seem to know when you are looking roght at them, and then startle or leave? I had told Bonnie to "leave it"
So she stopped growling, and the young owl was clearly looking at her. Most likely glided in to perch for Bonnie to have spotted her- very hard to see in dusk with their coloration when motionless.
I was fumbling with iphone to get a low light video but settings turn on flash so trying to turn that off and it spooked. Got nothing but blur...dang it.
Really intrigued by this behavior on these usually shy big owls...anyone else notice, hear of same?
I've seen big hawks hunt collaboratively over a coyote hunting mice and rabbits in grassland, circling waiting for their chsnce on a runner...
But never owls...I wonder if its a similar adaptation for the Great Horned species---big enough to be a tough fight for a coyote- talon grip strength second only to Golden Eagle as most powerful NA raptor iirc...
... and keeping an idea on the trees, hoping to see one again...
Its been no luck for a couple three weeks so I figured they moved on to more productive area...then four days ago walked up on one in full dark, downwind so that Bonnie missed scent nosedown getting sniffies...standing still on ground under a bush calmly watching us from about 30 ft away...(i think was feeding on a kill)
So I called Bonnie in on a loosed heel and said "whats that? (Our alert-look verbal prep) turned my head, did the fingerpoint and watched her pickup up on it...take a step together slowly...the Great Horned flapped off as we walked in slowly (me fumbling the iphone for a picture..., not) but not in a panic...i think taking its prey with as the ground was bare.
So that was reassuring- one was still around. I was worried they weren't getting enough to eat, hit by a car etc, maybe grabbed by a bold coyote (though doubt it...more on that later)
Anyway yesterday Bonnie stops on trail about five feet up on a bank sniffing and lets out a growl, hackled up looking at a branch 15' above...
Is it just my imagination or do owls and other birds seem to know when you are looking roght at them, and then startle or leave? I had told Bonnie to "leave it"
So she stopped growling, and the young owl was clearly looking at her. Most likely glided in to perch for Bonnie to have spotted her- very hard to see in dusk with their coloration when motionless.
I was fumbling with iphone to get a low light video but settings turn on flash so trying to turn that off and it spooked. Got nothing but blur...dang it.
Really intrigued by this behavior on these usually shy big owls...anyone else notice, hear of same?
I've seen big hawks hunt collaboratively over a coyote hunting mice and rabbits in grassland, circling waiting for their chsnce on a runner...
But never owls...I wonder if its a similar adaptation for the Great Horned species---big enough to be a tough fight for a coyote- talon grip strength second only to Golden Eagle as most powerful NA raptor iirc...
Last edited:
No pictures but last night after feeding the horses we came up to the house in near darkness. Just the orange lights that we put up for fall and Halloween. Annie went past the steps to the house and I was looking to see where she went. My husband said suddenly, there's a cat! I saw it the same time he said that but it was no cat! Even in the low light I knew it was not a cat. A cat would have skedaddled out of there really quick. This was a possum! I called Annie to me. I wasn't sure if she spotted it or not but I'm sure she did. They were very close. I yelled for my husband to take her inside while I chase it away. I wasn't afraid of it but it sure is intimidating when they turn their head towards you and open their mouth and give that hissing sound! My, what big teeth you have! 
I've banged on the air conditioner with my flashlight to spook him and he ran out front. It was a pretty big one!
I've banged on the air conditioner with my flashlight to spook him and he ran out front. It was a pretty big one!
They are such great critters and pretty comical. One minute hissing then they fall over and faint and play dead. Haven't got them out here in the high & dry, but saw them a lot in the south where I grew up.
Went to our favorite local wild trail sniffy place to see what rain had done to the seasonal stream, riparian oak wooddlands and coastal manzanita dry lands above, some grasslands, all good sniffies.
Saw new Trash was washed down creek but better, the birbs were busy!
Songdogs at sunset, as usual, Talked with another old fart hiking who said "big bobcat seen on home cams on edge of open space.."
No sign or deer this would be prime for or cougar predation...a couple valleys over have seen...
... A liitle rain goes a long way...
Life goes on.
PS this place has been used in past foraging and production of acorn flour, morteros and metates if you know where to look.
Saw new Trash was washed down creek but better, the birbs were busy!
Songdogs at sunset, as usual, Talked with another old fart hiking who said "big bobcat seen on home cams on edge of open space.."
No sign or deer this would be prime for or cougar predation...a couple valleys over have seen...
... A liitle rain goes a long way...
Life goes on.
PS this place has been used in past foraging and production of acorn flour, morteros and metates if you know where to look.
Attachments
Forgot t mention the wildlife: an unknown species quite disticnt but unidentified yet- almost crow sized medium gray body all ine color, pure white head , seemed to be fishing, swooped like a swallow, chuckled like a jay...
Too fast to get a pic and neither Merlin app nor Grok could come up with it...mystery!
