Critters and wildlife in your area - post your pics

[jazzies mum]

Yesterday we were gone at a nursery in the morning and when we came home, rain was quickly approaching. So we got on our lawn mowers to tackle some of the long grass we have growing with all this rain. We mowed until dark clouds were gathering very close! When I can feel raindrops, I motioned to my husband that I was heading in.

I get back to my barn and there's this very long snake on the stones right outside. Of course I want to get a picture of him! So I grab my phone. As I get off my mower, he starts heading into my horse barn! No effing way! You don't belong in there, buddy!!

You might get a kick out of our encounter!

Oh wow, I was expecting blood and gore to come flying out from under that mower!!!

 

[MyBuddy]

That's if it was warm enough to have any flowers out yet

How true! By the time our Hummers arrive here, it's warm enough for flowers. I'm surprised they come that far North when it's still so chilly.

I gave up on Oriole feeders a long time ago since they just pass through here for a few days. They love the orange slices I put out so I'll just stick with that.

They do!! They go through them so fast! We all love oranges and have to fight over them!

 

[JanS]

Oh wow, I was expecting blood and gore to come flying out from under that mower!!!

I'm guessing the mower deck itself wasn't engaged or I think you would have seen the gore.

I'm surprised they come that far North when it's still so chilly.

Me too but they show up at about the same time every year and I hate to see them get so cold.

 

[MyBuddy]

Oh wow, I was expecting blood and gore to come flying out from under that mower!!!

Ha, no! I would never do that! I just figured if I turned it on with all that noise, he'd come out. And he did. I was afraid he was going to go up into the mower itself and I wondered how I would get him out! But it all worked out.

Plus my mower would turn off automatically if I got off with the blades were engaged.

 

[LifeofRubie]

uh... there are baby bunnies in our backyard which pleases Rubie to pieces... is there anyway to move them out outside the fence without mom not being able to find them? I don't Rubie messing with them or chasing mom away when she's inevitably in the yard

Edit maybe 1-2 days old?

 

[Ravenbird]

How far is the fence & what's on the other side of the fence (other dogs, cats?) Relocating nests are not recommended, but can possibly be a better choice than bunnies becoming dog prey, if Ruby can't leave them alone. If the fence is just a couple of feet over, it may be ok, but if it's 20 or 30 feet chances of mamma going back to them get less and less. If you do move it, use gloves and get as much nesting material as possible. Good luck.

 

[LifeofRubie]

How far is the fence & what's on the other side of the fence (other dogs, cats?) Relocating nests are not recommended, but can possibly be a better choice than bunnies becoming dog prey, if Ruby can't leave them alone. If the fence is just a couple of feet over, it may be ok, but if it's 20 or 30 feet chances of mamma going back to them get less and less. If you do move it, use gloves and get as much nesting material as possible. Good luck.

If I moved them to outside the side fence and around the corner of the house it miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight be about 20'? If I don't move them... they're there for THREE WEEEEEEEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't think I can keep dingo off them for three weeks, especially when they start wandering. Dang it.

 

[JanS]

I was going to say that perhaps you could put a small temp fence around the nest but then I suppose Mom couldn't come and go like she needs to.

We had a big black intruder up on the deck on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and this is what I saw when I got up to go to work on Wednesday morning. Terrible photo since it was just barely getting light out but he made a mess out of quite a few things.


And I thought I saw a moose down the road yesterday when I came home for my split and so did hubby when he went to get the paper but the feed store owners confirmed it after they said they saw one just down the road from here on their way to the store yesterday.

 

[Ravenbird]

perhaps you could put a small temp fence around the nest but then I suppose Mom couldn't come and go like she needs to.

I thought about that too, like a puppy temporary movable corral, the momma bunny could easily come and go (they can get through a pretty small hole, or you could make a little divot to go under) but those littles will be bouncing around and in and out and through PLUS Ruby is so on it with agility, it would have to be a really tall fence! Hard situation. @JanS you have a bear? We have them in the area, but so far not at the house.

 

[MyBuddy]

there are baby bunnies in our backyard

Awwww! So cute. And so vulnerable! We have lots of bunnies around here but I've never found a nest. I think we had them and maybe still do, under the deck of my horse barn. The land tapers off a bit and Kali can fit under one side but not the other. I know there had been bunnies going in and out of there over the years. We also have a flatbed trailer sitting on the other side of the barn where there was a nest too. But I think since I got Kali and she can get under there, they have vacated. I don't know what I would do if I were you. You know your dog is going to get them. Where exactly is that nest? It looks like it's up against some kind of concrete. It's too bad it wasn't right against the fence. Then maybe you can put some kind of u-shaped fence around it just to keep your dogs away from it but it would be open on the other side for a mama. I would Google it and see what they say since I don't know anything about handling baby rabbits.

We had a big black intruder up on the deck

Living there I'm sure you were used to that. But from my chair? I just can't even imagine a bear, a bear! On my deck! it may as well be an alligator or Bigfoot or anything else that's more dangerous than my dog LOL I think the only thing we have here that are scarier than my dog is a coyote. But even that I think my dog can take LOL at least Buddy!

 

[JanS]

Living there I'm sure you were used to that. But from my chair? I just can't even imagine a bear, a bear! On my deck!

There was one up there a couple years ago too when I was away for training and that one ripped the gate right off the deck, then did about the same amount of damage. Thankfully they haven't broke the feeders (kow) since the bigger one was discontinued and they're both really expensive. It bent the heavy duty metal feeder pole in half and hubby was trying to straighten it back out using his biggest vise and it was just lifting the heavy duty work bench off the floor.

Hubby caught this sitting in a tree right off our trail this morning. Cute little guy...

 

[MyBuddy]

Hubby caught this sitting in a tree right off our trail this morning. Cute little guy...

Awww! Now I like that guy much better! Hehehe

 

[LifeofRubie]

Awwww! So cute. And so vulnerable! We have lots of bunnies around here but I've never found a nest. I think we had them and maybe still do, under the deck of my horse barn. The land tapers off a bit and Kali can fit under one side but not the other. I know there had been bunnies going in and out of there over the years. We also have a flatbed trailer sitting on the other side of the barn where there was a nest too. But I think since I got Kali and she can get under there, they have vacated. I don't know what I would do if I were you. You know your dog is going to get them. Where exactly is that nest? It looks like it's up against some kind of concrete. It's too bad it wasn't right against the fence. Then maybe you can put some kind of u-shaped fence around it just to keep your dogs away from it but it would be open on the other side for a mama. I would Google it and see what they say since I don't know anything about handling baby rabbits.


Living there I'm sure you were used to that. But from my chair? I just can't even imagine a bear, a bear! On my deck! it may as well be an alligator or Bigfoot or anything else that's more dangerous than my dog LOL I think the only thing we have here that are scarier than my dog is a coyote. But even that I think my dog can take LOL at least Buddy!

They are right up against our foundation I just stepped outside without the dogs and momma was there so at least the smell of dog and human on the nest doesn't deter her and I can get an idea of what time she comes at night. Oi...

 

[Tropicalbri's]

I was going to say that perhaps you could put a small temp fence around the nest

I was going to suggest this but add to leave a small opening at the bottom for momma rabbit to get in and out. Touching or moving them greatly reduces their chances of survival.

 

[jazzies mum]

Cute little guy...

An owlette! It looks like a stuffy toy.

 

[MyBuddy]

Touching or moving them greatly reduces their chances of survival.

Does it? I always wonder if that's true because they used to say that about baby birds. And now they say that's not true. I don't know what to believe. Bunnies seem to grow so fast I would think they would be on their own quickly.

 

[Tropicalbri's]

Does it? I always wonder if that's true because they used to say that about baby birds. And now they say that's not true. I don't know what to believe. Bunnies seem to grow so fast I would think they would be on their own quickly.

Their first week or so is critical in that they can easily get stressed and develop life threatening diarrhea that causes dehydration and quite possibly death. I dreaded when people would bring new born bunnies to me to raise. Getting the formula mixed correctly was difficult. I would rather raise 10 squirrels than 3 bunnies. It’s a lot of work.

 

[Tropicalbri's]

I have heard of leaf cutter wasps and bees that drill into wood but this wasp is actually cutting into my cement pillar making tiny drill holes.

I have sat and watched him for about 30min and there are grains of cement sand that he is digging out. Yikes... he must have strong mandibles.

 

[JanS]

I have sat and watched him for about 30min and there are grains of cement sand that he is digging out. Yikes... he must have strong mandibles.

Holy cow, I'll say... We have the darn borer bees in the spring but they use ready made holes like outlets and things like that.

 

[blacknrust]

At our local conservation area. Turtles sunning themselves. I got the picture before Maeve startled several to jump in. She was better behaved at the bridge over the swans. We had two nesting pairs between the pond and lagoon. Sadly a female of a pair that has been at the pond for years was killed by a coyote shortly after laying her eggs. The male has taken over and one cygnet hatched. The coyote population has grown remarkably due to the loss of open space in our area. I have walked this conservation area weekly since a child and this is the first year I have seen them. They are also protected.