Critters and wildlife in your area - post your pics

[Ravenbird]

I'm half tempted to remove her nest and ease her of her burden before she cooks. Am I worrying too much about wild animals? Should I just let it go and not interfere?

I know how you feel. It's awful to watch them make mistakes! But I mostly leave them alone. If I ever get a few extra moments I'll share the story & photos of the flycatcher that nests on the porch every year. Short story, the male must have died sometime before the eggs hatched, the mrs. had to calculate leaving the nest to get food enough to live on but not let the eggs cool off. Then they hatched and she had to sit on them, go catch enough bugs for them and herself. So many times I thought she would die trying to do the job and they whole mess would die. But I left it alone and watched. She raised 4 to fledge, 1 was weak and didn't make it, found it in the iris bed a few days later. But she & 3 of her offspring all flew off. Then Saturday a wild turkey chick showed up at my chicken coop. Another long story, but I'll have to relate that one later. Weird stuff happening everywhere I look lately!

 

[LifeofRubie]

So I did reach out to the Forest Preserve folks for input and this was the response:

Thank you for your email and your concern for the robin nesting in the hot sun. It is extremely nice of you to think about this bird's health and safety from the elements. I do not advise that you attempt to move the nest, however. Robins can be protective of their nests and could become aggressive if they feel threatened. Also, they are a native bird and are protected by the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This means that it is illegal to "remove or destroy nesting material once a bird has laid an egg."

So now I know and she'll stay put!

 

[Marinegeekswife]

@Marinegeekswife poor guy! looks like it ended well?

Thankfully yes. My husband sat on the deck with her for almost an hour while she napped to be sure she was safe. Then she flew off.

 

[MyBuddy]

Did he make it??

Edit....I see he did!

 

[Ravenbird]

So I did reach out to the Forest Preserve folks for input and this was the response:

Thank you for your email and your concern for the robin nesting in the hot sun. It is extremely nice of you to think about this bird's health and safety from the elements. I do not advise that you attempt to move the nest, however. Robins can be protective of their nests and could become aggressive if they feel threatened. Also, they are a native bird and are protected by the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This means that it is illegal to "remove or destroy nesting material once a bird has laid an egg."

So now I know and she'll stay put!

That's pretty much how I was taught, nature will do what it will do, even if it ends up Darwin in Action. No chicks hatch? Maybe they won't pick that spot again! Good on you to call and reassure yourself of doing the right thing.

 

[Gelcoater]

Thankfully yes. My husband sat on the deck with her for almost an hour while she napped to be sure she was safe. Then she flew off.

That’s awesome!!
And great to see you posting again!

 

[Tropicalbri's]

Today on our run I saw Skynyrd up ahead and he had something in his mouth that was struggling. I was thinking he actually caught a squirrel. I yelled at him to leave it. He let it go and as I got closer...View attachment 118582

Be careful with your dobes getting their mouth on an armadillo as they are strong vectors for leptospirosis.

 

[Skb]

Be careful with your dobes getting their mouth on an armadillo as they are strong vectors for leptospirosis.

That was my first thought when I saw it! I was like oh no, we are gonna get leprosy!! He only had it in his mouth for a second so hopefully we are ok.

 

[Tropicalbri's]

That was my first thought when I saw it! I was like oh no, we are gonna get leprosy!! He only had it in his mouth for a second so hopefully we are ok.

Leprosy is a skin and neurological disease cause by a bacteria called mycobacterium leprae, causing skin lesions and nerve damage.
It is curable.


Leptospirosis is caused from a different bacteria called leptospira and can damage the kidneys and liver and cause many other health issues. It can be deadly if immediate treatment is not sought out.
Leptospirosis is curable with use of antibiotics.

 

[Skb]

Leprosy is a skin and neurological disease cause by a bacteria called mycobacterium leprae, causing skin lesions and nerve damage.
It is curable.


Leptospirosis is caused from a different bacteria called leptospira and can damage the kidneys and liver and cause many other health issues. It can be deadly if immediate treatment is not sought out.
Leptospirosis is curable with use of antibiotics.

There is a lepto vaccine for dogs correct?

Anyway I know armadillos can be carriers for leprosy but I think thats only a danger for humans who come into contact with one that happens to carry it. That was just my first thought when I saw it

 

[Skb]

Just bc I went down this rabbit hole, I was just doing a little online research and learned that 1 in 6 armadillos in Tx and Louisiana carry leprosy! Yikes!

 

[Kaiser2016]

my first thought when I saw it! I was like oh no, we are gonna get leprosy!!

OMG, I know it's not a laughing matter but holy sh-t did I ever LOLLLLLLL when I read this! It's hilarious to relate it to leprosy But seriously, it's not leprosy and with the presence of armadillos, I would seriously consider getting the vaccine asap. Oh boy, tears in my eyes, I laughed so hard, and I imagined the dog spitting out that yucky little pig creature when you told him to. I'm going to go back and save that picture

 

[Skb]

OMG, I know it's not a laughing matter but holy sh-t did I ever LOLLLLLLL when I read this! It's hilarious to relate it to leprosy But seriously, it's not leprosy and with the presence of armadillos, I would seriously consider getting the vaccine asap. Oh boy, tears in my eyes, I laughed so hard, and I imagined the dog spitting out that yucky little pig creature when you told him to. I'm going to go back and save that picture

Im laughing so hard too! This whole thing is making me laugh so hard now!!

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Im laughing so hard too! This whole thing is making me laugh so hard now!!

Try saying "Unclean!" (It's in the Bible.)

 

[Ravenbird]

So here's a long story, short as I can make it. Last Saturday I went out to collect eggs and feed the chickens - they'd stayed locked up in their pen all day because I'd gone to AZ early that morning, so a non free-range day. As I walked toward the pen I heard a familiar peep peep peep - a baby chick! But wait, all my hens are laying, no one is broody, and it takes 21 days to hatch so no way did I have any chicks! Then as I'm trying to make sense of the chick peeping, there it is, running back & forth on the outside of the chicken pen. It sees me and runs toward me (!) I reach down and catch it, and I'm going wtf wtf in my mind. Fast forward, I bring the chick inside, realize it's a wild turkey poult (what they call turkey chicks) probably not more than a week old. We have plenty of wild turkeys so all I can figure is that it's mother got attacked by a predator and all the chicks would just scatter and this one must have been next to our fence and slipped through, maybe hid for a while and then heard the chickens clucking and talking like they do. I have to add, it is at least a couple hundred feet from the perimeter fence to the chicken pen - a long hike for a tiny thing like this! It was thirsty and drank water but wouldn't touch the chicken crumble food, so I chopped up a boiled egg and it ate some of that. I put it in the bathtub inside a cat carrier with a towel and a feather duster to hide under for the night. In the morning I put it in a pen next to the chickens so it could see the company, and went to get it some more food, came back in less than 20 minutes and it had vanished. I found a place in the pen where it escaped (chicks can get through chicken wire!). This pen was made for hens with chicks, but one edge was not covered in hardwire cloth so this wild thing must have found the hole & away it went. We looked all over & never found it. I was going to give it to the wildlife people on Monday to raise & release, but alas, not to be. Here's a photo of the little thing. Here one day and gone the next.

 

[GennyB]

 

[JanS]

This morning I pulled out of the driveway at "stupid 0'clock" and got a few hundred feet away when I saw this big black thing on the side of the road looking at me. At first I thought it was a big bear but then I figured out it was way too big to be a bear and realized it was a moose. I know there have been a lot of sightings and some on our trail cameras but this is the first one I got up close and personal with for a long time. No photos though since it was still dark out and it was really hard to see.

 

[PhilT]

Didn't expect to come across these today, must feel safe because nobody about due to awful weather.

 

[MyBuddy]

View attachment 118788

Yea, whadda looking at, huh?? Get out! This is MY pond! (He's actually quite adorable! Hehehe!

 

[GennyB]

Yea, whadda looking at, huh?? Get out! This is MY pond! (He's actually quite adorable! Hehehe!

You must know him! He sits there and watches us have our coffee every morning.
Here he is another day. Looks all kicked back, all he needs is a cigar.