Critters and wildlife in your area - post your pics

[Oh Little Oji]

We're not sure, but we think these doves have made a bad decision as to where to try to build a nest. We feel sorry for them because it seems they are not having any luck. The material seems to be falling down to the porch floor.

Here you see just one of the pair. I assume it's the female. Maybe I'm chauvanistic. (D'oh with the spelling)

Next is a pic of the mess on the floor.

Last is the pic of the other dove hanging out on a wire across the street.

Often, we come out the front door to see both just looking at us with those sweet little faces. They don't fly away. We have done nothing to try to scare them away. We can't bring ourselves to do it.

 

[JanS]

Aww poor things. That does look like a difficult spot for a nest so hopefully they'll find a tree or somewhere more appropriate. We have quite a few mourning doves but I've never seen where they nested.
The robins always seem to build them in inappropriate spots. A couple years in a row at work they built one on top of the industrial garage door opener and that thing had a lot of vibration, not to mention they were locked in there all night after we all went home.

 

[remy]

Some things I’ve seen in the yard recently

Eastern King Snake. It’s partially under the ladder but it was about 4ft long.


Broadhead Skink. This is probably the biggest one I’ve seen. I’d guess about 6 or 7 inches although they can grow to double that length.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Aww poor things. That does look like a difficult spot for a nest so hopefully they'll find a tree or somewhere more appropriate. We have quite a few mourning doves but I've never seen where they nested.
The robins always seem to build them in inappropriate spots. A couple years in a row at work they built one on top of the industrial garage door opener and that thing had a lot of vibration, not to mention they were locked in there all night after we all went home.

What wound up happening is after a couple more days of at least one of the pair working hard to collect nest materials, and those materials just falling to the floor, I noticed an egg sitting on top of the pile on the floor. The doves have not been seen since.

 

[MyBuddy]

We're not sure, but we think these doves have made a bad decision as to where to try to build a nest.

We've had them nest in a gutter! Seems like an odd spot and potentially dangerous. But they've done it a couple of times. I was up one of the bedrooms looking out the window and there's a small section of roof line that comes down low enough that you can see it out that window. And there she was sitting on the nest right in the gutter.

Tonight my husband and I were sitting on the back deck enjoying the beautiful weather this evening and he mentioned that he saw a dove that was eyeballing our gazebo on the deck. The screens are all up. The inside ceiling of the gazebo he never finished so there's some open boards and he thinks they were thinking that might make a nice Nest area. I said well you know they tried that a couple of years ago. I saw them flying back and forth and it caught my eye. I had to go out there several times to show them no! no! not a good spot.

 

[MyBuddy]

I was digging up some day Lily's In the Garden today when I spotted this little guy. He's lucky I didn't get him with the shovel. He was only about 8 inches long maybe? Very tiny. I did a Google search and I don't know if it's correct but it said a Texas brown snake. I was going to pick him up to take a picture but he skirted away from me and then coiled up like in the second picture. And actually did like a little strike! LOL like a little baby trying to beat up an adult I mean it was kind of cute. Nice try guy.

 

[GennyB]

This guy watched me check the irrigation system out.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Younger daughter and I ran across this in the wooded area behind the elementary school and down a ways. I must admit I am not well versed in skulls, teeth etc. so I entertained teh thought of this being a large canine like a wolf or very large coyote, but the skull is just too large. It's about 10 inches back to front. So I think this was a large deer that was probably taken down by coyotes. We have a ton of deer all through the city and we know there are coyotes (or coywolves?) that are pretty prevalent as well.

 

[Ravenbird]

definitely deer - nice that the lower jawbones are there as well. For info to tuck into your memory, the lack of front teeth on the upper skull will tell you it's almost always a vegetation eater, no canine teeth for grabbing, holding or tearing meaty critters. Very nice specimen, did you take it home?

 

[Oh Little Oji]

definitely deer - nice that the lower jawbones are there as well. For info to tuck into your memory, the lack of front teeth on the upper skull will tell you it's almost always a vegetation eater, no canine teeth for grabbing, holding or tearing meaty critters. Very nice specimen, did you take it home?

Thank you!

I wondered what happened to the front teeth. We did not take it home. Hmm. Maybe we should. It wasn't quite done decomposing though. I'm sure my wife would be pleased if we took it home, but our daughters would like it!

 

[Ravenbird]

You can show this pictures to your daughters to compare to the photo you took of the skull & lower jaw bones.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

You can show this pictures to your daughters to compare to the photo you took of the skull & lower jaw bones.

View attachment 153806

Wow, thank you! Much appreciated!

 

[LifeofRubie]

It's baby bunny season here In the 7 years we've lived here, there a survival rate of exactly 0% of baby bunnies born in our yard but they keep trying. We're pretty good about stopping a nest as soon as we see signs but they're sneaky.

There is an itty bitty bunny that has been hanging out by the wood pile; mobile and out of the nest but still very little. There was some leaf debris that had collected around the bottom of the wood rack so we cleaned that out to try and remove it's hiding spot. So far, it's evaded Rubie

We had some birds starting to build a nest on a downspout by our backdoor. I hated to do it but I did try to knock it down as fast at they were building it. After about a week, they gave up and moved on. With how much we go in and out that door, scaring them away or getting dive bombed or having a baby get booted from the nest with Rubie around seemed like an all around frustrating situation for the bird.

I'm all for co-existing with creatures (they were here first!) but it's hard to tell them we're actually doing them a favor by trying to keep them out.

Got my hummingbird feeders out because the migration map said they've been spotting in the area but only woodpeckers have visited, that I've seen, so far

 

[JanS]

I'm all for co-existing with creatures (they were here first!) but it's hard to tell them we're actually doing them a favor by trying to keep them out.

Yes, there are certain spots that just aren't practical. I just wish the snakes would get away from the house and above all, stop going in the garage. Someone told me that there is some sort of solar beeper that you can put in the vicinity to keep snakes and rodents away and they've been working for her.

 

[MyBuddy]

It's baby bunny season here In the 7 years we've lived here, there a survival rate of exactly 0% of baby bunnies born in our yard but they keep trying. We're pretty good about stopping a nest as soon as we see signs but they're sneaky.

With two dogs in the yard isn't it amazing that they keep doing that? I always felt that Buddy kept a lot of stuff at bay. When he was gone it seemed I noticed animals like squirrels got more and more brazen. Even with Kali here.

And now with Annie I have not seen one bunny nest like I did a couple of years ago. And I think that was the first time I ever noticed them. (No big dog) At least close to the house. I mean I mow all the time. I think I would have noticed them before.

Now, that said, I did find a dead adult bunny about 3/4 of the way to the back of the property. That was a gruesome find and I'm glad that Annie was not with me. And that I found it first. And, no, I don't think it was Annie that got it. She had not been out without me. Especially that far back on the property. Can't guarantee it but I'm pretty certain.

The whole head was intact. Eyes Wide Open. When I went to scoop it up, the head was detached from the mangled body. I was like, holy crap. But I had to get rid of it before Annie found it. I'll save you the pictures. Unless you like that kind of thing. Trying to decide where to put it I thought throwing it on top of my burn pile was a great choice. The head made it right on top. The body kind of fell down just a little bit. The next day when I was out there, the head was gone! The next day after that, the body was gone. So I hope somebody had a yummy breakfast or dinner. Yum.

 

[JanS]

I hope somebody had a yummy breakfast or dinner.

Crow and ravens find that sort of thing immediately.
It could have been a coyote that killed it since you have them around there. We never see them here with all of the fox so near.

 

[Ravenbird]

Crow and ravens find that sort of thing immediately.

True! When I trim the fat off beef heart for the dogs, I go out the gate of our property onto our unfenced property to toss it. Like once or twice a month some kind of scrap that I know the wildlife will feast on but I don't want the dogs to have it. Ravens always see it first. I'll go out that gate to walk to my neighbors and before I'm 15 feet from the gate a raven will fly over to see if I'm tossing something.

 

[MyBuddy]

This morning I was looking out the window by my suet feeders and I saw my little Wren! I thought, oh no, I forgot to put out my bird houses for them!! I put them out and not even an hour later someone called dibs!!

 

[JanS]

Someone was on a FB wild bird page was complaining that they wanted to get the wrens out of there because they were stealing her bluebird houses. Pretty much everyone else said they love wrens so they would never chase them away.

 

[MyBuddy]

I started my grill tonight and found this!! I'm sure it was the Wrens because there is a small hole on the side of the grill, maybe a vent? Looks to be the size of my bird houses. First time this happened! I guess I was late getting them out so they picked something else!