If I knew how, I'd send a pic of the Black Bear that hit our bird feeder the other night. Caught it on my game cam. The big rascal spent 20 minutes and even though we were only twenty feet away inside the house with the patio door closed and the curtains pulled, we never heard a thing, except the neighbor's dogs barking. But they will bark at just about anything so we didn't think anything of it.
We have no bears here, but there is some kind of large cat, much bigger than a bobcat and sporting a full-length tail. Otherwise, the predators are small, mostly coyotes, though raccoons can do a number on chickens. I suppose it may turn out that some of the chicken predation is from foxes. When we keep chickens, our coops are pretty armored.
This week all the reptiles are warming up and venturing out. There are three alligators in our pond who can often be sighted sunning on the banks of the pond. I rarely see snakes, but the sunny days are bringing them out, and both a coral snake and a copperhead have made an appearance on my driveway or on the road in the last few days. We have rattlesnakes as well, but they rarely let themselves be seen. The usual snake variety to keep a sharp eye out for is cottonmouths. Once the weather becomes thoroughly warm, they quit bothering to come out onto the concrete areas near houses, so only the dogs are likely to run into them. Ditto the alligators, who apparently would prefer to stay in the pond once the water warms up.
He visited us twice last fall, two weeks apart, actually pushing the feeder post over both times. I strengthened the post during the winter, but the bear was able to stand up and reach the feeder. The bottom of the feeder is over five and a half feet from the ground. Hopefully the bear will move on up to the mountains and we won't see it again.
Our bear continues to be a good neighbor. He doesn’t come steal from my wife’s bird feeders, or otherwise cause problems at all. If I didn’t see his scat up the mountainside, I’d never know he was there.
We have a neighborhood fox near RedQuarters. I have a good idea where the den is, but am keeping my mouth firmly shut. The foxes keep the rabbits and other vermin away. One fox likes to hang out on our fence, sunning in the mornings.
If the skunks that live four blocks over were trapped and relocated, I think the entire subdivision would have a party. They can be pungently eloquent in their displeasure.
You have a lurking neighbor?
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, my neighbors across the road often read here, but never comment.
ReplyDeleteIf I knew how, I'd send a pic of the Black Bear that hit our bird feeder the other night. Caught it on my game cam. The big rascal spent 20 minutes and even though we were only twenty feet away inside the house with the patio door closed and the curtains pulled, we never heard a thing, except the neighbor's dogs barking. But they will bark at just about anything so we didn't think anything of it.
ReplyDeleteWe have no bears here, but there is some kind of large cat, much bigger than a bobcat and sporting a full-length tail. Otherwise, the predators are small, mostly coyotes, though raccoons can do a number on chickens. I suppose it may turn out that some of the chicken predation is from foxes. When we keep chickens, our coops are pretty armored.
ReplyDeleteThis week all the reptiles are warming up and venturing out. There are three alligators in our pond who can often be sighted sunning on the banks of the pond. I rarely see snakes, but the sunny days are bringing them out, and both a coral snake and a copperhead have made an appearance on my driveway or on the road in the last few days. We have rattlesnakes as well, but they rarely let themselves be seen. The usual snake variety to keep a sharp eye out for is cottonmouths. Once the weather becomes thoroughly warm, they quit bothering to come out onto the concrete areas near houses, so only the dogs are likely to run into them. Ditto the alligators, who apparently would prefer to stay in the pond once the water warms up.
I think your foxes are bigger than ours.
ReplyDelete@ Mike - we take down the bird feeders April 1 every year because of the bears.
He visited us twice last fall, two weeks apart, actually pushing the feeder post over both times. I strengthened the post during the winter, but the bear was able to stand up and reach the feeder. The bottom of the feeder is over five and a half feet from the ground. Hopefully the bear will move on up to the mountains and we won't see it again.
DeleteOur bear continues to be a good neighbor. He doesn’t come steal from my wife’s bird feeders, or otherwise cause problems at all. If I didn’t see his scat up the mountainside, I’d never know he was there.
ReplyDeleteWe have a neighborhood fox near RedQuarters. I have a good idea where the den is, but am keeping my mouth firmly shut. The foxes keep the rabbits and other vermin away. One fox likes to hang out on our fence, sunning in the mornings.
ReplyDeleteIf the skunks that live four blocks over were trapped and relocated, I think the entire subdivision would have a party. They can be pungently eloquent in their displeasure.
LittleRed1
Perhaps it's strange, but I'd grown to kind of like the smell of skunk- from a distance- after all these years.
ReplyDelete