Backyard Wildlife

[The Backroad Astronomer]

This used to be a problem in my neighbourhood in the autumn. The bears would always drag other's bags into my backyard, where they feel relatively safe because beyond it is undeveloped bush, and tear them open. But most people have realized the problem it causes and no longer leave the bins out overnight. I had often wondered whether coating one of my many expired bear spray cans with peanut butter, and leaving it in a bin overnight would work as a deterrent. If the bear punctured the can it would be a very rude and painful surprise. Since they're common as crows around here, habituated, increasingly brazen black bears are often euthanized rather than relocated (they always find their way back!). Would this save a bear's life, or backfire on me in some unexpected way (including the legality of it)? I decided against trying it...

There was a bear in my neighborhood who got into the garbage of an older woman on the road. Her grandson tried to hunt it but it was scared to be around when people were around. Once and while I see peoples garbage that has been gotten into and scattered around, wondering if it was a bear or crows.

[Swift]

I have a standing appointment with this bear and her cubs every trash day. I had finally educated my neighbors not to set their trash bins out at night but the bear has since learned to come by in the morning, sometimes minutes after a trash bin is taken to the curb. I have been forced to wait outside to discourage her from getting into my trash. A neighbor has joined me in this weekly bear patrol. I wish the bears would stay out of the trash bins, but it's also kind of nice seeing her every week.

HI ABR.! Hope you are well.

And "Wow" about the bears

[ABR.]

HI ABR.! Hope you are well.

And "Wow" about the bears

I'm hanging in there. Things will be better once the rains start up.

There are a couple mountain lions hanging out in the neighborhood, too. I haven't spotted them yet. I'll have to take a page out of PetersCreek's playbook and set up a trail cam.

[Hlafordlaes]

This is a brief visit to tip off science and wildlife lovers about one of my favorite YouTube channels, LesleytheBirdNerd. Since health care costs keep us from directly supporting her channel, I thought I might spread the news and support her in that way. Good science and lovely videos; highly recommended. Hope you enjoy.

[schlaugh]

While walking the dog I came across this really nice black and yellow garden spider spinning a large web in some shrubs near the sidewalk. Fortunately the web is off the path. The abdomen is bright red, does that indicate an egg sac?

[ozduck]

On our morning bike ride. They certainly give a good 'thump' if they hit the bike helmet. Fortunately the swooping season is now just about over so we passed by safely.





And if the feathered beasts don't get you the scaled ones will. (I Have ridden this path close to 100 times and have only seen a snake on the path once.

[Trebuchet]

Ah, good old Australian wildlife! It ALL wants to kill you!

[Selenite]

Ah, good old Australian wildlife! It ALL wants to kill you!

Now, I'm sure that's an unfounded exagger.....ummm. Nevermind.

[ozduck]

A quick look at what an attack is like. He was lucky as his helmet seems to have only been clipped by a wing once.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T0IU-MoY2E

[Selenite]

New York is not exactly in my backyard, but I just wanted to say that the Northern Saw-whet owl they rescued from that in Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center is absolutely adorable.

[Trebuchet]

Did the owl get delivered with the tree? Gonna have to look it up!

[PetersCreek]

New York is not exactly in my backyard, but I just wanted to say that the Northern Saw-whet owl they rescued from that in Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center is absolutely adorable.

One of my neighbors is certified for raptor rescue and has a small aviary in the yard. I paid a visit one day and met her guests at the time: a rough-legged hawk and a northern saw-whet owl. They are cute, indeed.

[Swift]

Did the owl get delivered with the tree? Gonna have to look it up!

Yes, the owl got delivered with the tree. He or she was apparently perched in it and was probably trying to hide from the humans (small owls like Saw-whets and Screeches get preyed upon by bigger birds, like Great Horned owls, so they are very shy). The tree people say they check before they ship the tree, but obviously they missed it.

The owl, now named "Rockefeller" went to a rehabber and is apparently healthy, though was a bit starved and dehydrated. They've been eating well and the plan is to release them shortly.

And yes, Saw-whets are pretty adorable.

[Swift]

Yes, the owl got delivered with the tree. He or she was apparently perched in it and was probably trying to hide from the humans (small owls like Saw-whets and Screeches get preyed upon by bigger birds, like Great Horned owls, so they are very shy). The tree people say they check before they ship the tree, but obviously they missed it.

The owl, now named "Rockefeller" went to a rehabber and is apparently healthy, though was a bit starved and dehydrated. They've been eating well and the plan is to release them shortly.

And yes, Saw-whets are pretty adorable.

Rockefeller (apparently a she) has been released. Video here.

[Selenite]

Rockefeller (apparently a she) has been released. Video here.

Awww. A sweet ending to the Rocky saga. So long, and thanks for all the mice.

However, if she should end up as a raptor's thanksgiving meal, I hope I don't hear about it.

[ozduck]

OK - here is a new idea for your Christmas Tree decorations - a wild Koala nestled among the lights. And, just to verify many peoples (misguided) beliefs about all Australian wildlife, it bit its rescuer.

https://www.facebook.com/9NewsAdelai...related_videos

[Trebuchet]

No doubt heard about the owl in the tree in New York!

[PetersCreek]

Mama moose and her calf paid us a visit early this morning...



...and left us a gift...

[Selenite]

Interesting. You have a wildlife camera that's on all the time, or is it just motion activated?

[PetersCreek]

It has dual motion/IR sensors that trigger up to 30 seconds of recording.

[Torsten]

Very cool.

[Selenite]

Very cool.

In more ways than one. Seven degrees Fahrenheit according to that timestamp. Brrrr.

[Van Rijn]

In the not quite so nice aspect of backyard wildlife, a bit back I noticed a concrete stepping stone in a somewhat hidden part of the yard had a number of pellets on it that looked like they came from rats, but were a little large. I also noticed a few on a stepping stone more visible from the house, and figured I had a rat infestation. Of course I cleared them off and started thinking about traps.

So I was looking out a couple days ago and saw a squirrel sitting on the more visible stone and later found a new pellet. Aha, it was actually the rats with bushy tails that were the cause. Apparently they really like sitting on certain stepping stones for some reason.

It used to be that squirrels were very uncommon in my neighborhood but they have definitely moved in. I haven’t yet noticed them getting in and causing house damage, but I’m looking around more.

[Extravoice]

In more ways than one. Seven degrees Fahrenheit according to that timestamp. Brrrr.

What’s the chirping-like sound? Not insects or frogs at that temperature. Just microphone noise?

[Nicolas]

Belgium is small enough that all of it is my backyard, mkay? There is now confirmation video that the lynx has returned to our country. That's within a year after the wolf returned. So my children will live in a country that has a lot more interesting wildlife than when I was born. Not that they'll stumble over any of those creatures any time soon; there are countless foxes here and you hardly ever see those...

[Trebuchet]

That's awesome. I see bald eagles frequently; they were endangered not that many years ago. We have bobcats (lynx rufus, smaller than lynx lynx), bears, coyotes, mountain lions, and foxes in the area but it's rare for people to see them. We've only once seen a fox and the only mountain lion we've seen was a cub dead on the roadside. Coyotes we see a bit more often.
Then there are the accursed raccoons....

[Nicolas]

We don't have raccoons here. Part of me feels like missing out, but I don't think people living in raccoon country would agree.

[Selenite]

We don't have raccoons here. Part of me feels like missing out, but I don't think people living in raccoon country would agree.

After the Battle of Waterloo they were all exiled to America where they now hold nightly dominion over our waste bins and garbage dumpsters.



Yes...you're not missing out.

[Van Rijn]

I went out in the backyard in the dark to do a little skywatching and as I walked down into the yard I heard an animal moving. I was a little concerned about startling a skunk, but it didn’t sound right - it sounded like something larger. It was too dark to see it, especially just after walking out from a lit house. Anyway, I heard some more sounds, and finally I caught it, running past the house towards the side and out to the front. I had the drape open in front of my large glass door, so could see a full silhouette. It was a deer. I’ve seen one a couple times in my yard recently and my guess is that this is the same one. I think it had found a spot to sleep. It was near a good sized cedar tree and I’ve noticed a spot under it that an animal the size of this deer could probably hide in. I had wondered if the spot had been shaped or made by an animal.

Now I’ll have to watch for it more. I really don’t want a deer to get used to my yard and this is the first I found one in back at night. Plants tend to disappear around them. Whenever I find one in the yard, I shoo it out.

[Nicolas]

I feel the same about grizzly bears. I shoo them on sight. NIMBY. And trust me, no grizzly bears come even near my backyard anymore. (seriously though, the toughest wildlife to get into my backyard was a merlin falcon or sparrowhawk that gave me the stink eye on the off chance I would be contemplating to steal the mouse he just caught...)

A few days ago a Belgian wildlife camera caught a few wolf cubs checking out a wild boar. The boar was not impressed. And good to know we are getting some NGC scenes back into our own country.