Backyard Wildlife

[ozduck]

Hopefully not an invasive species there.

I didn’t used to see turkeys here near Sacramento. The first time was a few years ago with a group walking down my street. Another was a very large one walking around my doctor’s office on a busy street when I went there for a visit. Another time at home I heard one but couldn’t find it. I have also heard from others about encountering them on golf courses or on their street - some can be fairly aggressive.

Luckily not. I have never heard of them being a problem. This is the first one I have ever seen "in the wild". Turkey is a far less popular food here than, I assume anyway, in North America.

[grant hutchison]

A young deer nosing around the patio of our accommodation in the north of Scotland, investigating a scattering of sliced apple I'd left out overnight, but interestingly aware of the camera trap--he spent a lot of time looking straight at it. I haven't seen that behaviour in other animals. (Apart from the footage I once obtained, in another location, of a nocturnal angler who picked the camera up, peered at it, and then put it down again.)


Grant Hutchison

[Swift]

Sitting here on my backyard deck in the middle of my megalopolis. I heard the sound of a critter I've never heard before. Like a tiny horse winnowing.

I recorded it. (Yes, it's quiet. No, it's not a prank.)





So I Googled 'what creature sounds like a tiny horse winnowing'.

Screech owl. Probably an Eastern Screech Owl. I always think they sound like a horse trying to whistle

[grant hutchison]

And another (or perhaps the same) yearling in daylight:


Grant Hutchison

[Selenite]

And another (or perhaps the same) yearling in daylight:


Grant Hutchison

Awwww.

I'll trade your yearling for my bevy of raccoons, possums and skunks any day.

[PetersCreek]

After getting my chores done, I took a short drive. On my way down the hill, I passed a pair of twin moose.

[Selenite]

After getting my chores done, I took a short drive. On my way down the hill, I passed a pair of twin moose.

Woooow.

I'll trade your majestic twin moose for my troupe of plastic flamingos any day.

My yard is boring.

[PetersCreek]

The Wife is a big fan of flamingos...or ‘go-goes’ as she calls them...but I think the ‘awww’ factor of moose young’ns wins out.

[Trebuchet]

And another (or perhaps the same) yearling in daylight:


Grant Hutchison

Are you sure that's a yearling? Looks about the size of this spring's fawns around here. Although the mother not being with it may be an indication.

[grant hutchison]

Are you sure that's a yearling? Looks about the size of this spring's fawns around here. Although the mother not being with it may be an indication.

Pretty sure it's a yearling. It was bigger than it looks in the photograph. In their first year the calves stay within thirty feet of the hinds, and will move towards them at the slightest hint of threat. This one, and another about twenty feet to its left when the photograph was taken, were roaming around independently in a broad area of grass with high hedges on either side, and no glimpse of a hind in their vicinity for the hour or so I watched them.

ETA: Also, bear in mind that Scottish red deer (Cervus elaphus scoticus) are considerbly smaller than North American elk (Cervus canadensis), which I'm guessing is your comparator. A good red deer stag weighs only about the same as an elk cow.

Grant Hutchison

[Trebuchet]

Pretty sure it's a yearling. It was bigger than it looks in the photograph. In their first year the calves stay within thirty feet of the hinds, and will move towards them at the slightest hint of threat. This one, and another about twenty feet to its left when the photograph was taken, were roaming around independently in a broad area of grass with high hedges on either side, and no glimpse of a hind in their vicinity for the hour or so I watched them.

ETA: Also, bear in mind that Scottish red deer (Cervus elaphus scoticus) are considerbly smaller than North American elk (Cervus canadensis), which I'm guessing is your comparator. A good red deer stag weighs only about the same as an elk cow.

Grant Hutchison

Thanks!
I'm actually comparing to Columbian Black-tail deer, which are what we are infested with here. To see elk, I might have to go as far as Sequim or Brinnon, 30 mile west or south, respectively. If that's a red deer, it's probably quite a bit larger than our deer. Next time, please provide a scale so I can see how tall it is! (Just kidding!)
And the behavior you describe does sound like a yearling.

[Van Rijn]

Thanks!
I'm actually comparing to Columbian Black-tail deer, which are what we are infested with here. To see elk, I might have to go as far as Sequim or Brinnon, 30 mile west or south, respectively.

Ah, it says we have those in Northern California too, so that’s probably what I’ve seen in the yard. Now I have a name for them. When that group of them came through years ago (at least five) some of them were definitely young. I haven’t seen them too often since then, but did have an adult in the front yard in the last year.

I’m not sure when I have seen elk. Certainly not anywhere around here.

[Van Rijn]

Awwww.

I'll trade your yearling for my bevy of raccoons, possums and skunks any day.

Nah. Oh sure, the novelty the first couple of times is nice, but ultimately they are large animals, pests munching on the plants in your yard. Potentially dangerous as well - I’m always careful not to block their lines of escape, especially adults. Luckily, while there were a bunch of them in the neighborhood years ago, most have found other places to be. Incidentally, have you ever seen young raccoons or young skunks? They also have that cute young animal look. Not that I want them around, but I don’t have a lot of choice.

[Extravoice]

Potentially dangerous as well - I’m always careful not to block their lines of escape, especially adults.

We had a deer “trapped” in our yard one evening, a few years ago. It couldn’t figure out how to jump over a 4’ chain link fence, despite having entered that way.
It kept crashing into the fence. We tried to encourage it to exit via an open gate, but gave up when it became apparent the deer had become a serious safety hazard.

We left the gates open, and it somehow found its way out overnight.

[Selenite]

Incidentally, have you ever seen young raccoons or young skunks? They also have that cute young animal look. Not that I want them around, but I don’t have a lot of choice.

Yeah, they're adorable animals in Disney films and in that John Candy movie, The Great Outdoors. But when they grow into hungry adolescents that's when you get the joy of the the ransacked garbage bins and the lawn ravaged by grub-hunting. We eventually got rid of the goldfish pond after the fish became raccoon sushi. Thanks, procyon lotor.

Sadly, I don't have a video camera or phone which works well in the dark, but here is my artistic take of "wildlife fun" in my neighborhood based solely on the evidence of nocturnal sound and scattered morning trash.

[Trebuchet]

I've seen young raccoons -- after their mother gave birth to them in our floor and we had to have someone get them out. Loud little buggers, they were.
I hate raccoons!

[DonM435]

Yeah, they're adorable animals in Disney films and in that John Candy movie, The Great Outdoors. But when they grow into hungry adolescents that's when you get the joy of the the ransacked garbage bins and the lawn ravaged by grub-hunting. We eventually got rid of the goldfish pond after the fish became raccoon sushi. Thanks, procyon lotor.

Sadly, I don't have a video camera or phone which works well in the dark, but here is my artistic take of "wildlife fun" in my neighborhood based solely on the evidence of nocturnal sound and scattered morning trash.

Cameras? Who needs 'em? You've captured all of it there!

[Trebuchet]

Yeah, they're adorable animals in Disney films and in that John Candy movie, The Great Outdoors. But when they grow into hungry adolescents that's when you get the joy of the the ransacked garbage bins and the lawn ravaged by grub-hunting. We eventually got rid of the goldfish pond after the fish became raccoon sushi. Thanks, procyon lotor.

Sadly, I don't have a video camera or phone which works well in the dark, but here is my artistic take of "wildlife fun" in my neighborhood based solely on the evidence of nocturnal sound and scattered morning trash.

Is your art published anywhere? It should be!

[The Backroad Astronomer]

Third night in a row of hearing the coyotes howling, last I heard them about 5 or 6 times. I even dreamt someone had night vision scope and we could see them eating a deer in the field.
One of the neighbors is hunting deer and have cameras over some apples, a beer is eating the apples instead.

[The Backroad Astronomer]

Is your art published anywhere? It should be!

I agree with Trebuchet it should be published.

[Selenite]

Thanks guys.

My art is far more woven than printed. One of these days I'll have to post my commercial embroidery projects in the share your art thread.

[Selenite]

So, much to my amazement I was able to capture an image of a raccoon this morning. The only reason being because the animal simply wouldn't retreat. Usually, they take off when you turn on the light and open the door. You don't even see them. But this one just boldly stood there on the fence and GROWLED at me which was creepy. I was able to fetch my camera and a flashlight which I beamed into his face, but that didn't faze it one bit. Even the strobe feature didn't spook it off.

I was worried the animal might be rabid, but it didn't advance or make any aggressive moves. It just stayed firmly planted there and growled. I'm thinking it might have had younger ones it was covering for because I heard rustling in the bushes behind the fence.

[Jim]

Thanks guys.

My art is far more woven than printed. One of these days I'll have to post my commercial embroidery projects in the share your art thread.

Ooooooh! Is that the one that you hang on the wall and it sings?

jk

Nice art work.

[Nowhere Man]

I spotted these ladies in a neighbor's yard. I was able to get about 4 feet away.

Southfield, MI.

ETA: We've seen more of them in the past and in our yard, but this is the closest I was able to get to them.

Fred

[Trebuchet]

For some reason, wildlife seems to be getting more bold this year, with fewer humans out and about!

[grant hutchison]

For some reason, wildlife seems to be getting more bold this year, with fewer humans out and about!

The anthropause. It's a thing.

Grant Hutchison

[Nowhere Man]

For some reason, wildlife seems to be getting more bold this year, with fewer humans out and about!

We were at a Metropark earlier this year and a flock of four or so turkey hens saw us on the trail and started stalking us. I suspect other people were feeding the animals, which is a no-no.

Fred

[Van Rijn]

Just watched a doe ambling by my backyard patio. No time to photograph it - by the time I saw it, it was going behind a bedroom, and when I went outside, it had apparently gone around the side of the house and jumped over the fence.

[ABR.]

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.

[Torsten]

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...