What Did You See In Your Yard Today?

[Falcon Ranchero]

Just saw this li'l guy fluttering around in front of my grandma's garage. I was in fact able to get it on my finger for about 10 seconds before it flew away

[Mike C]

A couple of weeks ago while I was washing my car I had this visitor:

[StevenGuthmiller]

37 minutes ago, TarheelRick said:

The problem with that is the stray cats around my yard try to feed themselves on the birds and squirrels. It also seems as if every stray cat that shows up is 'fully-loaded' and downloads a litter of six to ten kittens. Once they are weaned she disappears to repeat the process. At one time, before my parents passed there were 28 cats of different ages running around the yard. They slowly disappeared: highway, car engine fans, serious maladies from in-breeding, stray dogs, and the occasional Coyote. Mom regularly fed them and would not let Dad get rid of them. I hated to come home because of the cat tracks all over my car and the scratches down the door where they slipped and tried to dig into the door.

That sounds more like an infestation than just a couple of stray cats.

We have a couple of strays that use our yard as a conduit to wherever they're going, or coming from, and occasionally they love just lounging in the yard in order to aggravate our cat, who is a strictly indoor pet.

They might very well belong to someone else in the neighborhood rather than being legitimate strays, but in any event, they look quite healthy, so I don't feed them.

However, if it became evident that they were distressed, I might.

Being a cat lover, I wouldn't want to see them suffer, and could possibly see myself taking them in if it became necessary.

Especially as the winter months approach.

It gets ridiculously cold here in the winter, and I couldn't live with myself if I just let them freeze to death.

 

In the end, I suspect that they are just wayward pets belonging to someone as they seem to make appearances on a regular basis, and have been hanging around for at least the last couple of years, so I don't worry about them a whole lot.

Besides, just like the snakes, I welcome them in my yard.

I haven't witnessed a mouse since we moved here over 8 years ago, and pests like the voles make an appearance once in a great while, but quickly disappear.

I attribute that to the owls, hawks and cats. 

 

 

 

Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 minute ago, Mike C said:

A couple of weeks ago while I was washing my car I had this visitor:

We get dragon flies by the thousands around here in late spring, early summer.

They get so thick at times that I find myself ducking to avoid them as I mow my lawn!!

 

 

 

Steve

[Mike C]

34 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

We get dragon flies by the thousands around here in late spring, early summer.

They get so thick at times that I find myself ducking to avoid them as I mow my lawn!!

 

 

 

Steve

Did you know that they are the most efficient predators with over a 90% kill rate? It's because if their eyes that can see almost all around and they can maneuver like a helicopter.

[Falcon Ranchero]

*MOLE MOUND UPDATE* 

Went back to the mound about an hour ago and there was more dirt, but also a crow footprint in the dirt, and two little paw prints (probably one of the neigbour's many cats) so I'm not the only one out to get the little underminer  

[bobss396]

I was trimming bushes last week and came across a praying mantis. Seemed to be on the young side. They get a lot bigger and darker with the fall.

This one squirrel was on my deck rail a few minutes ago, he was the clean up after breakfast crew.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Had several families of turkeys amble through my back yard in the rain last night.

A half dozen adults along with 10 or 12 little ones.

 

 

 

 

Steve

[Mike C]

Years ago I had this in my yard, more like a flower pot on the railing.

[Chuckyg1]

I saw these guys in my lilac bush last year. Robins

[Falcon Ranchero]

*MOLE MOUND UPDATE*

There are now several mounds close to the first one, and it seems to come back the same time every day, and today I saw it pushing up more dirt so I tried to whack it but I think I missed. Same time tomorrow I’ll catch him for sure.

[stavanzer]

Nice Squirrel!

My Wife Loves Squirrels. Sadly, our house now, has none.

She names all Squirrels, "Blinky"

No, I have no idea why.......

[Rodent]

1 hour ago, stavanzer said:

Nice Squirrel!

My Wife Loves Squirrels. Sadly, our house now, has none.

She names all Squirrels, "Blinky"

No, I have no idea why.......

If I can catch them, and if they would survive the trip by USPS from Sacramento to Bakersfield, I could ship you a dozen or so. They have stripped most of the bark off of a 30 year old Japanese Maple and basically killed it. Too bad that the resident coyotes prefer cats to squirrels.

[stavanzer]

36 minutes ago, Rodent said:

If I can catch them, and if they would survive the trip by USPS from Sacramento to Bakersfield, I could ship you a dozen or so. They have stripped most of the bark off of a 30 year old Japanese Maple and basically killed it. Too bad that the resident coyotes prefer cats to squirrels.

I'm so sorry. The Tree is a better neighbor than the Rodents....

[bobss396]

My squirrels are well behaved. I had a rotten piece of fascia on the far side of my garage a few years ago and some got inside. I chased them out and boarded it up and had it repaired when I had the roof done.

My girlfriend worked with someone and raccoons got into her attic and eventually throughout the house... even into the kitchen cabinets.

[Falcon Ranchero]

Used to have snowshoe hares; in our back lawn always chowin' down on clover, stared seeing them in 2017, but haven't seen them since 2022. It's neat because they turn white in winter. One was rather timid and I could get right close to him, and even the baby was mildly trusting.

[Mike C]

Here's another little creature in my yard.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Say hello to

my little friend, ?

 

 

 

 

Steve

[JollySipper]

I always leave my front porch light on at night, because our street light is out and you never know who may need the light...... It of course draws bugs to it, but the bugs bring in the huge toads from the creek behind us. When we go out in the evening, the crazy pup of mine tries to catch and eat the toads! I have to see them first so he doesn't.........

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Buncha lottery tickets and burger wrappers/boxes thrown out by passing fellas who assumed, I guess, that I needed more waste cellulose fiber to brew up a batch of methanol fuel.

Real considerate if you ask me. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Say hello to

my little friend...

If you put him in a hole, you have classic English cuisine.  

[bobss396]

11 hours ago, JollySipper said:

I always leave my front porch light on at night, because our street light is out and you never know who may need the light...... It of course draws bugs to it, but the bugs bring in the huge toads from the creek behind us. When we go out in the evening, the crazy pup of mine tries to catch and eat the toads! I have to see them first so he doesn't.........

 

I lived by a large tract of woods as a kid, We had it all, snakes, toads, frogs, box turtles, You name it, we had it less any skunks. If I cut the lawn in low light, I had to be aware of frogs and snakes mainly. I had a frog come out the side chute of the mower and spray guts all over my arm.

I moved to the same area in 1986, I have seen ONE box turtle, no frogs or toads, I would see brown snakes and found a shedded skin on a pile of concrete in my back yard. I ran across a bunch of baby brown snakes in 1987 in the late spring. I back up to state land on 2 sides, there will never be houses built. I have seen families of fox and raccoons, possums, one here and there.

[slusher]

On 8/15/2024 at 8:28 PM, Rodent said:

If I can catch them, and if they would survive the trip by USPS from Sacramento to Bakersfield, I could ship you a dozen or so. They have stripped most of the bark off of a 30 year old Japanese Maple and basically killed it. Too bad that the resident coyotes prefer cats to squirrels.

Steve you should have snapped a stove pipe around it that would have worked. Also you cane get that keep away spray at Lowe’s..

[Mike C]

Well, the Joros are back. They make nice big webs. I just got these shots today with the sun at my back illuminating the webs and spiders.

[slusher]

Cought the neighbors cat after ny birds.     Going to have to talk to my neighbor about keeping him up.. 

Neighbors dog across the street used the bathroom next to the flower bed  looked like a snake it was so long.