Nature

[KitKat]

I confess to feeding the squirrels they eat from the peanut bird feeder- but they aren't such a pest in the UK. Sadly, a long time ago they virtually wiped out the native red squirrel population in the UK . But they are here to stay and don't really cause too much damage in my garden. Where I worked before I retired was on campus in a park and there were albino squirrels which were beautiful to watch.

My elderly neighbor's son set up a squirrel feeder where they would have to open a 'door' to get a peanut. She had a great time watching them. Sad, she passed a few months ago, but he posted a picture of it on Face Book as it was her birthday yesterday. I don't like my squirrels. They mess up and eat up the little birdy nests although I find the nests an annoyance too when they build them in the gutters of your home.

 

[ElizabethB]

I am reminded of a couple of things. My family home was built in the '50's. We moved when I was four, so '57. It is a brick house built on concrete piers. The casual observer would not notice this because the the brick goes to the ground. Anyway, a couple of years ago a pair of opossum made a nest and had babies under the house. Baby Brother and his daughter live with Mother. He set out traps and caught both parents and six young.
Baby sister lives kinda sorta in the country. Not really since Home Depot, Walmart, Albertson's, banks, professional offices, restaurants, fast food joints and smaller retail outlets are all within a mile of her home. She and BIL built their home 20+ years ago on 5 acres of land. Neighbors on both sides also have 5 acres or more. Their property is long and narrow. They had a 1/2 acre pond dug. Yes, there are fish in the pond - large mouth bass and bream. One day an alligator showed up in the pond and decided to homestead. Sis had to have Wild Life and Fisheries remove the critter. Sis has severe allergies and can not have animals in the house but she likes having yard cats. Unfortunately Her cats never live very long. There is a narrow stretch of woods running behind the property. Coyotes live there and feast on her cats. She has a very large, beautiful, covered deck and outdoor kitchen. She battles armadillos non stop. They tear up her landscaping and burrow under her deck. They are wily creatures. She can see their runs and sets traps. They ignore the trap bait and make another run.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Oh, that reminds me of a funny story! My mother lived in Tallahassee, Florida for many years (the capitol city of Florida: swampy lake area in North Florida not far from the Georgia state line). One morning she had to call in "gator" to work. She walked outside that morning to get in her car, and there was an 7-foot alligator sunning itself in front of her car door in the driveway. Her supervisor at work was very understanding for her tardiness as she had to wait for animal control to come and remove the alligator from her premises so she could get into her car.

 

[CraigC]

These are wild gators in the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, on a road called Janes Scenic Drive.

This one was sitting in the road, just ahead of where I stopped the truck. Stayed just long enough for me to get out of the truck and take the pic, before it bolted into the swamp.

This one was layed in the grass beside a walking trail.

Neither was more than 5' away when I took the pictures. The only time I've ever heard a hissing threat from a gator was from a mother guarding her brood. I was in the truck and she was in the water, so no charging, just hissing.

 

[CraigC]

I've raised some stray field rats in my garage, but I'm doing something wrong. They always die.

I pretty much leave the wildlife to be "wild." We have lots of squirrels, a few possum, and a lot of birds. We also have coyotes and bobcats that hunt at night. The coyotes generally stay clear of humans, but we have the occasional bobcat sighting in residential areas. About once a year, you hear about a bobcat killing a small dog. My dog is too big -- a bobcat would not mess with him.

Oh, if you get out away from the city, you will see armadillos, AKA "speed bumps." They haven't grasped the whole concept of roadways and cars.

CD

Ever chase one down and catch it by the tail? Unlike some Crackers, who eat them, I'm into catch and release. Now possums are a different story, especially big ones. I've had to catch them by the tail when trying to relocate them. They can climb up their tails pretty quick! I've had to raise a few babies to release size after finding them when their mother was killed by a car/truck. Speaking of road kill, when they change the speed limit on roads such as Alligator Alley to a higher speed, it takes the marsh crows a little while to adjust.

 

[CraigC]

Nooooooo! I am so scared of every type of wild life. RATS? My daughter's friend has one as a pet.

We keep frozen rats in one of our freezers.

 

[caseydog]

Ever chase one down and catch it by the tail? Unlike some Crackers, who eat them, I'm into catch and release. Now possums are a different story, especially big ones. I've had to catch them by the tail when trying to relocate them. They can climb up their tails pretty quick! I've had to raise a few babies to release size after finding them when their mother was killed by a car/truck. Speaking of road kill, when they change the speed limit on roads such as Alligator Alley to a higher speed, it takes the marsh crows a little while to adjust.

Catch Dillos by the tail? Nope. I don't know if it is true, but I've heard they carry some nasty diseases. I've never seen one in a residential area, here. I see them when I go camping.

As for gators, I never saw one in a residential area of Port Arthur. I've been told by reliable sources that the water hazards sometimes had gators at the Pleasure Island golf course. I don't play golf, so I don't know.

Driving down to Bolivar Peninsula after hurricane Ike from Port Arthur, we saw dozens of dead gators along the side of the road. The salt water from the storm surge apparently killed them. The salt water killed most of the plant life around, too. Then again, Ike killed 113 people on the peninsula -- plus 16 recorded as missing because their bodies were never found.

CD

 

[medtran49]

When we lived very close to the eastern edge of the Everglades, Craig was out using the weed eater 1 day and came to the door to call me outside. A baby possum had been lurking in the bushes at the front of the house and panic bolted into our courtyard when he got close with the weed eater. It was tiny, but certainly had a big mouth full of teeth, which it had no problem showing to us. We put it in a box on our front porch, gave it some veges and water, and called the wildlife place. Described it and how it was acting, and they told us it was big enough to be on its own, and to take it and let it loose somewhere safe. So, we took it to the wildlife management area that was just a few blocks from our home and let it go.

 

[Milkduds]

We catch and release possums and raccoons year round. We live in a downtown neighborhood of a suburb of a medium sized city, but are surrounded by country about 4 miles out in all directions. I have grown rather fond of possums. They are not very attractive but are peaceful creatures. They will hiss when they feel threatened but I have never had one lunge at me. Raccoons are a different story. I really think if humans ever destroy ourselves raccoons will take over the earth. They are wicked smart.
I hate squirrels. They are rats with cosmetic enhancements as far as I am concerned. Much of my hatred stems from them eating my tulips and pretty much anything else. But they have a special love for tulip bulbs.

 

[Duck59]

We've got goldfinches in abundance near us. They are always a pleasure to see and hear. We're also near enough to the harbour to be able to see some eiders from the bedroom window, as well as hearing the suggestive 'a-woo, a-woo' calls of the males.

Not so musical are the magpies that have nested close by, but they have a strange array of chatters, cackles and squawks.

Meanwhile, we noted that house martins have been back to nest under the roof of our local library.

 

[ElizabethB]

I have a friend who lives in Buffalo Gap, Tx, a small town 20 miles south west of Abilene. The first time I visited Sandra she took me on a tour of Buffalo Gap in her golf cart. Population 400 souls. Our partners used to work together and are good friends. Unfortunately we were only able to visit if the guys had a business event that we would attend with them. One event was a Pipe Liner's conference in NOLA. After the conference the four of us went to the Woodlands Plantation Fishing Lodge. A beautiful place backed by a bayou. The restaurant/dining hall is an old church! The guys went fishing so we decided to stroll the grounds. Along the bayou there several, rather large alligators catching some rays. Sandra said "Oh look! They put out concrete alligators." Me "Noooo - they are alive" Sandra scoffed and started walking towards the largest gator. She was about 3" away when he opened his eyes, raised his head and hissed at her. I wish I had a video camera. Sandra broke land speed records running back to our cabin, screaming the entire way. I was on the ground screaming with laughter. I took an hour and a couple of drinks before Sandra would speak to me.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Yeah, the alligators at the sanctuary in Beaumont looked like metal statues. We visited in November and they don't move around much when temperatures cool down. They were so cool looking. These were on the other side of a fence so I was okay with that.

They also had tortoises that were really neat. People were allowed in the enclosure with the tortoises. They were quite friendly. They liked my husband and followed him around.

 

[ElizabethB]

You just reminded me of a funny. After USN boot camp I spent 3 months in San Diego for advanced training. G flew out to meet me and we went to the famous San Diego Zoo. We were in the land tortoise enclosure for a presentation when a very large, male tortoise mounted a female. We were standing next to a man and woman with their young son - 4 or 5 years old. When the male tortoise mounted the female the little boy got excited, jumping up and down and shouted "Look Dad! They are playing Piggy Back" Even the tortoises laughed.

 

[caseydog]

We catch and release possums and raccoons year round. We live in a downtown neighborhood of a suburb of a medium sized city, but are surrounded by country about 4 miles out in all directions. I have grown rather fond of possums. They are not very attractive but are peaceful creatures. They will hiss when they feel threatened but I have never had one lunge at me. Raccoons are a different story. I really think if humans ever destroy ourselves raccoons will take over the earth. They are wicked smart.
I hate squirrels. They are rats with cosmetic enhancements as far as I am concerned. Much of my hatred stems from them eating my tulips and pretty much anything else. But they have a special love for tulip bulbs.

Racoons are smart, and evil critters. There is a State Park in Louisiana that I have camped in many times with friends. The place is crawling with raccoons. They can break into ANY cooler. I keep my food locked in the car at night, but I figure it is just a matter of time before they can break into a locked car.

It is fun to take newbies to a spot, turn on a strong flashlight, and pan the area. Hundreds of glowing sets of eyes reflecting the flashlight. You are completely surrounded, but would never know it without that flashlight trick.

CD

 

[JAS_OH1]

I went boating on Lake Okeechobee (South Florida) after dark once when visiting some friends down there. We did the flashlight thing and saw glowing eyes, but my friends told me it was alligators! Creepy.