Garden visitors..

thijs · Post by **thijs** » 30 Aug 2010, 13:57

Jools wrote:... and I got quite excited when we found a hedgehog in the garden!

everything is bigger in the States, except the catfishes ;)

torbanite · Post by **torbanite** » 30 Sep 2010, 03:20

thijs wrote: everything is bigger in the States, except the catfishes ;)

The caterpillars are certainly bigger .. (than I've seen before)

: Papilio multicaudata caterpillar

I spotted this scuttling across the car park at work.
The kind folks at bugguide.net identified it as a Papilio multicaudata (Two-tailed Swallowtail) caterpillar.

I reversed down my front drive this morning and looked out the side window to see..

: Mule Deer

They seem unafraid & just wander around, eating peoples gardens and causing the occasional car accident.

At night, the IR sensitive lights on the back porch sometimes go into "disco" mode. Usually it is Raccoons..

: Raccoon

Sadly, life didn't turn out so well for the bears. A few days after I took the pictures in my last post, some bear cubs "broke" into a house about a mile from here. The owner found them in the kitchen eating a bowl of fruit.
As a result the Dept of Wildlife destroyed two cubs and their mother.

It is a crying shame that such fine animals have to be destroyed because someone (presumably) left their door open and a bowl of bear food on display, but I guess public safety has to come first.

L number Banana · Post by **L number Banana** » 30 Sep 2010, 05:01

That is sooo sad but I was starting to wonder why they kept coming around. It's not good for the people or the bears. Maybe if you see any other bears, take up that other american past time and shoot a gun in the air or something to scare them off? I guess a starter's pistol would have the same effect maybe. It's such a shame to have to keep them away for their own good but all it take is one pot of honey for poo to wander into the wrong house.

I'm thrilled to hear that you've got raccoons and magpies! Now you're really in for it - I'm of the opinion that only Stephen Hawking is smarter than your average raccoon or magpie. When you have a few minutes extra as you're passing a library, get the book 'Birdbrains' by Candace Savage (I think). You will never see your magpies the same. Just get a video of them beating you at chess.

The raccoon will be waiting to play the winner.

Nice caterpillar and website link! I think you will also get a kick out of the tomato hornworm as well. Nasty, nasty little (huge)caterpillar but turns into the most amazing hawk moth - acts like a hummingbird.

You must be feeling like David Attenborough

andywoolloo · Post by **andywoolloo** » 30 Sep 2010, 05:44

they destroyed the bear and cubs?

when they come down here they trank them and drive them back to the high country. cubs , bears, teenagers.

that is so cruel they out right killed them?

torbanite · Post by **torbanite** » 30 Sep 2010, 06:38

I don't know if the D.O.W is a county, state or federal agency, but the policy around here seems to be that if a bear learns how to enter houses it is "toast".
I believe they destroyed at least six bears in that one week. The hillsides & open spaces round here are covered in scrub oak (= acorns) so I guess that draws bears into town just as much as the prospect of raiding garbage cans. (My yard is full of scrub oak).

@L-Num: Firing a gun might scare the bears off, but it would also get me deported!.. Apparently discharging firearms within city limits is a big no-no. Seems disappointingly "un-american" to me, but there you go

(Also they are probably still hyper-sensitive about brits with guns. It's only been 250 years or so

.

The Magpies are something else.. there are hordes of them, they seem to do a good job eating bugs in the garden so I don't mind them too much. They make an awful racket at times though.

I have truckloads of squirrels as well (very busy wee creatures at the moment). They seem much better natured than the grey squirrels which have invaded the UK. I don't think these guys are the same species, but I'm no squirrel expert.

: Squirrel has never seen a Scotsman before...

L number Banana · Post by **L number Banana** » 03 Oct 2010, 05:40

@L-Num: Firing a gun might scare the bears off, but it would also get me deported!.. Apparently discharging firearms within city limits is a big no-no. Seems disappointingly "un-american" to me, but there you go (Also they are probably still hyper-sensitive about brits with guns. It's only been 250 years or so .

Didn't know you were in the city limits! I suggested the starter pistol because I'm a wee bit squeamish about guns but I suppose an airhorn would be a good deterrent or maybe a vuvuzela like at world cup.

Glad you like the magpies. Some people find them a bit too aggressive and they can eat other bird's eggs and such but on the other hand, they're like other members of the corvid family in that they make quite a racket when there's a predator around so next time you hear them freaking out, run out with a camera because it's probably a hawk or an owl. (or cougar, lynx, bobcat, nosey neighbour etc) Very cool family things going on with these birds too - the parents act kind of people like with their kids and the teenagers usually hang around to help raise the next generation. A while watching and you'll be able to figure out who's who. I wish I had them here but we only have the Crows, Blue Jays and sometime Ravens. Same family so same unbelievable behaviors.

The squirrel picture is fabulous - keep 'em coming!

torbanite · Post by **torbanite** » 04 Oct 2010, 04:01

L number Banana wrote: Didn't know you were in the city limits! I suggested the starter pistol because I'm a wee bit squeamish about guns but I suppose an airhorn would be a good deterrent or maybe a vuvuzela like at world cup.

There's probably a law against vuvuzelas within city limits as well. (If not there ought to be! ;) )
There are certainly Mountain Lions & Bobcats in the area but, when the Magpies kick off, it is usually because of this guy ..

: Neighbourhood cat

L number Banana · Post by **L number Banana** » 04 Oct 2010, 05:04

That cat just looks PO's at the little pink heart ID around his neck. He's steamed! Hope you gave him some treats or at least a little skritch on the head - gotta get along with the neighbours...

I showed that cat picture to Spooky and he tried not to laugh at the pink collar...

torbanite · Post by **torbanite** » 05 Oct 2010, 03:50

Ha, it always looks a bit peeved does that cat. I bet your spooky wouldn't insult him to his face.
He fancies himself as top predator in the garden. But the squirrels and rabbits see him coming a mile off. I don't think he's going to starve though.

Mule Deer in the street this evening, shortly before sunset...

L number Banana · Post by **L number Banana** » 05 Oct 2010, 04:12

Ha, it always looks a bit peeved does that cat. I bet your spooky wouldn't insult him to his face.

Spooky isn't even a year old yet so he's kind of a twit - would attack a dragon if it showed up - no common sense at all. The cat in the picture would just hold him down with one paw until the idea passed. Kind of like white belt trying to take on a black belt, Spooky wouldn't know what hit 'em

I'm quite fascinated by the mule deer - these ones look much healthier that the first one shown - very elegant animal - will have to look them up.

Are all these critters related to the cooling weather? Trying to fatten up before winter? I guess it's your first winter too so don't forget snow tires, those 'all season' things are crap.

Starsplitter7 · Post by **Starsplitter7** » 13 Oct 2010, 13:37

Thanks so much for posting such a great thread. The bears are fabulous. I agree with the sentiments above: don't worry about the bears, it is the people with guns to worry about.

I live in Florida with alligators (there are over 1 million alligators), venomous snakes and spiders, hurricanes, tornados, the lightning capitol of the Western Hemisphere (only behind Indonesia in the world), a tiny almost extinct population of panthers, a decent bear population, coyotes, sharks, stingrays, jellyfish, . . . and our biggest danger is car accidents.

Animal issues are almost always human related. We move into their territory and complain they are on our land. They were there first. When we destroy the environment where should the coyotes and raccoons go? I gave environmental tours in Florida to educate and increase awareness for environmental issues and how to live well with animals. If we don't protect the alligators and coyotes the environemnt collapses, the same way it did when people systematically hunted to extinction the red wolves, panthers (less than 50 left) and bison in Florida at the beginning of last century.

Celebrate the gifts of animal encounters; they are becoming rarer with each day. I have swam with small sharks and alligators, and the dangers are greatly exaggerated. They are everywhere in Florida. Go in the water and there are alligators or sharks and sometimes both. Thank you for the charming bear story.

torbanite · Post by **torbanite** » 14 Oct 2010, 03:40

Starsplitter7 wrote:, . . . and our biggest danger is car accidents.

I'm with you there.. the only time I've been truly frightened in this country was on the I-25.
I think I might need some convincing to try swimming with Alligators though.

(Oh, and welcome to PC!)

Anyway, I opened the basement curtains this morning and..

: Mule Deer has never seen a Scotsman before..

The other night I got woken up by Coyotes... although it took me a wee while to figure out that was what all the racket was. (A lot of high pitched yipping and yapping).
Brave creatures - to wake me up at 3am!

Starsplitter7 · Post by **Starsplitter7** » 14 Oct 2010, 06:49

That is a great view.

Love those mule deer. When my dad lived in Alaska, he opened his kitchen curtains to find a moose looking in. I have a Golden Orb Weaver (big 3" with the legs, yellow and black spider) looking into my window.

In Florida if you want to swim (not in a pool), you swim with alligators or sharks. You can pick which one, although in rivers and near rivers in oceans you can get both. The danger is minimal. The jellyfish and stingrays cause more injuries. In freshwater I would worry about stepping on a broken beer bottle.

The first time I heard coyotes in the wild, it scared me to death. I was walking in the woods alone in a very rural area in New Hampshire. I came across a bunch of "teenagers" partying, and I backed away not knowing if they were safe to approach. I never saw them, they were just ahead of me near the river. It wasn't until I was back at my car that I realized they were coyotes yipping, giggling and yapping. (Of course, normally running into people wouldn't have scared me, but I was alone in a very deserted area with what sounded like some really drunk "kids".)

Thanks for the welcome. I have been a lurker for years, but I wasn't aware of the forum. Thanks for all the awesome pictures.

andywoolloo · Post by **andywoolloo** » 14 Oct 2010, 06:50

what a beautiful picture!!!

RickE · Post by **RickE** » 14 Oct 2010, 11:27

Thought you might enjoy these images from a cirular e-mail I received this morning. And we brits complain about squirrels!

RickE · Post by **RickE** » 14 Oct 2010, 11:29

Two more:

Post by **Birger** » 14 Oct 2010, 13:33

And we brits complain about squirrels!

In many of the towns here it is now a bylaw that you can not have birdfeeders as it helps to bring bears into town...as the picture shows.

I am doing some work for a power company right now and we absolutely can not work alone as there are some rather large grizzlies in the area that do occasional tours of the work site.
The sign above is good as I always consider personal bear bells the dinner bell for a grizzly and bear spray just spice most people end up spraying into their own eyes...for me my chainsaw is always very close at hand.

Birger

Hellspawn · Post by **Hellspawn** » 20 Oct 2010, 21:39

Grizzly bear **** has bells in it and smells like pepper.

Last pic, bottom line! Pure win!

torbanite · Post by **torbanite** » 21 Nov 2010, 22:05

The picture of the bear hanging by its front paws from the line is a belter

I saw a programme on telly about two guys (Norwegians or Danes I think) who got attacked by a polar bear, one of them had a handgun and emptied it into the bear, but only succeeded in enraging it. (it killed him). The other guy survived but was a bit chewed round the edges. So, carrying a chainsaw might not be such a bad idea Birger...

Stag/buck deer are now pretty frequent sights in the garden, until a few weeks back I'd only seen does.

: Mule Deer

: Mule Deer

The bucks seem pretty indifferent to humans as well.. but with that sort of headgear on them, I'm only brave enough to snap them from the safety of the living-room window.

There are entire TV channels here dedicated to hunting deer with all sorts of super expensive high-tech bows and arrows, scent maskers, decoys, camouflage outfits and hides you can attach to trees... (I really don't get the camouflage outfits bit - because they then have to wear a dayglo orange bib/hat so they won't get shot by other hunters..

)

Probably I'm missing something, but it seems to me that if I wanted some antlers to hang on the wall (I don't), I'd just need a spare 10 minutes, a big rock and a carving knife..

crkinney · Post by **crkinney** » 24 Nov 2010, 16:06

Just a little insight into hunting in the good old USA at 67 years old and a hunted most of my life I can atest that except for turkey hunting Cammo clothes, hats, boots, guns,pickup trucks and All those cover up scents are BULL! be still and most game will walk up to you .If you smell like a billy goat forget it. Wash with baking soda each day. stops the sent .
In my opinion the mass marketers can sell anything for any activity if there are folks out there just arn't good enough at what they want to do and think this or that will give them the EDGE.

andywoolloo · Post by **andywoolloo** » 24 Nov 2010, 21:04

great pictures, I love this thread.

Whenever I see a cool animal it's in the early morning hours (2-4 am ) as i drive home from work so I can't take a picture.

Almost every night big huge white owls cross my path on one particular road as they hunt field mice or rabbits or squirrels. Huge white owls that jam past your windshield at breaj neck speed determined to get their prey and not even noticing your car, makes your heart stop for a second and you feel like you're in a Harry Potter movie.

Also see alot of foxes and coyotes or wolves (prob coyotes) on the way home. Bunnies galore in bunny season. The occasional teenage bear comes down from the foothills once in awhile and is rounded up and trucked back up to the mountains by fish and game. Mountain lions and bobcats are not uncommon on occasion.

Last night at work we got a call of a male deer with little antlers, so maybe a teen? behind little ceasars pizza at an intersection that is busy during the day but this was 0200 so not busy, also usually the mountain lion is sighted in town behind costco. weird.

Firestorming · Post by **Firestorming** » 24 Nov 2010, 21:31

I was in Canada this year for their Naval celebrations and I got to see deer and bears in the wild as well as orca and a bald eagle pair when I went out on a boat tour. It was a highlight for me.

Here I just get kangaroos, wallabies, echidna, snakes,blue tongues lizards, all sorts of birds, and bloody funnel web spiders in my work boots if I leave them outside

L number Banana · Post by **L number Banana** » 25 Nov 2010, 06:11

Here I just get kangaroos, wallabies, echidna, snakes,blue tongues lizards, all sorts of birds, and bloody funnel web spiders in my work boots if I leave them outside

Not big on the poison critters but I would love to spend a year on your birds alone - lucky, lucky you!

Had to look up echidna. That's the most adorable critter imaginable! Like a cool-nosed porcupine/hedgehog cross. It's awesome!

We get those funnel spiders too. I have one outside my door in the corner, his name is Spod the 4th.

Firestorming · Post by **Firestorming** » 25 Nov 2010, 09:04

L number Banana wrote:
Here I just get kangaroos, wallabies, echidna, snakes,blue tongues lizards, all sorts of birds, and bloody funnel web spiders in my work boots if I leave them outside
We get those funnel spiders too. I have one outside my door in the corner, his name is Spod the 4th.

Most likely not quite the same as ours, our ones (Atrax robustus) can be deadly, I used to catch them and snakes for the reptile park when I was younger for venom collection. I once found a large female that had driven her fangs right through a garden skink, she was not so happy to see me though. Our nasty little versions have accounted for 13 deaths.

I do wish I had more time when I was in your neck of the woods to explore a little more, but doing the parade of nations through Esquimalt was great.

To have a look at the echidnas relative (well the other monotreme anyway) have a look at platypus. We have 2 of the 3 monotremes in the world, the other echidna is found in PNG, I was trying to find one when I was there but it wasnt to be.

torbanite · Post by **torbanite** » 09 Dec 2010, 02:37

Firestorming wrote: Here I just get kangaroos, wallabies, echidna, snakes,blue tongues lizards, all sorts of birds, and bloody funnel web spiders in my work boots if I leave them outside

"just"

Kangaroos, Echidna etc. are fairly exotic in my book.
Wallabies maybe not quite so.. - we got those in the UK - I think some escaped from a zoo years back & they seem to have done quite well..

I was eating my breakfast this morning & saw a pretty decent specimen of a buck herding his harem of does through my back yard.

It was barely dawn, so the light was not that good for photos .. but that didn't stop me trying...

torbanite · Post by **torbanite** » 02 Jan 2011, 00:03

Not sure what this is..?

We've had a wee bit of weather recently, (but nothing compared to elsewhere in the US).

Bucks arguing in the back yard.

nicofish · Post by **nicofish** » 02 Jan 2011, 03:41

the worst iv ehad here in NJ is a rabid fox. it scared the crap out of me I was sleeping and it was just under my window screaming.

there werent any foxes around when I was little but last year I saw 5 three babies playing on a rock, the rabid one, and an adult.

I guess I spent alot of time out last year fishing catching frogs and other animals I can find in the streams near my house.

but the coolest thing I saw was a pleco!!! at a lake where people go to throw out their fish. its not a good thing but it was so amazing!!! (goes to show how much time I spent sitting in my kayak

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