Wildlife, living next to nature

[monster]

And there was this, yesterday evening.

I was sat out in the hot afternoon stillness, reading, chilling in my firepit area under the trees at the end of the yard.... Suddenly, there was a "kerthunk" and a tree behind me shook, Bollywood sex-scene-style.

Then a squirrel darted up the trunk, went out on the first branch and.....

[Gravdigr]

It always makes me smile when I see squrls lazing around in that pose.

[glatt]

We have been watching a couple of parent catbirds raising their chicks that hatched two weeks ago in our rose bush. Right next to our garbage cans, about a yard off the ground. They started off really kind of gross looking, but now their feathers have really come in. And they look pretty damn cute.

[xoxoxoBruce]

...


Well whatayaknow...

[xoxoxoBruce]

Insted of burning or burying all these dead deer biologists let nature take its course and studied how that happens.
Dead plants feed back into the system so it makes sense that animals do too. But we don't know exactly how.

[Diaphone Jim]

I have a spot on my little ranch, as remote as I can get, where I have left all dead animals including livestock (up to cow size) for almost 50 years.
They are not all still moldering and decomposing into the water table and have fed lots of birds and other critters.
It stinks some, but only for a while.
The spot is currently bare, clean, empty and waiting.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Do the critters carry off the bones?

[Diaphone Jim]

Pretty much all but the larger skulls.
A while back, before he figured to make a fortune growing wine grapes, a neighbor had what he called his "gut tree" in a back pasture.
It was really just a pit he would fill and re-dig elsewhere every few years.
Everyone could use it and it was simple, except that Turkey Vultures (buzzards) don't like to feed below grade because they can't spot predators as well as needing a runway to get in the air.
Turned in to just being a hole full of offal.
Another tale is when I had a big cow die of old age and I dragged out to my spot. Thinking I would help the vultures and crows and such get into the goodies in her belly, I turned her on her back with her legs in the air.
Usually the sharp-eyed vultures are on carcasses right now (enough so that we joke about not taking a nap in the open), but mamma cow just lay there for days, unattended.
I finally figured out that the cleanup crew was not interested in a four-poster bed and pulled her back on her side. Took about a half hour for the usual proceedings to start. It was a 28-bird feeder at one point.

[xoxoxoBruce]

No shit, they couldn't ID it as a carcass legs up? I guess that's not a normal fall down dead position.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

No shit, they couldn't ID it as a carcass legs up? I guess that's not a normal fall down dead position.

Not much of a cartoon watcher, are you?

[Diaphone Jim]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

No shit, they couldn't ID it as a carcass legs up? I guess that's not a normal fall down dead position.

Yeah, that seems to be the problem. Surprised me and a couple of farm adviser types I talked to.

BigV: You need to draw X's over their eyes to attract diners.

[Carruthers]

Generally speaking, visiting Foxes and Badgers don't pay any attention to my camera but this one let his curiosity get the better of him.

I think it's one of two cubs, now well grown, that have been visiting for the last couple of months.

They're always welcome and I put out some dog food for them but they also seem to have developed a liking for the peanuts that I leave for the Badgers.

[Griff]

Well hello there!

[xoxoxoBruce]

Are they salted peanuts? Most critters will eat anything with salt.

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Are they salted peanuts? Most critters will eat anything with salt.

No, they're the same as I feed to the birds (in suitable containers) but, of necessity, bought in bulk.

From the Woodland Trust website...

What can I feed badgers?

If you have badgers visiting your garden, they can make fascinating guests. Their presence produces a wide and varied response from gardeners; some consider them a nuisance as they may root up flower bulbs, eat fruit and vegetables, and dig up lawns.

But if you enjoy seeing badgers in your garden, there's a range of suitable foods that you can put out.

Since they eat such a wide diversity of foods, they will probably eat most of what you put out for them (or for the birds, or hedgehogs, or the dog), but it's best to stick to foods that most closely match their natural diet.

Fruit - grapes, apples, pears, plums

Raw peanuts or brazil nuts (no salt or chocolate)

Dried dog food (muesli type)

Mealworms

Peanut butter (unsalted, sugar-free)

Not quite formation foraging but here's mum plus three sampling my largesse ten days ago.



Link