Wildlife in Your Own Backyard

[Vagabond]

Yesterday, I heard, but did not see a woodpecker pecking away.

A neighbor has told me that we get hawks and falcons here, so I think we get just about the same variety of bird species here as we did in my old neighborhood.

 

[Lizziebeth]

Yesterday a bald eagle flew over my shoreline and then settled in a big tree. I have pelicans floating down the lake. Birdies are back. Tree swallows are fighting over the bluebird houses and I can hear the loons screaming. Yesterday I heard an oriole sing for the first time. I love spring. The bird orchestra started tuning up at 5:21 this morning

 

[three fingered jack]

Saw a Bald Eagle & a Vulture in the same day.
Snakes are out, again. ?

 

[Vagabond]

Yesterday, I heard, but did not see a woodpecker pecking away.

A neighbor has told me that we get hawks and falcons here, so I think we get just about the same variety of bird species here as we did in my old neighborhood.

And, indeed, I did see a red-tailed hawk perched low to the ground in a plum tree outside my home just now.

 

[Tesla]

We have a beaver named Sam who visits our yard. (My son named him.) ?

 

[Tesla]

We have a beaver named Sam who visits our yard. (My son named him.) ?

Looking at more pictures, I believe Sam is a groundhog. My son loves it.

 

[marshallpond]

We live by the lake in a nature conservancy, and the wildlife is just amazing, but sometimes scary.

We have so many deers that I have a massive supply of deer repellants to prevent my hostas and other plants from being eaten. Woke up to find 12 dahlia flowers all cut up and gone.

https://imgur.com/a/w5cnqwI

My favorite - they parade like they are kings of the roads. But oh boy, they could destroy your lawn like never before!

https://imgur.com/a/VDDSyrx

Our turkey population this year has dwindled so much, probably because there are 3 large coyotes prowling our subdivision, which could be a blessing because a flock of these turkeys camped out on my lower deck and we had to do pressure washing to clean up the deck.

https://imgur.com/a/iQGPrvK

Coyotes and snakes scare me.

A large coyote once followed me at around 9 pm while walking my small dog. My kids were putting on their skates to skate in the frozen lake this last Feb and a couple of coyotes just walked calmly in front of all of us (including my little dog)

Saw a 5+ long black water snake cross the trail right in front of me and a neighbor walking our dogs between the lake and a small pond. And a couple of mid-sized garden snakes are sunbathing right now in front of my window on the stone pavers. I don't mind these snakes in my lawn - as long as they don't show themselves to me. LOL

 

[Lynn226]

The very loud cicadas have been in my neighborhood. I think I caught my dog playing with one.

 

[Lizziebeth]

In the last week I have seen a fat raccoon (expecting babies) a fox (fox kits have been seen in a culvert under the road) and a silver squirrel (must be a descendant of the albino one I saw a few years ago).

Yesterday I saw a northern flicker up close as she was looking for food in my lawn, close to the door. What a beautiful bird.

 

[Vagabond]

Today was the hottest day of the year so far. The temperature has slipped down into the upper sixties, but I hear crickets. In three decades of living in the city, this is only the second time that I have heard crickets here.

 

[three fingered jack]

A coyote scampered across the road in front of us the other day. Our resident skunk perfumed his way through our neighborhood the other night & a bobcat was spotted in the park near our neighborhood. The bobcat sighting makes me a bit uneasy.

 

[SkateSand]

I've been feeding some neighborhood cats that wander into my backyard. I don't think it's good for them to drink the water in the pond (plus it makes the goldfish nervous ) so I started leaving a big container of fresh water next to the pond (and I also cover the pond at night) and was happy to see them drinking that water instead. But night critters are coming in and messing about with the water so it's all muddy in the morning. I'm guessing it's raccoons? Birds? Last night, I was irritated enough that I put out three containers of water: the usual one and then two more protected under cover. All of them were muddy this morning.

 

[Vagabond]

Since mid-July I have been using the Merlin Bird ID app to help me identify birds.

In twenty minutes this morning, the app identified the following species in my backyard:

Nuttall’s Woodpecker​

Common Crow​

Tropical Kingbird​

Chestnut-backed Chickadee​

Ruby-crowned Kinglet​

House Finch​

Yellow-rumped Warbler​

Hermit Thrush​

Pygmy Nuthatch​

Orange-crowned Warbler​

Red-winged Blackbird​

House Sparrow​

House Finch​

Dark-eyed Junco​

Anna’s Hummingbird​

Black Phoebe​

Western Wood-pewee​

American Raven​

This was the first time for the tropical kingbird, yellow-rumped warbler, ruby-crowned kinglet, hermit thrush, and western wood-pewee. It's migration season.

The tropical kingbird is a particularly interesting finding. The northernmost parts of its historic range are in small areas along the Mexican border in Arizona and Texas, but it has begun to frequent the West Coast, particularly in the autumn.

ETA: There was a palm warbler outside a few minutes ago, making six new species today.

 

[BittyBug]

I'm guessing it's raccoons?

Raccoons almost certainly, but it could also be an opossum.

 

[Sktwo]

I agree-raccoons. They can turn your water black. I feed a feral cat population and I’m dealing with three of those bandits right now. They love cat kibble. Can’t wait for them to go into hibernation. If you put out food in the morning, wait until it is fully light - most raccoons prefer traveling in the dark ( there are exceptions.)

 

[Vagabond]

Raccoons don't go into torpor around these parts. It's almost never cold enough, i.e. 15°F, even in the coldest canyons.

 

[Sktwo]

So sorry. I do get a break. I’m in central Illinois where it can go to 20 below zero. That cold keeps them inactive - usually from late November until early March.

 

[SkateSand]

So far, the raccoons in my neighborhood only come out at night. I make sure all the cat food I leave for the neighbor's cats is gone before nightfall.