Wildlife Around Your Home (post pics if you've got 'em!)

HughFreakingDillon

I saw some woodpeckers in Spruce Woods Provincial Park a few years back. No word of a lie they looked 2-3 feet tall. My wife and kids kept looking at them like "are we really seeing this?". We were far enough away that we thought maybe our perception was skewed somehow. We still aren't sure, as all my research suggests we were all seeing things.

edit: just looked it up again. the one I saw has an "average" size of a foot and a half. so I guess that's not far off. the pileated one pictured above. 

brianlux

HughFreakingDillon said:

I saw some woodpeckers in Spruce Woods Provincial Park a few years back. No word of a lie they looked 2-3 feet tall. My wife and kids kept looking at them like "are we really seeing this?". We were far enough away that we thought maybe our perception was skewed somehow. We still aren't sure, as all my research suggests we were all seeing things.

edit: just looked it up again. the one I saw has an "average" size of a foot and a half. so I guess that's not far off. the pileated one pictured above. 

Could be that's what you saw- the Pileated.  They are BIG!  They sound cool as well.

lastexitlondon

We have green woodpeckers at the golf course beautiful birds

Loujoe

HughFreakingDillon said:

Loujoe said:

Darwins theory. I know nature seems cruel to us for sure. The idea is the stronger sneaky ones get away and live to breed other smarty pants birds. Ya know.
Something like that. 

lastexitlondon said:

Circle of life . Lots of birds kill other birds and steal eggs all sorts of mischief.  Nature is a mutha F

my understanding of nature is that animals kill for reasons, like territory, or food, or competition of some kind. I've read that Blue Jays basically do it for sport. Which seems like asshole-y behaviour to me. I haven't heard of other animals doing this. 

❤️ u HFD. F..k those blue Jay bullies

Loujoe

Lot's of fawns, baby deer, wandering around now. 
I have vocal barred owls by my house. One morning I heard a woodpecker making repetitive chirps. It flew across the road I was walking on followed by the owl. I'm guessing the owl was a juvenile and just following the woodpecker. I saw the owl in a tree. It kept after the other bird. I know they would eat them, but this seemed more like practice or play. I'd guess if it was going to eat t, it would be more stealthy and whamo.

Loujoe

Kind of a bad picture but early morning with two dogs!
 

brianlux

Loujoe said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

Loujoe said:

Darwins theory. I know nature seems cruel to us for sure. The idea is the stronger sneaky ones get away and live to breed other smarty pants birds. Ya know.
Something like that. 

lastexitlondon said:

Circle of life . Lots of birds kill other birds and steal eggs all sorts of mischief.  Nature is a mutha F

my understanding of nature is that animals kill for reasons, like territory, or food, or competition of some kind. I've read that Blue Jays basically do it for sport. Which seems like asshole-y behaviour to me. I haven't heard of other animals doing this. 

❤️ u HFD. F..k those blue Jay bullies

There are few things that make camping less fun that stellar jays getting your day off to a bad start by having them squawk obnoxiously at 5 in the morning while you're trying to sleep.  That said, one of the things that has added to the problem is people in campgrounds, parks and other places feeding jays.  I've seen it done a million times.  They are super accustomed to humans feeding them which is probably the main reason they are so obnoxious as well as over populated. 

Also, I don't recall hearing or reading about those bad habits with more reclusive scrub jays, or the oh-so sweet grey jays who generally live at higher altitudes. 

Fifthelement

HughFreakingDillon said:

Loujoe said:

Darwins theory. I know nature seems cruel to us for sure. The idea is the stronger sneaky ones get away and live to breed other smarty pants birds. Ya know.
Something like that. 

lastexitlondon said:

Circle of life . Lots of birds kill other birds and steal eggs all sorts of mischief.  Nature is a mutha F

my understanding of nature is that animals kill for reasons, like territory, or food, or competition of some kind. I've read that Blue Jays basically do it for sport. Which seems like asshole-y behaviour to me. I haven't heard of other animals doing this. 

Foxes, spotted hyenas, felines (domestic and wild), and honey badgers have all been observed surplus killing, often just for the pleasure of the kill. I remember watching one of the bbc documentaries, Planet Earth I think, showing hyenas killing baby seals along the coast of Namibia just for fun.

brianlux

Fifthelement said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

Loujoe said:

Darwins theory. I know nature seems cruel to us for sure. The idea is the stronger sneaky ones get away and live to breed other smarty pants birds. Ya know.
Something like that. 

lastexitlondon said:

Circle of life . Lots of birds kill other birds and steal eggs all sorts of mischief.  Nature is a mutha F

my understanding of nature is that animals kill for reasons, like territory, or food, or competition of some kind. I've read that Blue Jays basically do it for sport. Which seems like asshole-y behaviour to me. I haven't heard of other animals doing this. 

Foxes, spotted hyenas, felines (domestic and wild), and honey badgers have all been observed surplus killing, often just for the pleasure of the kill. I remember watching one of the bbc documentaries, Planet Earth I think, showing hyenas killing baby seals along the coast of Namibia just for fun.

Seems to me I've heard some humans exhibit similar traits.  I could be wrong.  

Fifthelement

brianlux said:

Fifthelement said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

Loujoe said:

Darwins theory. I know nature seems cruel to us for sure. The idea is the stronger sneaky ones get away and live to breed other smarty pants birds. Ya know.
Something like that. 

lastexitlondon said:

Circle of life . Lots of birds kill other birds and steal eggs all sorts of mischief.  Nature is a mutha F

my understanding of nature is that animals kill for reasons, like territory, or food, or competition of some kind. I've read that Blue Jays basically do it for sport. Which seems like asshole-y behaviour to me. I haven't heard of other animals doing this. 

Foxes, spotted hyenas, felines (domestic and wild), and honey badgers have all been observed surplus killing, often just for the pleasure of the kill. I remember watching one of the bbc documentaries, Planet Earth I think, showing hyenas killing baby seals along the coast of Namibia just for fun.

Seems to me I've heard some humans exhibit similar traits.  I could be wrong.  

I’ve heard that rumour too 🤔😳☹️

brianlux

Fifthelement said:

brianlux said:

Fifthelement said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

Loujoe said:

Darwins theory. I know nature seems cruel to us for sure. The idea is the stronger sneaky ones get away and live to breed other smarty pants birds. Ya know.
Something like that. 

lastexitlondon said:

Circle of life . Lots of birds kill other birds and steal eggs all sorts of mischief.  Nature is a mutha F

my understanding of nature is that animals kill for reasons, like territory, or food, or competition of some kind. I've read that Blue Jays basically do it for sport. Which seems like asshole-y behaviour to me. I haven't heard of other animals doing this. 

Foxes, spotted hyenas, felines (domestic and wild), and honey badgers have all been observed surplus killing, often just for the pleasure of the kill. I remember watching one of the bbc documentaries, Planet Earth I think, showing hyenas killing baby seals along the coast of Namibia just for fun.

Seems to me I've heard some humans exhibit similar traits.  I could be wrong.  

I’ve heard that rumour too 🤔😳☹️

I know, bummer.

But I like your smilies. 

HughFreakingDillon

Fifthelement said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

Loujoe said:

Darwins theory. I know nature seems cruel to us for sure. The idea is the stronger sneaky ones get away and live to breed other smarty pants birds. Ya know.
Something like that. 

lastexitlondon said:

Circle of life . Lots of birds kill other birds and steal eggs all sorts of mischief.  Nature is a mutha F

my understanding of nature is that animals kill for reasons, like territory, or food, or competition of some kind. I've read that Blue Jays basically do it for sport. Which seems like asshole-y behaviour to me. I haven't heard of other animals doing this. 

Foxes, spotted hyenas, felines (domestic and wild), and honey badgers have all been observed surplus killing, often just for the pleasure of the kill. I remember watching one of the bbc documentaries, Planet Earth I think, showing hyenas killing baby seals along the coast of Namibia just for fun.

fuck. nature sucks then. haha

mickeyrat

McGruff

brianlux said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

I saw some woodpeckers in Spruce Woods Provincial Park a few years back. No word of a lie they looked 2-3 feet tall. My wife and kids kept looking at them like "are we really seeing this?". We were far enough away that we thought maybe our perception was skewed somehow. We still aren't sure, as all my research suggests we were all seeing things.

edit: just looked it up again. the one I saw has an "average" size of a foot and a half. so I guess that's not far off. the pileated one pictured above. 

Could be that's what you saw- the Pileated.  They are BIG!  They sound cool as well.

Yeah, those Pileated Woodpeckers are pretty big. We have a pretty decent amount of them around here. Lots of songbirds as well. Blue Jays, Cardinals, Robins. Hummingbirds, too. And I know there's a Great Horned Owl living in the thatch of pines a few hundred feet from my backyard. I haven't seen him, but I hear him often.

brianlux

McGruff said:

brianlux said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

I saw some woodpeckers in Spruce Woods Provincial Park a few years back. No word of a lie they looked 2-3 feet tall. My wife and kids kept looking at them like "are we really seeing this?". We were far enough away that we thought maybe our perception was skewed somehow. We still aren't sure, as all my research suggests we were all seeing things.

edit: just looked it up again. the one I saw has an "average" size of a foot and a half. so I guess that's not far off. the pileated one pictured above. 

Could be that's what you saw- the Pileated.  They are BIG!  They sound cool as well.

Yeah, those Pileated Woodpeckers are pretty big. We have a pretty decent amount of them around here. Lots of songbirds as well. Blue Jays, Cardinals, Robins. Hummingbirds, too. And I know there's a Great Horned Owl living in the thatch of pines a few hundred feet from my backyard. I haven't seen him, but I hear him often.

Lets hear it for birds!

LOVE ON THE WING, Paul Westerberg:

This one came with no guarantee
Came without instructions
Without directions it'll leave
Dusty blue and gray cobweb green
Love to whisk you away

It's just the whisky talking
On your mobile device
To touch base and not to face
Could never suffice

Cautiously desperate
Yet no guarantee
Dusty blue gray
And cobweb green

You won't see me soar or fly
I'm the shyest in the sky, by far
and the star for which all evenings wait
Lady in waiting, man in a rush

Cedar waxwing and a hermit thrush
He's the star for which all evenings wait
You are the dusk, you feel his ache
darkness then bring
Love on the wing, love on the wing

Brown-eyed creeper with the deep dark eyes
I'd like to keep her in paradise

But she makes her own in dead or dying trees
I close my eyes it ain't her I see

But the yellow warbler I adore
Me she ignores
Last to leave in autumn
And the first one back in spring
Love on the wing, love on the wing

See the barn swallow, smell the gunsmoke
lonely tomorrow, hear the farm choke
Baby--Love on the wing

It's down to a finch, or a common house wren
Can't stand the stench of either of them
I could go back to the one, for the one there who waits
For me to return and sing
Who knows what tomorrow may bring?
I am the star for which all evenings wait
You are the dusk, feel my ache, darkness brings
Love on the wing
She didn't mean a thing
Love on the wing, love on the wing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQIFNMYxbP8

Loujoe

GlowGirl

Loujoe said:

Beautiful photo!

mickeyrat

damn raccoons.family of four(mama and 3 youngins) come to the yard daily. been eating the newly formed jalapeños and poblanos. seem to not care as much for the serranos though.

brianlux

mickeyrat said:

damn raccoons.family of four(mama and 3 youngins) come to the yard daily. been eating the newly formed jalapeños and poblanos. seem to not care as much for the serranos though.

I long thought raccoons were just sooooo cute.  Until back in 1988, that is, when I was living in this house where every time I put the trash out, they made a mess of it all over the front lawn.  I got up early on morning on trash collection day and went out to chase them off.  The biggest of this gang of masked thugs gave me this "f*ck off a-hole" look and all but snarled and then chased me back into the house.  I swear, that thing would have ripped my legs off if I hadn't been spry and quick like I was back then.  I steer clear of them now. 

Cute?  Maybe, but they're a "damn nuisance"!

Guy Dudebro

This hawk got himself a little baby bunny this morning in my neighborhood. He was unfazed by the little birds buzzing him trying to shoo him away and eventually flew away with his breakfast.