Author Topic: Backyard critters  (Read 104368 times)

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Offline Copecwby20

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #600: August 24, 2013, 03:33:40 PM »
Raccoons have very dainty hands - like concert pianists.  They used to raid the cat dishes at my mom's house in Miami and then wash their hands in the pool.  Such refinement!

If I remember correctly, raccoons "wash their hands" because they lack salivary glands.

EDIT: Apparently, that is an old wives tale.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/mammals/raccoons-wash-food1.htm

Also, have you ever been so mad, that you threw a raccoon.


Offline 1995hoo

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #601: August 26, 2013, 08:30:28 AM »
I mentioned somewhere in this thread that on a family vacation once when I was growing up, we were camping in Gatineau Park near Ottawa when we woke up to a CRASH outside the tent. Three raccoons had pulled our cooler off the table so it burst open when it hit the ground. One was running off with the package of hot dogs and another had actually unscrewed the jar of peanut butter and was licking it out from the inside.

Offline Ali the Baseball Cat

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #602: August 26, 2013, 09:35:13 AM »
I'm surprised the bears didn't get to it first...plenty of those guys in Gatineau.  Wolves too from what I hear, but I have never seen those. 

Offline tomterp

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #603: August 26, 2013, 04:49:05 PM »
Give racoons a wide berth, the % of rabid ones is really high.

Offline mitlen

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #604: September 02, 2013, 07:21:27 PM »
I was out on the deck and a group of maybe six birds were darting around.   I noticed a white marking on the bottom of their wings.   Googled it and found the birds to be "Common Nighthawks".    Quite a flying display.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/common_nighthawk/id

PS   Before some old fart comments, they weren't the following "Nighthawks".   :P

http://www.thenighthawks.com/

Offline Ali the Baseball Cat

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #605: September 02, 2013, 08:26:46 PM »

Just beware the chickenhawks...

I was out on the deck and a group of maybe six birds were darting around.   I noticed a white marking on the bottom of their wings.   Googled it and found the birds to be "Common Nighthawks".    Quite a flying display.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/common_nighthawk/id

PS   Before some old fart comments, they weren't the following "Nighthawks".   :P

http://www.thenighthawks.com/

Offline mitlen

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #606: September 02, 2013, 10:17:39 PM »

Offline mitlen

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #607: September 02, 2013, 10:18:13 PM »
Just beware the chickenhawks...


BTW  I think I see what you did there.   :P

Offline Terpfan76

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #608: September 03, 2013, 03:46:55 PM »
I added a red eared slider to my pond as well as baby snapping turtle. The snapping turtle is about the size f a .50 cent coin. Our goldfish also had babies. You can see about a dozen or so tiny fish. The snapper will be released at a river near by or out at Rocky Gap around October. The red eared slider has a 50gal aquarium to reside in over winter. I'll post pics from the tablet later.

Offline 1995hoo

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #609: September 03, 2013, 08:17:44 PM »
We went for a walk around the lake near our house yesterday evening and I spotted a strange creature I had not seen before. I think it was an otter based on its appearance and based on images I found with a Google search. See below—it's swimming along the shoreline to the left between the bridge and the two geese swimming together. You can see its tail better than you can see the critter itself. Almost seemed like it was swimming laps!

(Image moved to below quote so it would display, as prior post is one page back)



We were walking around the lake last Friday on the way home from the mini-golf place and a lady who was throwing bread to the fish and the turtles said she had seen the critter pictured above and that she believes it's a muskrat. This image on Wikipedia suggests she was correct.

More interesting on Friday was a bird with a long beak, I think it was a crane, that was intently staring into the water near the bridge and then suddenly dove its head under and emerged with a fish. Neat to watch. The bird was out of the range where I'd have been able to get a clear iPhone video.

Offline tomterp

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #610: September 03, 2013, 08:22:40 PM »

More interesting on Friday was a bird with a long beak, I think it was a crane, that was intently staring into the water near the bridge and then suddenly dove its head under and emerged with a fish. Neat to watch. The bird was out of the range where I'd have been able to get a clear iPhone video.

A great blue heron perhaps?


Offline Ali the Baseball Cat

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #611: September 03, 2013, 08:57:41 PM »
That's awesome.  That snapper will probably be the size of a Volkswagen in a few decades. 
I added a red eared slider to my pond as well as baby snapping turtle. The snapping turtle is about the size f a .50 cent coin. Our goldfish also had babies. You can see about a dozen or so tiny fish. The snapper will be released at a river near by or out at Rocky Gap around October. The red eared slider has a 50gal aquarium to reside in over winter. I'll post pics from the tablet later.

Offline Copecwby20

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #612: September 04, 2013, 01:24:22 AM »
(Image removed from quote.)

We were walking around the lake last Friday on the way home from the mini-golf place and a lady who was throwing bread to the fish and the turtles said she had seen the critter pictured above and that she believes it's a muskrat. This image on Wikipedia suggests she was correct.

More interesting on Friday was a bird with a long beak, I think it was a crane, that was intently staring into the water near the bridge and then suddenly dove its head under and emerged with a fish. Neat to watch. The bird was out of the range where I'd have been able to get a clear iPhone video.

To be honest... muskrats are short bodied and stocky.... the creature pictured above seems sleek and long... I doubt the one in that particular picture was a muskrat. (That's only if the tail is in fact as long as the body.. which it appears to be)

Offline Frau Mau

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #613: September 04, 2013, 09:49:55 AM »
To be honest... muskrats are short bodied and stocky.... the creature pictured above seems sleek and long... I doubt the one in that particular picture was a muskrat. (That's only if the tail is in fact as long as the body.. which it appears to be)

I don't know what it is, but it looks like a really small otter based on its sleekness and shape of the tail.

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #614: September 04, 2013, 09:53:28 AM »
I don't know what it is, but it looks like a really small otter based on its sleekness and shape of the tail.

I think it's a juvenile beaver. They don't always display a thick paddle-shaped tails (I don't know if they can curl it, or if they turn it sideways while swimming, but they can look rat-tailed).

Beavers are dauntless creatures, willing to look you right in the eye.

Offline Frau Mau

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #615: September 04, 2013, 10:04:41 AM »
I think it's a juvenile beaver. They don't always display a thick paddle-shaped tails (I don't know if they can curl it, or if they turn it sideways while swimming, but they can look rat-tailed).

Beavers are dauntless creatures, willing to look you right in the eye.

That is a distinct possibility, makes sense why it wouldn't care about swimming so close to ducks.

Offline Ali the Baseball Cat

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #616: September 04, 2013, 10:05:11 AM »
These colours don't run, eh!

Beavers are dauntless creatures, willing to look you right in the eye.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #617: September 04, 2013, 12:36:49 PM »
sorry, but someone has too:


save your ears - do not listen.

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #618: September 04, 2013, 04:12:38 PM »
Drop a tree on your ass, you come any closer. Beaver don't care.

That is a distinct possibility, makes sense why it wouldn't care about swimming so close to ducks.

Offline Frau Mau

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #619: September 04, 2013, 04:46:16 PM »
Drop a tree on your ass, you come any closer. Beaver don't care.


Beaver is Honey Badger's little badass brother.

Offline Nathan

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #620: September 04, 2013, 04:53:09 PM »


A Honey Badger does not kill you to eat you. It tears off your testicles.

Offline Terpfan76

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #621: September 05, 2013, 12:08:21 AM »





Offline Copecwby20

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #622: September 05, 2013, 01:25:14 AM »
That little snapper is cute...

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #623: September 05, 2013, 08:52:27 AM »
My wife wants a pond while I'm still strong enough to dig/construct it. Resources you can suggest to help me plan it?

Also, those turtles could just get up and walk whenever they felt like it, no?

I added a red eared slider to my pond as well as baby snapping turtle. The snapping turtle is about the size f a .50 cent coin. Our goldfish also had babies. You can see about a dozen or so tiny fish. The snapper will be released at a river near by or out at Rocky Gap around October. The red eared slider has a 50gal aquarium to reside in over winter. I'll post pics from the tablet later.

Offline tomterp

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Re: Backyard critters
« Reply #624: September 05, 2013, 08:53:42 AM »
My wife wants a pond while I'm still strong enough to dig construct it. Resources you can suggest?

I'd let Salty do it, he's got experience.