Backyard critters

[tomterp]

Wow!

[skippy1999]

Bought a couple of handheld hummingbird feeders to try. They really work. Here’s hubby this morning hand feeding our local hummers.

(Image removed from quote.)

Soooo cool!

[varoadking]

At the kitchen window...Dad Bluebird feeding jr...

[varoadking]

A bad ass raptor in the back yard... 

[wj73]

Beautiful!

 Looks like the hawk has what used to be a squirrel under his feet. 

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Red tail?  We have a few of those around here, smack in the middle of the city.  One fledged in our alley a couple of years ago and roosted on a fire escape across from our house...she dismantled a few pigeons before moving on to greener quarters. 

[wj73]

The hummingbirds seem to be leaving for the season. The last couple of weeks of August multiple hummers were at our feeders literally from dawn to dusk, fussing and fighting over the feeders. We were going through sugar faster than we had all summer trying to keep up with them. Then around Labor Day it slowed considerably. We still have some hummers feeding, but the number is way down. I haven’t seen a male hummer in the last week, so they must leave first. I’m going to miss them.

[wj73]

As for some of our other neighbors, Mamma Bear and the twins dropped by a few days ago. The twins had a blast playing with some old flower pots I had stashed outside, and also enjoyed batting around some low hanging planters I had out. The funniest was when one of them found the patio umbrella stand - one of those stands with a round heavy base and a few feet of pole sticking up. The one cub pushed it over, then had a ball playing with it as it rolled around on its base. We should have chased them off, but we were just enjoying watching them play. It was like having 2 fifty pound puppies romping in the yard. The family finally wandered off back into the woods after 10 minutes or so.

[skippy1999]

As for some of our other neighbors, Mamma Bear and the twins dropped by a few days ago. The twins had a blast playing with some old flower pots I had stashed outside, and also enjoyed batting around some low hanging planters I had out. The funniest was when one of them found the patio umbrella stand - one of those stands with a round heavy base and a few feet of pole sticking up. The one cub pushed it over, then had a ball playing with it as it rolled around on its base. We should have chased them off, but we were just enjoying watching them play. It was like having 2 fifty pound puppies romping in the yard. The family finally wandered off back into the woods after 10 minutes or so.

That sounds so fun to watch, I wouldn't have chased them off either

[Count Walewski]

My parents in Chicago have a skunk infestation in their backyard. For about a year they had one skunk living in the backyard; he dug the grass up pretty good but he never sprayed (even when they got close to him) so they didn't mind. A few weeks ago, he brought two of his skunk friends home. One of them sprayed, which convinced my mom to call animal control.

Animal control set up humane skunk traps, which so far haven't caught anyone. Somebody is clearly toying around with the skunk traps overnight (they end up turned upside down) but nobody is falling for it yet.

[Panther Modern]

Somebody is clearly toying around with the skunk traps overnight (they end up turned upside down) but nobody is falling for it yet.

This sounds like some animal-loving neighbor.

[tomterp]

Nice find in a garden by a woman in Woodbridge.



https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/rare-two-headed-copperhead-snake-found-in-virginia/2018/09/24/e69140cc-bfe4-11e8-9005-5104e9616c21_story.html?utm_term=.93886388d7ac

[GburgNatsFan]

I'd love to see that move... are both heads functional? Do they fight for control?

Nice find in a garden by a woman in Woodbridge.

(Image removed from quote.)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/rare-two-headed-copperhead-snake-found-in-virginia/2018/09/24/e69140cc-bfe4-11e8-9005-5104e9616c21_story.html?utm_term=.93886388d7ac

[tomterp]

I'd love to see that move... are both heads functional? Do they fight for control?

Imagine arguing with a second, independent brain every time your body wanted to grab a snack, take a nap or even decide which direction to move. According to J.D. Kleopfer, a herpetologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the constant struggle to make basic decisions like these leaves two-headed or "bicephalic" animals vulnerable in the wild.

Two-headed serpents are known to fight themselves over who gets to swallow prey, and these animals can have trouble coordinating their movements when responding to danger. Most die young, Kleopfer wrote on Facebook; to find a live specimen in the wild is a rare occurrence, and to keep a specimen like this one alive will require a lot of care and luck.

[GburgNatsFan]

Thanks Tom.

[Panther Modern]

Nice find in a garden by a woman in Woodbridge.

(Image removed from quote.)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/rare-two-headed-copperhead-snake-found-in-virginia/2018/09/24/e69140cc-bfe4-11e8-9005-5104e9616c21_story.html?utm_term=.93886388d7ac

Oh, man, that's nasty 

[Mathguy]

Can be any worse than a man fighting with his wife each day

I'd love to see that move... are both heads functional? Do they fight for control?

[GburgNatsFan]

Why would any man fight that losing battle?

Can be any worse than a man fighting with his wife each day

[1995hoo]

My mom sent this to me:
------------------------------

Apparently there's been a plague of squirrels including at the local churches.

The Presbyterian church called a meeting to decide what to do about their squirrels. After much prayer, they concluded the squirrels were predestined to be there and they shouldn't interfere with God's divine will.

At the Baptist church the squirrels had taken an interest in the baptistry. The deacons met and decided to put a water slide on the baptistry and let the squirrels drown themselves. The squirrels liked the slide but knew instinctively how to swim, so twice as many squirrels showed up the following week. 

The Methodist church decided that they were not in a position to harm any of God's creatures. So they humanely trapped their squirrels and set them free near the Baptist church. Two weeks later the squirrels were back when the Baptists took down the water slide.

But the Catholic Church came up with a very creative strategy. They baptized and confirmed all the squirrels as members of the church. Now they only see them on Christmas and Easter. 

Not much was heard from the Jewish synagogue; they took the first squirrel and circumcised him. They haven't seen a squirrel since.

[Count Walewski]

This is a common enough problem that there is a song about it

[Panther Modern]

But the Catholic Church came up with a very creative strategy. They baptized and confirmed all the squirrels as members of the church. Now they only see them on Christmas and Easter. 

Then, years later, stories came out Catholic squirrel priests had sexually abused younger squirrels for years, and the Catholic Church covered it up. Pope Acorn II denied the allegations.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Pope Acorn II 

[Natsinpwc]

Then, years later, stories came out Catholic squirrel priests had sexually abused younger squirrels for years, and the Catholic Church covered it up. Pope Acorn II denied the allegations.

[dracnal]

This is the most relevant thread I can think of for this one - for those of you with doggos or friends who own em, the FDA has recalled several brands for causing toxic vitamin D levels in pets.  List of brands (and symptoms of vit D toxicity) here: https://www.snopes.com/news/2019/01/16/fda-alerts-pet-owners-about-recalls-of-several-dry-pet-foods/

[varoadking]

2 bucks and 2 doe just ran to thru our back yard...