Look What I Saw in My Front Yard

[Mike Goetzke]

My wife throws out bread for the birds but look who showed up:

[attachimg=1]

I never even knew there were black foxes.

 

[ChuckM]

Winters do bring out wildlife like no others. Looking out the kitchen window about a week ago (screenshot from a video)....

 

[Sparktrician]

And it's mating season, too. 

 

[Packard]

I've never seen a black fox either. 

I've had foxes, a coyote, snakes of all kinds, gophers, skunks and some miscellaneous other small animals.

One entire summer I had two red tailed hawks nesting in my backyard.  My back yard abuts a large nature preserve so there was plenty for them to feed on.  I told my neighbors to keep their cats indoors.  Not everyone listened to me.  A couple went missing.

I've even told people I have had Wildebestes in my backyard to which I got "Really?"  I mean, really?  Wildebestes?  They are from Africa. 

 

[Packard]

I had a redtail hawk nest in my backyard the entire summer a few years back.  I warned the neighbors but still some cats went missing.

I hit the "up" button on my garage door before I rounded the corner and when I drove onto my driveway a deer ran into the garage.  He thought the better of it and turned around.  But nowadays I wait until I can see the driveway before hitting the "up" button my garage door.

I frequently have a small flock of wild turkeys on my lawn looking for all the world like they gang members from a scene of West Side Story, constantly on the lookout for other gangs. 

I am seeing coyotes on the side of the highway lately.  Not a good sign.  My home abuts to a nature preserve (required when a shopping mall was constructed.  About 500 yards deep and probably a mile long it is mandated to remain undeveloped, so lots of small animals. 

I tell people about the wildebeests living back there.  An amazing number of people believe me when I tell them. [eek]

 

[ChuckM]

Cool!

Seeing wildlife like this reminds me of Dick Proenneke (Alone in Wilderness 1 & 2, etc.). I'm never tired of rewatching his videos, just as how much I enjoy Tage Frid's woodworking clips again and again.

 

[sancho57]

Look close and ya can him eating Lunch

 

[Oldwood]

We had this group of troublemakers move in behind our shop. When mom needs some me time she just hops up on the roof of the shed.

The foxes around here have some black feet, but I have never seen an all black one.

 

[Sparktrician]

Several years ago, I returned home from work only to find a neighbor standing in my driveway, which was rather unusual.  I asked him what was up.  He said, "Willy, there's a dog on your garage roof."  I took one look and said, "Bob, that's not a dog.  It's a coyote."  And that was in a Virginia suburb of Washington, DC.  I kept an even closer eye on my dogs when they were out after that. 

 

[Packard]

Several years ago, I returned home from work only to find a neighbor standing in my driveway, which was rather unusual.  I asked him what was up.  He said, "Willy, there's a dog on your garage roof."  I took one look and said, "Bob, that's not a dog.  It's a coyote."  And that was in a Virginia suburb of Washington, DC.  I kept an even closer eye on my dogs when they were out after that.

I had to jump out of my car and stop a good samaritan who was coming to the aid of an injured dog (hit by a car).  I said, "That's not a dog.  It's a coyote.  Do not approach it.  Call 911."

I hope he took my advice.  I got back in my car and drove off. 

 

[pixelated]

I don't have a picture, but a moose visited a few months ago. We've also had bear, fishers, porcupines, and multiple foxes. There are bobcats known to be in the area, but haven't seen one in the yard.

 

[ChuckM]

My neighbor spent a week at a resort in B.C. during Canada Day, and spotted a deer and fawn below his unit -- first image.

A fawn was seen sleeping under my deck about 10 days ago (mom was resting nearby) -- second image.

 

[ScotF]

Awesome pics!

 

[Packard]

Wild turkeys and deer as so common where I live that most people have stopped taking notice of them (unless you hit one with a car).

A few years back I was driving along a crowned asphalt road near my house on the way to work.  I saw a flock of turkeys hanging out in front of a residence.  One of the turkeys was surprisingly tan.  A tan turkey?  So I paid particular attention the next few days and I saw that same tan "turkey".  It turned out to be a very young fawn.  Apparently, it was orphaned and imprinted on the turkeys as his family.

Over the weeks that followed he continued to graze with his "family", though he quickly became the "ugly duckling" or rather the "giant tan turkey".

I have observed over the years that deer are particularly inept about watching out for cars.  Birds (especially crows) are masters at that skill.  The turkeys are very good at this, though not as quick as crows. 

The funny thing about this extended family.  The deer learned to watch for traffic and took the same evasive moves as the turkeys.

He continued to hang with his new family well into winter.

 

[semenza]

Wild turkeys and deer as so common where I live that most people have stopped taking notice of them (unless you hit one with a car).

A few years back I was driving along a crowned asphalt road near my house on the way to work.  I saw a flock of turkeys hanging out in front of a residence.  One of the turkeys was surprisingly tan.  A tan turkey?  So I paid particular attention the next few days and I saw that same tan "turkey".  It turned out to be a very young fawn.  Apparently, it was orphaned and imprinted on the turkeys as his family.

Over the weeks that followed he continued to graze with his "family", though he quickly became the "ugly duckling" or rather the "giant tan turkey".

I have observed over the years that deer are particularly inept about watching out for cars.  Birds (especially crows) are masters at that skill.  The turkeys are very good at this, though not as quick as crows. 

The funny thing about this extended family.  The deer learned to watch for traffic and took the same evasive moves as the turkeys.

He continued to hang with his new family well into winter.

There has to be a few Far Side cartoons in that ^^^    [smile]

Seth

 

[Packard]

The deer are very brazen in our area and are not afraid of humans. 

When I drive home at night I often hit the button on my garage door remote before I round the corner. 

One night I did that and when I drove onto my driveway there was a deer standing there.  Instead of running off, he ran into my garage.  I considered running in after him, getting him in a full-nelson and waiting until he tapped out.  But I didn't know if he knew the rules of mixed martial arts combat.  [big grin]

Instead, I entered the house through the front door and then went into the garage from the house side.  When he saw me, the deer ran back out of the garage.  I was concerned that he might damage my other car (or poop on the garage floor).  I got lucky that day.

I also had a mating pair of Red-Tailed Hawks in my backyard for an entire summer (my backyard abuts a nature preserve).  I went through the neighborhood telling my neighbors about the hawks and warning them about small pets, but I know of at least one cat that went missing that summer.  I have my suspicions on what happened to him.  I warned them.

 

[JonathanJung]

A black fox is a rare and cool sight.

I had a redtail hawk nest in my backyard the entire summer a few years back.  I warned the neighbors but still some cats went missing.

I hit the "up" button on my garage door before I rounded the corner and when I drove onto my driveway a deer ran into the garage.  He thought the better of it and turned around.  But nowadays I wait until I can see the driveway before hitting the "up" button my garage door.

I frequently have a small flock of wild turkeys on my lawn looking for all the world like they gang members from a scene of West Side Story, constantly on the lookout for other gangs. 

I am seeing coyotes on the side of the highway lately.  Not a good sign.  My home abuts to a nature preserve (required when a shopping mall was constructed.  About 500 yards deep and probably a mile long it is mandated to remain undeveloped, so lots of small animals. 

I tell people about the wildebeests living back there.  An amazing number of people believe me when I tell them. [eek]

Where is this?

 

[Packard]

The Wildebeests are an ongoing joke.  The rest of the animals are real. It is southern Dutchess County, NY.  In order to get a variance to build the shopping mall, Simon Properties had to set up a "buffer zone" to function as a wildlife refuge and nothing can ever be built on that space.  The buffer zone is about 450 feet deep and about 2,000 feet long.

It seemed like a great deal when I bought the house, but there are so many wild animals in the refuge, that no one wants to use the pool after dark--the noises are too spooky.  Also, I find an occasional snake in the filter trap in the pool.

I have not opened the pool in several years and I suspect that alligators might be living there now.  The pool cover has ripped and the water is opaque green. 

But the Wildebeests never were there.  An amazing number of people believed that Paul Bunyan story though.

 

[c_dwyer]

[member=57948]ChuckM[/member] 's photo of the venison seed got me thinking about this one.  I forgot to post it a few months ago.  The feeder came in after that, as we don't want yogi's to become habituated.

 

[ChuckM]

To prevent the fawns from picking up any human scent, we keep a good distance from them whenever they roam around in our backyard or house. Their mother deer are usually within sight as well, but one time two fawns were seen by themselves only.