Early morning visitor

[Pistolero]

Really cool to have an owl fly close by. . . . . . . and flap those big old
wings without the slightest sound.

Grey foxes are really unusual. Look like halfway between a canine and feline.
Claws really seem catlike to me. Not much at all like a red fox, which is
pure canine to me.

 

[Winelover]

Broad Winged Hawk taken the other day.

 

[smokeywolf]

Although a suburb to Los Angeles, with very little in the way of open land and ranches left, we have a surprising number of hawks and coyotes close by. When I first bought my little crackerbox of a tract home, most of the land around us was still orchard, horse pasture and sheep grazing.

John, keep those pics coming. Shows me what's waiting for me.

 

[Duckiller]

My grandmother had a different point of view when she was raising a family,early 1900s. Any hawks that threatened he chickens got blown out of the sky. As reported by an uncle that saw it happen.

 

[Winelover]

This evenings visitor. Black Rat Snake about 6 foot long.





Now where is that owl?

 

[smokeywolf]

Must be a lot of rats around there. He looks like he's doing well.

 

[Winelover]

Only "tree rats", mostly greys and few fox squirrels. Rat snakes also feed on birds and their eggs. Lots of lizards around. Probably part of their diet, also.



Collard Lizard




Fence racer

 

[smokeywolf]

Was kidding about the rats. He'll strike anything he thinks he can swallow.

 

[Winelover]

There actually are a profusion of rats in certain areas.....someone at the "dog park" was telling me about it.

 

[smokeywolf]

Think I'd just as soon have a couple of barn cats then barn snakes.

 

[Rick]

I've never seen a rat around here, a few field meeces but no rats.

I'd get a cat but a chew toy that bleeds all over the carpet just can't be a good thing.

Those black snakes are incredible tree climbers, they don't wrap around branches or anything else, they just go straight up the trunk of the tree. No idea how they grip the tree but straight up they go.

 

[RicinYakima]

Black snakes have several advantages over cats: they don't stink, they don't have 20 babies every year, they don't fight each other at night, they don't howl all night long when in heat, they don't rub spit all over you to mark you as stupid and last but not least, they are handsome.

 

[RicinYakima]

Well, maybe that was a little harsh, Ricie Poo. I don't have much of a problem with people's pet cats, just the neighbor lady who feeds all wild cats (two gallon tub every evening). She bragged about feeding over 30 strays this week on her front porch. Now there are no quail, no baby pheasants and not even squirrels! At least she is 90 this year, and can't last much longer. 10 years of feral cats has been enough!

 

[35 shooter]

I've enjoyed very much watching this thread. Pretty country and great pic's!!

 

[45 2.1]

Illinois DNR protects all predators except those costing the insurance companies money. We have more predators (two and four legged, you decide which) than we have game.

 

[Winelover]

Yes, it is pretty country. Here are a couple of Fall lake pictures.

 

[Winelover]

BTW, The bald eagle, in my avatar, was taken by my wife on Norfork Lake last Spring.





Nesting eagles are a common sight on the lake.

 

[Winelover]

Great Horned Owl, out back, at first light this AM.

 

[Brad]

My wife threw some old bread out on the patio. The deer had to wait for the turkeys to finish before they could come in.

 

[JWFilips]

This is a photo from a few years ago When we had a resident turkey for our winter: Tim our cat thought he was way cool! Visited us every morning for a month