Animals in your garden

[JBtheExplorer]

Walked out into my native garden yesterday, heard a noise and looked up. A Great-horned Owl was watching over the garden in my neighbor's tree. It's not surprising. I've been hearing at least two of them for the past couple of weeks. Ended up seeing it again in the evening. It's the time of year when they're raising young, so they're probably busy hunting for whatever they can find. I'm not sure if they nested in my neighbors yard or out in the woods, but I know they're ALWAYS in my neighbor's yard lately.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Great-horned Owl

have a pair in my woods also. hear it at night. did see once last year. have a few hawks also.

 

[Sean Regan]

Sadly, we don't this one, or her other five brothers and sisters any more. They've all grown up and gone away.

But Rocky and his girlfriend Ruby come every day.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Sadly, we don't this one, or her other five brothers and sisters any more. They've all grown up and gone away.


View attachment 33911

Yeah, I know how that goes. Had a fox family living next door in 2016. It was a lot of fun to watch. Parents didn't return to the same den in 2017, but I did see one of them run through the yard last spring. I had never seen foxes before 2016, so having them so close was great. I really hope they stick around the area.

 

[Sean Regan]

Yeah, I know how that goes. Had a fox family living next door in 2016. It was a lot of fun to watch. Parents didn't return to the same den in 2017, but I did see one of them run through the yard last spring. I had never seen foxes before 2016, so having them so close was great. I really hope they stick around the area.

Our fox "Fiona," had a den under the tea-house. It sits on brick piers on paving slabs so there is between nine inches and a foot of clearance underneath. Three sides have "skirts" which don't quite reach the ground. But I left the back open so there could be a clear air passage underneath.

This is where they got in.

Once they'd left home I concreted the area between the back fence and the building covered it with sand and cement mortar and made a sturdy wooden frame with a double layer of chicken wire, so she couldn't dig under the frame and get back in again.
She did make a visit in February, maybe she was checking it out, but we've not seen her since in the garden, but occasionally trotting along the road outside with seemingly not a care in the world at around midnight.

These are the cubs playing, if you've not seen them. I took this with my little Lumix DMC TZ60 digital camera on "zoom," through the glass of our French windows. The audio is from a stock selection available from You-Tube you can substitute for the original sound.

We've a security light on the back of the shed facing the tea-house. It never bothered them when they set it off.

 

[mg guy]

Our fox "Fiona," had a den under the tea-house. It sits on brick piers on paving slabs so there is between nine inches and a foot of clearance underneath. Three sides have "skirts" which don't quite reach the ground. But I left the back open so there could be a clear air passage underneath.

This is where they got in.

View attachment 33924

Once they'd left home I concreted the area between the back fence and the building covered it with sand and cement mortar and made a sturdy wooden frame with a double layer of chicken wire, so she couldn't dig under the frame and get back in again.
She did make a visit in February, maybe she was checking it out, but we've not seen her since in the garden, but occasionally trotting along the road outside with seemingly not a care in the world at around midnight.


View attachment 33925

These are the cubs playing, if you've not seen them. I took this with my little Lumix DMC TZ60 digital camera on "zoom," through the glass of our French windows. The audio is from a stock selection available from You-Tube you can substitute for the original sound.

We've a security light on the back of the shed facing the tea-house. It never bothered them when they set it off.

foxtrot boogie woogie style! great vid!

 

[Sean Regan]

This guy is an occasional visitor.

I took this on zoom, from our back bedroom window, late one evening last year.
It's on the roof of a gazebo at the bottom of the garden of the house next door but one. They've a koi pool, but like mine the fish are too big for a heron. There's a small pond in the garden, two houses to the right of it, with several tasty goldfish in it. The house you can see behind the gazebo must be at least 150ft away from it.

 

[Gemma]

This little dude helped himself to my kale last summer

 

[Mike Allen]

Taken through glass. A rare visit today from this Long Tailed Tit.

View attachment 32629

Great Tits on the left, Blue Tits on the right.
View attachment 32630

Regarding the long tailed tits. It must be a couple of years ago. I entered my garden to an orchestral and ornithorlogical outburst. Maybe a local nest of fledglings had come out for the first time. Truly I was amazed. I am so involved with natural history/science, this made me feel like I was suddenly in a Walt Disney film. This is gospel truth. As I walked towards my greenhouse, a flock of these delightful friends fluttered about me, it was amazing, unbelieveable but true. Sadly due to the sudden increase in the local cat population, I have had to stop feeding our tiny delightful feathered folk.

 

[Sheal]

I have up to six Long Tailed Tits visiting my garden to feed now and they seem happier being close to humans than most of the other birds that visit. That will account for the flock fluttering around you and I think most of us wildlife lovers feel honoured when animals and birds are comfortable enough to venture so close. My bird table is no more than 6ft above ground and the Tits are quite happy to come to the feeders while I'm dropping food on the slabs below for ground feeders, particularly Chaffinches.

It was snowing at the time I took these pictures.

Out of the mix of things I put out for the birds to eat the Long Tailed Tits always go for this feeder containing some cheap plain biscuits, in this case Rich Tea.

The cats shouldn't be a problem. I've moved from an area that had a minimum of twelve cats close by. If it's possible for you to have a bird table in the middle of an open space (perhaps a lawn) the birds will be happy to visit and will spot a prowling cat quickly. I'm now living rurally and the problem here is birds of prey, the birds at the table spot them a lot quicker than I do. I now know when the birds scatter and become totally silent to look up or out over the valley, and sure enough their will be at least one bird of prey in flight looking for it's next meal.

 

[Gemma]

Not a good shot but you can see a few deer eating at the feeder....the funny thing is that I bought a camera, I just haven't had the time (will) to learn how to use it

 

[Sam Smith]

I have chickens and ducks in my garden

 

[Sean Regan]

Not a good shot but you can see a few deer eating at the feeder....the funny thing is that I bought a camera, I just haven't had the time (will) to learn how to use itView attachment 34227

Don't you find that there's far too much on cameras these days?

I've a Lumix DMC TZ60. Which has all sorts of "apps" as well as wifi, which I've never used.
It's just as easy to plug it into your laptop to download the contents.

I like the fact that the zoom works well and you can close in on a subject whilst videoing it.

But other than taking "snaps" I've no other uses for it. It has a Leica lens so the pictures come out really well.

 

[Gemma]

I have chickens and ducks in my garden

I love chickens!!!
I bought 5 babies last years, thought I could keep them in the basement while we built them a coop, oh my what was I thinking?... I had no idea they'd grow so fast, the dust they produce, the amount of work involved to keep them clean indoor and odor free ..within days they were out of the tank so had to go buy them a temporary coop to keep them from pooping allover the place
It took us a few months to build the coop, but I love it!

 

[Gemma]

Don't you find that there's far too much on cameras these days?

I've a Lumix DMC TZ60. Which has all sorts of "apps" as well as wifi, which I've never used.
It's just as easy to plug it into your laptop to download the contents.

I like the fact that the zoom works well and you can close in on a subject whilst videoing it.

But other than taking "snaps" I've no other uses for it. It has a Leica lens so the pictures come out really well.

For sure!...and not just on cameras