Wild critters at your home?

[NaphtaliPress]

So, we have folks from all over on the PB, what kind of wild life do you have that live at your place? Not pets or stuff but the wild critters, out of the ordinary maybe? Where I live we are hosts to at least 4 raptors; a pair at least of large owls (1 pictured), and apparently a family of three red tail hawks, and plenty of other birds, including some large red headed woodpeckers. Also the nightly visitors, the raccoons, possums, etc.

 

[MrMerlin777]

Man! I love owls. I think they're one of the most beautiful birds of prey God has placed on this earth.

I'm not so sure of the critters around where I'm living now. But when I was in Charleston SC we had Aligators.

When I was on Okinawa we had Geckos, Fruit Bats, and Mongoose.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

Man! I love owls. I think they're one of the most beautiful birds of prey God has placed on this earth.

I'm not so sure of the critters around where I'm living now. But when I was in Charleston SC we had Aligators.

When I was on Okinawa we had Geckos, Fruit Bats, and Mongoose.

Yep; the Owls are cool. Kind of like flying cats. The wing span on these we have here are huge! I"m not sure if they are horned owls or not; have not seen any horns! But they are large as opposed to the more common screech Owl. Five or more Blue Jays were screeching at something late this afternoon and I went out and walked under a tree; this fellow or one like him pictured in my first post peered down at me and took off; the owls don't like you lookin at them.

The hawks are fun too; this last Lord's day it appeared a pair were trying to teach something to a third flying above our house. They seem to nest at the edge of our property in some trees; we have a wooded lot in central Dallas; properly old East Dallas near the lake.

 

[dswatts]

In rural South central WI...

we have deer, turkeys, pheasants, woodpeckers, owls, woodchucks, 'coons, opossums, chipmunks, squirrels, geese, ducks, cranes, skunks, grouse, quail.

I love it!

 

[NaphtaliPress]

we have deer, turkeys, pheasants, woodpeckers, owls, woodchucks, 'coons, opossums, chipmunks, squirrels, geese, ducks, cranes, skunks, grouse, quail.

I love it!

Except for maybe the skunks. We used to have jackrabbits. I think the only rabbits left in the area are on a property next to us, a 6 acre property which is probably the largest natural woodland privately owned lot in central Dallas.

Speaking of critters. When I was growing up I distinctly remember the horned toads here. The last horned toad I saw was probably in the mid or early 1970s. The pesticides got them all.

 

[VictorBravo]

we have deer, turkeys, pheasants, woodpeckers, owls, woodchucks, 'coons, opossums, chipmunks, squirrels, geese, ducks, cranes, skunks, grouse, quail.

I love it!

We have all of those except the turkeys, but we also have coyotes (one jumped the 6 foot fence and came into our backyard last year). I hit a deer once traveling down a main arterial early in the morning.

And we live in the middle of a pretty urban area.

 

[Herald]

Right at this moment there is a squirrel in our attic. The pest control guy came over today and placed two live traps. I hope with catch it before it tears our attic apart.

 

[tewilder]

So, we have folks from all over on the PB, what kind of wild life do you have that live at your place? Not pets or stuff but the wild critters, out of the ordinary maybe? Where I live we are hosts to at least 4 raptors; a pair at least of large owls (1 pictured), and apparently a family of three red tail hawks, and plenty of other birds, including some large red headed woodpeckers. Also the nightly visitors, the raccoons, possums, etc.

Where I live, inside a major metropolitan area, we have deer, cayotes, ducks, a snapping turtle, and hugely excessive numbers of Canadian geese.

The cat belonging to one of the neighbors tried to stalk a deer once. You have to admire the ambition.

 

[Ivan]

we have deer, turkeys, pheasants, woodpeckers, owls, woodchucks, 'coons, opossums, chipmunks, squirrels, geese, ducks, cranes, skunks, grouse, quail.

I love it!

I've seen fox too.

 

[Ivan]

Interesting...there are deer warning signs in urban areas near Milwaukee.

 

[RamistThomist]

I was fishing in the bayou across the road a few summers ago and almost caught an alligator. I almost had it reeled in and then I lost him (her).

 

[toddpedlar]

Yep; the Owls are cool. Kind of like flying cats. The wing span on these we have here are huge! I"m not sure if they are horned owls or not; have not seen any horns! But they are large as opposed to the more common screech Owl. Five or more Blue Jays were screeching at something late this afternoon and I went out and walked under a tree; this fellow or one like him pictured in my first post peered down at me and took off; the owls don't like you lookin at them.

The hawks are fun too; this last Lord's day it appeared a pair were trying to teach something to a third flying above our house. They seem to nest at the edge of our property in some trees; we have a wooded lot in central Dallas; properly old East Dallas near the lake.

Hi Chris -

I'm pretty sure what you have pictured is a barn owl - great horned don't have the heart-shaped white face like yours does. The great horned owls look much more like the owl character in the Pooh cartoons. Barn owls are quite beautiful In my humble opinion - and they can be REALLY big - though great horned can be about half again as big as the barnies.

Todd

 

[BJClark]

We have owls, woodpeckers, squirrels, opposum, raccoons, snakes, gators,
hawks, turtles--just to name a few I've seen close to my house...

Out where my husband used to work they had a black bear and lots of deer running around...along w/ all the other critters, my husband trapped about 3 raccoons in the garbage can and let them go out near the creek on the property...

 

[turmeric]

On the way to work this morning I heard geese - but they were flying south! I don't get it - every year these geese fly north in winter and south in spring. Maybe they're just looking for the main flock, I don't know.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

Hi Chris -

I'm pretty sure what you have pictured is a barn owl - great horned don't have the heart-shaped white face like yours does. The great horned owls look much more like the owl character in the Pooh cartoons. Barn owls are quite beautiful In my humble opinion - and they can be REALLY big - though great horned can be about half again as big as the barnies.

Todd

Thanks Todd; happy to know that. Of course it begs the question, where's the barn? They tend to like the dense evergreen, what they can find this time of year, to hang out in during the day. The other day one was in a cedar right next to the house.

 

[tcalbrecht]

Turkey vultures. Big, ugly birds. The trees around our place will be thick with them at times.

I recall a few years ago stepping out of our front door just as a vulture came screaming across the roof of the house and swooped down into the front yard.

I almost soiled by trousers.

 

[Richard King]

nothing but the doves that feed in the backyard with the mockingbirds. cardinals and bluejays etc.
and a possum once in the garage.
...and then there are the four grandchildren.
Where is that tranquilizer gun?

 

[Chris]

deer, turkey, quail, dove, rabbit, squirrel, skunk, opossum, raccoon, fox, coyote, bobcat, a few ducks and geese from time to time......pretty much everything..