  Maof2 Member Username: Maof2 Post Number: 38 Registered: 06-2008 |
As I was gazing out my window this morning with a cup of coffee in hand, i noticed two squirrels playing and scurrying up a tree. As I sipped my coffee I thought how cute these two squirrels were beginning their day. Then suddenly, these little critters froze, starring at the ground. To my horror, as my eyes glanced toward the ground, there it was! The predator, starring these two squirrles down till they froze in their tracks. As I looked toward the fence, his homeboys (3 of them) were ready to back him up. At that point, I could no longer look and walked away. A few weeks ago, they swooped down on a black bird and caught him in mid-air and dropped him on my sidewalk. Next thing ya know, their gonna go after my pooch! Ok, now how do I get these birds to go back where they came from, say maybe and old Alfred Hitchcock movie. | ||
Django Member Username: Django Post Number: 1275 Registered: 10-2003 |
He didnt eat the blackbird? Thats weird. Good luck. | ||
Mama_jackson Member Username: Mama_jackson Post Number: 372 Registered: 06-2006 |
Do you or your neighbor feed the birds? They may well be stopping at the "Ole Country Buffet" of the bird feeder. Easy pickins'. My neighbor feeds the birds the mixture of corn and seeds and we have had some of the most interesting birds of prey stopping by the "buffet". Owls, Peregrine falcons, hawks, etc. They swoop down, take out a Starling or whatever and take off. I get grossed out over it. I spoke with the neighbor. They aren't going to stop feeding 'em. So, oh well. I will keep cleaning up the bird poop and getting grossed out. Don't want to let my feelings about germy bird poop mess with their "pursuit of happiness" in their backyard. Firecrackers could chase them off. But you have to be home and consistant with it. A different neighbor (right next to the person who feeds the birds) had the starlings eating his raspberries yesterday. He let loose a M-20 and chased the starlings out for the rest of the afternoon. They are back today. | ||
Maof2 Member Username: Maof2 Post Number: 39 Registered: 06-2008 |
I don't think they ate the bird because we were right there. We scooped it up and my daughter and her friend went and buried it. Hmmmm, firecrackers, I've got plenty left over from the 4th! We live behind a school yard and that's where they've been handing out. Again, attacking the school kids ala "The Birds" | ||
Maof2 Member Username: Maof2 Post Number: 40 Registered: 06-2008 |
that's "hanging" out | ||
Crystal Member Username: Crystal Post Number: 222 Registered: 05-2007 |
I find it hard to believe that a bird of prey would attack a human unless the human was actively poking around in its nest. A Great horned owl could try to take a very small, unattended puppy or kitten. Other than that, pooches are safe. Birds of prey have their place. That place, of course, is wherever there are prey. Be happy that the birds of prey are helping keep the rodent population in check. Cute is definitely in the eye of the beholder. Red squirrels raid my flicker and wood duck nest boxes, chew wires in the garage, and chew screen on the porch. I would be happy to have more birds of prey visit our yard at mealtime. As a wild bird rehabilitator I take several calls a year from homeowners who want us to relocate the hawks and falcons that take their feeder birds. We explain to them that it would be unlawful to trap or harass the birds of prey, suggest that feeder birds need shrubs and other good forms of cover, and help put the predator's role in an ecosystem in perspective. Please don't use firecrackers. Birds of prey and almost all songbirds are federally protected and harassment of them is unlawful. | ||
E_hemingway Member Username: E_hemingway Post Number: 1709 Registered: 11-2004 |
quote: Ummm... How about you go back to where you came from? This sounds like classic urban sprawl plowing over natural habitat. Like it or not, hawks were probably there scooping up squirrels and other rodents way before your McMansion invaded their home. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 7576 Registered: 10-2003 |
Ah, classic DYes snarkiness. Gotta love it. | ||
Maof2 Member Username: Maof2 Post Number: 41 Registered: 06-2008 |
No "McMansion" here E. Really, I have no intentions of setting off firecrackers. Just a little unsettling to watch. I have lived in the "old" neighborhood for many years and this is the first we've seen them. Now as for the rodents, they can have 'em. | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 2384 Registered: 08-2007 |
Remember, things like mice, sparrows and other plentiful small creatures have their place in the food chain. Because of that, they reproduce readily and have more than one brood per season. Absence of predators gives them an advantage that can lead to serious overpopulation and disease for them. I'd be more worried about the well fed housecats on the prowl than nature's own control system. Crystal has it right, you can increase the intended dinner's chances of survival by adding cover. We have a thick hedge and many trees, and things seem to come out okay. You can check this site out, National Wildlife Federation Backyard Habitat Program, for some ideas: http://www.nwf.org/backyard/ | ||
Jcole Member Username: Jcole Post Number: 2446 Registered: 04-2005 |
I guess I didn't realize that hawks travelled in packs of 3 or 4. I thought they were more loners.I've seen buzzards in groups, but I've only seen single hawks | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 2387 Registered: 08-2007 |
I think this might be a half grown bunch, teenagers out on the prowl. | ||
Crystal Member Username: Crystal Post Number: 223 Registered: 05-2007 |
Hawks tend to migrate together, but they do not travel in packs. The group of three or four might have been juveniles following parents. | ||
Crystal Member Username: Crystal Post Number: 224 Registered: 05-2007 |
Nature is not good or bad, or cruel or kind, but it sure seems that way sometimes. This spring we watched a blue jay fly off with a songbird nestling. And just last week, parent cardinals were feeding a big baby cowbird. Where the cardinals' own babies were, we do not know. | ||
Jams Member Username: Jams Post Number: 9343 Registered: 10-2003 |
I don't mind the Peregrines in my neighborhood snatching the occasional bird or rodent for lunch. Watching them in the sky is a magnificent sight, especially when I'm only a couple of miles from the CBD. | ||
Alan55 Member Username: Alan55 Post Number: 1972 Registered: 09-2005 |
You have nature in your backyard and it upsets you? Why? Nature often seems cruel - it isn't a Disney movie. | ||
Colgatesmile Member Username: Colgatesmile Post Number: 15 Registered: 06-2008 |
"Nature often seems cruel - it isn't a Disney movie." Disney can be cruel too The mothers of both Bambi and Dumbo are shot by hunters Nemo's mom is killed, Simba's dad falls down a cliff, Cinderella is abused by stepmom and sisters, Sleeping Beauty..well sleeps, Pocahontas leaves family, and others (Message edited by colgatesmile on July 11, 2008) (Message edited by colgatesmile on July 11, 2008) | ||
Crystal Member Username: Crystal Post Number: 225 Registered: 05-2007 |
Not sure if "Ice Age" was a Disney movie, but... the mother of the human baby dies early in that movie. Hopefully these movies are rated PG and not G. | ||
Maof2 Member Username: Maof2 Post Number: 42 Registered: 06-2008 |
Aw, come on Alan. I like Disney Movies!••• And I like nature too but to see a hawk pulverize another critter well, ewww. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 7585 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: So true... http://www.alyandaj.com/welcom e.php | ||
Maof2 Member Username: Maof2 Post Number: 47 Registered: 06-2008 |
Now that's funny Johnlodge!! | ||
Craig Member Username: Craig Post Number: 891 Registered: 02-2007 |
Crosmann 1000 fps on sale now at Dunham's for when nature/natural selection needs a jump-start. NAS has been howling about how the lack of predation upon deer & racoons is playing hell with songbirds. I don't mind helping, and the birds would probably applaud if they were able. | ||
Crystal Member Username: Crystal Post Number: 229 Registered: 05-2007 |
To kill or harass a bird of prey breaks state and federal laws. The DNR and US Fish & Wildlife Service take a very dim view on such actions. A quick read of the DNR Wire or USFWS Tip Sheet will show they mean business. Deer and raccoon populations do not impact songbird populations nearly as much as loss of habitat. | ||
Craig Member Username: Craig Post Number: 893 Registered: 02-2007 |
...hold your breath and squeeze, don't jerk. After growing cover, sowing native seed-bearing plants, and providing nesting boxes it is up to the civic-minded to do things beyond the pale. I atone for the short-sighted development and wildlife management policies of our forebearers through a four-power scope. | ||
Crystal Member Username: Crystal Post Number: 230 Registered: 05-2007 |
In the really big picture, to kill one bird of prey does far more harm than good. Let science guide you as you try to do your part in being civic-minded. There are not - repeat not - too many birds of prey. I'm not sure I can say the same thing about Mute swans, Canada geese, or Starlings. Rock doves can be a problem as well, but I have a soft spot for them. (My very first rehab bird was a racing pigeon with a broken leg.) | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 2388 Registered: 08-2007 |
Americans have had a love-hate relationship with the rest of nature since coming to this nation. They probably brought it with them. Rather than seeing all things spiritually connected and each serving its purpose in the cycle of life, Americans view these things in an unrealistic way. You don't like predators to kill things? Then how do you justify your urge to kill them in revenge, or to prevent them from filling their place in the cycle of life? Revenge serves no natural purpose. Trying to alter the cycle of life creates more problems than it solves. On the other hand, killing things to eat them is what we all do. | ||
Craig Member Username: Craig Post Number: 894 Registered: 02-2007 |
To be clear I only throw rocks at birds of prey. Fate determines whether they are irritated or injured. With the 'coons its come Gotteramdung (sp?). We're seeing them everywhere: nests emptied of eggs and hatchlings, frogs suddenly gone from the pond, and even the baby rabbits have vanished. Wish that it didn't have to come to this, but the racoons are sweeping up everything edible and to quote Ssgt. Barnes: I'm not going to allow that. | ||
Craig Member Username: Craig Post Number: 895 Registered: 02-2007 |
Explosive and unchecked growth in varmint populations isn't natural. We're not on Isle Royale where wolf and moose populations adapt to a self-correcting pattern. This habitat is ideally suited to 'coons, both in terms of shelter and forage, meaning the extinction of songbirds and frogs will hardly slow them down. Is a guy with a gun a natural solution? Obviously not, but it is a means for interrupting local extinction. Further, thinning these is on par with sniping that we did against Detroit rats: elimination of occupants of an unnaturally large ecological niche. Btw - if you'd like to eat these coons you can have them. As it is they're being recycled deep under my berry bushes. | ||
Crystal Member Username: Crystal Post Number: 232 Registered: 05-2007 |
All excellent points, Craig. I have a healthy respect for raccoons. I know three families whose homes or businesses had fires caused by raccoons chewing wiring. A raccoon is a formidable animal. A Great horned owl, a top predator for sure, might try to take an unattended kit but never an adult. Every year, humane societies face a challenge as they try to relocate the trapped raccoons, woodchucks, opossums, and (insert varmint name) brought to them by exasperated homeowners. | ||
Django Member Username: Django Post Number: 1278 Registered: 10-2003 |
As I understand, Mao just wants to make sure lil puppy doesnt get hauled away via wicked witch of the west. I believe that was the main concern.??? Where can I get some broods of hawks for my hood? Weve got plenty of mice rats, and no surviving dogs smaller than a pitbull on my block. | ||
Maof2 Member Username: Maof2 Post Number: 51 Registered: 06-2008 |
Django, that's what we were joking about at the old homestead. I suppose if my pooch were a little "leaner", she'd be a gonner! | ||
Craig Member Username: Craig Post Number: 896 Registered: 02-2007 |
Crystal - coons, geese, gulls and others have exploded beyond their niches. Management of some sort is in order until balance is re-achieved. Personally, I don't like the coyote but its spread may be the solution that we need for a lot of problems (including these damn domestic and feral cats). Agree 100 percent current load of raptors/predators. My weakness is an affection for my backyard birds. Yes, I'm meddling when I toss a stone but I don't have the heart to witness an avian version "Wolves of Minnong" or "Selfish Gene" over my garden. Ma & DJ - pup may be safe from a bird (but don't take my word for it) but I understand that there is a hypothesis that is gaining steam with growing evidence: humankind's development has been shaped, in part, by predation by birds. Not Rocs scooping up sailors but big raptors in Africa snagging little pre-modern humans. "Man as Prey" or something like that is the last I've read on this. Just something to think about as Sparky chases a tennis ball. | ||
Maof2 Member Username: Maof2 Post Number: 53 Registered: 06-2008 |
Gaz, Craig and Crystal - You are all a wealth of information on said topic and then some. | ||
Downriviera Member Username: Downriviera Post Number: 811 Registered: 02-2008 |
It would be great if we had some of these to pick off a few crack dealers and panhandlers.  | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 687 Registered: 02-2007 |
We have not one, but two eagles at Fort Wayne that we all witnessed this weekend, and our foxes keep the rodentia to a minimum. Being Native American and seeing eagles around the fort gives me the impression that we are guarded constantly by those sent by The Great Spirit. Could there be anything really bad about that? The explosion of 'coons and the like is, in my opinion, due to our encroachment into their natural habitats, pushing them into places that we never saw them before. The amount of urban garbage makes for easy pickings for them, too. We have deer in places by my house that we never had them before, and they were foraging in my neighborhood just a couple of years ago back. In the rear of our yard, you could plainly see where they were bedding for the night as the taller grass that I never mowed along the fence would be all matted down in the mornings! As for the predatory birds, they are beautiful(except for the turkey vultures-yuck, what an ugly bird!)to watch with their ever graceful wings outspread to catch even the slightest hint of a breeze, and they are more than graceful even when swooping in for the kill. After all, I'm sure we've all heard of natural selection. It is, indeed, survival of the fittest.... | ||
Bulletmagnet Member Username: Bulletmagnet Post Number: 1420 Registered: 01-2007 |
RUN! They will tangle your hair! |
