Has anyone noticed...

[JeffCos]

About a year ago I started having a hawk frequent my neighborhood. He shows up every once-in-a-while, for about a week, kills a few things and then is on his way again. Two nights ago I went outside in the middle of the night to move my car into the driveway and there were birds singing in the trees. So apparently we now have nightingales. So has anyone else noticed some different wildlife where they live? Anyone know anything about birds or a good bird resource?

Jeff

 

[BoomerD]

I live in the Central Valley in Northern Kahleeforneeya...when we first moved here, I was amazed at the variety of wildlife in/around the local area. Red-tailed hawks, cranes, herons, ducks & geese of several species, vultures, coyotes, occasionally you see a fox, plus all the normal rodents; skunks, possums, etc. Not many deer here in the valley, but a few here & there. Within an hour's drive, I can see deer, bald eagles, golden eagles, a variety of hawks, etc.

 

[angminas]

I saw a pack of 4-6 deer running out of the mall parking lot tonight. I've never seen more than one at a time in a city before. I wish I'd been able to watch them longer, but another car scared them off into the trees.

What does a nightingale sound like? Recently there's been a loud night bird near my house. He has seemingly dozens of different vocalizations, each one sounding like a different bird, and he does each one 2-4 times, then moves on to another one. I haven't waited around to see how long he will sing.

When I was in high school, I went on a biology field trip to the lake about a mile from my house. My teacher caught a speckled kingsnake and let me hold it while he told the class about it. It bit me between my left index and middle fingers. It was as little as you could possibly feel and still call it pain. I felt sorry for the snake that he was so scared that he would use such an impotent bite on me.

When I go to people's homes, I've gotten in the habit of looking around and above their door for dangerous bugs, since most people don't stop to look at their own entryways very often. I've found several black widows, a brown recluse, and a huge nest of sleeping wasps that the people had no idea were there.

 

[nutxo]

A few nights ago I heard scratching at the door and the dog went over and started sniffing at the door frame. He does that when the cat wants in. I opened the door and a possum tried to walk in the house. I jumped like 2 feet straight in the air and slammed the door. I looked out the window and he just kind of ambled off.

We see packs of raccoons and possums all the time.