urban wildlife
Jun. 14th, 2008 11:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elizabearOne of the bunnies in our back yard just came out to grab some lunch. When I told a friend recently that we had seen two bunnies together in the yard, she commented that if we had two, we were fairly certain to have more than two. ;)
I like the yard bunnies. We see them in the same spots and we see them every couple of days, so there's probably a burrow back there. The spot in the yard where the previous owners had a garden is still turning out carrots and who knows what, so the bunnies are probably foraging well even though the greens are mowed down every two weeks so the veggies aren't getting to be full size.
The ducks always herald the spring by splashing down in the pool. They show up together a lot until the eggs are laid, then they take turns foraging. My favorite part of the summer is when Mama Duck brings the tumbling line of babies into the yard for birdseed snacks. They get used to us, and won't run away unless we get within about 10ft. Sometimes Mama Duck stands in the yard and quacks until I bring out some seed, so she has me well-trained.
Spotting the groundhog is a rare treat - the photo two weeks ago was only the second time I'd seen one in the back yard in about two years. I don't think he lives in my yard, but visits now and then.
No sign of the muskrats this year. I'm perfectly happy to have them replaced with bunnies, since there's more than enough green stuff to spare for the bunnies (just stay away from the tomatoes and herbs, fluff-face!), and they don't build dams in the brook like the muskrats do.
And the rats have not reappeared since I put poison down the rat holes a few years ago. I enjoy the wildlife in the yard, but the rats were killing the baby bunnies and chasing off the birds. They had to go.
One of my friends who lives in the area and also has a variety of wildlife in the yard says it makes her feel like Snow White to sit and watch them frolic outside her windows.
I like the yard bunnies. We see them in the same spots and we see them every couple of days, so there's probably a burrow back there. The spot in the yard where the previous owners had a garden is still turning out carrots and who knows what, so the bunnies are probably foraging well even though the greens are mowed down every two weeks so the veggies aren't getting to be full size.
The ducks always herald the spring by splashing down in the pool. They show up together a lot until the eggs are laid, then they take turns foraging. My favorite part of the summer is when Mama Duck brings the tumbling line of babies into the yard for birdseed snacks. They get used to us, and won't run away unless we get within about 10ft. Sometimes Mama Duck stands in the yard and quacks until I bring out some seed, so she has me well-trained.
Spotting the groundhog is a rare treat - the photo two weeks ago was only the second time I'd seen one in the back yard in about two years. I don't think he lives in my yard, but visits now and then.
No sign of the muskrats this year. I'm perfectly happy to have them replaced with bunnies, since there's more than enough green stuff to spare for the bunnies (just stay away from the tomatoes and herbs, fluff-face!), and they don't build dams in the brook like the muskrats do.
And the rats have not reappeared since I put poison down the rat holes a few years ago. I enjoy the wildlife in the yard, but the rats were killing the baby bunnies and chasing off the birds. They had to go.
One of my friends who lives in the area and also has a variety of wildlife in the yard says it makes her feel like Snow White to sit and watch them frolic outside her windows.
