My New Fox !!!!!

Road Runners !!! How Cool !!! Got to love the critters...got this guy that hangs around, but is not very photo-friendly...

I was sad the other day. A couple sparrow built a nest in between the grill and radiator of my truck. I ended up taking the truck to the body shop to get it cleaned out. The guys had to take the grill out entirely.

When he brought the nest over, it was about the size of a basketball. There were a dozen eggs too all cooked.

OTOH there are bunnies living on the hillside behind my house. They also hang out in the lilacs up front.

Phil

We have "urban" foxes in London.

Here is a regular visitor to drink water out of the pond.

Ian - Could your visitor be a survivor of a Royal Hunt?  The one that got away?  

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2519123/Did-Royal-hunt-chase-fox-village-Prince-Charless-favourite-hunt-investigated-police.html

Marleysky wrote:Ian - Could your visitor be a survivor of a Royal Hunt?  The one that got away?  

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2519123/Did-Royal-hunt-chase-fox-village-Prince-Charless-favourite-hunt-investigated-police.html

I doubt it. The one that got away would have been a "Country" fox and much healthier. These "Urban" foxes don't have a very good life and don't live for very long.

They are scavengers and raid dustbins - primarily living on scraps. The slightest injury or scratch and the wound will soon get infected - not a pleasant way to go.

It is hard to be sympathetic though - people lose their little pets -kittens, rabbits and puppies to them. They are killers but, quite often, they get on the wrong side of a fully grown cat. One scratch or but from a pussy cat and it is all over (slowly!)

I tolerate but don't encourage them.

I tried to include video from my stealth cam of a large male bear with credentials to match taking down my bird feeder but the file was too large to load. To bad, it's awe inspiring. Over the years he has destroyed many a feeder, this is just one of them.

rsv1cox wrote:I tried to include video from my stealth cam of a large male bear with credentials to match taking down my bird feeder but the file was too large to load.  To bad, it's awe inspiring.  Over the years he has destroyed many a feeder, this is just one of them.

Holy $h@#.... (and I thought squirrels were bad..) I'm sure you'll re-erect it.. We love our bird-watching/feeding! I'd try resetting the post in a 5-gal plastic pail filled with concrete.. and adding maybe 2 feet to the top. That might defeat a small Black Bear..

I built a 10 foot feeder-pole from 1.25" dia. steel elec. conduit with brackets at the top for the feeders.. and strapped it to a post on our deck within viewing-range.

I love to blend seed. Currently I have a blend to attract finches. I installed two brackets to accommodate both; a tube-feeder and a cedar feeder. Some birds prefer the cedar feeder.. and would not feed, if it wasn't there. There are two screw-posts for suet-baskets, which I hang by their handles.. along with a piece of tie-wire for security. The first feeding this season with the "Finch-Blend" seed, was devoured by the squirrels in one day!  

The squirrels are little pigs... (in the shape of squirrels.. ) and will climb the pole.. and scoop the seed out with their paws.. until it's all gone (in one sitting.. ).. I had installed a clear-acrylic "squirrel-baffle" when I erected the pole in 2013. It worked very well.. but it only lasted a couple of seasons.. due to weathering.

acrylic baffle 2013



I looked at steel baffles a few weeks ago.. but thought; "I should be able to make something that would repel the little gluttons.."  

This has worked so far.



It's just a thin flat plastic disc.. 24" dia. with a center-hole cut for the pole.. and sliced through one side, to install... and the seam taped-up with "Gorilla" duct-tape. A Hose-clamp beneath; holds the elevation on the pole. I witnessed a squirrel trying to defeat it... He fell and banged his nose ("face-planted") on the deck-railing.. and hasn't been back since!  

The Hummingbirds have been visiting! They are one of nature's marvels; beating their wings typically around 50 times/second.. or close to 1/5 the rpm's of our standard Cox engines running at 15k. They can fly backward at speeds up to 34 mph! Lovely little creatures!

Hummingbird wiki

Many birds like to feed from the suet cages.. but the most enjoyable to see are the woodpeckers. We have identified 4 species thus far. I enjoy experimenting with different suet-blends to see who likes what! Hot-Pepper seems to be a favorite of the woodpeckers. Then there's "Mealworm".. "Peanut-Delight".. "Apple".. "Cherry".. and "High-Energy blend". I have also blended dried-mealworms into my seed mixes. It's expensive.. but you get lots of visitors! Sunflower "kernels" are a big hit too.. but more expensive/pound than black-oil sunflower seed. I also buy unsalted roasted peanuts in the shell.. and cracked-corn that I sprinkle out on the deck.. along with 1/2-cup of seed for the ground-feeders, chip-monks and squirrels.. for entertainment for our 3 indoor kitties; who love to watch from the slider-screen that leads to the deck.



The mourning-doves are strictly ground-feeders.. and are very timid.. along with the beautiful Cardinals. The Cardinals will also use the cedar feeder.. but will never access the tube feeder.





Not much to do with "Foxes"... but we have seen them dash across the yard! I haven't been able to capture a frame yet though.