I've been on the lookout for a pregnant doe who will give birth to and raise her fawn on my property. I think I spotted a candidate.
My daylilies, that have never been bothered by the locals before, now look like a bear has been sleeping on them. Since that's unlikely, i'm wondering: rabbit frolic? raccoon trample? squirrel races??
Most fun sight lately: squirrel jumping on some sod that was lying there waiting to be planted, wrangling off a chunk, rolling around playing and tussling with it. Maybe "play" isn't quite correct, but it sure looks that way.
mjc said:
My daylilies, that have never been bothered by the locals before, now look like a bear has been sleeping on them. Since that's unlikely, i'm wondering: rabbit frolic? raccoon trample? squirrel races??
Most fun sight lately: squirrel jumping on some sod that was lying there waiting to be planted, wrangling off a chunk, rolling around playing and tussling with it. Maybe "play" isn't quite correct, but it sure looks that way.
Feral cats slumbering? My male feral, Sasquatch, loves to sleep among the daffodils. He has an assortment of comfy beds, in heated cat houses, in plastic insulated igloos, on a raised table by a window in the garage or on an open, covered front porch which I rearrange constantly for him and his squeeze Poly Chrome. But often nature cries out and he must snooze in his field of dreams.
Could be a cat, i suppose. Not aware of any ferals around, but there's an "outdoor" pet next door. Haven't seen him in our yard yet this spring, though. And who knows who comes by at night.
Love your pix! Kitties certainly look at ease.
mjc said:
Could be a cat, i suppose. Not aware of any ferals around, but there's an "outdoor" pet next door. Haven't seen him in our yard yet this spring, though. And who knows who comes by at night.
Love your pix! Kitties certainly look at ease.
He just showed up, already eartipped so TNRd. She was relocated as my friend trapped her to spay but couldn't return her to her spot in Newark as people were trying to hit her with their cars, She lived next to a parking lot. I tried to tame her and get her adopted but she was spooked. After a month we released her and I provided shelter. He came a few months later and she fell in love. Her resisted for months but she wore him down.
At times when I'm feeding them she will let me pet her now. I can't touch him. I've opened my door and walked away, they walk in for a minute but if they see me they bolt. I'll wait. It's only been four years.
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I've started a thread in Pets & Animals on this topic
Where The Wild Things Are - Coexisting with Compassion in the Garden
I've had 30 years of gardening on an acre of half wooded half landscaped property in South Orange and no surprise I had to learn what my fur and feathered friends would allow me to grow.
Winters, I have as many as 13 deer lounging on the lawn, each Spring a doe gives birth in the woods and nurses in my backyard, and late summer to autumn it is a haven for does and fawn, with young males wrestling with their antlers and large bucks lording over the land.
Woodchucks raise babies, in the underground tunnels and all enjoy the flora and fauna.
Joining the fray are raccoons, opossum, cats and birds.
If this sounds challenging, it is easier than you think.