Wildlife Sightings
- Thread starter JSparrow
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We had very unexpected guests in our back yard today! It's been overcast and rainy. Apparently, these mallards think our back yard is a great place to hang.
I took this shot a couple of hours ago. They're still here at the moment - been a fun afternoon of watching ducks waddle around, nibble on grass, and just sit quietly.
I took this shot a couple of hours ago. They're still here at the moment - been a fun afternoon of watching ducks waddle around, nibble on grass, and just sit quietly.
Joy
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Great thread; I wish I had time to really read it in detail. I live in the mountains of SE Pennsylvania, where we have quite a variety. Any pics I have are several years old, as we get the same visitors frequently. Squirrels, chipmunks, moles, mice, white tailed deer (in abundance), possum, skunk, fox (vixen's screams are like someone being murdered) and racoon are common. A black bear was relocated several years ago, so I have not seen it for a while. Once I opened our deck door to let our late cat, Jake in, and a large bear was standing right there!
Lots of birds present, too - hawks, chickadees, finches, robins, jays, cardinals, sparrows, goldfinch, hummingbirds, grosbeak, juncos, titmice, towhee, starlings, grackel, woodpeckers (downy, hairy, red bellied, and pileated). Also the occasional oriole, catbird, cowbird, indigo bunting, and many others I cannot think of now. Last week at the range we saw some wild turkeys. At the ranges (which are in the woods) we have seen turkey vultures, fox, and black snakes. One was at least four feet long.
Our "big" wildlife news is about 3 miles from our home, on the way to downtown (another two miles). I had noticed what I postulated to be a disused hawk's nest on the way home. Turned out it was bald eagles! Many are stopping to see it, as we drive by there frequently. When I saw them in Maine, I never would have guessed they would be practically down the street from me!
Lots of birds present, too - hawks, chickadees, finches, robins, jays, cardinals, sparrows, goldfinch, hummingbirds, grosbeak, juncos, titmice, towhee, starlings, grackel, woodpeckers (downy, hairy, red bellied, and pileated). Also the occasional oriole, catbird, cowbird, indigo bunting, and many others I cannot think of now. Last week at the range we saw some wild turkeys. At the ranges (which are in the woods) we have seen turkey vultures, fox, and black snakes. One was at least four feet long.
Our "big" wildlife news is about 3 miles from our home, on the way to downtown (another two miles). I had noticed what I postulated to be a disused hawk's nest on the way home. Turned out it was bald eagles! Many are stopping to see it, as we drive by there frequently. When I saw them in Maine, I never would have guessed they would be practically down the street from me!
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Wow Joy, that's a fantastic wildlife list! So much to watch and enjoy. The bear must have been a surprise. The bald eagle nest is very exciting!
Our summer migrants have started turning up now. I saw my first swallows last week, chiffchaffs and willow warblers are arriving in droves and I tried in vain to locate a grasshopper warbler as well, which sounds exactly as you think it would.
Our summer migrants have started turning up now. I saw my first swallows last week, chiffchaffs and willow warblers are arriving in droves and I tried in vain to locate a grasshopper warbler as well, which sounds exactly as you think it would.
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I'm guessing it's hard to get a good shot like this of a roadrunner - they dart around fast!
I recently spied a Baltimore oriole in my yard, and fell over myself to get the right kind of feeder and nectar. Strange little things. But the nectar is also for hummingbirds (Ruby throat), so it has a dual purpose.
I've since lured several of them to the feeder.
My Mallard friends are showing up but spending less time here. Pretty sure she's got a nest started elsewhere (my cats make sure it won't be here!).
We've become good friends.
I recently spied a Baltimore oriole in my yard, and fell over myself to get the right kind of feeder and nectar. Strange little things. But the nectar is also for hummingbirds (Ruby throat), so it has a dual purpose.
I've since lured several of them to the feeder.
My Mallard friends are showing up but spending less time here. Pretty sure she's got a nest started elsewhere (my cats make sure it won't be here!).
We've become good friends.
My good friend Pete (I think he's a Pete - might be a Petra) - scrub jay - he comes and visits me several times a day and comes when I call him. He eats from my hand, sits on my shoulder when I put out seeds or nuts for the other critters and mostly comes to me when I call him. 
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CaliAnn - great pics of your sweet friends! Jays are notoriously smart birds, and you have clearly won his trust. How cool is that?
We have a fox squirrel, too (those furry red guys), who is practically fearless. He'll come right up to the kitchen door, go up on his haunches, clutch his hands together and peer in. When we finally notice him and get the paper cup with seeds, he sits only inches away and waits. They're so trusting. I'll try to get some pictures.
In other news: over the spring, I've been planting a butterfly/pollinator garden. Stuff has been slow to grow and bloom, but I've finally been rewarded.
So far, the purple coneflowers are the biggest critter magnets.
Honeybee:
Monarch:
(Sorry, crappy cell phone pics while stalking the beauty - she really wanted to be left alone to go do monarch things, and I promised her I will from now on!)
This is a female Eastern tiger swallowtail - the males apparently don't have the blue:
This big girl was much more mellow about being photographed than the monarch. Her wingspan covered the whole coneflower!
One more:
I'm very happy to see these beauties in my yard. I also have a couple of swamp milkweed plants, which are said to be the only host plants that monarchs will use to lay eggs. My plants are kinda small, but I'm sure she knows they're there.
We have a fox squirrel, too (those furry red guys), who is practically fearless. He'll come right up to the kitchen door, go up on his haunches, clutch his hands together and peer in. When we finally notice him and get the paper cup with seeds, he sits only inches away and waits. They're so trusting.
I'll try to get some pictures. In other news: over the spring, I've been planting a butterfly/pollinator garden. Stuff has been slow to grow and bloom, but I've finally been rewarded.
So far, the purple coneflowers are the biggest critter magnets.
Honeybee:
Monarch:
(Sorry, crappy cell phone pics while stalking the beauty - she really wanted to be left alone to go do monarch things, and I promised her I will from now on!)
This is a female Eastern tiger swallowtail - the males apparently don't have the blue:
This big girl was much more mellow about being photographed than the monarch. Her wingspan covered the whole coneflower!
One more:
I'm very happy to see these beauties in my yard. I also have a couple of swamp milkweed plants, which are said to be the only host plants that monarchs will use to lay eggs. My plants are kinda small, but I'm sure she knows they're there.
