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Post by stratcat on Feb 12, 2013 22:39:53 GMT -5
Series of pictures looking out Mom's kitchen window on 10 February, 2013, towards the bird feeders and the woods. Here comes an intruder. This is a real rarity. There's more! The front one is sampling the Arbor Vitae. Are you looking at me? The deer on the front right is nibbling on some Juniper. And he buries his nose a little deeper. Hey, I see a 4th deer! I can see some snow on the snout of the front right deer. They're still at it. Are you talking to me? A couple elbow-to-elbow eating by Mom's fenced-in Lily bed. Then the camera card filled up. I was lucky to get these photos. There was a 5th big deer that I didn't get a picture of. She was the doe. These guys sampled some Witch Hazel in the backyard before leaving. Let's hope these guys don't visit this summer when I'm growing lots of tomatoes in containers out on Mom's lawn! They messed up the neighbor's tomatoes last year.
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Post by txdirtdog on Feb 12, 2013 22:52:57 GMT -5
Beautiful pics Strat. Hard to believe something that pretty can be so destructive.
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Post by horsea on Feb 13, 2013 0:19:30 GMT -5
Fabulous photos. We have tons of deer every day that come right up to the house and try to knock the sunflower seeds out of the birdfeeder. Also they get into the pile of kitchen slops I throw outdoors into the snow. Deer are cute but you have to keep that garden well fenced. 8' high.
Bucks hardly ever come into our yard. Maybe 4 or 5 times in the past 20 years.
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Post by daylilydude on Feb 13, 2013 6:58:16 GMT -5
Beautiful pics Strat. Hard to believe something that pretty can be so destructive. And TASTY too great pictures but not to be the bad guy here if they were that close in my yard well lets just say at least one of them wouldn't be in my garden come summer.
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Post by izitmidnight on Feb 13, 2013 9:35:10 GMT -5
Absolutely gorgeous! Your mom's yard is beautiful too!
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Post by stratcat on Feb 13, 2013 16:27:02 GMT -5
Thanks everyone! Yes, they are pretty but they sure are hard on cars.
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wizardica
Junior Member
Croatian tomatofanatik
Posts: 87
Joined: October 2011
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Post by wizardica on Feb 14, 2013 5:25:52 GMT -5
...strat..
My God, a beautiful picture, so that we can experience something divine ...
So something in the city is not experiencing..
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Post by stratcat on Feb 18, 2013 0:53:14 GMT -5
Thanks, Wiz. Last year in my town, Deer came in my friend's yard and ate on his garden. I know in some of our cities, Deer are really becoming a nuisance. They eat on people's plants and also, get hit by cars.
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Post by izitmidnight on Feb 18, 2013 9:11:06 GMT -5
Wiz, I live in the city. Every morning, when I let the dogs out there are ususally 5 deer in the back half of the yard. Most of the time the dogs don't see them and the deer eat until we make a noise. At night coming home, I will see two or three at a time just walking down the center of 4 lane roads.
I finally gave in and planted a deer garden in the back part of the yard. This way they usually leave front garden alone.
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Post by stratcat on Mar 16, 2014 17:25:24 GMT -5
Thirteen months later, here are pictures taken before 1pm today. We've had a very cold, snowy winter that's been really hard on the deer. At night, they've been coming in Mom's yard feeding on the shrubs again and eating under the bird feeders where there are some oats in the mixed birdseed on the ground. The view is still out Mom's kitchen window towards the bird feeders and the woods. Deer are supposed to be asleep in the daytime. Looking in the window with his mouth open. On the left side of the picture, is Mom's Lily bed with chicken wire around it. Also on the left, the deer have been really eating on the Arbor Vitae. Compare it to last year's photo up above. They hear something next door and have perked up. "We're outta here." Notice that their characteristic white-tail "flags" are down as they take off.
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Post by izitmidnight on Mar 16, 2014 20:00:34 GMT -5
Beautiful!
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Post by stratcat on Mar 16, 2014 20:44:17 GMT -5
Thanks, Izit! They're baaack! Part 1. Just before 7p today, two deer ambled up to the bird feeders again. The second one seems quite wary. The second deer is getting a taste of Juniper and then he turned and walked away. This picture just looked funny to me. Who are you looking at? I've been eating. Does it show?
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Post by stratcat on Mar 16, 2014 21:05:06 GMT -5
They're baaack! Part 2. Continuing with the series of today's pictures. After 7p, the deer walked over and had a face-off with Rabbit Boy. That's as close as they got and Rabbit Boy scurried over to the left and kept eating. Then the deer went back to the left to eat and Rabbit Boy kept his eye on him. Right before the deer left, he stuck his snout out to roust Rabbit Boy! Brer Rabbit only moved a little. Time to call it a day. Left front foot and right rear foot up. March! Meanwhile, Peter Cottontail continues to eat.
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Post by izitmidnight on Mar 16, 2014 21:27:56 GMT -5
Were you outside for the last few photos?
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Post by w8in4dave on Mar 16, 2014 21:32:32 GMT -5
Ohhh my!! Very nice!!
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Post by stratcat on Mar 16, 2014 22:01:46 GMT -5
Were you outside for the last few photos? No, I just snapped the photos through the window. The light changed as the setting sun filtered through the trees over 14 minutes of picture taking. Thanks, w8in4dave!
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Post by timothyt on Mar 17, 2014 7:00:59 GMT -5
Great pics Stratcat! Thanks so much for sharing!
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Post by bestofour on Mar 17, 2014 8:57:32 GMT -5
Your pictures are great. I love the bunny getting in there. We see deer all the time but it's always like the first time. We get so excited. They are not too destructive for us but my sister in WV is having a terrible time. They can't even put shrubs against their house because herds of 15 or 20 come through their yard every day and tear up everything in sight.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Mar 17, 2014 9:50:58 GMT -5
Beautiful pictures, Strat.
Last night when DH came home he told me he saw a couple of bunnies in our front yard. It used to be that we never saw rabbits here, but in the last year I have seen them a couple of times elsewhere in the neighborhood. Yesterday was the first time we've actually seen them in our yard.
The area is almost completely built out now. I guess they don't have many wooded areas left to live in and are moving into suburbia out of necessity. Also, our city has a leash law that applies to both cats and dogs - loose animals are picked up by the city and taken to the pound, even if they have tags. So there are no predators around. Well, that's not quite true - there's a pair of hawks that nest in a neighbor's tree across the drainage ditch. Hopefully they are proficient rabbit hunters. If not, we may be overrun soon.
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Post by stratcat on Mar 17, 2014 20:06:04 GMT -5
Thanks everyone! Live traps work well for rabbits. Our county's animal control has some to loan. I have a few that I use for various varmints. After I catch them, I give them a ride to the country.
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Post by daylilydude on Mar 17, 2014 20:15:15 GMT -5
Ummm... rabbit stew?
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Post by bestofour on Mar 18, 2014 9:22:28 GMT -5
stratcat, I live in the country so quit dropping off those varmits!!!!
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Post by stratcat on Mar 20, 2014 21:12:18 GMT -5
stratcat, I live in the country so quit dropping off those varmits!!!! I drive them further out in the country past you!
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mjc26250
Junior Member
Posts: 36
Joined: April 2014
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Post by mjc26250 on Apr 16, 2014 9:29:20 GMT -5
Beautiful pictures, Strat. Last night when DH came home he told me he saw a couple of bunnies in our front yard. It used to be that we never saw rabbits here, but in the last year I have seen them a couple of times elsewhere in the neighborhood. Yesterday was the first time we've actually seen them in our yard. The area is almost completely built out now. I guess they don't have many wooded areas left to live in and are moving into suburbia out of necessity. Also, our city has a leash law that applies to both cats and dogs - loose animals are picked up by the city and taken to the pound, even if they have tags. So there are no predators around. Well, that's not quite true - there's a pair of hawks that nest in a neighbor's tree across the drainage ditch. Hopefully they are proficient rabbit hunters. If not, we may be overrun soon. Rabbits don't live in the woods...they live in meadows and the brushy edges of the woods. So, by the area now being mostly built up, rabbit habitat has actually INCREASED (yes, landscaped yards with lots of shrubbery are prime rabbit breeding grounds). And with no predators they WILL breed...like rabbits.
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Post by w8in4dave on Apr 16, 2014 13:50:15 GMT -5
Beautiful pictures, Strat. Last night when DH came home he told me he saw a couple of bunnies in our front yard. It used to be that we never saw rabbits here, but in the last year I have seen them a couple of times elsewhere in the neighborhood. Yesterday was the first time we've actually seen them in our yard. The area is almost completely built out now. I guess they don't have many wooded areas left to live in and are moving into suburbia out of necessity. Also, our city has a leash law that applies to both cats and dogs - loose animals are picked up by the city and taken to the pound, even if they have tags. So there are no predators around. Well, that's not quite true - there's a pair of hawks that nest in a neighbor's tree across the drainage ditch. Hopefully they are proficient rabbit hunters. If not, we may be overrun soon. Rabbits don't live in the woods...they live in meadows and the brushy edges of the woods. So, by the area now being mostly built up, rabbit habitat has actually INCREASED (yes, landscaped yards with lots of shrubbery are prime rabbit breeding grounds). And with no predators they WILL breed...like rabbits. They live in my yard! We are surrounded by evergreen trees! They love evergreen trees! We send my dog out to catch them but he doesn't so the neighbors dog comes and gets them. I don't mind them too much unless they chew my yukka down!
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mjc26250
Junior Member
Posts: 36
Joined: April 2014
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Post by mjc26250 on Apr 16, 2014 14:55:43 GMT -5
New housing developments are one of the 'best' rabbit habitat improvements around, especially ones with very strict leash laws. Also raccoons, skunks and other small critters like that don't seem to mind the 'encroachment' much, either.
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Post by daylilydude on Apr 18, 2014 9:04:27 GMT -5
New housing developments are one of the 'best' rabbit habitat improvements around, especially ones with very strict leash laws. Also raccoons, skunks and other small critters like that don't seem to mind the 'encroachment' much, either. mjc26250, they love the older ones too... especially if there is a wooded creek nearby, with most of us growing some type of veggie garden...
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Post by stratcat on Feb 24, 2015 14:54:45 GMT -5
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Post by izitmidnight on Feb 24, 2015 21:29:49 GMT -5
Beautiful as always! ,
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Post by stratcat on Feb 24, 2015 21:57:47 GMT -5
Thanks, Izit!
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