Intruder Alert!
We adopt a barn cat several years ago when the barn owner no longer could keep him. He lobbied strongly to become a indoor cat, and we gave it a try for a while, but he started to be reliably unreliable. He has been an outdoor only cat for about a year and a half, and it has been working out except since we feed him outside, other creatures also stop by for a late night snack.
Including an opossum:
A cute black and white cat:
A crafty raccoon:
a fluffy all-black cat:
However last night as the motion detector light came on at the front door, I looked out to see which of the frequent troublesome visitors it might be -- and it was none-of-the-above.
There was a black bear in our driveway 30 feet or so from our front door. It disappeared quickly when the light came on, but sometime last night it tipped over the trash can of grain that is in our garage. Plus a day earlier I found what looked to be footprints on top of my wife's car in the garage, that looked to be the right size for a bear or maybe a puma. (which I'm pretty sure there aren't any of around here)
Be careful!! My cousin lives in Charlottesville & she has seen a bear a few times by the lake that she lives on.
Cute pictures of your visitors & I like your cute food bowl.
Oh my goodness! Maybe you could put kitty's food up higher or feed her earlier. Then pick up the bowls.
I love animals, but the wildies must stay in their own zones.
More food please! With all of those visitors, not doubt about it. :)
In the past when we would let our Jack Russell Terrier out after dark, he would frequently race out the door barking like crazy, and then trot back smugly happy with himself for scaring off what I always assumed was merely his imagination. Now that he's been gone a couple of years, it is clear that there probably was something there every time. I recall one time when I was cleaning the horse trailer tack room and he went running and barking through the narrow space between the trailer and the garage. Then not more then 20 seconds later he came back through that same gap even faster, followed by a large buck with a full set of antlers.
We have also had several foxes and skunks in the yard, but I haven't seen any of them helping themselves to the cat's food. Yet.
Wow!
Yesterday I saw a dead possum on the road. It always takes me by surprise, since I've always equated them with being a southern creature.
Last year (think around this time of year?), had reports of bear sightings not far from school. Have been told of coyote sightings. Have seen foxes and rest of animals you have pics of. Sister thought she was outsmarting deer she suspected of raiding her bird feeders at place in WV mountains. She got on roof of her SUV and moved feeders as high as she could reach. Next weekend, they were all RIPPED off the trees, brackets and all! HMMM!?!
omg we had a deer with full antlers last month! and we live in a burb of Oakland county, mi....i'm always so scared they'll try and cross the road (40mpr) and right now a ton extra traffic since 5 miles of freeway are currently closed...
I had a night visitor too for awhile when I put out cat food and water in the small shed for the neighbor's kitten. That raccoon would eat the food, muddy the water in the water dish (washing the food no doubt) and when I stopped putting down the food bowl, he tore the barn apart - three times! Knocked over trash bins (just paper), ran along the beams knocking down tools, tarps, decorations whatever. Now both cats sleep in the cellar at night with their food and water bowls.
Current problem is the darn flies visiting the wet cat food bowl. It grossed me out so now I only put a spoonful down for the kitten and then later when I shut both cats inside for the night I give the rest knowing it will be eaten sooner.
Speaking about critters, a groundhog and I had a staring contest recently. I was in one of the bedrooms on the first floor when I heard a racket. When I investigated there was a male groundhog peering in the open window clinging to the outside window sill. I couldn't believe my eyes and was glad there was a screen between us. He on the other hand looked happy to see me. My neighbor informed me that a fox was using my garbage bags that I set out for trash pickup as bait. Be careful.
Sounds like where I live. Nice pics of the wildlife!
We have had coyotes, bob cats, mt. lions, raccoons, skunks, possums and rattlesnakes. And lots and lots of deer. Several years ago a huge buck with a very impressive rack jumped the deer fence and my mini Dachshund chased it all over our 2.5 acres. I chased after the dog trying to catch her, which was never going to happen. I kept thinking I am getting too old for this. I was afraid the deer might kick or gore her. It finally jumped back over to the other side and ran off. After that, for a very long time, I never let her out of the house without being on a leash.
Love the pictures of all your animals.
LOL happy2b!
I think I'm not too far away, caflowerlover, we seem to have similar things around. I haven't seen a snake around my house and I hope it stays that way.
We moved the trash can with the grain, but my wife forgot to move a 1 1/2 gallon bucket containing "Weight Builder" a "premium concentrated feed supplement" for horses, that was in the same location in the garage.
I found the bucket this morning with obvious teeth marks in it:
Can anyone find a conversion factor for distance between canine teeth and size of black bear? Because that bite make makes it seem pretty big. And chowing down on "Weight Builder" will make it bigger still.
Apparently last night he came back again and bit the plastic bumper of my wife's car leaving similar indentations.
Wow! That Weight Builder works fast!!!! :-)
Maybe he's experiencing 'roid rage.
Years ago my friend's young Lab chewed the plastic part of my back bumper on my truck.
LOL
We must remember that the wild ones - especially bears - are realizing great difficulty staying in "their own zones" because man has made their zones so much smaller and they have nowhere else to go. Caution is re
That skunk is so cute!
Bob - please set up a field camera and post the video's for us. And also, don't go out after dark!
I got a picture of my wife's car bumper with the bite mark.
A friend suggested that perhaps Leonardo di Caprio is hiding in there.
Last night around midnight I heard a thumping sound like someone using a trashcan as a drum. I turned on the porch light and made some noise and the bear ran away from the trashcan by the detached garage.
From the porch with a flashlight we could see one
large bear and one little baby bear that was trying to climb a tree
next to the garage. They hung out there for a bit seemingly waiting for
us and the lights to go away so they could return for the delicious
stinky trash.
It was dark and my camera was unable to auto focus, but I did get these pictures:
the next one is zoomed and contrast-enhanced
We have a vacation home in upstate PA and we have a young male rattlesnake living underneath our stairs. We're hoping he decides to move on soon. DH tried to flood him out so he could cover the opening beneath the steps but that didn't work. We've seen them before, along with copperheads but this is the first time one has decided to live next to the house.
Bob, do you use a bear-proof garbage can? Some areas require these of homeowners and they have helped.
Marie, yow! I'd be so scared to use those stairs. You and your dh are brave. :)
A few years ago, within a week or so of each other, saw truly strange "road kill"! Both on busy roads, 50 mph speed limits, lots of traffic all day/night. Driving and ould see there was a dead deer up ahead. One was MASSIVE... sometimes they're not much bigger than a large dog. On both occasions, carcasses were both HEADLESS! Heads cleanly cut off! I'm not a hunter, but figured they musta had a head full of antlers and somebody wanted them on his wall?!? One of these headless deer was withing 50 feet or so from a turnpike entrance in NJ.