I need to snark for a sec.

[Carrie12345]

35 minutes ago, Terabith said:

Yeah, that would terrify me.  

I did see a hawk grab and kill a squirrel, maybe 20 feet from me, once.  Honestly, while I felt badly for the squirrel, it was one of the most awe inspiring things I've ever seen.  It was really beautiful and majestic to see its power.  I got some great pictures.  It’s a little hard to tell on this picture, but the hawk is standing on the squirrel   

@Dreamergal, I'm not sure there is anything cuter than a family of baby skunks.  They're actually pretty friendly towards people, too, when they're babies.  They make the most adorable little sounds.  

 

My dog is small and rodent shaped, so he’s never been off leash (outdoors) in his life because of birds of prey. It’s pretty scary.

33 minutes ago, MissLemon said:

I was a newbie city slicker that frantically asked in the FB group: "There's a herd of cattle out on the road! What do I do?!?" It was 5 cows.  I am sure the neighbors got a chuckle about that. 🙂

Farm animals are much less likely to be in the roads here, but it definitely happens. Most recently, a horse was roaming. But my favorite was the day I saw a man walking his great big pig. THAT’s not typical, but it was wonderful!

24 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

5 cubs is almost unheard of!  That is pretty cool.  I wonder if she adopted one of them.....I am on a cool bear site called Keeping Bruno safe (started out when they were tracking that wayward Bear Bruno across 5 states---but now he has stopped and settled in AR but the site is very active still with  a lot of good info on bears) and that is where I learned that 5 cubs is unusual.  4 is unusual.  There is a famous bear in Yellowstone #399 and she currently has 4 cubs.  She is very old though and they think this might be her last litter.

I assumed adopted, but I’d never ask. 😉. What really gets me is when the deer have triplets, and even quads. We have a ginormous overpopulation of deer, even though hunting them is popular.

[Matryoshka]

4 hours ago, YaelAldrich said:

Ok, I live IN a city (Boston, no, not a suburb!) and we have wild turkeys, coyotes, foxes, and skunks. Someone even spotted a black bear in the next town over (Newton) two years ago. A coyote killed a pet dog last week so people are worried.

Maybe this is why I keep being perplexed about people from the cities not being used to animals.  Especially skunks.  There are lots of skunks in Boston proper.  And to your list I'd add raccoons and 'possums.

Now that I'm out in the 'burbs of Boston, there is of course even more.  Yes, bears, which are new since I was a kid.  There wasn't as much large fauna in the area when I was young - seems to have come with the resurgence of the deer population, and also I think they purposefully reintroduced the turkey and beaver.  Bears and coyotes weren't really around at all, and the deer were very scarce - I grew up on 28 acres of woods and never saw a deer once.  Now deer are everywhere; drive slow at night or you'll hit one.  I see them in my back yard all the time.

We didn't have large birds of prey back then either, 'cause DDT.  Now they're everywhere (yay!) but yeah, have to watch out for my small dog.  I call him a 'snack on a leash.'  And he does have to be on a leash, or he would definitely snack food.  But when I'm out with him at night I stay close to the house as I don't want to run into bear or coyote in the dark with Mr. Snack.

A few years back, we had a porcupine that kept hanging out in my driveway next to my car because he was eating the pears from a tree.  Of course, completely harmless but I had to make sure to make a lot of noise as I went to get in the car at night to announce my presence well in advance, 'cause you really don't want to surprise a porcupine.

Edited March 10, 2021 by Matryoshka

[Wheres Toto]

Bobcat kits are adorable.  I have pictures of my oldest daughter, when she was about 4 or 5, and myself playing with baby bobcats when the zoo I volunteered at first got them for an exhibit.  

We are suburban but surrounded by farms, on a river, in a very wooded neighborhood so we see all kinds of wildlife - skunks, opossum, foxes, bobcats, coyotes, snakes, lots of raptors, and tons of deer.  It's the bears and the complete and total lack of any street lights that keeps me from walking around at 2am.  

Edited March 10, 2021 by Wheres Toto

[Pawz4me]

44 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

But my favorite was the day I saw a man walking his great big pig. THAT’s not typical, but it was wonderful!

 

One of our around-the-corner neighbors has a pet pig. I assume it's supposed to be a potbelly, but it's very large. Looks like a full sized oinker to me. Bless its (piggy) heart, it's not exactly cute and cuddly looking. The pig is allowed to roam around outside off leash in an unfenced area, but I've never known it to leave their yard. I assume it's a well trained pig. I had a fun conversation explaining it to a new FedEx driver a few months ago. He was sure it had escaped from a farm somewhere nearby, but I assured him that no, the pig lives in the house. It took some effort to convince him I wasn't pulling his leg.

[Terabith]

23 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

One of our around-the-corner neighbors has a pet pig. I assume it's supposed to be a potbelly, but it's very large. Looks like a full sized oinker to me. Bless its (piggy) heart, it's not exactly cute and cuddly looking. The pig is allowed to roam around outside off leash in an unfenced area, but I've never known it to leave their yard. I assume it's a well trained pig. I had a fun conversation explaining it to a new FedEx driver a few months ago. He was sure it had escaped from a farm somewhere nearby, but I assured him that no, the pig lives in the house. It took some effort to convince him I wasn't pulling his leg.

James Breakwell had a whole newsletter about his two pigs and various neighbors/ police officers when they discovered them.  

[mom2scouts]

My neighborhood has raccoons, foxes, coyotes, bunnies, deer, turkeys, oppossums, turtles, hawks, squirrels, and skunks. Black bears are seen in the area every spring and one of the parks caught a bobcat on their trail cam recently. I was a bit freaked out a couple of years ago when a guy hit a bear crossing a highway I take regularly. I don't want bears running out in front of me on the highway!

[Carrie12345]

10 minutes ago, mom2scouts said:

My neighborhood has raccoons, foxes, coyotes, bunnies, deer, turkeys, oppossums, turtles, hawks, squirrels, and skunks. Black bears are seen in the area every spring and one of the parks caught a bobcat on their trail cam recently. I was a bit freaked out a couple of years ago when a guy hit a bear crossing a highway I take regularly. I don't want bears running out in front of me on the highway!

Yeah, they’re no joke in an accident. We aren’t very close to the interstate, but they do meander across the state “highways” and is scary. A group ran out in front of me at night on the 45mph tproad off of ours, and I couldn’t see them until the last minute.  So far, deer have only dented our cars (though they can do worse), but bears can really wreck them!

[katilac]

17 hours ago, Selkie said:

That happens here, too. One new resident was on Facebook, very upset about a bobcat that kept coming up on their deck and sleeping on their deck chairs. He wanted to know how to scare it away. Then he posted a picture of it, and it was a domestic shorthair tabby cat. I felt kind of bad for him because it had to be embarrassing when people pointed out that it was just a regular old kitty cat!

We have bobcats in the woods by our camp, and I would be delighted if one of them decided to nap on our porch chairs. We hardly ever get to see them. 

11 hours ago, Terabith said:

I did see a hawk grab and kill a squirrel, maybe 20 feet from me, once.  Honestly, while I felt badly for the squirrel, it was one of the most awe inspiring things I've ever seen.   .  

While I didn't get to see the slaughter, one of our cats (whilst still in its more feral state) killed a squirrel and proudly brought the decapitated body to our porch. There was no awe to be had. 

[Laura Corin]

13 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

Oh @Terabith

I agree they are cute and adorable, but I have a healthy respect for wildlife. If I see a skunk my first thought is rabies so I will run. I like to observe them from a car in a sanctuary or in wide, open spaces in a zoo and I have been privileged to watch magnificent creatures in my life, but they are all in a bit of awe and fear. I will never willingly engage with wildlife.

 

You should have moved to the UK where we slaughtered everything carnivorous bigger than a fox hundreds of years ago.  We have one venomous snake but it's very, very shy.  And no rabies.

The only time I have felt threatened by an animal in the UK was when I accidentally found myself with my dog (on a public footpath) in a field with cows and calves; when I entered the field I couldn't see them because of the curve of the hill.  They chased me and it was terrifying. 

They don't end up on my porch, however, even though our garden backs onto open fields.

[BlsdMama]

19 hours ago, Katy said:

They’re very dangerous if you’re a frog or lizard. Most of the babies get eaten by something bigger. 

So, what you’re saying is:

”Baby” = <4’

 and wherever those are, you might find something bigger and hungry. 
 

Note to self: I am not brave enough to move to Florida. 

[kbutton]

On 3/10/2021 at 3:09 PM, MissLemon said:

I was a newbie city slicker that frantically asked in the FB group: "There's a herd of cattle out on the road! What do I do?!?" It was 5 cows.  I am sure the neighbors got a chuckle about that. 🙂

Lol! Hope it's not milking time if they are a dairy herd--they will totally block the road until the farmer opens the barn door!

23 hours ago, Terabith said:

Look at this baby!  How could you be scared if it came wombling up to you?

Wombling up to me, no. Surprising it by wombling up to it when I don't know it's there...yes. A student in my middle school was sprayed by a skunk. He wasn't even in the same grade as me, or on the same floor most of the time, and we could smell him for days. It must have been eye-watering to actually be in class with him. 

21 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

I agree they are cute and adorable, but I have a healthy respect for wildlife. If I see a skunk my first thought is rabies so I will run. 

 

Question for those who seem to be so happy about skunks...don't you automatically think, "rabies" when a night time critter is walking around during the day? This was drilled into me from my rural town upbringing, as in, "We have a raccoon that's been out during the day; come inside if you see it and tell an adult."

[Pawz4me]

Just now, kbutton said:

 

Question for those who seem to be so happy about skunks...don't you automatically think, "rabies" when a night time critter is walking around during the day? This was drilled into me from my rural town upbringing, as in, "We have a raccoon that's been out during the day; come inside if you see it and tell an adult."

I'm not that educated on skunks, but it's not uncommon to see raccoons out during the day, especially mamas who have babies. They need to eat a lot.

Quote

If you see a raccoon in your yard during the day, don’t panic—she is not necessarily sick or dangerous. It’s perfectly normal for raccoons to be active throughout the day. She may merely be foraging longer hours to support her young, visiting a garden while the dogs are indoors, or moving to a new location

 

[kbutton]

Just now, Pawz4me said:

I'm not that educated on skunks, but it's not uncommon to see raccoons out during the day, especially mamas who have babies. They need to eat a lot.

 

The eating makes sense. I know deer mamas are more active for that reason.

We tended to see more wildlife outside of town than inside of town because critters seem to prefer roaming, but that changed a lot in the last twenty years. Perhaps the rise in overall wildlife numbers, especially bears and coyotes, is driving smaller critters into contact with more people in town. It just wasn't common to see skunks and raccoons in town during the day when I was growing up. I live near farm fields in a whole different state at the moment--lots of critters shelter nearby but stay out of our neighborhoods as there are lots and lots of dogs.

[Pawz4me]

1 minute ago, kbutton said:

The eating makes sense. I know deer mamas are more active for that reason.

We tended to see more wildlife outside of town than inside of town because critters seem to prefer roaming, but that changed a lot in the last twenty years. Perhaps the rise in overall wildlife numbers, especially bears and coyotes, is driving smaller critters into contact with more people in town. It just wasn't common to see skunks and raccoons in town during the day when I was growing up. I live near farm fields in a whole different state at the moment--lots of critters shelter nearby but stay out of our neighborhoods as there are lots and lots of dogs.

Around here skunks especially seem to like to make dens under porches and storage barns. I'm very glad that our barn is within our fenced yard, and our dogs patrol regularly enough that no self respecting critter would think it was a peaceful place to move to. Not so much the dog in my avatar, who is a gentle soul, but our other one is a feisty, prey driven little thing who likes to put the fear of dog into all small creatures. 😉 

[Carrie12345]

10 minutes ago, kbutton said:

Question for those who seem to be so happy about skunks...don't you automatically think, "rabies" when a night time critter is walking around during the day? This was drilled into me from my rural town upbringing, as in, "We have a raccoon that's been out during the day; come inside if you see it and tell an adult."

I don’t. 
But I do get uptight about my kids being outside alone past dusk. Especially if they’re playing quietly. The animals really don’t want to have anything to do with us, but WE can easily startle THEM and they could react... like animals.

[Kanin]

Those baby skunks are so cute! 

[BakersDozen]

We also have oodles of "city folk" moving to our area and the big issue is javelina. No, you should not feed them. No, you should NOT try to pick up a baby. No, a baby javelina would not make a good pet. Those suckers are serious business, they are not cute little piggies.

I do understand that the newcomers are not used to seeing all the wildlife we have here, I'm just surprised, I guess, that more of them don't take seriously that these are WILD animals.

[Hannah]

We live in an eco-estate with natural bush around our house.    We've had prolonged summer rains and the snakes have been above ground more often - where our cat can find them and bring them into the house!!  Its happened three times this summer!  However small and non-venomous they may be, its NO fun!

[katilac]

6 hours ago, BakersDozen said:

We also have oodles of "city folk" moving to our area and the big issue is javelina. No, you should not feed them. No, you should NOT try to pick up a baby. No, a baby javelina would not make a good pet. Those suckers are serious business, they are not cute little piggies.

The javelina would like to inform you that they are both serious business and cute little piggies. 

[BakersDozen]

28 minutes ago, katilac said:

The javelina would like to inform you that they are both serious business and cute little piggies. 

Define "cute"... 🙂 Of all the creatures I think they are by far the ugliest next to warthogs.

[katilac]

18 minutes ago, BakersDozen said:

Define "cute"... 🙂 Of all the creatures I think they are by far the ugliest next to warthogs.

You're going to hurt their feelings! (see the 'do you thank Alexa thread' lol) 

[BakersDozen]

23 minutes ago, katilac said:

You're going to hurt their feelings!

What's that saying...the truth hurts? lol!

There are just some creatures I look at and think, "WHY???"

[Carrie12345]

6 hours ago, Hannah said:

We live in an eco-estate with natural bush around our house.    We've had prolonged summer rains and the snakes have been above ground more often - where our cat can find them and bring them into the house!!  Its happened three times this summer!  However small and non-venomous they may be, its NO fun!

Our last cat just died last month, and I have no intention of getting any more, but I am beginning to worry. Ours have always been indoors, but they kept mice out of the house. I think there was a total of three brought to me in 14+ years and witnesses went back and told their friends. The clean up was awful, but snake clean up might be too much for me!

[Katy]

12 hours ago, BakersDozen said:

Define "cute"... 🙂 Of all the creatures I think they are by far the ugliest next to warthogs.

No no, that distinction belongs to the anglerfish. 
 

https://www.futurity.org/anglerfish-bacteria-symbiosis-1816222/