The Old Folks Home

[microchick]

We have Red Tails, Bald Eagles and lots of small hawks and owls around us. Last count there were 4 nesting pairs of eagles in our county so they are quite well established in Missouri.

The Red Tails are the worst transgressors though. Beautiful to watch if flight but persistent hunters and VERY vocal.

 

[CapricornFarm]

We had nesting hawks 2 doors down in FL. The youngsters used to perch on our wooden privacy fence. I had no chickens, but i used to worry about my small dog.

 

[microchick]

Ya, with good reason also. I had an elderly friend who moved down to Florida and had a small tea cup poodle. I remember her telling me about having to go outside every time she let her out and had to police the yard for rattle snakes and small gators.

I'd rather have to worry about hawks and yotes over gators....we do have timber rattlers around her along with cotton mouths but anything is better than gators.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Cotton mouth would keep me out here with the garter snakes being the worst we have ...

morning all grocery shopping day got up late

 

[ronott1]

Cotton mouth would keep me out here with the garter snakes being the worst we have ...

morning all grocery shopping day got up late

We have timber rattlers in the foothills and mountains and big ones by the river. I have not been bothered by them though.
There are classes locally for Dogs to learn how to avoid them.

 

[pennyJo1960]

We have those up higher in the mountains also we are the first town on the climb

 

[ronott1]

We have those up higher in the mountains also we are the first town on the climb

An Aunt of mine was bitten by a Rattlesnake when they lived near the Sacramento River in a place called Los Molinos in Northern California. They will be found near creeks and rivers here. They make Dens to hibernate over winter about 15 miles from here along a creek. When it floods, they will float up into trees in orchards and then come out of hibernation in the spring. Orchardists have to be careful to avoid them.

Article from 2012 from my local paper http://www.dailydemocrat.com/article/zz/20120715/NEWS/120715999

Quote from article:

While Yolo County farmers may not see much of a difference in the number of rattlesnakes on their property, more animals might be getting bit this season.

Farmers in the hills of the county, including Winters, the Capay Valley and Dunnigan, are used to rattlesnakes, said Yolo County Agricultural Commissioner John Young. He hasn't heard of any increase above normal.

"If you're a grower in the area around the hills, it's just normal course of business," Young said. "The employees are trained to deal with rattlesnakes, trained to look for them where they are going to be."

But up in Dunnigan, Terry Raahauge's friend told him that he had killed 75 rattlesnakes while trimming olive trees.

 

[chickadoodles]

Thanks for sharing the pics of the turkey. Love those birds!

We do not have Grackles here. Still waiting on the crows to arrive.
We usually get them by the 1000's! But I have only heard one or two so far.

As for snakes we get rat snakes and black racers. There are others around but thank goodness they stay by the catfish ponds.

It's in the 40's today cold, windy and cloudy. I guess fall has arrived. Our tree's have dropped nearly all their leaves this week.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Ya, with good reason also. I had an elderly friend who moved down to Florida and had a small tea cup poodle. I remember her telling me about having to go outside every time she let her out and had to police the yard for rattle snakes and small gators.

I'd rather have to worry about hawks and yotes over gators....we do have timber rattlers around her along with cotton mouths but anything is better than gators.

Except maybe mountain lions! We had those in TN. We kept the gators out with our board fence but snakes could still get in, when we lived in FL. There are lots of King snakes here. Have not seen rattlers yet.

 

[CapricornFarm]

An Aunt of mine was bitten by a Rattlesnake when they lived near the Sacramento River in a place called Los Molinos in Northern California. They will be found near creeks and rivers here. They make Dens to hibernate over winter about 15 miles from here along a creek. When it floods, they will float up into trees in orchards and then come out of hibernation in the spring. Orchardists have to be careful to avoid them.

Article from 2012 from my local paper http://www.dailydemocrat.com/article/zz/20120715/NEWS/120715999

Quote from article:

Lots of places the killing of poisonous snakes is prohibited.