Wildlife around the House

Although Atta has been barking regularly to let me know that she sees and hears deer,  I'm not seeing much of them.  It could be that since the pasture grass has dwindled down to microscopic levels and Sarge has pretty much vacuumed up all of the acorns, they've got better food supplies in the woods on the other side of the fence.

Squirrels however have returned like a plague to be the thorn in my side.  They've taken over the garden shed in even higher numbers than in previous years.  A trip out there to get a rake last week had SIX of them scrambling around and threatening to drop on my head in their frenzy to get in between the walls. Six!!!  I can't tell you how much this creeps me out when I open the door!  They're so unpredictable and chaotic that I have a mental vision of one falling on top of me.

So the rooftop cage has been set up again, and over the past 10 days I've increased the squirrel population on the north side of Thompson's Creek by three new emigrants.  Any PETA members should stop reading since my fourth captive got caught on a cold night during a thunderstorm and didn't live to repopulate West Feliciana Parish the next morning.

Heres a snapshot taken of one squirrel in the trap and another posing next to the concrete statue on the fence.

We have several beautiful hawk pairs that seem to be living year round with us, but this particular one isn't bothered by much of anything.  For weeks now we've been seeing him almost daily either on the front board fence or in one of the trees of the front pasture.   

Here he (or she?) is hanging out in the crape myrtle by the front porch and parking bay.  

Hopefully it's getting enough mice, frogs etc and so it won't try to carry away a 10 lb Jack Russell terrier.

Mr. Biggs was the loser two years ago when his attempted abduction by a hawk led to stitches, drains and muscle damage.  Biggs isn't able to identify the culprit but this bird is definitely large and fearless enough to be a prime suspect.