Wildlife on the farm #2 190103

      This was taken with a wildlife camera that had a motion detector to trigger the picture. I think it is a great snapshot, kind of what we call a selfie these days.

      This is why we didn't get many apples or pears or cherries or mulberries from our orchard. These ballerinas could reach high into the fruit trees to harvest fruit before it was ripe enough for us to eat. What was left was higher than I could reach without a ladder and the trees were wide enough I couldn't reach in far enough to get the remaining fruit, so we did without. It was worth it though. People in town only got to watch squirrels, while we got to watch deer.

      The quail population got very low on the farm when it was mostly pasture, but when I let the trees grow there was more cover for them and their numbers began to increase. These little purple weeds grew all over the remaining meadows and the quail seemed to enjoy being there among them. I loved hearing them with their "Bob White" calls. That was one of the few whistles I could imitate.

      This little owl camped out for a few days in the shrub right next to our front porch. It did not seem to mind me roaming around the yard very near it. A large black snake wanted to climb an elm tree just 10 feet away from the porch. The snake could smell the bird nests in that tree and it wanted to raid those nests to eat the hatchlings there. The little owl would fly from the shrub and knock the snake off the tree trunk time after time. It was quite a show to see.

      This rather large groundhog was a menace to me for years. It was big enough that its burrows would be close enough to the ground surface that my foot would sink into the dirt and cause me to trip. Groundhogs sure like to feed on a man's garden produce too. I never did have an opportunity get a good shot at it. I sure would have liked to pop that wascally wascal.(Elmer Fudd/ Bugs Bunny reference)

      I think this picture needs no explanation.

      I always marveled at this type spider. I thought they were beautiful creatures. They were a harbinger of fall and never seen until late summer/early fall.

      This large black snake climbed a large elm tree by the driveway and knocked a bird nest from high in tree down to the ground and then went back down the tree and ate several birds that were just about ready to try to fly. It was a grisly scene, but something I felt compelled to record. It was after all something that happens in nature. The body of the snake was very enlarged and I could see lumps where each bird was swallowed whole. You can see how the snake unhinged its jaw to swallow the birds.

      .
Copyright Bill Weber 2018 and beyond.