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Post by binnylou on Jun 26, 2022 20:38:52 GMT -5
I’ve been seeing foot prints on the glass of the downstairs patio door. And last night, somebody did some enthusiastic digging.
Not only did he/she/it/they dig…they had the nerve to climb up to our second floor deck and take a dump.
The local raccoon population has increased over the last couple of years. If we catch the bugger, the population is gonna change. The trap is set.
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Post by gardendmpls on Jun 27, 2022 0:05:42 GMT -5
Are there any raccoon predators? Coyotes maybe? I know that a number of years ago distemper. a disease that affects dogs, knocked out the raccoon population around here. It was five years before I saw a raccoon around, and ten years before the population seemed to have recovered.
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Post by binnylou on Jun 27, 2022 3:00:50 GMT -5
We have coyotes, but neighbor’s son organizes a hunt and reduces the population. Good for the pheasants…not so good for coyotes.
I didn’t know that raccoons could get distemper.
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Post by binnylou on Jul 20, 2022 13:49:05 GMT -5
Our septic tank had a visitor during the night. Our septic tank guy requested that we have a secondary cover over our septic tank cap…in case of an emergency pump during periods of snow cover. The cover is just a wooden frame with decking materials cut about 2 1/2 feet wide that fit inside the frame. During the night, something removed three of the boards to gain access to the area. I can’t imagine why. The birdbath was empty, but the area around the tank cap should smell so much of human, the critter surely wasn’t looking for a water source.
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Post by Latitude33 on Aug 9, 2022 19:01:38 GMT -5
TRASH PANDAS
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Post by binnylou on Mar 16, 2023 22:38:21 GMT -5
New critter in the wild area of our property. I think it may an otter 🦦
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Post by breezygardener on Mar 17, 2023 14:35:55 GMT -5
I think it may an otter 🦦 That would be cool!!!!
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Post by binnylou on Mar 17, 2023 15:12:53 GMT -5
In 1985, otters were reintroduced in central Iowa by releasing some in the Red Rock Lake, about 15 minutes from our area. My brother, who lives further south from the lake says the otters are everywhere. He still fishes and hunts, so he is out and around in areas where the otters have spread in to.
Neighbor to the north says yes, there are otters in our area. Also noting that they will move in to a pond, eat all the fish, and move on. Neighbor Dave has a pond not far from our property line.
I spend time watching to see who is on our yard…deer, turkeys, birds, fox, an occasional Red Angus…now there’s a new critter to watch for.
At least the buffalo 🦬 stay home.
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Post by binnylou on Jun 4, 2023 19:49:47 GMT -5
Raccoon attack during the night. He was on the deck, consumed the orange that is for the birds and destroyed the hanging pouch of thistle seed for the finches. At least he didn’t bother my hayrack planters of petunias. It’s good that I gave up on using fish emulsion…he would have destroyed it if it smelled of fish.
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Post by breezygardener on Jun 4, 2023 21:21:57 GMT -5
Raccoon attack during the night. He was on the deck, consumed the orange that is for the birds and destroyed the hanging pouch of thistle seed for the finches. This is why ALL bird feeders here are taken down & stored in a big heavy metal truck storage bin that we bought cheap over Craigslist a couple of years ago. I got too tired of replacing what were fairly expensive feeders from raccoon & bear predation.
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Post by binnylou on Jun 5, 2023 23:07:22 GMT -5
When it rains, it pours…raccoons, chipmunks, and now the deer are back. We haven’t seen deer on the yard for at least 10 days…but they were here. When in the flower garden today, I see about half of the tall garden phlox has been topped…most of my Stargazers/CasaBlanca have been topped. Luckily I haven’t planted any of my annuals, so they are still safe.
I just happened to have a new bottle of deer/rabbit repellent, so the flower garden got some treatment. Last year, the deer just chewed the Dickens out of my Autumn Joy Sedums. I treated them early this spring and they haven’t been bothered since. Gave them a spray, along with the young Lilac.
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Post by datgirl on Jun 15, 2023 18:45:05 GMT -5
The chipmunks are driving me crazy. Since the McMansion with pool was built next door, the deer don't come around much. When I do see them, they are just passing thru to get to the woods behind us. That's terrible about your lilies. The Star Gazers I have left are in pots on the deck where I can keep an eye on them, but of course the chipmunks dig in the pots.
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Post by gardendmpls on Jun 16, 2023 6:07:25 GMT -5
the chipmunks dig in the pots I had a squirel digging in one of my pots. Remembered I had an old screen, dome shaped fire pit cover (from the portable ones they carry in the hardware store) that I used for the same problem last year. Placed it over the large pot. Once the pot fills in and the plants are no longer as tender and tasty, I take the lid off.
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Post by datgirl on Jun 16, 2023 8:54:33 GMT -5
gardendmpls,In the spring, I bought some wire wastepaper baskets from the dollar store, and used those over the newly planted babies. I took them off as the plant got too big. Now they just dig holes in the pots and plant seeds of their own and leave my plant alone so far. Actually the were digging in a sage plant and pulled it out of the pot. There was a big clump of sunflowers growing in one of the lily pots.
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Post by binnylou on Jul 20, 2023 17:27:34 GMT -5
Raccoon attack again. I accidentally left a partial box of fertilizer in the garden. He/she found it, made a mess of the plastic bag, probably ingested some. I hope it gives them abdominal distress. While he/she was in the garden, he checked out my in ground pepper plants. The best of the 5 was pulled out and left to dry. I replanted it and gave it lots of water. I think it’s probably a goner, it’s badly wilted and probably has tissue damage.
Live trap is going back to the garden. We’d previously removed 7 of those critters. I guess we stopped trapping too soon.
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