Thread: Tell Me About Your Backyard Wildlife

Well! This should be a fun thread! Okay, so as you know I live in Australia at my mums house on a largeish country type block (3 acres. I may post some pictures later but for now I will describe.
First of all, since it's a drought and the grass is really dry, we haven't had as many kangaroos as normal but we still have some. Usually after it has rained they come. Also, when it was summer we had sunflowers and so white cockatoos would come and eat the seeds from them. Once, the neighbours sheep (plural) escaped and came to our veranda... We have possums (ring tail) and lizards. Mostly small lizards but we have the occasional blue tongue.

At my Dad's house (175 acres of bush) we have all of that wildlife plus more. We have these amazingly cute little native mouse type animals called anticinus' that come onto the veranda to eat our dogs dry food. We also have Lyrebirds after it rains. The male birds have amazing feathers and are sort of like a native peacock but less colourful. They go around scratching worms after it rains. They have amazing mimicing skills and mimic almost any bird sound you can think of. They sound exactly the same as the original but they string about 5-6 different bird calls together consecutively without pause. We have kookaburras too and they are really territorial. Magpies and pink galahs are often around. Also at Dads house we have lots of wombats. Wombats are nocturnal but we had this one old wombat who used to come at in the daytime.

Photos!


The neighbours sheep that escaped!


A kookaburra at my dads house (pronounced cook-a-ba-ra)-the laughing birds "kookookakakaka"


A Crimson Rosella


Sulfur Crested Cockatoo (with his crest up)


Just a random fox in our backyard. In Aus they are regarded as feral nuisances.

Sadly, the thunderstorms that swept through Texas this afternoon tore apart a nest that a mother dove had built in our Crate Myrtle tree. Not only did the weather render her homeless but it also took from her two eggs, two eggs we found broken on the ground after the storm. She now sits in one of the fig trees of our yard cooing; a terrible way to find out why they are called Mourning doves.


This photo was taken last week.

Wow, 2Fruits! Your backyard looks like a zoo with all those exotic birds! That's really cool! Thanks so much for posting those pics. Those birds would be awesome to see in person in their natural habitat!

Mourning doves are cool, Bodhi We get tons of them in our yard too. They are either pretty bold, or pretty stupid, because they will come and eat at the feeder when my hubby and I are sitting only a few feet away on the deck. haha

My back yard in the Detroit area is squirrels, squirrel pieces, our dog, an occasional not so bright cat, and the very rare skunk or possum.

My back yard up north is another world entirely! The property is a quarter mile deep. Half of it is jack pine plain, and the other half is lush river valley. It is remote and very wild.

The high ground brings us the most incredible variety of birds... harriers, bald eagles, kirtland's warblers, red tanagers and a lot more. I've learned the joy of birdwatching very recently.

The low ground is part of a fairly substantial valley that is part of the Ausable River watershed. We have lots of deer, an occasional wayfaring elk, beaver, otter, black bear, coyotes, porcupine, raccon, silver and red fox and more. People nearby claim to have spotted gray wolves in the valley... and I claim to have spotted a panther. (I was even interviewed by the DNR&#33

That is the world I want to live in. Perhaps I'll capture some good images this year.

Great thread!

**quick edit**
The image below is "my" valley at sunrise.

Oh Boy, it would almost be easier to tell you what is NOT in my back yard. I am in a rural portion of Tennessee, one mile from the national forest. Here goes:

Birds: Cardinal, Mocking, Crow, Black, Wren, Humming, Robin, Sparrow, Woodpecker(2 species), owls(Barn, screech, hoot), whipperwill, crane, starling, grackle

Mammals: Fox, coyote, bear, mountain lion, bobcat, chipmunk, squirrel, mice, rats, deer, bats

Reptiles: turtles(box, snapping, painted, soft shell), several varieties of skink, snakes(garter, milk, corn, ring, copperhead, watermoccosin, rattle)

Amphibians: Salamanders(several species), newts(green and fire), frogs(leopard, peeper, bull, wood, green), toads

Insects: Too numerous to name

Originally Posted by Seeker

Insects: Too numerous to name[/b]

Heh... yeah. Forgot about that bit.

There are a couple weeks each summer when what the Amish call "three-corner flies" come out that you can't do ANYTHING outside. Even the horses lose their minds.

There are some fascinating insects too - but nothing like down where you are. Mostly just pests and biters here.

Wow you guys have such cool stuff, makes mine look empty.

Mine:

Sparrow, Black bird and other types of birds, there's foxes near by but haven't had one in my garden, one time I found a mouse in the shed. Neighbours cat...

It's weird because I'm so fascinated by other peoples wildlife, I guess it's just normal to have lots of those native animals! On the other hand there's so many animals you guys have listed that we don't have in Australia! Like chipmunks, squirrels, bears, coyotes etc! Keep the posts coming guys, it's great!

Wow 2Fruits that is so cool! I rememer a song we sang in girl scouts, about a laughing kookaburra.

We had a piliated woodpecker. I'll post some pics as soon as I remember how.

Lol Moonbeam I think I know the one you're talking about:

Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree
Merry merry king of the bush is he
Laugh, Kookaburra laugh
Kookaburra gay your life must be

We used to sing that at school, and everyone used to laugh at the gay bit! We were all so immature Sometimes you sing it in a round, or in harmonies...

haha I remember that song!

Seeker, have you ever seen a mountian lion? That would be so cool - PJ, how far away was the one you saw?

Originally Posted by 2Fruits

Lol Moonbeam I think I know the one you're talking about:

Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree
Merry merry king of the bush is he
Laugh, Kookaburra laugh
Kookaburra gay your life must be

We used to sing that at school, and everyone used to laugh at the gay bit! We were all so immature Sometimes you sing it in a round, or in harmonies...[/b]

I'm trying to remember:

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree.
(Eating all the gumdrops la la la I forgot this line)
Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra
Save some of them for me.

Unfortunately, I don't have much of a backyard myself, but I do have quite a bit of wildlife around where I live. I don't have any pictures at the moment, but in the following couple days, I'll do my best to go around at take some.

My backyard has a large man-made lack in the back of it. Of course, that means I have a large variety of herons, cranes, common blackbirds, and occasional blue jays. Every once in a while, a group of the grossest birds on the planet honor us with their presence: turkey vultures. They eat rotting, dead fish that have washed up onto the banks of the lake because ( /directed towards the turkey vultures ) they are too damn fat and lazy to catch the fish themselves. A good while ago, I used to hear a peacock crying obnoxiously at night, but I've only actually seen the bird once. It was walking in the middle of a neighbor's driveway.

My neighbor said he spotted some otters in the drain once or twice, but I've never actually seen them. Supposedly, they swim around in a small alcove in the lake. I've seen them there once or twice. They're quite shy, so they run away when you go to take a closer look.

In the lake we've got some brim, some bass, some sunfish, and a couple of giant carp. The carp are fun to try and catch, but they won't bite on anything other than gigantic balls of bread that fall off the hook shortly after casting them into the water. I've gotten a bite once or twice, but the carp effortlessly snapped the line. Maybe it was a rock..

Then, of course, they is a totally unexplored territory ( it's actually a preserve ) directly behind my neighbor's house. I've actually done a bit of exploring back there, but haven't had much success on my expeditions as it is much too dense. There are spiderwebs ( with spiders O.O ) everywhere, and we all know what happens when you unexpectedly walk into a spider web.

Originally Posted by Casualtie

Every once in a while, a group of the grossest birds on the planet honor us with their presence: turkey vultures. They eat rotting, dead fish that have washed up onto the banks of the lake because ( /directed towards the turkey vultures ) they are too damn fat and lazy to catch the fish themselves.

My neighbor said he spotted some otters in the drain once or twice, but I've never actually seen them. Supposedly, they swim around in a small alcove in the lake. I've seen them there once or twice. They're quite shy, so they run away when you go to take a closer look.[/b]

Wow I just said I wanted to be a turkey buzzard in the favorite animal thread. That's not being lazy, that's being smart!

I saw an otter sitting the ice during the melt this spring. That was cool.

Originally Posted by Moonbeam

Wow I just said I wanted to be a turkey buzzard in the favorite animal thread. That's not being lazy, that's being smart!

I saw an otter sitting the ice during the melt this spring. That was cool.[/b]

I meant no offense to those who wished to be turkey vultures. Please accept my humblest apologies : P

..and Lake otters are the coolest thing to hit this planet since the internets. I'm going to try to get a picture of them, but it'll be tough.

Originally Posted by Casualtie

I meant no offense to those who wished to be turkey vultures. Please accept my humblest apologies : P[/b]

Apology accepted.

Originally Posted by Burns

haha I remember that song!

Seeker, have you ever seen a mountian lion? That would be so cool - PJ, how far away was the one you saw?[/b]

It was on M72 at dusk just at the beginning of winter. I was approaching where the road crosses the highway just east of Luzerne, a few miles north of our piece of it, and this HUGE cat crossed the road in front of me... long tail, flat nose, moving FAST.

At the time, I didn't realize it was all that unusual and just kept driving. (There was a heavy wet snow falling... I was busy staying on the road.) I mentioned it to one of my Amish friends the next day, and he made me call the DNR and report it.

The "official" position of the state is that there are no panthers in Michigan - but it is a natural range for them, and their territory is so vast that even in a normal population it would be extremely rare to see them. I know a couple others who have seen them too - one couple who both saw one on the edge of Plymouth several years ago.

A wolverine was FILMED somewhere in the Thumb a couple years ago! I wonder what ever happened to it?

A reliable friend of mine saw a cougar crossing the highway here in northern WI. There have been several reports lately. She called the DNR too but they were unimpressed; I don't think they believed her, but I do.

I thought wolverines lived in the UP? Just further north even?

Sometimes a moose comes thru, but they don't breed here.

I saw a bear crossing the road; I stopped the car and said "Hey Bear!" (like he never heard that one before). He stopped and turned around and looked at me, then kept walking.

Originally Posted by pj

A wolverine was FILMED somewhere in the Thumb a couple years ago! I wonder what ever happened to it?[/b]

HAHA you know about that? That was my 8th grade science teacher that filmed that wolverine! Small world, eh?

Well, my garden literally backs on to a National Park mountain range, so we get the occasional wild animal roam down. This is what has been spotted at least once:

Fox
Echidna
Owl
Various other birds including Wattle Birds, All those that 2Fruits listed, and lots of others i can't identify
Snakes (rarely seen. in fact i've never seen one up there myself)
Various forms of lizards including Blue-Tongue
Cat (family pet )

I've also spotted a Wallaby (maybe the same, may be different one) in the National Park a couple of times. Plus on rare occasions you can look up and see a Wedge-Tailed Eagle or two circling high above the area.

Sorry though, no photos available.

That's cool. I think owls are such interesting creatures.
I wish I could see one up-close - I've only ever seen them from afar.

Originally Posted by Burns

HAHA you know about that? That was my 8th grade science teacher that filmed that wolverine! Small world, eh?[/b]

I saw the film and was floored by it.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Moonbeam)</div>

I thought wolverines lived in the UP? Just further north even?[/b]

In spite of being "The Wolverine State", wolverines haven&#39;t been considered native to Michigan in hundreds of years - but that film by Burns&#39; teacher started an effort to document the presence of wolverines here that is starting to change minds. It is possible they&#39;ve been here all along, though very few and far between, and extremely reclusive.

I was just outside sitting in the grass with my dog, and 2 ducks landed right in front of us&#33; I thought of this thread and HAD to get a video for you guys&#33;

Here it is:
http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e284/bur...nt=MOV03271.flv

I love this topic. I have always been interested in wildlife and what lives where. Thank you to those who have posted pictures here already and shared what lives close to you.

I grew up in the middle of LA. We had no wildlife, except for a few birds.

I have since moved and though I still don&#39;t get as much wildlife as I wish visiting my backyard, I still enjoy what I do have.

Here are some pictures:

A horned lizard showed up in my garden one day.



A little mouse also enjoying my garden.



I get more of these than I would like--black widow.



This wasn&#39;t my backyard but out behinf a friend&#39;s property outside of town--rattlesnake.



Same with this one--tarantula.



And this one. It&#39;s an antelope.



And this was further out of town on the highway actually.