Wildlife where you live...

Mikey081057

Here is a nice photo essay of SW FL wildlife... helps distract my mind from all the bad news.

http://islandnaturetours.blogspot.com/

motorhead43026

I go down to Broad Street and observe all the the freaks, harries and crack hoe's.

Mikey081057

you could do a photo essay and call it wild life....

motorhead43026

That is nice Mikey, and a very diverse population of wildlife too observe.

Mikey081057

As a side note I think you would get a kick out of the many nice muscle cars on parade down here.

motorhead43026

Muscle cars, now you are talking.

steveinaz

Mule deer, Javelina (Collard peckary), Jacks, Roadrunners, Hawks, billions of humming birds, Coyotes, etc.....

jeremymarcinko

Mikey081057 wrote: »

As a side note I think you would get a kick out of the many nice muscle cars on parade down here.

Cause of all the really old people driving them.

Mikey081057

jeremymarcinko wrote: »

Mikey081057 wrote: »

As a side note I think you would get a kick out of the many nice muscle cars on parade down here.

Cause of all the really old people driving them.

LOL... They were the original owners

westmassguy

Black Squirrels in Western Mass

mhardy6647

The black squirrels are locally common. There was a population of them in Palo Alto when we lived in "the Bay area", and there's another population of them in Acton, MA.
It turns out that the black coat color gene is dominant; once there's a mutant or two running around, doin' the wild thang with the squirrelettes, the black ones become fairly common (since both the homozygote and the heterezygote offspring have black fur).

Now if you'll excuse me, there's beer to drink & mail to deliver...

Mikey081057

Black squirrels used to be in the catskills too

westmassguy

According to Mass Audubon:

Sighting a black squirrel for the first time is exciting. Despite its appearance, a black squirrel in Massachusetts is actually an eastern gray squirrel in disguise.

Color Change Causes

The color variations are the result of a genetic mutation that causes excessive pigmentation. This phenomenon occurs in many species, and the individuals are called "melanistic," which refers to melanin, a chemical of pigmentation. The process of natural selection determines whether the black morph will be successful in a particular region.

Location

Although occasional melanistic gray squirrels are found throughout the gray squirrel's entire range (approximately the eastern half of the United States), the incidence seems to be greater in the North. Massachusetts has established populations located near Springfield and scattered throughout the suburban Boston area.

The well-established colony of black-phase gray squirrels at the Stanley Park preserve in Westfield, Massachusetts, is thought to have descended from a pair of black-phase gray squirrels that were brought there from Michigan and released in 1948. It is likely that the melanistic squirrels seen in the Amherst, Southwick, and Springfield areas are related to the Westfield squirrels.

afterburnt

I got lots of critters around here and I hate them all Bob cats Coyotes skunks and Racoons are the worst. Havent seen a bear here yet nor a cougar but they are here too. Wait I did see a cougar here about two months ago, I forgot.

shawn474

Probably the coolest thing I have seen in my yard has been the pileated woodpeckers. They are surprisingly large and awesome to watch. The red really stands out. Also have hawks and hummingbirds galore. We had a fox den outside of our fence line last year and almost called the cops in the middle of the night from the sounds they make. If you've never heard one, it sounds just like a blood curdling female scream - eerie. And lastly, last year I had an encounter with a coyote emptying my lawn mower bags in the woods......

Mikey081057

afterburnt wrote: »

I got lots of critters around here and I hate them all Bob cats Coyotes skunks and Racoons are the worst. Havent seen a bear here yet nor a cougar but they are here too. Wait I did see a cougar here about two months ago, I forgot.

We have Panthers here in FL there is a huge chunk of the state devoted to their survival. We have Cougars here and they have certain bars that they go to.

motorhead43026

In all seriousness I live 10 minutes from downtown Columbus, OH. We have lots of deer, I have seen wild turkey and 2 bald eagles a couple weeks ago. Not much for many of you , but so close to town I find pretty neat.

Mikey081057

Bald eagles are awesome...
Philadelphia eagles give off a foul odor/)

shawn474

[img][/img]

motorhead43026

I lived in eastern, KY for awhile. It was quite the treat to see these though it was rare. These peckers are huge and will really startle you.

mhardy6647

shawn474 wrote: »

Probably the coolest thing I have seen in my yard has been the pileated woodpeckers. They are surprisingly large and awesome to watch. The red really stands out. Also have hawks and hummingbirds galore...

P1030397 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
P1000556 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

These photos were taken at our old house in MA -- we get 'em up here in NH, too.

Oh, and, come to think of it, we get those black squirrels up here, too. See 'em in the springtime, out by the bird feeders.

DSC_1570 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

... at least, I think they're black squirrels; they sure do like birdseed ;- )

mhardy6647

some other backyard critters in our big backyard in NH (I think you've all seen these before):

todays backyard visitor 030914 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

DSC_1202 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

DSC_1334 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

DSC_2126 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

DSC_2279 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

DSC_3040 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

DSC_3389 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

DSC_3071 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

shawn474

Wow, those are some great pictures. It's pretty great to live in such a diverse nature area with so much to see and experience.

voltz

Seen a few Red Foxes and Coyotes, never seen a black squirrel though. Wonder if we can import then to Kansas?
The squirrels we got I can hear running across my roof and playing in the back yard a lot. Saw a racoon on my shed trying to get into the feeder we have for the squirrels once, dang Skunk and possums are everywhere.

Mikey081057

Always liked Redd Foxx... Brilliant

tonyb

Lots of wildlife here too which is why I moved out of the urban areas. You can interact as much or as little as you want, and it brings a peaceful feeling with it.

About 4 different species of Woodpeckers, we have Owls/eagles/hawks and a bird I call Smurf because he's head to toe Smurf blue.....don't know what it is. Deer of course, which I feed and named a few. Raccoons/red foxes/coyote/ black squirrels/flying squirrels/possum/chipmunks/bobcats./frogs...and probably some others yet to be determined. I say "yet" because at night I swear there are sounds that come out of the woods that you only hear at the zoo.

westmassguy

tonyb wrote: »

...and probably some others yet to be determined. I say "yet" because at night I swear there are sounds that come out of the woods that you only hear at the zoo.

Big Foot?

westmassguy

Are any of those critters on your menu Tony?

BlueMDPicker

Local wildlife on Siesta Key...

DaveHo

Well, at least someone finally posted a few pics about what I thought this thread was about. Rules be damned!

WastelandWand'r

Moose, Muskox, Caribou, Grizzly, Black and the occasional Polar Bear. Whales (Bowhead, Minke, Beluga, Killer) Seals up the wazoo, Walrus when the ice is right. Enough ducks, geese, swans and cranes to fill a stadium. Wolves, the big kind. Lynx and wolverine. And numerous other critters that can take the cold, like Ptarmigan!
The arctic is a great place if you are looking to get away from it all. But it is remote which is why we have what we have.
N