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We are always looking for ways to encourage wildlife to enjoy our yard. We have a canal along the North and East sides of the property, which adds more to the variety of critters we have spotted. Early one morning I noticed something fly along the East canal and land on a branch. I quickly identified it to be an owl and hurried to snatch up the camera. I was able to get within 20 feet, taking several photos along the way before it flew off to a better secluded tree. Then I saw the reason why it lingured so long...it had just caught a catfish and was resting before trying to eat. I then used the internet to identify it as a Barred Owl, and added its photos to my scrapbook of other critters we have seen. We are always in awe of every new experience that comes along. Please enjoy the photo...Jean.
We have been trying for several years to come to good terms with our property's deer. This was a new housing development when we bought our place in 1994, but had previously been unirrigated land that had been greatly stressed by multiple annual herbicide poisonings and down-to-dust grazing. The place was notorious for a Tordon disposal incident that had polluted the downhill wells; the native sage had all been killed; and only one juniper remained on this former sage-juniper steppe. The grasses that had supported the cattle were gone, replaced with rampant Leafy Spurge, acres of monoculture occasionally interrupted by Dalmation Toadflax and Russian Thistle. Deer were sometimes seen at the old salt lick, but none of the new human residents had a "problem" with deer because, frankly, no one had a garden, lawn, or ornamentals. My first priority was eliminating the Toadflax and Spurge (that goal has changed to "controlling" them, as elimination appears impossible) and growing native grasses. At the same time, we planted hundreds of native junipers and a few water-hungry trees, including two cottonwoods and 10 aspen. These changes in the landscape, even during a decade of severe drought, have brought deer by the dozens. The annual crop of fawns is amazing. At present, a herd of about 22 does and yearlings, with a big buck, yards up on my 9 acres in the winter. The explosion of the population has been astonishing, and I must attribute it in part to the human houses discouraging coyotes and lions, but also to revived land that now supports more life. I try hard to celebrate this. Deer, as well as most other grazing animals, do not eat Toadflax or Leafy Spurge. They do eat: grass, birdseed, chokecherries, aspen bark, cottonwood twigs, sage, skunkbush, sedums, junipers, roses, liatris, rudbeckias, oak whips, apples, service berry shrubs, lilacs, day lilies, buffalo berries, tulips, grape hyacinths, gaillardia flowers... I do not know what they do not eat. They are beautiful, and an incredible success story, but a burden, too.
An incredible success story for sure. Also a bit of a burden.
I don't have to deal with deer up here, there's enough food for them in the woods and fields but I do have rabbits. Every time one of them strays out of the area of plants I put in for rabbits and eats my Lupines I have to remind myself that they were here first and I am just a visitor in their domain.
Sitting out in the early morning watching them and their young ones playing tag I am also reminded how utterly worthwhile it is having them here and forget about the Lupin, which will grow back better than ever after its trim anyways.
I was blaming the poor deer for eating everything, when I caught a bunny in the act of nibbling the pansies! Next year, I'm planting lettuce, lol. We put out corn for the deer, but I guess the bunnies aren't interested in that.
