Backyard wildlife

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There must some around here; I live within a couple of blocks of farmer's fields. I think in general, they're more likely to stick with their usual diet, which is mice/small rodents and rabbits. A large cat, especially a bad-tempered one, will make even a lot of large dogs back off. When I first acquired Lucy, I had a lovely elderly ragdoll/Siamese cross named Eliot, who, by that time in her life, probably weighed maybe 6-7 lbs. She never took a moment's 'guff' from Lucy, and never backed down. Lucy used to move out of her way when she saw her coming.
 
I have heard enough stories about coyotes and pets to not trust even a large, temperamental cat around them. Unlike most domestic canines, coyotes are experienced hunters and dealing with one would be far different from dealing with most pet dogs, save maybe something like a Doberman or pit bull.
 
You're quite right; I have "indoor cats" anyway; they live longer. Atwood has "snuck out" the odd warm summer evening (she slips out like a grey shadow as I'm letting out Lucy for her last backyard trip of the day), but I don't think she goes far, if even out of the backyard (she may be a little too fat right now to wiggle under a fence). Just observing that, like wolves, coyote are probably happiest with easy squeaky prey like moles, voles, mice and rabbits.
 
BetteTheRed said:
easy squeaky prey like moles, voles, mice and rabbits.
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I have often paused to wonder if they were to blame for the half rabbit I found in my yard years ago. If so, they may be coming closer than I think. I am sometimes tempted to put a cam with infrared or night vision capabilities on my backyard at night, not for security but to see who is hanging out on my property whilst I am snoozing.
 
At the university campus here there was a rabbit problem for decades. It was a result of escaped or abandoned domestic rabbits. So they were cute. All different colours, some lop-ears, etc. But they were feral. It just became a thing to see rabbits all over the place, there. But I guess they were digging up gardens nearby and getting hit by cars. So there was a rabbit cull that riled the animal rights activists - and made some of us just a little sad about it. They were an attraction, imo. My friend is certain that her runaway rabbit, when she was a kid, was one of the original patriarchs of that rabbit family because she saw lots of rabbits with his features.

I read that they've started to pop up again and conservationists are going to take them somewhere else and release them I think. It's a problem when people get them as pets and decide they no longer want them, and just release them. It happens more than we realize, I read.
 
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We have lots of coyotes yipping and hunting at night. Occasional howling wolves. Twice I have found a deer carcass left behind but stripped clean

on my game camera I have seen deer running down the trail followed by wolves. Pretty cool

those game cameras are a great gift idea for anyone who has a back yard with foot prints. Even in the city of Toronto we would see coyotes, deer, foxes, opposoms. Quite amazing how much wild life lives so close to us

dog chased a rabbit this morning and then spent half an hour sniffing where she saw the rabbit. Dog not too smart
 
Kimmio Laughterlove said:
At the university campus here there was a rabbit problem for decades. It was a result of escaped or abandoned domestic rabbits. So they were cute. All different colours, some lop-ears, etc. But they were feral. It just became a thing to see rabbits all over the place, there. But I guess they were digging up gardens nearby and getting hit by cars. So there was a rabbit cull that riled the animal rights activists - and made some of us just a little sad about it. They were an attraction, imo. My friend is certain that her runaway rabbit, when she was a kid, was one of the original patriarchs of that rabbit family because she saw lots of rabbits with his features.

I read that they've started to pop up again and conservationists are going to take them somewhere else and release them I think. It's a problem when people get them as pets and decide they no longer want them, and just release them. It happens more than we realize, I read.
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Rabbits are, sad to say, destructive pests outside areas where they are indigenous and I frankly have no problem with culling them in such areas. Just ask the Aussies. The expression "breed like rabbits" exists for a reason.
 
And capturing rabbits and releasing them somewhere else just causes destruction of another habitat.

i Love rabbits, have owned lots. And I love our cottontails on our farm. We see the odd clump of rabbit fur around so I know the owls and coyotes love them too. But they are destructive
 
Lastpointe said:
And capturing rabbits and releasing them somewhere else just causes destruction of another habitat.

i Love rabbits, have owned lots. And I love our cottontails on our farm. We see the odd clump of rabbit fur around so I know the owls and coyotes love them too. But they are destructive
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Of course, part of the the problem in Australia is that they had only two large predators to start with (the dingo and the thylacine) and had killed one of them off (the thylacine) leaving rabbits with no real predators to control them. They have some snakes but I am not sure they live in the areas were rabbits are common. I think they more in the tropical parts.
 
I can see why the student animal rights activists were upset though. They were darn cute! And it's not their fault they were there. It was a pet owners fault (if not my friend's fault, someone else's)
 
We have a lot of deer around here (they're the most common wildlife I see, as evidenced by photos.) I see some nearly everyday and I haven't heard of anyone shooting one in their yard, to put on the bbq. It's illegal, but still, I am surprised noone's done it that I know of. I would be reading about fines.
 
Kimmio Laughterlove said:
We have a lot of deer around here (they're the most common wildlife I see, as evidenced by photos.) I see some nearly everyday and I haven't heard of anyone shooting one in their yard, to put on the bbq. It's illegal, but still, I am surprised noone's done it that I know of. I would be reading about fines.
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We have them, too. Apparently some came on our property when we were on vacation a few years back. Heard about from the neighbours after the fact. And I once saw a doe and fawn run across the access road that leads into our neighbourhood. It's a built-up area but with a ravine down the west side and they come up from the woods around the ravine.
 
Lots of coyotes here although I haven't seen one close. Lots of sightings by others in the neighborhood this week including a kid who was sledding and one got a bit too close for his comfort. They easily jump fences of the houses that back onto storm ponds and I've wondered about poop found in our backyard before.

I tended to see them by my parents more often there was an area with tall grass where heads would pop up from the pack. There was a few years where there were problems in the city with aggressive one probably due to a decline with the hares. No problems here that I have heard of other than for concerns with pets.
 
ChemGal said:
Lots of coyotes here although I haven't seen one close. Lots of sightings by others in the neighborhood this week including a kid who was sledding and one got a bit too close for his comfort. They easily jump fences of the houses that back onto storm ponds and I've wondered about poop found in our backyard before.

I tended to see them by my parents more often there was an area with tall grass where heads would pop up from the pack. There was a few years where there were problems in the city with aggressive one probably due to a decline with the hares. No problems here that I have heard of other than for concerns with pets.
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But still a problem if there are pets around, I'm guessing. It would be awful to be the owner of a killed cat or dog.
 
There was a family of coyotes here this summer that had pretty severe mange. Toronto Wildlife trapped & treated them, then released them back to the neighbourhood, looking spiffy and healthy again.

We also have wild turkeys! Yup - urban pair that hold up traffic sometimes. Those things are BIG! And they occasionally chase people ...
 
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