Funny you should ask this tonight, Glen. There was some weird croaky sound going on outside my window earlier this evening, but it was dark out so i couldn't see anything! I don't know if it was some kind of frog or toad or insect or bird. Never heard that sound before!

As for other wildlife, we usually have lots. There are beavers in the back pond, and mink or otters occasionally, as well as muskrats (one was up near the house once, and the dog was going nuts!). We've had bears, of course, the occasional fox, and a bobcat or lynx a few times. Our dog once chased a lynx out of here - we thought the dog was done for, but he came back about half an hour later with a big grin on his face! LOL We do have squirrels and chipmunks around too, and lots of birds and different insects. We have had moose, too. My son took pictures of one in the pond last summer.

Heck - we live in the bush, so all this is pretty routine for us! LOL

In our previous house we had moose and bear on occasion. We've only been in this house one winter, so it looks like the moose don't bother here during the summer.

Just the typical birds, squirrels. I didn't see too many ravens last winter in this neighborhood, although two bald eagles hang out in a cottonwood on the next street over. We can see them taking off from the living room window.

Gloria

Forgot to mention owls. There's one hooting tonight. And something else making weird noises - unless it's the same thing as before making different weird noises! LOL A mystery!

Right in the yard? Not much except birds, squirrels, frogs, toads, snakes, etc. Deer in the fields and pastures. Hear lots of owls and other night critters. The dogs keep the big guys out of the yard.

Does a mother Peafowl and her five chicks count? They are forever touring the gardens and stomping down plants. Haven't got them trained yet. LOL

Yesterday, TM came up to the house carrying an American Kestrel. Poor thing knocked itself silly flying into the chicken pen in an attempt to catch the sparrows that frequent that area. After a very brief recovery period, it left TM's outstretched hand and went soaring off. Assumed it suffered no permanent damage. Neat to see one so close.

In the wood lands....Woodchucks, raccoons, weasels, otter, bear, wolves, coyotes, moose...you name it...we got it!
The one thing that has moved into the area that I am most unhappy about is a cougar. The rest I do not mind running into while in the woods. But a cougar? Well, lets just say I would have to do laundry after an encounter.
Jan

Jan, we had cougar sightings a few years ago, within 1/4 mile of our yard. My oldest son was only 2 at the time and the forest comes to about 50 yards of our house. Needless to say, I was a bit worried about my son playing outside at all. But after doing a search, it seems that cougars will stay away from dogs barking......so we got a dog, and now I rest easier!
We have a pile of deer, which the dog is good at keeping away too, also have seen bear and moose close by. With all the bear attacks lately, I don't think I'll be doing any berry picking for awhile! Right in the yard have been skunks(which sprayed the side of DH truck), porcupine, racoons, muskrat, mallard ducks, lots of snakes (yuck!), salmanders, lots of birds and even coyotes who were chasing the dog around....that was a scary night!

Haven't seen many squirrels or rabbits in the past few years. I think they know better with the dog around.

Yes, life can be interesting living out in the country.

Laurie

Laurie,

Interesting. I certainly can understand your concern with having a young child and a cougar around.

I would agree...a barking dog in the yard would probably cause a cougar to take another route. By nature they are a solitary, wary and furtive animal. But....I do not think there is any dog that is a match for one of those big cats. The one sighted around here is estimated as weighing 150 pounds. A neighbor gal, while out jogging met up with one... described it as bigger than our Great Pyrenees.

Unfortunately, when I go trekking through the woods....I do not have the GP with me. As a livestock guard dog, she stays with the livestock....I am on my own! LOL.

What kind of bear? We only have black bear....rather timid, shy creatures who generally scoot away quickly. The only hard and fast rule I follow with them is not to get between a sow and her cubs.

It would take a lot to keep me out of the blueberry patches....especially in a year like this with such an abundant crop. Might have to start strapping a 45 to my hip and strut around like Matt Dillon with a blueberry bucket. LOL.

Skunks....when we had a really good Border Collie, she herded anything and everything. Brought a skunk right into the yard in such a gentle manner it never sprayed her. Left us with the problem of getting the skunk out! Also, herded in an occasional porcupine.

Yes, living in the country can be interesting....but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Jan

How could i forget skunks and deer in my long list? LOL

And should i mention dh? Sometimes he gets pretty wild! :>

Fun question. I frequently see posts on the Native Plants forum where people ccomplain about animals eating their plants (native plants). That is one reason I keep native plants in the yard--to make sure there's some food for the animals. Most are welcome in my yard, and are even welcome to munch on the apple and lilac trees. Off hand, I can only think of 3 frequent visitors/residents that aren't welcome: voles, magpies, squirrels (the squirrels would be welcome if they didn't always end up trying to get into the house).
Moose are frequent visitors for 9 months of the year, and we've had black bears and at least once, a brown bear. Snowshoe hares -- This summer there were so many that everytime I went outside I startled at least one. One was even on the deck one day, trying to figure out how to get off. One summer a weasel lived in the brush pile in the front yard, so I assume they're around all the time. Porcupines, which can do a number on bark mulch, sometimes make daily forays through the yard. I was just wondering a couple of days ago if we have bats this summer--usually we do.
Bald eagles, kestrels, spruce grouse, ruffed grouse, robins, 3 kinds of woodpeckers, 3 or more kinds of warblers, white-winged crossbills, chickadees, redpolls, sparrows, juncos, nuthatches and pine siskins are the most frequent birds, most of which nest in the yard. Then there are the cedar waxwings and pine grosbeaks that spend a few days each spring and fall feeding on the mountain ash on their way through the area. Ravens visit occasionally--thank goodness they don't stay! And of course, there are more birds that I can't identify. And I almost forgot the hummingbird that visited the delphinium one summer.
And this summer--more bugs than ever--not welcome!
So nothing really unique in my yard. But I do njoy watching it.

Jan about the black bears, yes they are normally very shy and retiring but there have been a few attacks in Canada this summer which Laurie was referring to. There was actually a man attacked while picking plums in my hometown a couple of weeks ago, and although not all the media reports mentioned it in the interests of sensitivity, it appears to have been a predatory attack. Like, it was eating him. Oooogh, no plum picking for me.

Wildlife in my yard? No not really. I had those hummingbird (sphynx) moths a couple of years ago too Glen. I assumed it was the mosquito spraying that did them in, since they are nocturnal. I haven't seen them for two years. They used to love my nicotines.

Several years ago when my Grandma owned the house, she heard an unearthly loud KREEEAK noise and went to look, and there was an American Bittern in the lilac hedge. It's a big marsh bird that stands with its beak straight up to look like reeds, Grandma said it looked like lilac stems but not enough to fool her. I guess it was migrating and needed a rest.

We also get the usual squirrels and occasional mice. Had some pretty little wrens around all summer.

Adding bats and ground hogs to my list!

Yes, Jan, if I were you, I'd be singing at the top of my lungs while berry picking. If that didn't scare the black bears away, nothing would!lol

Gillian, that bear attack you were mentioning was very gruesome. Terrible thing to have happen. It seems like the bear numbers in Riding Mountain National park are getting very high, and they are venturing out. On the news about a month ago, they said there is one bear for every square kilometer in the park. My parents live a couple miles south of the park and have had 2 bears this year pretty much on their doorstep. One was a yearling and was scared off easily. The second was an older large bear, and when my dad went to shoo it away (with a broom of all things!) all it did was stand up on it's hind legs and look at him! The conservation officer set a trap in the yard for 10 days, but they never did catch him. At this time of year when they're trying to bulk up for hibernation, it can be a bit scary getting in the way of their favorite berry patch, or apple tree in my parents case.

Laurie you must have gone to school with my sister-in-law. My husband grew up on a farm north of Rossburn too, just south of the Park. Does the name Bonnie, last initial M, ring a bell? (don't say it if you know who I mean, y'know privacy and all) hee hee this is funny.

My Biker friends ;)

Just kidding....

All kinds of species of birds, bats, seen a few hummingbird moths here too. This year was my first year seeing dragonflies and frogs out here, that was exciting, I even saved a lit' frog, I was using the weed wacker around the firepit and I seen him jump out, picked him up and took him to the garden pond, gave him a kiss too, but no Prince... it also appears that we have a natural pond in one of the pastures.

Coyotes, foxes, rabbits, skunks, porcupine, badgers, deer and the odd moose walking on by.

HavenÂt seen any squirrels or bears out here YET, thank goodness ;)

Sharon

Surprisingly we get very little wildlife. We live on the edge of a small town with prairie and bush and large sloughs all over the place but not much ventures into town. Skunks, at times, and an occasional coyote. Gophers, squirrels, mice and apparently the odd bat (makes my skin crawl, just typing that word - hope I never come across one cause that might just end my gardening life). Lots of birds and bugs.

Then there was a donkey one evening. But he just got loose from a nearby pasture and decided to see what town was all about and enjoyed leaving deposits on everyone's lawns, LOL. Friendly fella - figured every human had a carrot in their pocket.

I live in a small town of about 5000 people in northern BC. Even in a town of this size we get out share of wildlife. Since I started putting in my flowerbeds (there were none to begin with unless you count white gravel and a lilac bush a garden,) I have seen alot more butterflies and other bugs coming by to visit. Plus grasshoppers which one of the cats loves to catch. They jump when she meows which is the attraction. :) For larger animals in the yard it has mainly been coyotes and one black bear. On the street crossing through town I've seen moose, mule deer, black bears and the odd grizzly bear. I don't have my fruit trees planted yet which probably helps keep them away. I am planning on putting them in the backyard behind a six foot fence which has two large dogs back there when not in the house, so hopefully that helps to stop them from being attacted to my yard.

Syreeta

Gillian, that name does ring a bell, but I think she was a grade or two younger than me. She had a brother in my class though, named Dale, who I was good friends with. Not sure if I have the right family name in mind or not?

Also, got to thinking about bears again, and wasn't there a fatal attack somewhere in the territories about the same time as the one in Selkirk? When I heard about this on the news, I'm sure they had said that this was the third bear fatality in Canada this year. So anybody who's out in the woods please be careful, for some reason the bears are ornary this year!

Syreeta, a grizzly on your street?! That would have been a sight to see, hopefully from behind a window though!

Laurie

Yes Laurie you are exactly right - LOL that is so funny!! I'm married to the youngest one, you might not have even known he existed.

Ok well not LOL about the bears, I heard about the second attack too but I thought it was in Ontario. Whichever. Everyone please be careful of wildlife, you just don't know if they're having a bad day. Especially cougars, yeek those things are unpredictable!!

It was in Ontario - Northern Ont. in Missinabi north of Chapleau. The woman was a doctor (pediatrician, maybe?). Her husband fought the bear off and stabbed it with a pen knife. According to yesterday's paper, the bear was found and destroyed.

Well we get Moose, deer, coyotes, bears, foxes, squirels and a few other critters in the yard every year. We also are on the path of the migrating birds...going south and back north.....they stop in my back yard and clean out the feeders and berries and they are off again. A few stick around like the nuthatches, chickidees, purple finches and some years the white crown sparrows. Oh and the Juncos do a wonderful job keeping the bug populations down in my gardens. Swallows nest on the house across the street every year.....they help with mosquito control. LOL.

There are two kinds of hummingbirds that fight over the gardens all summer...those little buggers have a big attitude! We are also visited by 3 kinds of woodpeckers.

There are many kinds of butterflys and bees, and the hummingbird moths. And ewwwwwww spiders...lots of spiders...did I say EEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! its more like EEEEEKKKKKKKSSSSSSS!!!! I'm sure there is more just can't think of them all.

As far as bear safety.....get educated on the subject...don't take chances. Wear bear bells if you are berry picking or out in the woods. Pick fruit as soon as its ready...don't leave any laying around to draw them in. Make sure garbage is in a bear proof container or in a closed garage. We have a bear aware program here....I check my yard everytime I go out this time of year.....before I start to garden.

Sierra