In our suburban setting, my small (to me at least) yard has frequent visits by the local raccoons and other critters. This year I think we may have 6 or 7 regulars not counting the babies. Our neighbors would have fits if they knew what lived right in among them. Recently I saw a coyote a few blocks away from our house. I have no doubt it's hunting area will soon include our neighborhood since the shopping center and new building at the University will have to push it this way. Buy or sell, who do you call to complain to? In most cases, unless there is a possibility of animal attacks, you are pretty much on your own. There are a couple of guys here making a living trapping and moving critters and they don't come cheap. As for the cats and their terrorizing of the neighborhood, I wish one of them lived near me. I lose major money, sweat and aches and pains each year due to the excess of rabbits, chippers and squirrels and mice and voles and moles who wreak havoc in my yard and garden. With leash laws for cats and a few residents who don't see the connection between cute cuddly bunnies and the ravening hoards of critters competing for territory that will feed them I would love to have a control predator in the area. Since we have impacted the areas where they would live with lawns and patios etc. there are too many critters competing for the same assets. Often, they become a problem unless Mother Nature steps in with starvation and disease shared by the entire animal population and that is not pretty. Sometimes we change the rules. We leave food out for our pets or don't cover the garbage and we then become aware of our animal neighbors who don't go by the same rules as our pets. Since we are supplying a glut of food, we soon have a glut of critters. The critters who go along with the rule changes and become pets often lose their protective caution and become the first on the list of the predator's menu. I have a great deal of respect for the Vets and animal rehabbers who spend their lives and resources dealing with the critters who have been damaged or orphaned through accident or attack. They have to resist their instincts to make a pet out of their patient and remember that it is a wild animal that will, if possible, be released back into the wild. I don't think I could make that kind of effort and emotional commitment and not be devastated when the time came to give it back to Mother Nature. (I have had to do it on occasion and it was terrible to have to let it go.) Then, if the animal cannot be rehabbed they have to find that animal a safe home or make a commitment to care for it the rest of it's natural life or in some sad cases, put it down. I didn't start this to preach. Sorry. I intended to simply commiserate with you for your loss. We do become so attached. Now I have to go wait outside for the raccoons who have trashed my pond 3 times in the past week. I hope my yelling and cane waving and the water hose does it's job. They have me worn to a frazzle. Sandy

I know this is a bit late, but people obvuously still have access to it & thought it was super important for everyone to know... When you find a hummingbird that seemingly appears dead - double check to MAKE SURE IT'S NOT JUST SLEEPING!!! There's plenty of sources out there that explain SLEEPING HUMMINGBIRDS that APPEAR DEAD but are actually in a PSEUDO-HIBERNATION STATE alled TURPOR! You may even find them UPSIDE DOWN, as their death grip o lm a tiny branch may have also slipped them into that position - BUT NOTE - THEY ARE NOT DEAD! While in the sleeping state of TURPOR, everything slows down so extremely slow in order to survive colder night temps, that it is often mistaken (I've found them that way myself)... and they are oblivious to ANYTHING, including human touch - since it may take them anywhete between 20 MINUTES TO AN HOUR TO WAKE UP OUT OF A TURPOR STATE.... EASILY MISTAKING THEM FOR BEING DEAD! As I have found them upside down & appearing dead, not to mention how INCREDIBLY LONG IT TAKES THEM TO WAKE UP - I had no idea of/ ever hears of TURPOR at the time! As such, all these years later - I am now wondering if I had actually buried a perfectly fine, living, slow breathing Hummer all those years ago... and the thought sickens me! I try thinking back to my having it in a box for some time before that & double checking several times - but the fact that it takes them anywhere from 20 minutes to AN HOUR TO WAKE UP... I just want people to KNOW TO REALLY WAIT & DOUBLE, TRIPLE, QUADRUPLE CHECK BEFORE BURYING OR DISPOSING OF WHAT THEY PERCEIVE TO BE A DEAD HUMMER - AS IT MAY ONLY REALLY BE SLEEPING!

So sorry this happened.... Sometimes blues will try again in a box where there was a failure - depends on their choices. PLEASE use sparrow spookers as soon as a bluebird egg is laid - they are EXTREMELY effective (nothing is HOSP proof). HOSP euthanasia options can be found here: http://www.sialis.org/hospdispatch.htm. It MUST be done in the most humane manner possible. Van Ert's website is here: http://www.vanerttraps.com/. if you call him he will ship out a trap right away Here is a link that might be useful: sparrow spooker

You can't disturb a nest once it has eggs in it. If you at all prevent a hawk from raising it's young, it's called a 'take'. The hawk may or may not abandon the nest and the young may or may not get the food they need to grow and if any of the disturbance is your doing, US Fish & Wildlife will be secretly filming you and trying to build a case. Many people get on a 'witch hunt' over hawks and 'their rights'. It's a small minded neighborhood thing because many view the hawks now as cool thanks to nest cams. My advice is to remove any tall trees that would be an ideal nesting site if budget allows, or make them unappealing before nesting season by paying a tree climber to add a fake racoon or fake owls that move, or other bright, big objects that move such as huge balloons with eyes, large shiny pinwheels with tape that flashes in the breeze. Add several so as to overwhelm the hawk as it first approaches it's old nesting area. It may not stop the hawk from coming to the area but may pursuade it to nest elsewhere. Just make sure that the type of hawk you're trying to encourage to move isn't considered endangered in your area. Your local game commission may have that information. A pic provided to them will be helpful. I know red shouldered hawks are becoming more scarce due to red tail hawks taking over good hunting and nesting grounds. Just check with your local authorities before taking any action.