Unbeknownst to us, a mallard pair (Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) built a nest in our yard and laid eggs in it. We discovered it by chance when Lizzie accidentally scared up the hen while playing in the yard. On the second occasion of that, when I investigated, I found a nest with six eggs in it.
Six mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) eggs in a nest.
I placed recently dropped tree branches around the nest to dissuade Lizzie from wandering over to the nest. Lizzie has no interest in birds so I was not concerned she would pester the nest but I wanted to keep her away from the nest so as to reduce stress on the hen.
Unfortunately, two week later, the eggs were destroyed. I suspect raccoons (Procyon lotor) found the nest and ate the eggs. Three Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) eggs, possibly eaten by raccoons (Procyon lotor).
During the drought this year, to assist the various animals that make our yard their home, I placed a bird bath at the bottom of our hill, in the wooded part of the yard. To learn what animals were using the bird bath, I placed a trail cam on a nearby tree to record the activity at the bird bath. Below are some of images recorded by the trail cam.
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
Robins were frequent visitors to the bird bath. Sometimes, families of 3-4 robins would take turns bathing in the bird bath.
An American Robin (Turdus migratorius) perched on the bird bath.
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
A Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) on the edge of a bird bath.
Prior to seeing the following image, I had not seen a Blue Jay bathe in a bird bath despite having multiple bird baths for years.
A Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) wet after taking a bath.
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
A Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)A pair of Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) at the bird bath.
American goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
An American goldfinch (Spinus tristis).
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
After I saw the following picture, I knew why I occasionally found partially consumed animal carcasses in the bird bath. Crows were using it to clean their food.
An American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) cleaning its food in a bird bath.A muster of American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) with three on the bird bath and two in the trees.
Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus)
A Hairy Woodpecker would frequently visit nearby trees but never visited the bird bath.
A Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus) on a nearby tree.
Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
An Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) visiting the bird bath.
One apparently tired Gray Squirrel rested on the bird bath.
An Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) lounging on the bird bath.
American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
An American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)An American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) drinking from the bird bath.
Mouse
The bird bath even had visitors at night. The camera recorded several images of mice visiting the bird bath at night.
A mouse drinking from the bird bath.
Raccoon (Procyon lotor)
A pair of raccoons were recorded walking past the bird bath but they apparently had no interest in it.
A Raccoon (Procyon lotor) walking past the bird bath.
Now that the nighttime temperatures are above freezing, I have deployed our game cameras. I bought an additional camera so I could better understand the movement of animals through our yard. I had only deployed the second camera for a week when I observed a raccoon cross our yard from the west fence to the east fence. I’m hoping to make more observations like that because I’m curious how larger animals such as raccoons and fox move through our fence-enclosed yard.
The seemingly ubiquitous Eastern cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) is the most frequently photographed animal by our game cameras. However, after a red fox was observed in our yard, I noticed there were less rabbit sightings.
An Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus).
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) clearly has no issue getting over our fence. I’m hoping to actually capture an image of one jumping our fence.
A red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in our yard.
I have mixed thoughts about raccoons. One thought I have is they are just another animal passing through our yard like any other animal and they deserve to do so without harassment. Another I have is they have damaged our property and are a host for a type of intestinal parasite (Baylisascaris procyonis) that can infect humans. Realizing that I cannot keep them from our yard, I only undertake to keep them away from our house by utilizing repellants. Otherwise, I leave them be.
A raccoon (Procyon lotor) walking in our yard.
This year was the first time a game camera captured an image of a Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana). I have seen them previously during both the day and night. Lizzie even found one in the big brush pile at the bottom of the hill, but, they have been eluding our cameras. However, something was triggering the new camera, which I had placed on the east side of the yard, but the camera was failing to capture any images. After I realized the motion sensor had a wider angle of detection than the camera had for image capture, I placed the camera closer to the ground. The next night, the camera captured images of an opossum.
An opossum (Didelphis virginiana) in the backyard.
On Nextdoor, people have reported seeing coyotes (Canis latrans) in nearby neighborhoods. Because of that, I don’t let Lizzie out alone at night. At 55 pounds, Lizzie easily outweighs a male coyote (about 30 pounds) but I don’t want her tangling with one regardless. I would, however, like to find images of one on our game cameras.
Our game camera has captured plenty of daytime images but what interests me the most are the images captured at night. During the daytime, I frequently see the squirrels and birds that frequent our yard during the daylight hours. Below are a few images captured at night.
We occasionally see Easterncottontails in our yard during the day but I had hoped the presence of Lizzie in our yard would scare off the rabbits. However, the amount of images of rabbits captured by the game camera made me realize the real party is at night!
An Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) investigating a log.
Prior to the erection of our fence, nighttime sightings of raccoons were a regular enough occurrence that I thought nothing of it. After our fence went up and we saw no raccoons during the day, I naively hoped they were not frequenting our yard. The image below informed me that they were still visiting our yard, even if only on an irregular basis.
A raccoon (Procyon lotor) walking away from the game camera.
Prior to our putting up our fence, a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) made regular rounds through our yard. On one occasion, I saw it lift its leg and piss on our garage. I also found the remains of several rabbits under shrubs and bushes that, I assume, belong to the fox. I thought that maybe the fence would dissuade the fox from entering our yard. Apparently, that is not true. Hopefully, the fox will eat the rabbits that have been frequenting our yard.
