Mrs. Mallard made her nest in the shrubs next to my front porch. When I went out early this morning to put my trash at the curb, I saw a broken egg shell on the porch. Then I saw that the nest had been completely destroyed. Mrs. Mallard was sitting on the roof. (I'd take a picture of the nest, but it is just too upsetting.)
I have been known in the blog to rant about the dreaded four-legged creatures that inhabit my subdivision. Forty-two years ago when I moved here, the only animals I regularly saw were foxes. Now, the foxes are gone, but have been replaced by destructive tree squirrels, ground squirrels, gophers, opossums, skunks, and of course deer. But I believe that the culprit in this mass murder was a raccoon.
Yesterday afternoon I found raccoon skat in the front garden. Later in the day I found a sedum plant ripped apart in another garden area. Not eaten, just torn up. Then, during a horrific downpour of rain last evening, my neighbor called me to ask if I could see the raccoon up on his roof. I went outside and there was this huge beast sitting under one of his many eaves on a multi-pitched roof. He said if it was legal he would shoot it. How I wish he had. I am considering hiring the exterminator to come out and trap him.
My neighbor said that he was in the garage with his dog when the raccoon appeared and looked to gain entry before the dog scared him off. I told him to make sure the creature didn't try to gain access from the roof.
I was looking forward to seeing the little ducklings hatch. Unlike my disdain for the messy Canadian geese around here, I enjoy the little ducks. Maybe it is because I had a pet duck, named Elvis, when I was a child. (My Godfather named him, not me. And Elvis started laying eggs so we changed her name to Daisy. Not original, but cute.)
A few weeks ago I saw a small grouse up under the bushes around my deck. The game birds used to be plentiful around here. I wonder if the bird is still around or has also fallen victim to a four-legged predator. Do these destructive creatures provide a positive benefit to our environment? Certainly none that I can see this morning.
I do know how you feel Denise. Will the exterminators come and remove a raccoon? I also know what you mean about Canadian Geese, they make everything filthy and one cannot walk safely where they have been. In all fairness this applies to all geese I have come across, I used to walk past loads of geese regularly and the road was covered in goose poop
ReplyDeleteMy guy will set a trap and then relocate it. Make it someone else's problem. I've had to do this with ground hogs, but it gets expensive.
DeleteWe had to call the city because we were overrun with feral cats (in NC) and it didn't cost us a cent. They just left a trap and we called them when it was full. So I'm surprised you have to pay.
DeleteWhen I first started working for the Township in 1988 we had traps that we loaned out for free. Then the Americans with Disabilities Act came along which would basically have made us go out, set up the trap and dispose of the animal. We just stopped the service.
DeleteI wouldn't have any trouble putting out poison and killing them all off. Well except for the ducks! I am a bird loving person. And I even like the squirrels. But when it comes to raccoon's, possums, foxes and other such creatures I don't want them around. Good luck with ridding yourself of them. We have a huge problems with moles and gofers here and they want $18.00 for each one trapped. Cost me almost $200 last year. This year they can just tear up the yard. I can't afford it anymore
ReplyDeleteI paid $200 to remove one groundhog. They wanted $50 each to remove babies but I took care of that myself.
DeleteThose pesky bandits can really get into things and they do love eggs so probably them. It can be quite expensive if you wanted the city to trap them. We looked into it here and it was costly-we have skunks for the most part. I would never put poison down as it will injure the innocents like cats, dogs and maybe even children. Now what about tobasco or chili pepper? They won't like that. Your neighbour better make sure they can't get into his home or he will have major problems. Sorry to hear about the little duckies. Poor Canada geese but all geese can make such a mess and I used to be chased by them(neighbour had the basic white geese) so I understand the mess. I heard that in the states..I believe New York state, shot a bunch of geese and got rid of them. This saddened me as they could have at least been used for food for people who can't afford a regular turkey. Goose can be fatty but is often used for Christmas or so
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