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 Now, the foxes are gone, but have been replaced by destructive tree squirrels, ground squirrels, gophers, opossums, skunks, and of course deer.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.