What's in your back yard?

Wandering Willy · Post by **Wandering Willy** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 1:57 am

Caught this fellow looking at me this morning!

The picture was taken about 10 feet from the back of my house. There are plenty of these in the waters around here but you don't normally see them so close. They are more frequently sited in the spring when they have just come out of hibernation and are hungry. I also see them later in the year just before they get ready to bed down for the winter. Temperatures have dropped about 15 degrees below normal in the last couple of days so I think this has fooled this one into thinking it's hibernation time. He's about 6 feet long though I have seen one as large as 12 feet - believe me that was a huge creature.

He's hungry and after my dogs I think!

Just thought it might be interesting for those of you who are nature lovers. Sorry about the picture quality.

thebish · Post by **thebish** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 9:17 am

went down the garden to clear the weed from my pond... and whooaaa!!!!

getting quite common down south - I blame global warming - still, the neighbour tells me they scare the herons off eating his koi carp - swings and roundabouts eh?

superjohnmcginlay · Post by **superjohnmcginlay** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 9:19 am

Well Ive just got a few Jehova's Witnesses.

ratbert · Post by **ratbert** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 9:29 am

A fecking squirrel that trashes with regular abandon the bird food holders - even metal ones. That's before the furry little sod digs my bulbs up.

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 10:00 am

ratbert wrote:A fecking squirrel that trashes with regular abandon the bird food holders - even metal ones. That's before the furry little sod digs my bulbs up.

We have his mate, Cyril, at our house. Crafty little barsteward knows how to open the door on the birdfeeder and is far too quick for my dog to get near him (not that he's know what to do if he did anyway) Right hard-faced little sod. Also got Horace, a wandering hedgehog that lives under the garage. He's no bother except when he comes out and the dog's around. Dog thinks he's a football and wants to roll him round the garden. Goes fxxking mental whenever he appears.

Jakerbeef · Post by **Jakerbeef** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 10:38 am

Just some weird mushrooms and even they freaked me out a bit.

A croc like that in the garden and I'd be putting up a fence with watchtowers.

superjohnmcginlay · Post by **superjohnmcginlay** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 10:44 am

Jakerbeef wrote:Just some weird mushrooms and even they freaked me out a bit.

A croc like that in the garden and I'd be putting up a fence with watchtowers.

You shouldnt have eaten them then.

enfieldwhite · Post by **enfieldwhite** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 11:07 am

Foxes (covered in another thread)

And a large Jewish Cemetary just over the wall. No bother from the neighbours.

Puskas · Post by **Puskas** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 11:16 am

enfieldwhite wrote:Foxes (covered in another thread)

And a large Jewish Cemetary just over the wall. No bother from the neighbours.

Really? I thought it was supposed to be noisy in the dead centre of town?

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 12:45 pm

TANGODANCER wrote:
ratbert wrote:A fecking squirrel that trashes with regular abandon the bird food holders - even metal ones. That's before the furry little sod digs my bulbs up.
We have his mate, Cyril, at our house. Crafty little barsteward knows how to open the door on the birdfeeder and is far too quick for my dog to get near him (not that he's know what to do if he did anyway) Right hard-faced little sod. Also got Horace, a wandering hedgehog that lives under the garage. He's no bother except when he comes out and the dog's around. Dog thinks he's a football and wants to roll him round the garden. Goes fxxking mental whenever he appears.

Oh we have hedgehogs too and like yours our stupid mutt thinks they are playthings and being a typical terrier just does not stop trying to open them! We have to go out with him now in the garden to make sure its Hedgehog free! We also get two beautiful wood pigeons raid the bird table but thats about it!

boltonboris · Post by **boltonboris** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 1:41 pm

Raven wrote:
TANGODANCER wrote:
ratbert wrote:A fecking squirrel that trashes with regular abandon the bird food holders - even metal ones. That's before the furry little sod digs my bulbs up.
We have his mate, Cyril, at our house. Crafty little barsteward knows how to open the door on the birdfeeder and is far too quick for my dog to get near him (not that he's know what to do if he did anyway) Right hard-faced little sod. Also got Horace, a wandering hedgehog that lives under the garage. He's no bother except when he comes out and the dog's around. Dog thinks he's a football and wants to roll him round the garden. Goes fxxking mental whenever he appears.
Oh we have hedgehogs too and like yours our stupid mutt thinks they are playthings and being a typical terrier just does not stop trying to open them! We have to go out with him now in the garden to make sure its Hedgehog free! We also get two beautiful wood pigeons raid the bird table but thats about it!

Had one of them a while back at an old address, used to land on the window sill of my bedroom and peck the shite out of my window. I'd shoo it away only for it to come back 2 mins later. It would stare me in the eye whilst it headbutted my window.

americantrotter · Post by **americantrotter** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 1:44 pm

Chipmunks and Squirrels. (Which of course set the mutt off as well) Plus a damn boat that has been there since 92. We rent my girlfriend's parents house. (Ironically they live in Boston now) Having a home is great, but I wish he would have taken the boat!

Dave Sutton's barnet · Post by **Dave Sutton's barnet** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 2:31 pm

Large trampoline that the little buggers never use 'cos "it's got spiders on it"
Firepit
Swingy seat thing that doesn't work properly since the lodger sat on it with all her mates (evidence is on Facebook)
Table and chairs, donated by neighbours when they got new ones
Washing

On a nature tip, we get squirrels (but less so since we got a cat) and there was a hedgehog the other year, but either he's not been back or I've not noticed 'cos I've not been out smoking.
It was a five-foot jungle when we moved in so imagine our surprise when we get bluebells every spring, although we do nothing to encourage them.

Athers · Post by **Athers** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 4:04 pm

Not in my back yard but I'm near the canal and my Christ can the ducks make some bloody noise at times.

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 4:27 pm

Wife is a big bird lover and we must have the best fed wild birds around. A regular robin or two, a family of blackbirds, a pair of mental doves and a big ring-necked pigeon All come to the bird cafe in addition to the blue-tits and scavenging starlings.

Occasionally we get a visit from a beautiful but deadly sparrowhawk. Arrives like a rocket, snatches a sparrow and is off like the proverbial. One of the funniest sights I've ever seen was when it landed two gardens away and the woman back to back with the house was screeching at it like a maniac. Next news she threw her cat over the wall. Not a funny situation, but the sight of that big shaggy moggy flying over the fence had me in stitches.

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 4:33 pm

We've got some farm land backing onto our house, so there I am, in the back garden, at about 3 o'clock in the morning, looking for one thousand brown M&Ms to fill a brandy glass, or Ozzy wouldn't go on stage that night. So, Jeff Beck pops his head 'round the door, and mentions there's a little sweets shop on the edge of town. So - we go. And - it's closed. So there's me, and Keith Moon, and David Crosby, breaking into that little sweets shop, eh. Well, instead of a guard dog, they've got this bloody great big Bengal tiger. I managed to take out the tiger with a can of mace, but the shopowner and his son... that's a different story altogether. I had to beat them to death with their own shoes. Nasty business, really. But, sure enough, I got the M&Ms, and Ozzy went on stage and did a great show.

Verbal · Post by **Verbal** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 6:08 pm

Puskas wrote:
enfieldwhite wrote:Foxes (covered in another thread)

And a large Jewish Cemetary just over the wall. No bother from the neighbours.
Really? I thought it was supposed to be noisy in the dead centre of town?

They're probably bored stiff.

Montreal Wanderer · Post by **Montreal Wanderer** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 7:21 pm

In our city its squirrels, raccoons and skunks. The most common birds are pigeons and 9a thousand miles inland) seagulls both of which are annoying.

The Masked Weasel · Post by **The Masked Weasel** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 8:27 pm

We've a very friendly frog in our back yard. Wouldn't be strange apart from the yard is surrounded by a 6 and a half foot wall????? It's raining frogs!

Worthy4England · Post by **Worthy4England** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 3:59 am

Bruno wrote:We've got some farm land backing onto our house, so there I am, in the back garden, at about 3 o'clock in the morning, looking for one thousand brown M&Ms to fill a brandy glass, or Ozzy wouldn't go on stage that night. So, Jeff Beck pops his head 'round the door, and mentions there's a little sweets shop on the edge of town. So - we go. And - it's closed. So there's me, and Keith Moon, and David Crosby, breaking into that little sweets shop, eh. Well, instead of a guard dog, they've got this bloody great big Bengal tiger. I managed to take out the tiger with a can of mace, but the shopowner and his son... that's a different story altogether. I had to beat them to death with their own shoes. Nasty business, really. But, sure enough, I got the M&Ms, and Ozzy went on stage and did a great show.

You share a house with Del Preston?

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