Wildlife Friends

I love wildlife. Well, as long as they aren't living in or under my house. Or using my garage roof as a toilet. I enjoy watching them wander through my gardens because I know they appreciate all the work I've done to make it welcoming and beautiful. Actually, I'm sure they don't care if it's beautiful just edible.

I am reading a book on how to make your property wildlife friendly. Most of it has to do with habitat conservation of acreage, but there is a little section on residential backyards. For the most part, this has been my goal all along. I've grown hummingbird and bee-attracting plants, fruit trees and berries, birdhouses, and a little ground-level bird bath. What I didn't realize is more varieties of birds will use a ground-level bird bath than a pedestal-style bird bath. I had a pedestal bath once and the animals would climb on it, knock it over, and break it. I always thought ground-level baths would be more dangerous for them. Placing it near a bush or under the tree makes it safer. Mine is under the cherry tree.

My fruit trees are dripping with fruit. Literally. I've been selling bags of the Italian prunes to prune-tree-less customers, but once everyone had a bag I can't even give them away now. This week I plan to pick the whole tree and take it to the food bank. The apples are just now starting to ripen.

Every morning I go out and pick up at least twenty windfalls of apples and as many Italian prunes. By afternoon there is another load. It's a lot of work. If I don't do this and let them rot on the ground not only does the fruit mold and create fungus damaging the trees, but the rats come over for a snack. If they visit too often they start feeling at home. In years past I have thrown the apples over the fence so the deer can eat them, but if they don't eat them, it gets messy and attracts wasps not to mention rats. This year I've put the fruit in fruit baskets so it's contained but available for the deer or other animals.

By the end of the day the baskets are full and by morning half empty. Today while I was picking up apples and putting them in the basket my neighbor drove up along side and said,

"I don't know if it's your intention to have the deer eat out of the baskets?"

For a moment I felt defensive, ready for a fight, but I smiled and replied, "Yep, that's the plan."

He continued, "Well, last night there were three magnificent buck eating. It was quite the sight." He left before I had the opportunity to tell him if they eat their fill out of the basket, maybe they'll leave his garden alone!

Hooray!  I knew the deer were eating because they are messy eaters, leave large footprints plowing up the dirt, and crap all over. More importantly, I was glad the neighbor seemed happy about it. People in this neighborhood love to thoughtlessly own barking, biting obnoxious dogs, but they usually don't hesitate to kill a wild animal. Most of them hunt the deer. I really don't like most of my neighbors.

I tend to have incredibly sensitive hearing, bionic hearing, due to chemical sensitivity, and I sleep with the windows open. Most nights as I lay in bed and can hear animals lapping the water in the bird bath. I love getting out of bed and watching them. Usually raccoons. I think they are just noisier than other animals, but on occasion I spy a opossum. The raccoons are noisier, also, because they take a whole bath while drinking. Multitasking. I always know when a raccoon has visited - the bird bath is almost empty and what is left is mud.

Last night there was a fat raccoon who must have drank water for fifteen minutes. It's not a very big bird bath and I was compelled to run out there and re-fill it, but I know it would have frightened him away. He circled the tree then came back and drank some more. So I've added a raccoon pond! The only containers I have that would be suitable are two ten-gallon aquariums. I placed large bricks along side for sitting platforms.

Well, see if it works. I placed it in the backyard which is more private, but I won't be able to watch. I'll know if they use them - the water will be dirty.

I'm thinking maybe I should build another pond, but the last one was a hassle to maintain. Hmmm...

UPDATE: OH! This morning I awoke to some clatter. I thought maybe the deer were wrestling with the baskets of apples and prunes. I took my flashlight and shined it around and saw some dark lumps up in the prune tree. I ran downstairs and opened the front door. One mama raccoon with four fat babies all up in the prune tree trying to find something to eat. I think opening the door and shining a light on them made mama nervous. She started growling lowly at them and they all hustled down the tree and in single file gingerly exited toward the backyard. So cute. I don't think they are using the raccoon pond. It is looking a little dirty.