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Re: More of nature

Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 10:35 pm
by reible
Had a cut off piece of cedar so I put a spoon of peanut butter on it and set it out in the backyard to see what might find it.

At a short while after midnight an opossum walked by, turned around and came back and ate it up. Sticky roof of the mouth and all.

Here is the video:

https://youtu.be/G_bpfw9f-lM

Stay tuned I have two more videos from last night and this morning that I'm working on.

Ed

Re: More of nature

Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 10:49 pm
by reible
The morning after. Starting with this very young squirrel who is just out on his own this week..... see what else comes to check out the peanut butter plank.

https://youtu.be/W_QHuAnabbc

These young squirrels are interesting to watch, you will see some of it in the next video

Ed

Re: More of nature

Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 11:03 pm
by reible
And here is squirrely squirrel. Born this winter and just now exploring the backyard on its own this week. It has been around with mom but I guess it that time when young squirrels have to get started on their own.

https://youtu.be/Ba71uM1hJDU

Just now getting this done so the camera will not get out tonight. If you want to see something else placed out in the backyard I will see what I can do to accommodate.

Ed

Re: More of nature

Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2021 8:38 am
by BuckeyeDennis
Yep, that peanut butter is some popular stuff!

It would be interesting to see how hard the critters would work to get to it. I’m thinking maybe something like a box with a simple lift-up door latch, to see which ones could figure it out. I’m guessing that squirrels would get in, and that coons would be the crack safe-crackers if you made it more complicated.

A coon once even figured how to free my squirrel-proof birdfeeder from the carabiner clip it was hanging from. Afterward, I had to supplement the carabiner with nylon cable ties.

Re: More of nature

Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2021 2:36 pm
by reible
Same peanut butter plank and this time with a small box covering it. Thus far the box has stumped the short tail raccoon and the rabbit. I think the rabbit got closer but still no peanut butter...... The raccoon didn't really try that hard, maybe it was late for an appointment with a better meal?

https://youtu.be/2ShorSVi604

Ed

Re: More of nature

Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:16 am
by reible
The cat had no interest and nothing else came by that night leaving the box for the squirrel to investigate. Cutting an end flap make it easy for it to pull down to access the plank with the peanut butter on it. No idea how it walked off with a large glob of warm peanut butter???? So this ends this little adventure. Box is in the recycle bin and the plank will make a nice starter for the fire pit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwxSqj3elPY

Ed

Re: More of nature

Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:09 pm
by BuckeyeDennis
I was pulling for the rabbit, but he was definitely no Houdini. As for the squirrel — you practically served him breakfast in bed! I wager that he would chew right through a sealed box to get to the peanut butter.

Re: More of nature

Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 11:04 pm
by reible
I had expected one of the night time visitors would have the peanut butter and was not expecting it to last into the morning. As it turned out the changes I made to the box made it way to easy for the squirrel, but if the rabbit had come along I think it would have been able to check the peanut butter out, not sure if it would have liked it??? Not like these animals run into peanut butter out in nature.....

We have been seeing and hearing crows of late. Our local population was pretty much decimated some years back and recovery has been slow. I was thinking of adding something of that might draw them into the yard for a visit. They land in trees near by and fly over, so just have to figure out what they might find interesting enough to stop in for a visit.

Ed

Re: More of nature

Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 11:33 pm
by reible
Last year was a bust for Mulberries in my area, this year it looks like they have returned. You will notice the lack of the ripe black ones, that was due to my policy of eat first then photograph..... Should have a lot more ripe tomorrow if I can mange to get back out there. This is from last Wed.
mulberry tree.jpg
mulberry tree.jpg (312.95 KiB) Viewed 2356 times
Black berries have a lot of blooms but that doesn't mean much as far as if they produce a good crop, last year was bad for them as well.

Ed

Re: More of nature

Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2021 12:55 pm
by reible
Had to trim some cherry tree branches that were loaded with cherries, some ripe some not. Decided to put the cherries in a bowl and set them out for the passing wild life in the back yard. In this video we see the short tail raccoon show up about 10:00 and then at about 4:30 another raccoon shows up to sample some as well.

https://youtu.be/XNEksDUm3ww

Ed