Actual game camera footage from our front yard The weather isn’t the only thing heating up around Casa de Fire Ant. As I’ve previously documented — feel free to scroll through past entries; I’m too lazy to find the links — our newly sodded front lawn has been an irresistible siren call to armadillos and… Continue reading Escalating the Critter Arms Race
Category: Wildlife – Mammals
The Mystery of the Murdered Fawn
It’s been an interesting week or so here at Casa de Fire Ant, thanks to the endless parade of wildlife traipsing past our abode, occasionally stopping to destroy our lawn on their way to whatever other endeavors attract them. Last week, we went out of town for a couple of days but I left my… Continue reading The Mystery of the Murdered Fawn
Channeling the Wily Armadillo
Note: The following contains critical armadillo trapping advice. Ignore it at your own peril. You’ve been warned. There’s also a walking stick gif. Alert Gazette readers will recall the account of my armadillo trapping woes, wherein the creatures were zooming in and out of the malfunctioning trap as if it were a port-a-potty next to… Continue reading Channeling the Wily Armadillo
Mors Ab Alto*
*With apologies to the 7th Bomb Wing, USAF We returned home last Sunday afternoon after a whirlwind** 750-mile weekend trip to our old stamping grounds*** in West Texas, and as we drove over the low water crossing to pick up our mail, we saw that a squirrel had recently been hit by a car and… Continue reading Mors Ab Alto*
Wildlife Update
It’s been awhile since I provided a wildlife update. But, first, here’s a squirrel (turn up the sound to get the full effect): Your browser does not support HTML5 video. That’s the noise a squirrel makes when its annoyed or angry. I couldn’t discern what caused this one’s panties to get in a wad, but… Continue reading Wildlife Update
Rock Squirrels on Spring Break?
Last weekend, we discovered we were hosting unanticipated visitors in the form of a herd of juvenile rock squirrels. At one point, I counted six (6!) of them cavorting on and around our back yard deck. When they detected our presence, they would quickly dive under the deck, but just as quickly reappear. We had… Continue reading Rock Squirrels on Spring Break?
Beaver Believer (or “See…canadensis!”)
It’s probably common knowledge that beavers slap the water with their tails as a warning about – or an attempt to startle – potential predators. They also tend to swim with their heads slightly above water but with their bodies slightly submerged. So, you may be ask, why are you – a native Texan living… Continue reading Beaver Believer (or “See…canadensis!”)
Guardian of the Galaxy? Nope, just a Destroyer of the Lawn.
Raccoons are enjoying new celebrity, thanks to Rocket Raccoon and the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Rocket even has his own Wikipedia page (and there you’ll learn that he’s actually more than forty years old). But raccoons are really better in theory (and movies) than in reality. Many of you already know this. We thought… Continue reading Guardian of the Galaxy? Nope, just a Destroyer of the Lawn.
It’s a zoo around here…
Update (2022): I’m not particularly proud of the first part of the following post. As I’ve become better educated about the snakes in this area — and in particular, cottonmouths — I’ve come to realize that there’s almost no reason to kill one of these creatures. You, of course, are entitled to your own opinion… Continue reading It’s a zoo around here…
A “Relaxing” Weekend – Pt. 2: Close Encounters of the Putrid Kind
[Part 1] Now, where were we? Oh, yes…I had completed a successful repair of a shredded coax cable that restored our satellite TV access, and life was good. Except…something was slightly amiss in the air. There was a lingering odor, a smell that seemed to grow stronger depending on which way the breeze was blowing,… Continue reading A “Relaxing” Weekend – Pt. 2: Close Encounters of the Putrid Kind