First Post of the Day
For those who are wondering, yes, the goose is still mourning the loss of its mate and staying close by on the lake.
There are several pairs of mallards staying on the lake that give it some company, but I haven't seen any other geese since last weekend. Usually they fly over our home several times a day as they go back and forth to the lake, but they have been noticeably absent.
Which makes me wonder if the incident that killed the goose's mate was bigger than I thought. Did the coyotes catch more than one goose? Was what I interpreted as a feeding frenzy spread out over a large area really the remains of several geese and not just one? And now the geese are spooked and staying away?
Regardless, I just hope this goose finds a companion and safety soon. Poor thing.
But sadly, there's more.
Yesterday, we had evidence of another kill - this time in our own back yard. When I took the dogs out in the morning, they were very sniffy right there all over the patio and then in the east side of our yard.
It was dark and I couldn't see anything, but I figured a wild animal had been through. I was right. In the morning light, we found evidence of a squirrel or rabbit having been taken by a predator. Clumps of fur was in the grass and on the patio.
So, who was responsible for the kill this time? I don't know. It happened after dark so I think a hawk or an eagle can be ruled out. We do have Great Horned Owls and they hunt at night. So do foxes and coyotes.
Since the dogs were clearly tracking whatever it was on the patio, I'm guessing I can rule out the owl. I lean toward the prey being a squirrel since we haven't seen rabbits for a long time, but then squirrels are not nocturnal and rabbits are. (At least here they are.) So maybe it was a rabbit.
If we have coyotes coming into the yard, we need to keep a closer eye on Tammo and Pepper when they are out at night. A fox doesn't worry me too much, but a coyote? That's another story.
No comments:
Post a Comment