I pulled in the drive coming home from church on Sun. & 2 catbirds were very cross at something in the tree. I go in & let the dogs out & get my camera to look up at the tree, sure enough , there he was. I didn`t have the hose ready to plow him with cold water, but I did get a stick & beat him a few times as far as I could reach. He was starting to come down then, but his belly looked full, perhaps their eggs? I couldn`t see a nest. I have owls & hawks which are their natural predators, however I just found a man & woman team who catches & releases them for a fee. I am about ready to pay to get them out of here. But will they get them all? more will come back, don`t you think? Most of the snakes here are black rat snakes who stay in the trees.
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after I hit him with a stick |
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| Mia keeps a wary eye on the snake |
4 comments:
Hello Phyllis, cool shots of the Black Rat Snake. I hope it did not eat the Catbird's eggs. I have seen a big one going into our wood pile. If you pay to have them removed, I hope they take all of them. Your dog is pretty. Have a happy day!
God I hate snakes and I could not survive in a place where they live in the trees. I have seen a couple small ones in my yard and I think they can hear my shrieks in the next town over. *shudder*
One provincial campground where we love to camp has black rat snakes all over! I'm always checking up in the trees there to see if I can spot one. The park discourages anyone hurting their snakes, and the snake is a part of their logo. I generally do not like snakes, but everything has their place and they should be allowed to be a part of the natural environment ... even if they do eat the birds' babies :( It's a hard thing to watch. I hope you consider having the snakes removed rather than hurting them. It would sadden me to see the catbirds lose their family, but I think that many of the smaller birds start another nest if the first one fails. I've had my eye on a robin pair that returns to the same nest in our pine tree every summer. Last year the robins had bad luck with two of their attempts at babies (crows & blackbirds were the cause). I'm hoping they have better luck this summer.
Wendy
I was very afraid of these snakes but now I am beyond afraid, I am angry with them. I know it sounds funny, but I have held their attention by talking into their eyes & have been able to make them move on ,at least for the time being, just by the tone of my voice & staring into their beady little eyes.I never have killed any,I just want them further into the woods to do what snakes do..or do it somewhere else,haha.First time I ever came close enough to poke him with a stick,haha. Thanks everyone for your comments.phyllis
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