Nature & Wildlife Thread

[sissy]

I don't carry my cell phone every where since I am retired .When I was working yes but now I enjoy the disconnection from the outside world..I do like the puter only because I can learn from it .Anything that needs fixing I can find on here .Youtube is a big help .I learned how to do lots of repairs on stuff here that I would never know how to do Cell phones to me are only for emergencies if I break down in my truck .Then roadside assist does the rest .If it rings when I am out I panic ,think something is wrong at home

 

[DeepWater]

Cell phones to me are only for emergencies if I break down in my truck. Then I YouTube the problem and fix it myself.

 

[addy1]

The hawk is back this one is a male. I was shooting through our windows. I know it is a male because after sitting there calling, he flew over to the woods and had a happy valentines meeting with a gal!

 

[j.w]

Neat photo's and he is a handsome one! Hope he has a fun date

But @addy1 shooting through the windows must be quite expensive replacing those big windows

 

[Gemma]

Beautiful creature!...(as long as I don't have to witness feeding time)

 

[addy1]

But @addy1 shooting through the windows must be quite expensive replacing those big windows

Geez with a camera! Yeah that would be pricey breaking one of these suckers.

 

[addy1]

Beautiful creature!...(as long as I don't have to witness feeding time)

I have only seen them catch one bird, a dove, years ago and a few frogs. They miss way more often than they score.

 

[HARO]

he flew over to the woods and had a happy valentines meeting with a gal!

They miss way more often than they score.

I gather he scored this time?
John

 

[HARO]

Phone! It's turned into my go-to camera.

I unplugged my phone, took it outside, but no matter HOW much I cranked that dial, it just would NOT take a picture!
John

 

[addy1]

I gather he scored this time?
John

lol with a cute lil gal!

Came back again and spent a bunch of time sitting on the bird house looking for mice or anything moving.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Can't remember if I shared this or not, but I finished making a native bee house last week. I used a combination of hollow stems from the garden and drilled sticks. It's mainly intended for Mason Bees and Leafcutter Bees, but there are a variety of hole sizes for a variety of bees. This'll be going up in my native garden as soon as the ground thaws.

 

[addy1]

I put one up, still waiting for them to find it.

 

[sissy]

Those bee houses are for the wood boring bees thing is i have them but they still go after everything else .But those bees are great pollinators because they are clumsy and roll in the pollen .I have to go around with dowels to fill the holes they make

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Those bee houses are for the wood boring bees

No, this bee house isn't for Carpenter bees.
Mason bees, Leafcutter bees, and hornfaced bees don't make holes, they use pre-existing cavities typically formed by other creatures. Different hole sizes attract different bees.

I put one up, still waiting for them to find it.

They used all of my drilled logs last year, so I decided I might as well go and make a house instead. I'm also leaving some bare dirt in the garden for bees like Sweat bees that nest in the ground. I see Metallic Green Sweat Bees in my garden more than any other specie.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

A few months back I was on Google maps searching around to see if there were any trails I could find. I've done that before, but it's gotten to the point where I've found just about every place in the area. To my surprise, I found what appeared to be a pathway that circled ponds and habitat. I was curious.

With temps near 60° today, I decided it was time to get outside, and what better place to go than to this mysterious pathway?
I had searched information about it online, but with no idea about it's name, I never found anything about it.

I hoped there would be a sign with it's name at the entrance, and there was. It's called Hiawatha Crossing Storm Water Detention Ponds.

It's a surprisingly nice place tucked in between factories and train tracks. The paved trails equal about 2 miles. I really can't wait to see what the place looks like in Summer!

Just north of there was a much smaller place called the Parkersville Storm Water Detention Pond. Not nearly as scenic, but every habitat restoration helps! Turns out, both places were part of the same project and were created after flooding damaged quite a few homes nearby. The ponds help prevent flooding, the habitat helps animals, insects, and helps keep the water healthy, and the pathway adds value to the community.