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Did You know - outdoor edition

Started by WV Sawmiller, December 21, 2020, 11:03:46 PM

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Chuck White

I make quite a few Bluebird/Tree Swallow houses each year and the entrance hole is 1ΒΌ"!

I use that size to prevent European Starlings from entering, but they can still get their head in and damage/kill eggs and fledglings if the birdhouse isn't deep enough from the entrance hole to the bottom of the house!

But Cowbirds can still get in!  
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

WV Sawmiller

   I made the opening in mine 1.5" and it is probably 7-8 inches below the hole to the bottom of the box so likely 6-7 inches to the eggs assuming 1" for the nest. It would take a pretty skinny or longnecked bird to reach the eggs.

    I think our WV bluebirds must be more attentive or more aggressive than yours because I doubt a strange bird could light within 6' of the box of over a minute before they'd send him packing. :D I remember one big pileated woodpecker running circles around an ash tree about 7' in front of the box as the bluebirds swooped at him till he finally gave up and flew away.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

KEC

I am quite sure that a bluebird cannot get in a 1 1/4" hole. A starling cannot get in a 1 1/2" hole. And, if a cowbird gets into a box, that hole has to be a bit over 1 1/2" in diameter. Thus, the long standing recomendation for a 1 1/2" hole for bluebirds. Yes, bluebirds can be fiesty. I've seen them get after a cowbird that was near their nest cavity. Unfortunately, House Sparrows can enter any box that a bluebird can enter.

WV Sawmiller

    Did you know if you are charged by a silverback gorilla you need to be submissive, kneel and keep your eyes down as making eye contact is seen as a threat and will quickly turn a bluff charge into an attack? When any member of the troop is threatened they scream for help and the silberback charges to the rescue which is how so many are killed. Poachers catch a small gorilla and make him scream then kill the silverback when he comes to their defense.

On June 25, 2003 while visiting the Dzanga-Sangha preserve in The Central African Republic we trekked in to watch a group of habituated gorillas being tracked by an Italian lady biologist named Cloe with the WWF and her pygmy trackers. The trackers had already located the gorillas so when we joined them they briefed us on what we needed to do such as keeping our distance, no flash photography and being submissive if charged by the silverback. The week before a tracker got too close and the silverback charged, then walked up to the negligent tracker and "bopped" him on the head with a closed fist as a warning. The tracker was not hurt but got the message.

Anyway we approached where the gorillas had last been seen and we did not notice a 5-6 y/o juvenile gorilla sitting with his back to a tree eating termites with a stick he would poke down their hole till they covered the stick then he'd lick them off and repeat. In the shade of the tree the black gorilla was impossible to see till we were 5-6 feet from him then he jumped up and ran off screaming which immediately summoned the silberback the trackers had named Kerchak (Tarzan's ape stepfather) came charging out of the bushes hooting and ripping up small bushes, breaking limbs, etc. until he was about 10' from us where he stopped and stood resting on his knuckles, 4' arms and 500 lbs of rippling muscles glaring at us. After a moment Becky regained her composure enough to take a picture of him walking back into the jungle. Note: No gorillas or tourists were killed or injured in making of this memory.

The highlight of that years personalized Christmas card was the picture of a gorilla butt with a caption "Can you guess what this is?". Following is current details on the preserve if you want to go visit Kerchak and his family. Check security recommendations before traveling as the last I heard the CAR was still in the middle of another civil war. There is a "small dry season" usually in late June or early July for about 3 weeks when the roads are moderately passable or wait till October or November for the best travel conditions.

Central African Republic gorilla safaris
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Old saw fixer

I really enjoy following this thread! 
Stihl FG 2, 036 Pro, 017, HT 132, MS 261 C-M, MSA 140 C-B, MS 462 C-M, MS 201 T C-M
Echo CS-2511T, CS-3510
Logrite Cant Hook (with log stand), and Hookaroon

WV Sawmiller

   Thanks but remember we need your contributions and observations here too. ;)
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Old saw fixer

     This isn't earthshaking, but in the six days we've been in this icy time, there have been three big hen turkeys in the front yard looking for seeds or acorns.  No pics but I'll try next time. 
Stihl FG 2, 036 Pro, 017, HT 132, MS 261 C-M, MSA 140 C-B, MS 462 C-M, MS 201 T C-M
Echo CS-2511T, CS-3510
Logrite Cant Hook (with log stand), and Hookaroon

WV Sawmiller

   Is this unusual? Have they been coming around before? Is there anything else around your place they could be getting to eat? Around here the turkeys start coming in about this time of year and tossing through the hay I feed the horse and mule looking for worms and seeds in there. I have seen them in deep snow light in multi-flora rose bushes apparently eating the rose hips. 

   BTW - I love your photo on your posts. I bet she is not even a little bit spoiled either. Our youngest GD will be 2 on Monday and we have not seen her since her last birthday because of the virus. We get our first vaccination then so 3-4 weeks later we get the second and I guess 2 weeks after that we can go see them or they can come up here.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Skip

Had 2 big hens cleaning up the leavin's underneath the bird feeders yesterday, hadn't seen that in a long time .

WV Sawmiller

   Did you know that whitetail deer will stick their heads completely under water and feed on submerged plants like moose in Alaska and Canada will do?

    Several times here on our local COE Bluestone Lake in the summers while fishing I have watched deer wade out about belly deer, I guess to keep the flies from biting their undersides, and stick their head under and bite of big chunks of submerged grasses and eat them. I have seen the bucks get the grass tangled in their velvet covered antlers. Until I moved here I had never seen or heard of deer doing this.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

KEC

Once, when driving through the village of Old Forge in the Adirondacks, my son and I saw a doe go up to someone's front steps and put her head inside a pumpkin to get a bite. Couldn't get the camera out quick enough to capture it.

Old saw fixer

     Seeing turkeys around here is not unusual, spring and summer I see 3-4 hens with their poults bugging in the fields.  The toms stick together until mating season and then there some pretty sights as they swell up and strut around.  We have a cedar brake of about eight acres, that a lot of wildlife hide in. 
What was unusual about seeing the turkeys was that it was lousy weather, sleet and freezing rain when I saw them.  There weren't even any snowbirds or squirrels about.

     The little person in the picture is our 18 month old grandson. Don't worry, easy mistake to make not seeing him grow.  He has the prettiest curly hair, but he is 110% boy.  He never crawled like other little ones, he kind of hitched along like a sidewinder on his butt and one crooked under him until he could stand up and started to walk.  The only time he is still is when he is sleeping.  And he is spoiled to a fault!   We keep him 4 days a week so his parents can work.  I hope you are able to see your grand daughter soon.  I so look forward to visits from our girls and the grands.  I would not want to be able to visit.  Wife's mother is in in assisted living because of brittle bones in her spine, and if we want to visit we must walk around the building and talk through the window screen.  No Bueno for sure.
Stihl FG 2, 036 Pro, 017, HT 132, MS 261 C-M, MSA 140 C-B, MS 462 C-M, MS 201 T C-M
Echo CS-2511T, CS-3510
Logrite Cant Hook (with log stand), and Hookaroon

WV Sawmiller

   Did you know the Przewalski or wild Mongolian horse is the rarest breed on earth and they have two extra chromosomes? They were extinct in the wild at one point but were reintroduced from a zoo in Holland and seem to be set to make a comeback. They bark like a zebra instead of neighing like a domestic horse. I read somewhere a hybrid Przewalski horse and a domestic horse cross is not sterile like a mule or many other hybrids. They are a light colored brown or dun horse and a big one might weigh 750 lbs. I think there were about 160 or so in the wild when we visited Mongolia.

   On July 15 & 16, 2006 while on a private tour through Central and Northern Mongolia after my job down in the Gobi Desert ended, my wife and I stopped to visit the Khustain Nuruu National park which is home to the wild Mongolia Horses. We had seen a few the afternoon of the 15th but were touring the park on our way out and found a pretty large herd in a valley with a small flowing stream. I put Becky, my free lance photographer wife out and told her to hide and set up behind a nearby bush. Shagai, our driver, and Boildick, our guide and I drove past the horses and got out and got on line each about 40 yards apart. We slowly walked toward the horses humming a whistling so we did not startle the horses. This caused the horses to slowly ease closer to Becky. She was frantically taking pictures especially of the mares with young foals. They had eased up with 20-30 feet of Becky so we stopped and watched. All was well till another van loaded with tourists topped the hill. They saw Becky down below with the horses all around and I guess they assumed they were tame enough for everyone to get that close so they started walking towards them. Before they got a couple hundred yards away the horses saw and heard them and ran away over the hilltop half a mile away. I don't know if they were jerks or just ignorant. Anyway Becky got some really beautiful pictures of the wild Mongolian horses before they arrived.

wild horses of khustain nuruu national park in mongolia - Bing video
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

   Did you know a male swan is called a Cob, a female is called a Pen and the young ones are called cygnets (signets)? Swans can be very protective and aggressive especially around their young.

   We had stopped beside a lake in southern Norway when I was working a project there at Kristiansand in 2008 and Becky was taking pictures of a Pen and 5-6 cygnets swimming in the water about 40-50 yards away. The Cob was on the opposite side of the lake several hundred yards away and he spotted us. He immediately folded his wings back in a sort of half-cocked position and swam straight toward us at "ramming speed". I don't know why he did not just fly. When he got to the shore near us he came right up on land after us and we ran and got back in our vehicle.

  Canada geese will also defend their nests quite vigorously around here in WV in the Spring but I've never seen one as aggressive as that Norwegian Cob.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Old saw fixer

     We have a lot non migratory Canada Geese around here, they are very messy on the golf courses and parks, in the cities.  A flock has taken up at a farm pond on the east side of me.   They will not fare well if they come to my pond.
Stihl FG 2, 036 Pro, 017, HT 132, MS 261 C-M, MSA 140 C-B, MS 462 C-M, MS 201 T C-M
Echo CS-2511T, CS-3510
Logrite Cant Hook (with log stand), and Hookaroon

WV Sawmiller

OSF,

   We have the C Geese here too year round. They are neat to watch on the river but they get on the football field and make a big mess. Our HS is located right beside the river so they don't have far to travel. An old man was our local junk dealer and lived along the river in town. He got all the left over produce and bread from our local grocery store and threw it out on the river bank behind his house to feed the geese and ducks for many years. He invited my son and his friends to come fish there and they spent many nights fishing for there as teens. One afternoon they set up a leaning box, a stick and a string as a trap and baited it and caught a duck and were fixing to kill and cook it. All was going well till they invited Mr. Cox to come eat with them and he told them "You boys better turn my duck loose or I'm gonna skin your heads." and they released the duck unharmed. They were probably going to burn an old tire or such for their campfire to cook him. Mr. Cox told that tale many times and really got a kick out of it. 
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

KEC

The super aggressive behavior of Mute Swans ( the white ones with an orange bill that often hold their neck in an S curve position) is why some state wildlife agencies have proposed getting rid of them. They are old world birds, not native here. A few years ago the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation proposed a lethal control program as they displace native waterfowl. There was such an upswell of protests that the plan was dropped. People in canoes and kayaks have been attacked by Mute Swans and drowned. While in the army in Germany I went through the Nueswanstein Castle, the one that Disney portrays in their films. In the king's bedroom is a swan made of silver at the sink that had it so water flowed out of its' mouth.

WV Sawmiller

   As I remember those we saw in Norway were white but I was thinking they made a noise of some sort so I don't know if they are same as a mute swan or not.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

KEC

I did a little search about swans. Apparantly, Mute Swans are not totally mute. I can't say for sure what WV saw in Norway, but the behavior of the swans suggest mutes, which are notoriously protective of their nest and young.

Will.K

Speaking of mute birds, vultures have no vocal organs and can only hiss, cough, huff, and so forth. 

Their nesting areas are revoltingly stinky places, usually under rock overhangs, on cliffs, or in small caves. The white (where not vomit stained) chicks hiss violently when approached, but I've only seen adults engage in defensive regurgitation. 

WV Sawmiller

   I've never  seen a vultures nest here in the USA. I saw lots in Africa but never got too close to them. I did see a fried buzzard last year who lit on a power line about a mile from my home and crossed the electric wires. he was still smoking when I came by but he won't do that again. :D

   Dad had a friend who found two large eggs in central Fla and I think he thought they were turkeys and hatched them. Turned out to be a pair of buzzards. He raised them anyway and they would come and go. He'd leave dry dog food on the back porch for them and it was a hoot to see them hopping around the back porch eating dog food.

   They are a nuisance at the landing down on Bluestone Lake where I fish 8.5 miles from here. People throw old carp and other dead fish and minnows and such out at the landing and they eat them. There will usually be dozens hanging around and they land on people's cars and scratch them up and crap all over them.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

    Did you know bees in Africa are caught using homemade baskets and boxes? One of the neatest bee baskets I ever saw was in Cameroon in February 2008 when we returned on vacation. They were made from a raffia palm frond and were about 3' long and about 1' in diameter. The palm frond was stripped and split down to about 6" from the base which was left as a handle. The split sections were spread for ribs and more sections were inserted to make it bigger. Then thin strips of raffia or bamboo were tightly woven to make the sides. When finished they were shaped like a horn-of-plenty basket. The end plug was made by wrapping half inch wide strips of raffia palm or bamboo into a concentric circle leaving about a 1" hole at the center for an entrance hole. When finished the round mat was tied tight and coated with mud or fresh cow manure, inserted in the end of the basket and tied in place. The bees would seal it tighter once they moved in. This formed container that had about 10 gallons of storage capacity with a small entrance that could be easily defended, was light weight and was hung about 10'-20' high in local trees and when nearby bees expanded beyond their capacity they would split and swarm and take up residency in these bee baskets.

  In Ethiopia I asked my driver why people did not steal the bees and he said if a bee basket was stolen the owner would collect some of the sand from the thief's footprints and take them to the local witch doctor and he would put a curse on it and a mamba would crawl into the thief's hut and bite him and anyone else who eaten the honey. Mamba's are particularly ill-tempered and bite multiple times and one crawling into a hut after mice or rats and stepped or rolled on to by a sleeping resident could result in the mamba biting everyone in the hut.

  A missionary in Zambia set up an operation providing free bee hives made from scrap wood from his WM mill and woodworking operation and he collects and pays the local residents for the honey and it has become (beecome?) a big operation. I read about it in the WM magazines. Here is a video of it.

Customer Stories | Wood-Mizer USA
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

KEC

There are 2 species of vulture in the Eastern US, Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures. The Black Vultures generally don't range as far north as TVs. The BVs are noted for being destructive by trashing vinyl roofs on cars and ripping up roofing material on buildings. This brings to mind, when at a drive through game park in Quebec years age they had an area with baboons. As soon as a vehicle entered that area the baboons climbed on and rode to the exit where workers chased them off. A tour bus was in front of us and the baboons got onto the bus and proceeded to rip off every marker light, even pulling the socket and wires out. Must have been an expensive repair. 

WV Sawmiller

   Baboons are notorious for getting into stuff and can be very dangerous and they are powerful animals. The worst is where people feed them and get them used to being around people. I have seen them in Saudi and various places in Africa. They are very alert and young impalas hang out with them for protection. They always have a guard or two watching. Where they are damaging crops and such and people try to shoot them they first have to kill or sneak past the sentry. I saw 2 big males in Saudi jump off a rock wall into the back of a moving P/U and get in a fight. The same troop had reached in an open car window and dislocated a child's shoulder trying to get food or such.

   We were camping along the river that is the border between Namibia and Angola. The office had a sign saying "Don't feed the monkeys - they already eat better than the staff." The owner would walk around shooting them with a paintball gun and they would scream and warn each other as soon as they saw him walking around. The day we left we had cooked breakfast and had one piece of sausage and one piece of French toast and we were all looking at it wanting it but too polite to take it and a Vervet monkey jumped off a nearby tree and stole them both resolving the issue.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

  Did you know horses in Mongolia typically will be seen side by side in pairs and standing head to tail? This means when one horse swishes his tail he is knocking the flies off the other horses face at the same time.

   I worked a project in the Gobi Desert in 2006 at a gold and copper mine project (Oyu Tolgoi) and at the time I was told there was something like about 2.5 million people and over 8 million horses. When you'd drive into a town or village it looked like an Old West scene with buildings made from small poles and lots of Gers (Yurts) the round tents common there. In front of every dwelling you would see a hitching post to tie your horse while you were inside.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

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