Mother nature can be cruel

[rfuerst911sc]

My wife and I have watched mom/dad finches build a nest on our front porch for weeks . I looked in the nest about 3 weeks ago and there were 5 eggs . About 2 weeks ago all 5 hatched . Thirty minutes ago a 6 ' black snake crawled up the column near the nest and grabbed one of the babies 😕 . Between a broom and a hooked tool we have I was able to get the snake down .

I moved the snake into the woods but I fear he will be back , maybe even tonight . I don't want to kill the snake as they eat copperhead snakes that we have here . I feel bad for these finch babies but I guess it's just mother nature at work . Still sad 😔 .

[flatbutt]

Yeah it sure is. Nature went and put the attitude of a 6'6" stud into my 5'5" body. That's just mean.

[Bill Douglas]

Can you put spikes in to stop the snake climbing up. What I mean by spikes is nails half way banged in pointing in the right direction and snipped off to make a sharp point.

[thingmon]

Let nature take it's course. Natural order of things...

[Baz]

Few years ago I had a Caroline Wren nest in a hanging basket off my back deck with eggs.

As it came close to hatch time I set up a trail camera.

Son of a gun if a rat didn't raid the nest one night - all babies gone.

[Rick Lee]

Snakes gotta eat too. What's cruel about that?

[id10t]

There really is a Pratchett quote for everything ....


"I was walking along the bank of a stream when I saw a mother otter with her cubs, a very endearing sight, I'm sure you'll agree. And even as I watched, the mother otter dived into the water and came up with a plump salmon, which she subdued and dragged onto a half submerged log. As she ate it, while of course it was still alive, the body split and I remember to this day the sweet pinkness of its roes as they spilled out, much to the delight of the baby otters, who scrambled over themselves to feed on the delicacy. One of nature's wonders, gentlemen. Mother and children dining upon mother and children. And that is when I first learned about evil. It is built into the very nature of the universe. Every world spins in pain. If there is any kind of supreme being, I told myself, it is up to all of us to become his moral superior."

[wdfifteen]

Yes. This thread is from years ago, same theme.

Ma Nature can be a beotch

I don't know whether it is right to intervene in nature's ways or not. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.
I put up bluebird boxes a couple of years ago. They are such beautiful birds and face a lot of obstacles, from predators, to competitive birds, to habitat destruction. A pair moved in to the box nearest our house almost immediately, which was really gratifying. Just two days ago I caught an English Sparrow (AKA House Sparrow) trying to invade the box. It so offended my sense of right and wrong that I shot it right off the top of the bird box. I justified it because English Sparrows are an aggressive, invasive species introduced from Europe that are a big reason the Bluebird population was in decline until humans stepped in.

[rfuerst911sc]

^^^ We have a bird house on our front porch that a nesting pair of bluebirds have made their home . I thought the black snake was heading towards the bird house as I had removed him from the handrail earlier.

So temporarily me removing the black snake saved the bluebird nest/eggs/babies but the finch was sacrificed . There is very little if anything I can do to protect the finches or the bluebirds. It is what it is .

[Sooner or later]

My sister likes to vote in the annual Fat Bear Week tournament that the Katmai National Park puts on every year. The bears fatten up on salmon that are trying to jump over 5' high Brooks falls. Bear can eat over 100,000 calories of salmon in a single day. It does bother her...."those poor fish!"

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Yes. This thread is from years ago, same theme.

Ma Nature can be a beotch

I don't know whether it is right to intervene in nature's ways or not. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.
I put up bluebird boxes a couple of years ago. They are such beautiful birds and face a lot of obstacles, from predators, to competitive birds, to habitat destruction. A pair moved in to the box nearest our house almost immediately, which was really gratifying. Just two days ago I caught an English Sparrow (AKA House Sparrow) trying to invade the box. It so offended my sense of right and wrong that I shot it right off the top of the bird box. I justified it because English Sparrows are an aggressive, invasive species introduced from Europe that are a big reason the Bluebird population was in decline until humans stepped in.

We put up a bluebird house and had a pair of bluebirds move in. Then we noticed sparrows using it so we checked out the house. Mama bluebird was in dead, and he eyes had been pecked out. The sparrows were building nest on her corpse. We emptied everything out and closed off the birdhouse.

It is really hard to believe anyone would have brought over the dang English Sparrow and released them on purpose.

[wdfifteen]

That's awful Glen. I feel better about shooting the little bastage now!

I have to keep a close eye on the Bluebird and Martin boxes. Martins haven't moved in yet, so every week or 10 days I lower it down and pull out the English Sparrow nests. English Sparrow nests look like someone stuffed the bird house full of trash, so they're easy to identify.

[Zeke]

Whenever I have an unwanted animal visiting I use an extension cord that I cut the female plug off and then carefully spread out the strands from the 2 wires. Under a gate I will run the hot wire and wet down the ground below. Something slinking under the bate is bound to brush the upper wire while on the damp ground.

Nothing has died from this but I'll bet alternate routes have been established. As long as animals aren't in the garage, atticc or other places they don't need to be I'm happy.

[rfuerst911sc]

This morning my wife found one dead finch baby in a flower pot . We believe it fell out of the nest . There are still 2 left in the nest . We are leaving them alone . One is hanging out in a large bush under the nest .

So of the original 5 babies one was eaten , one died , one fell/flew to the large bush and two are still in the nest . In the bluebird bird house mom and dad are both bringing what looks like worms into the house so we assume they are feeding babies .

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Whenever I have an unwanted animal visiting I use an extension cord that I cut the female plug off and then carefully spread out the strands from the 2 wires.

There was a big mean ole cat that used to come into my house and beat up my cat and eat her dinner. I set up the above wire system in the catdoor and locked my cat in the bedroom. No dead cat but also no more raids on my cat and her dinner.

[porsche tech]

Didn’t know the Bluebird population was declining. We’ve got them in droves around here. They’re usually standing in line for my bluebird house!



2 Canada geese come every year to the exact same spot to nest- - right next to the parking lot at my church’s Foodbank. The nest is on the other side of that orange fence we put up. That’s the father guarding the mother on the nest. Walk to close and he runs at you.



Today at the Foodbank…mom, dad and all six kids out for a walk.

[Baz]

^^^Love that Canada Geese family crossing pic!

Was watering plants this morning when I discovered the nest of a Carolina Wren in one of my Bromeliad hanging baskets.

Mama flew out and stood nearby chatting away and then a pair of Cardinals joined the party.

I wish I could ensure the hatchlings come to no harm but we have our share of wildlife here so we'll see what happens.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Mother Nature has nothing on Kristi Noem.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by porsche tech

Didn’t know the Bluebird population was declining. We’ve got them in droves around here.

The population has been on the rebound since people started supporting them with habitat.

[Por_sha911]

Nature is not cruel. It is trying to survive. It is looking for food & shelter.

As posted in another thread:
Mankind is cruel and depraved. Men kill ofther men for sport, for laughs, for revenge, and for street creds. That is cruel. There's a book that talks about the depravity of man but I'm not allowed to talk about it here.