Corporea Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 ugh. starlings. don't get me started on people who do stupid things. I'd always read it was someone who wanted every bird in Shakespeare's sonnets to be living wild in the US. Probably a rumor. I can't decide which I dislike more- cuckoos, cowbirds, house finches or starlings. They're all pesty and invasive. Cowbirds really bother me- they're like some species of cuckoo that lay their eggs in other bird's nests and then push the "real" eggs out and let other birds raise their chicks. Evil! Good job with the nesting habitat, Buglips! I love snowbirds! It's funny- the Juncos have just left us down here in the south to go visit you up north! I look forward to them every winter! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redambrosia Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 You're an adorable goblin Making a sweet little home for the birdies. So cute! I wish I had a yard to put birdy houses in. My apartments ban even bird feeders because they say they make too much mess. /sigh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 I love feeding the birds and watching them, but more than that I love the squirrels & chipmunks. I do intentionally put food out for them where they can get it so I can watch them. I will actually feed any critter I can. One Halloween years ago we saved the pumpkin bits & seeds for the possums. We had some stale sugar cookies that we tossed on the pan along with the pumpkin figuring the birds & squirrels & mice would eat them. We looked out later that night and found a family of possums sitting around the pan, all eating the cookies- not paying a bit of attention to the pumpkin. Silly little critters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kay13 Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 I will actually feed any critter I can. One Halloween years ago we saved the pumpkin bits & seeds for the possums. We had some stale sugar cookies that we tossed on the pan along with the pumpkin figuring the birds & squirrels & mice would eat them. We looked out later that night and found a family of possums sitting around the pan, all eating the cookies- not paying a bit of attention to the pumpkin. Silly little critters. Hmmm you do know in New Zealand possums are actually noxious pests.... if you want you can easily get possum skin boots... and from experience I can say that they make great fertiliser (shocked people when I moved back to Oz and mentioned that, they are a protected animal here).... and that their fur when blended with either merino wool or silk makes great socks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 I will actually feed any critter I can. One Halloween years ago we saved the pumpkin bits & seeds for the possums. We had some stale sugar cookies that we tossed on the pan along with the pumpkin figuring the birds & squirrels & mice would eat them. We looked out later that night and found a family of possums sitting around the pan, all eating the cookies- not paying a bit of attention to the pumpkin. Silly little critters. Hmmm you do know in New Zealand possums are actually noxious pests.... if you want you can easily get possum skin boots... and from experience I can say that they make great fertiliser (shocked people when I moved back to Oz and mentioned that, they are a protected animal here).... and that their fur when blended with either merino wool or silk makes great socks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kay13 Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 New Zealand has HEAPS of possums.... they love eating the forests.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Darsc Zacal Posted April 27, 2013 Moderator Share Posted April 27, 2013 I just saw a possum here yesterday. Lying dead on the side of the road mind you, but still... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buglips*the*goblin Posted April 27, 2013 Author Share Posted April 27, 2013 Mmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kay13 Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 I just saw a possum here yesterday. Lying dead on the side of the road mind you, but still... Yes.... I still remember my fathers shock and horror when my city cousins came to visit bringing a baby possum.... dad offered to dispose of it for them.... they were shocked and horrified! I have plenty of early childhood memories of dad swerving for possums on the road (towards not away from) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nvision Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 ugh. starlings. don't get me started on people who do stupid things. I'd always read it was someone who wanted every bird in Shakespeare's sonnets to be living wild in the US. Probably a rumor. I can't decide which I dislike more- cuckoos, cowbirds, house finches or starlings. They're all pesty and invasive. Cowbirds really bother me- they're like some species of cuckoo that lay their eggs in other bird's nests and then push the "real" eggs out and let other birds raise their chicks. Evil! That's not "evil," that's just Darwinism in action! I'm certain that one day we'll all bow down to our pigeon overlords... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erifnogard Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 I just saw a possum here yesterday. Lying dead on the side of the road mind you, but still... I give you...Speedbump, the Roadkill Possum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pingo Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 ugh. starlings. don't get me started on people who do stupid things. I'd always read it was someone who wanted every bird in Shakespeare's sonnets to be living wild in the US. Probably a rumor. I can't decide which I dislike more- cuckoos, cowbirds, house finches or starlings. They're all pesty and invasive. Cowbirds really bother me- they're like some species of cuckoo that lay their eggs in other bird's nests and then push the "real" eggs out and let other birds raise their chicks. Evil! Not a rumor. The American Acclimatization Society, led by Eugene Schieffelin -- those names deserve to be remembered forever -- released 100 European starlings into New York's Central Park in 1890 and 1891 as a hideously misguided romantic tribute to Shakespeare. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=call-of-the-reviled Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laoke Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 Yup - possums are a huge introduced pest over here. I've got some merino wool / possum fur gloves I wear in winter, beautifully soft and warm no matter how wet they get. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pingo Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 I just saw a possum here yesterday. Lying dead on the side of the road mind you, but still... I live in the heart of a very big city, and we have live opossums, and raccoons too. They are very accomplished at getting into and out of trash cans. Also coyotes have had a habit of getting into trouble downtown in the summer. On the nicer side, we have foxes. No kidding. ... The cougar was probably an anomoly, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redambrosia Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 Hmmm you do know in New Zealand possums are actually noxious pests.... if you want you can easily get possum skin boots... and from experience I can say that they make great fertiliser (shocked people when I moved back to Oz and mentioned that, they are a protected animal here).... and that their fur when blended with either merino wool or silk makes great socks.... It's cool that folks actually make use of the product of dead invasive critters. Most of them here just get thrown away, which is a terrible waste. If you're going to go to the trouble of killing something you may as well make use of all its bits. I mean, it's not the possums' fault they're an invasive species. Some idiot human brought them over, and they're just doing what they do. If we're going to kill the critters, we ought to at least do them the honor of making them useful. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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