Pet Thread

[blueline]

Good timing P_Coastal!

Rusty from a couple of hours ago with her legs crossed and giving the side eye.

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[P_Coastal]

Good timing P_Coastal!

Rusty from a couple of hours ago with her legs crossed and giving the side eye.


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I expect your Rotties are a credit to their breed

[blueline]

Good timing P_Coastal!

Rusty from a couple of hours ago with her legs crossed and giving the side eye.


IMG_20240522_192232.jpg

I expect your Rotties are a credit to their breed

Thanks! They are family and know it - that does the trick!

[P_Coastal]

OK, had to share this one. Daisy can be a goofy girl

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[blueline]

OK, had to share this one. Daisy can be a goofy girl
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She can come for a visit anytime she desires! Royal treatment for her here would be just like it is at her home!

I know - none of us can EVER let them out of our home and our protection,

[BDPJR]

My service K9 Tonka (Dutch Shepherd) rides shotgun !

[blueline]

My Cooper's Hawks...well, not mine but they live and nest close by, so kind of fits the Pet Thread theme. Apologies if not. Anyway, this is the restaurant - a self serve facility for critters.

One of the hawks, the male I think since he is smaller (male Cooper Hawks are smaller than females), sat on the bird bath for well over an hour earlier today, patiently waiting for the right time to nab a snack - mouse or bird or possibly even a squirrel if one was careless enough to venture to the feeder. (They don't - they are not dumb.) The many other smaller birds also stay away for awhile and the mice stay hidden...but then they start to get cautiously brave as they cannot resist the temptations of food and drink. The birds go to feeders on the other side of the tree to better stay out of sight, but the hawk sees them anyway and just watches, only moving his head. So incredibly patient.

I think the Coopers wait until something is on the ground which makes it easier and safer for grabbing with their talons. Injury to a wing due to careless hunting would likely mean eventual death to the Cooper I imagine. They seem to know that and behave accordingly.

Been feeding and watering birds year-round for many, many years - it feels like I have a million birds of all kinds at times. I go through 800 to 1,000 lbs of Premium Black Oil Sunflower and hybrid NutraSaff seeds annually plus endless suet. Also put out feeders for the amazing Hummingbirds.

Of course plenty of other critters make their way to the food and water facilities, including field mice this year (what took them so long?) who made a home in the large landscape blocks and rocks surrounding the Sunset Red Maple. I think the mice are mostly why the hawks are hanging out here more often now. Nature's critter control.

For reference, the diameter of the bird bath is about 21"

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Both Ma and Pa at the same time. A first that I've seen!

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[aboyandhisdog]

That is a nice set-up you've built there, Tim. I did a similar thing in part of my yard but with split rail fencing and wire to keep my dogs out. But mine is not for birds so much - I have 7 squirrel feeders around the perimeter. If you feed the squirrels, it goes a long way towards keeping them out of mischief and out of my bird feeders elsewhere in the yard.

What is the black covering at the base of the tree? Landscape fabric without mulch on top???

[blueline]

That is a nice set-up you've built there, Tim. I did a similar thing in part of my yard but with split rail fencing and wire to keep my dogs out. But mine is not for birds so much - I have 7 squirrel feeders around the perimeter. If you feed the squirrels, it goes a long way towards keeping them out of mischief and out of my bird feeders elsewhere in the yard.

What is the black covering at the base of the tree? Landscape fabric without mulch on top???

That's fantastic Tom! I've learned to live with the squirrels and other non-bird visitors who come late at night. None can access the feeders - they gave up on that long ago - so they are content to rummage around on the ground (the covering you asked about, actually) where there is plenty of good stuff the birds knock to the ground. No waste! They appreciate the fresh water too.

That black covering is wonderful stuff made out of recycled tires from RubberCal, a California company. Solved all my seed debris problems. I cannot say enough good things about the product.

What I got was their "Shark Tooth" mats that are incredibly tough. They're 3/4" thick and come in several sizes from 4' x 6' down to 2' x 3' - very dense and heavy at 4lbs per sq ft. (I bought five 4' x 6' pieces - freight was costly!)

Hard to cut too as I found out when we were trying to size pieces to section around the base of the tree. I think the stuff will last several lifetimes as it's almost indestructible, at least outside of a high temp fire.

It's good for many things such as a floor base for industrial equipment or as a base for heavy exercise equipment and the like. It's perfect for outdoors too - it's completely unaffected by weather. It has certainly worked well for me as a base around the tree that makes cleanup a breeze.

Good info on the product here that you'll find interesting I think.

https://www.rubbercal.com/rubber-floori ... r-mat.html

edit - I just saw "Free Shipping on orders over $99" on their website. That was not an option 4 or so years ago when I bought all those pieces. I missed out!

[aboyandhisdog]

Thanks, Tim. I was thinking it might be rubber mats. My Farm and Ranch store here has 3/8" and 1/2" X 4' rubber mats on big rolls and you just cut off however much you want. Used mostly for stalls and floors and whatnot. Seems like a good solution I'd not thought of before.