Edmonds Backyard Critters

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
No squirrel shots for today (4-20-2020), but my cat Scriber has four legs, fur, and is cute.

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We found her wandering around at Scriber Lake nearly ten years ago, hence her name.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
I have gotten e-mails from several people telling me how they enjoy my backyard photos. Thanks, as I am always afraid photos of such a limited area will start to get repetitive and boring.
 

Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Today (4-24-2020) I saw two Doug squirrels running on the back fence south toward the park. My camera was not handy and there would have been no time to grab a shot anyway as they are really fast little devils, much faster than the eastern grays.
 

Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Wednesday afternoon (4-29-2020) two Douglas' squirrels cruised north along the squirrel freeway from the vicinity of Pine Ridge Park.

Squirrel #1 (Michael?)

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Squirrel #2 (Kirk?)

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About a minute later one squirrel pursued the other back south towards the park. They are extremely fast little critters and I was not quick enough to get photos of the high speed chase.
 
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
May Day shots from the back deck.

Eastern gray squirrel.

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Daphne, my backyard neighbor's cat. She sometimes comes up on our back deck to pick a fight with my cat Scriber.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Saturday (5-2-2020) was just another typical rainy spring day up here in the Puget Sound Region of western Washington. It really doesn't matter as most of us are still under Covid-19 lockdown anyway and I had a ton of photos to edit from the day before.

Earlier in the day I saw a raccoon on my back deck right outside the sliding door. I first thought it was Daphne seeking shelter from the rain, as she is a coon-tailed cat. No, it was a real raccoon that crawled under the tarp covering my BBQ unit before I got a good photo. I could not let out Scriber or go out there myself (not that I would want to stand in the cold rain) as long as I believed he was still camped out there.

Here is a grab shot I managed to snap through the glass and screen doors just as it sneaked under the BBQ-er.

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I checked later in the afternoon and found raccoon gone. I always get nervous when I see an otherwise nocturnal animal out and about during the day. Rabies comes to mind. :eek:
 
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Monday afternoon (5-4-2020) things got quite squirrelly in my backyard when Michael and Kirk paid a visit.

The squirrels were eating blooms and buds from my neighbor's tree.

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You can see one squirrel in the upper right corner and one in the lower left corner.

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The two were not tolerant of each other.

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The two ran along the fence to my house.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Cinco de Mayo from the back deck. No Corona for me.
You can learn an animal's habits and behavior by watching it continually over several days. I knew what this Douglas's squirrel was going to do when it got up on the roof of my shed and I set up accordingly.

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It nailed the landing, so I gave it a 10.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
The two Doug squirrels continue to chase each other. If this is territorial behavior, I can continue calling them Michael and Kirk. I will have to change the name of one if it is courtship.

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The two would bark at each other. I could hear a third one barking in the distance from the direction of the park.
 
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
I am thankful the Douglas's squirrels are providing entertainment as there is not much variety of birds in my backyard.

Wednesday afternoon (5-6-2020). I have been trying to get photos with my neighbor's rhododendron blooms in the background.

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The squirrels always sit on a fence post that is blocked by the bird feeders.

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Squaring off once again.

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A squirrel skirmish beneath the seed feeders.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
The skirmish continues.

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One tried to crawl up the feeder to steal seeds. It got caught in the trap and crawled back down.

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Sirfoldalot

New Member
BILL Anderson -- I am loving your photographs and narrative of the 'Squirrel Tales'.
My Dad and I used to sit in the courthouse square with giant oak trees while my Mom shopped. We could buy a small bag of peanuts and entertain ourselves for hours watching the antics of the little critters!
 

Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
BILL Anderson -- I am loving your photographs and narrative of the 'Squirrel Tales'.
My Dad and I used to sit in the courthouse square with giant oak trees while my Mom shopped. We could buy a small bag of peanuts and entertain ourselves for hours watching the antics of the little critters!
Thanks. What you and your dad did sounds much more entertaining than shopping.
 

Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
I am considering purchasing a shooting blind to set up on the back deck later this year. I would appreciate any comments from those who have used one.

 

Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
My wife and son usually see rabbits in our front yard during their nightly walks. Sunday evening (5-10-2020) one popped out from under one of our shrubs and ran into our neighbor's front yard.

I have been told this is an eastern cottontail, a descendant of rabbits introduced to our area by hunters about a hundred years ago.

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BobH

Administrator
Staff member
Yep, it’s an invasive species, not only that, but they breed like rabbits! ;)

Until recently, didn’t realize that. One the east coast they are everywhere and when you say “rabbits” you typically mean these. I just figured they were all over the nation. But they stop east of the Rockies for the most part. However, they’re quite common in much of the PNW now too,
 
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
We have had a cottontail boom in Edmonds that started about four years ago. Before that I would only see them in a few parks. Then they started showing up at the marsh and neighborhoods such as ours.

Remember our neighbor's cat Daphne? The neighbor said Daphne recently caught some baby rabbits in their backyard. There are other predators in town such as coyotes, barred owls, and eagles that may hunt them as well.
 
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Wednesday morning (5-12-2020) there was a three way battle in the Douglas fir nearest my back deck. I did not get shots of the actual combat, but I did get shots of two of the three participants.

Eastern gray squirrel. Taken while it was on the back fence. I wanted to get my neighbor's rhodies in the photo.

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Douglas's squirrel.

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Missing were shots of a crow that was buzzing both squirrels in the tree. There must be a crow's nest somewhere in the neighborhood as they have really been going after squirrels in my backyard.
 

Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Thursday afternoon (5-14-2020) I tired for shots of a Douglas' squirrel on the back fence with my neighbors' blooming rhodie bushes in the background.

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