When we last left you, we had 4 chickens (from 6) left after the bobcat came for dinner. Game and Fish brought a cage which the bobcat decided didn't look very fun. After he came the first night with the cage, he never came back- while we had the cage. We went on our summer trips (had a wonderful time) and not soon after we came home the bobcat came back again. We had learned our lesson and made sure the coop was closed. But this time the cat reached (scratched? dug?) under the coop and snagged one of the roosting birds and tore it apart. Quit horrific really to come out the next morning and find that awful scene. We knew the bobcat had come but the coop was closed so we weren't worried. Dumb birds- why were they roosting on the ground?! We set the game camera up again thinking the bobcat would come back for more. Come with me on a tour of the yard.
Our house from the street:
And there is the side gate (behind Rachel) leading into the back yard on the west side of the house:
And now through the gate and past the garden you can see the chicken coop in the back corner:
The chicken coop and three remaining chickens:
Can you see the game camera behind the play set and next to the wall? It is on the tripod:
This is the rest of the backyard as you continue around the corner of the house looking east. We painted our block wall by the way.
And now for the game camera shots. The game camera works with a sensor and when an object moves it takes a picture. Like this (thank you pigeon):
We had the camera set out there for several weeks and we never heard the bobcat come back. We would check it from time to time and see nothing- just the same blank shot over and over again when the wind moved the branches.
AND THEN, we were flipping through the photos one day and saw this!
A Gray Fox!!!
It is a regular wildlife preserve back there!
And lastly, there was one other rather terrifying discovery. Brace yourself!
8 comments:
Well, Jason likes chicken too right?
Joy -
The last scavenger looks hungry. That type is drawn to the mountains, rather industrious, and frequently returns to their den late in the evening after working to take care of their kind. They can occasionally be found looking for a late meal and are hence semi-nocturnal. Some have been successfully domesticated but it requires a LOT of patience and training. There have even been a few house-trained and made into permanent members of the family. Good luck!
Jay
Wow, great shot. I can't believe you got him. Now what do you do?
MOm
So was it the fox all of the time or are he and the bobcat in cahoots?
It really was the bobcat every time there was an attack. We saw it but were too late to save the poor chicken... every time. There was always a great commotion whenever it came around. The fox however was a surprise to us. The chickens never sounded the alert when he came although he must have circled around the coop a couple of times. We really had had no idea it was even there until we saw it in the photos. Sly like a fox!!!
Haha, that last picture really got me.
What diverse wild life! That last creature is quite a find!
is it a gray fox or is that just because your pics are black and white, lol. That last pic was pretty spooky. Halloween worthy for sure.
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