Pick the best feathered friend or foe

[Sage]

Originally Posted by Equilibrium

We don't hardly ever see anything chowing down on dead anything. The road crews are quick to pick it up. Every once in a while I beat em to the punch and can haul something off the road and way over. If you can get it sorta half on private land with only a little bit in the right of way.... the village employees drive right by it leaving it for the official clean up crew. Nice photo.... gives us a glimpse into the natural world.

This shot was on a dead-end road with nothing on it. The property is currently owned by a Jewish Center amd development company whose adjoining property is extensively developed with senior living, alzheimers, assited living, etc. The road leads into a natural area and creek. Unfortunately, it will sometime soon be developed.

We found that scene, deer carcass with hawk, and grabbed the cameras. There is video we shot on YouTube too. That carcass fed many animals besides the hawk over that cold winter until there was nothing left but chewed on bones. Of note: This surrounding property has deer, foxes, and other wildlife which will be forced out when the development begins.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by Sage

Of note: This surrounding property has deer, foxes, and other wildlife which will be forced out when the development begins.

That reminds me of an old "Barry's World" comic that showed a new housing development where all the street names were things like "Fawn Lane", "Pheasant Run", and "Mallard Drive"...and all of the wildlife were shown deserting the area. (That always stuck with me...especially since the place I grew up had many similar names.)

[Sage]

Originally Posted by dapjwy

That reminds me of an old "Barry's World" comic that showed a new housing development where all the street names were things like "Fawn Lane", "Pheasant Run", and "Mallard Drive"...and all of the wildlife were shown deserting the area. (That always stuck with me...especially since the place I grew up had many similar names.)

Yes, and that hawk and deer were on "Herron" Road. ???

[Equilibrium]

"Unfortunately, it will sometime soon be developed." Developers respond to housing needs. More people need more housing.... and when there's more people.... there's more mouths to feed.... and when there's more people.... there's more backs to clothe. Land lost to housing is a drop in the bucket compared to what's lost to agriculture to feed the huddled masses and that's not including the WalMarts and strip malls and golf courses to clothe them and make sure they're "entertained" and hospitals and and and and and.... I keep joking about slipping birth control in the world's water supply but we've really got to do something before all that's left of wildlife in "action" is only gonna be seen on old YouTube videos. dapjwy> they've got cutsey names for farms too. Sunny Brook is one that cracks me up since there's no brook and never was. Then there's Oak Knoll Farm and Hickory Hill where they brought in heavy equipment to take down the oaks and hickories prepping for fields. So I guess names like "Pheasant Run", and "Mallard Drive" aren't so far off if you think about it.... run pheasant run... drive the mallards out. Anyone notice the hummingbird and grouse photos are neck and neck with the osprey trailing close behind? I wonder which one is gonna get 1st place.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by Sage

Yes, and that hawk and deer were on "Herron" Road. ???

Originally Posted by Equilibrium

"Unfortunately, it will sometime soon be developed." Developers respond to housing needs. More people need more housing.... and when there's more people.... there's more mouths to feed.... and when there's more people.... there's more backs to clothe. Land lost to housing is a drop in the bucket compared to what's lost to agriculture to feed the huddled masses and that's not including the WalMarts and strip malls and golf courses to clothe them and make sure they're "entertained" and hospitals and and and and and.... I keep joking about slipping birth control in the world's water supply but we've really got to do something before all that's left of wildlife in "action" is only gonna be seen on old YouTube videos. dapjwy> they've got cutsey names for farms too. Sunny Brook is one that cracks me up since there's no brook and never was. Then there's Oak Knoll Farm and Hickory Hill where they brought in heavy equipment to take down the oaks and hickories prepping for fields. So I guess names like "Pheasant Run", and "Mallard Drive" aren't so far off if you think about it.... run pheasant run... drive the mallards out. Anyone notice the hummingbird and grouse photos are neck and neck with the osprey trailing close behind? I wonder which one is gonna get 1st place.

~sigh~ The only bright spot that I can see is that people are drawn to these names, meaning they are drawn to nature and wildlife...so, the native movement will remain alive and these places can be restored with native hedgerows and community properties of natural areas.

As for population growth, I remember being in a class that explained exponential growth using house cats as a model. It seems to me some people could grasp the idea of exponential growth and the destructive force it would have when it came to a species other than Homo sapiens--when it comes to that it seems people shut down their brains.

(I slept in this morning, and I don't think I expressed that quite the way I wanted, but (listen up havalotta!) I won't be back in editing it to get it right! ~wink & smile~

[hazelnut]

My place is named "rabbit hill" and there are a whole lot of rabbits here--a few deer too.

[Sage]

nut, you rock!

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by hazelnut

My place is named "rabbit hill" and there are a whole lot of rabbits here--a few deer too.

Cool. At least they stuck around.

[turttle]

Y'all must have better road crews in Illinois than we do in Chapel Hill, at least out in the rural outskirts where I live. As far as I can tell, no-one ever clears road-kill, at least any more than just shoving it to the side of the road. I routinely watch black vultures and turkey vultures, and occasionally a hawk, feasting.

I stop to help the herps cross the road. You should have seen my daughter and I trying to get a large snapping turtle to finish crossing by playing "bull and red flag" with her sweater - he would lunge at the fabric and move a couple of feet, and then we'd wave it again and so on until he made it out of the roadway. At least he didn't end up roadkill, just angry at us.

[havalotta]

Good job turtle...
Turttle saves turtle...
We need more folk like you.