Critter Update

Critter Update

A squirrel is 3 feet away on the rail stealing my peanuts, so they are doing OK. The Possums and Coons that my Bride feeds no matter how often I say not to, have made it through another Winter.

My million birds are down to 100 after migration; good deal as they were breaking my critter food budget. My main "critter hobby" is feeding my birds.

My many Gold Fish and Koi are doing great as always! I got the 6 Koi in 2007 and the Gold Fish around 1997 (Goldfish reproduce apparently at the proper level and their numbers stay around 30).
As the Gold Fish are huge and the Koi are near ten pounds, that is a lot of fish to feed.

My 3 Red-eared Sliders are fat and happy. They are nearly grown, will not get get too much larger? My guess is two females and one male. They spend most of every day basking in the Sun and the shade as my pond is too shady.

My Musk Turtle is rarely seen but must be happy as he has not floated up dead. He sits top side some sunny days in Spring, but less when the water warms up (water is 85 today). I have no idea how he found me. They are plentiful in the lake and spend most time underwater, so not a great addition if you like to see your critters. He moved here a couple years back, not an easy task for that small guy.

I assume some of my tadpoles are OK, see a couple in the porch fountain. Some may have been eaten, hope not.
I have a few small Bull Frogs and a couple medium ones that sit about. When they get really big they tend to hop on down to the lake, but a couple always hang with me. My tree frog population is large. They are scary loud at night. My Bride says if the Yank neighbors knew I was responsible they would sue (she is a Yank also). Who don't like frogs?

My Snappers are ? They show up. I don't invite them, but I do like them. Like the Musk, they live below water and are seen less.
Saw one swimming in my Frog Pond last month on a cold sunny day, and he has been there for a couple years.

Years back took some photos of a tiny snapper in the Turtle Pond, never saw him again until maybe this week?
This past week in a water tub where I hope to grow water plants, two snappers were inside. The deal here is in the Turtle Pond are the Koi and they eat all the plants, as do the turtles. I thought maybe I could isolate a few floating plants.
In one night 2 snappers jumped in and were trapped, that is a puzzle to me. The larger was about 7" and had bitten the head off the small 4" one. I hated to see that, but that is what snappers do (eat anything that moves or stands still). I moved him to the Branch pond, and will be OK if he moves back to the lake. These are incredibly "durable" and interesting critters, but not so much so for garden ponds as you rarely see them and they eat every thing. The one in the Frog pond is plenty.
What is going on in your yard as to critters as Spring ends?

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