November 30, 2011-Chipmunk

This is one of the two chipmunks that are still running around out there. But the weather is finally getting cooler so maybe they will go back to their dens again.

November 28, 2011-Baby Rats

Now I have baby rats out there. These two look like they are too small to be out but maybe their mom was one that died. They are cute and I feel sad for them. They seem to be alone but I was reading up on them and they are on their own at five weeks and did you know that male rats are sexually active by five or six weeks?? In captivity they take the males away from the females. They will even mate with their sisters and mothers..Yikes! No wonder there are so many so fast!! If you don't get at them soon they will multiply way too fast.
I still have to put more poison out in the wall but it's been too damn warm and the chipmunks are out again. So now I have to wait for cold weather to set in. By that time I could have dozens and dozens of rats.. I think I did get rid of quite a few but now I am still seeing a few adults and now these babies. Heaven only knows how many other babies are lurking in there..

Look at that little pug nose on that one..LOL

November 25, 2011-One Squirrel

This squirrel was keeping a watch on something out there. Most likely a neighborhood cat.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

November 21st-22nd-2011-Scenery-Titmouse-Victims Of Poison

I always enjoy seeing the sun coming up through the woods.. if you look closely at the bottom pics you can also see a jet stream behind the trees.

I love these little birds. They are so cute and have the cutest sound.

The squirrel's nests, far and close views.

Now we come to the little critters that ate some of the rat poisoned peanut butter balls that I put inside the rock wall. This is a vole that was dying.

These are three critters that have been affected from the poison. The field Mouse and Voles eat the balls inside the wall. Then sometimes they crawl outside and the skunk will eat them if they come across them dead. Apparently that is what happened to this skunk.

He's in the first stages of the poison right now and a bit wobbly. He did end up going back up around the rock wall and heading home. I hope he made it back to his hole and if he is dying will die inside it. I'm not sure if any other animals will eat skunks after they are dead. I'm still not quite sure if he is poisoned because he has a big wad of Burdock Thistles stuck to his belly and that could have been the reason. I'm hoping so. But I have my doubts only because they will eat any little critter they come across , dead or alive.

He was such a cute little skunk too. I was talking to him and he was looking at me with those little black eyes. I feel so guilty.

The Mama rat and two of her offspring are the only ones left out there that I can see now. She must not be touching those balls. She was my first one here and looks like she will be the last. I will have to try something else to get her. She's very smart.

November 19, 2011-Snow-Sky-Clouds-Birds-Rats

Just a dusting of snow on the ground as the sun was coming up through the woods. It all melted by afternoon.

There's squirrels on the light, snow covered branches but you can't see them too well. Squirrels seem to like the snow around here. At least mine do..Ha!

A Blue Jay and House Sparrows and the moon in the morning sky.

A mixture of blue and gray.

I have counted nine rats now. Some are young and at different ages. I've been putting out the poison peanut butter balls since Tuesday. Haven't seen any dying yet. I should soon. I'd rather not see them dying though but just disappear. Their little faces look at me each day now and I feel so bad. But it has to be done. I very carefully put the small balls as deep into those rocks as I can so the squirrels won't be able to reach them. I got an old curtain rod and used one half of it. Slid a spoon into the slot of the rod and taped it with electrical tape. It's long enough for me to reach out my bedroom window. Works real good. But I still want the maintenance man to put some into their main entrance hole where I see the Mama rat go all the time. I will watch him to make sure he doesn't put them too close to the outside.
I'm not going to feed the foxes any more and will continue to feed the birds and squirrels all winter but not as much. And I'm not going to throw the nuts up over that wall any more. The nuts and seeds will be put in a dish below my window and they will all have to come down there to get them. Time to ween them off the food. It will give me more money in my pocket also. I've been spending way too much on all the critters.
Wish me luck on getting rid of all those rats.

November 17th-2011-Birds-Squirrels-More Rat Pics

These two squirrels were playing up there or trying to mate.

Tufted Titmouse and Black Capped Chickadee with a squirrel in the forefront.

House Sparrows

And the mama rat. I have counted seven rats now and have started putting the poison out. Hope it works without killing too many other critters. And I hope they all die within that wall so no animals will eat them.

November 12, 2011-Rats-Birds-Fox

Mama rat is digging into the dirt and looking at me sometimes. There are more out there than I thought. But of course where there's one, there's a dozen. I didn't see any chipmunks yesterday so I'm hoping they are gone so I can deal with these rats before I get attached to them..LOL
I won't!!!

Black capped Chickadee. The pictures are dark because it was a gloomy day.

Tufted Titmouse

One Gray Fox is all I've seen for a few days. The coloring was bad so I turned it into black and white.

November 9, 2011-Our Last Warm Day-The Moon

It was quite foggy for the most of the morning. It got up past 70 degrees by the end of the day! Our last warm day I think. I didn't take any pictures on the 10th because it was raining all day and was in the 40's. Quite a difference from the 9th.

This was the moon on the 9th. I only got one clear picture before some clouds moved in. You can see the bright stars too. One is on the top left and the other on the bottom right.

November 7, 2011-Sunrise-crows-Moon

The sun just barely peeking through the woods and the sky in the evening.

The Crows in flight on their treck to the next town for the night. Not sure why they do this every night.

The moon behind some trees and clouds on the 7th.

I didn't get any pictures on the 8th when the moon was full. I wonder if anyone saw that Asteroid going by on the 8th??

November 4th-5th-6th-2011-Critters-Sunrise-Sunset-Moon

The sun in the morning coming up through the woods and the moon at night behind the trees.

So far I've counted three rats. The two siblings were hanging together.

A squirrel way up in the tree.

Mourning Doves and a squirrel.

Early morning sun. A squirrel climbing up the tree trunk and a BlueJay.

This chipmunk is starting to wind down a bit. he seemed tired. They should be going in their dens soon but the weather here has been too nice.

The sun setting and the moon in the woods.

November 1st-3rd-2011-Squirrel-Rats-Chipmunks-Scenery

This chipmunk sits up on top of the wall being very careful because he knows there's a rat in there somewhere. So far I have not seen any injured chipmunks but I'm always afraid for them.

The moon behind the trees and the sky after sunset. We've been having some beautiful weather here. In the 50's.

There are now two rats out there. One is smaller and follows the female one around. It might be one of her kids. She still looks pregnant to me but maybe she's just fat and was weaning her babies.

Some of the chipmunks enjoying the last of the fall sunshine. I'm not sure when they will go in their dens. But right now it's too nice outside.

The woods was a bit foggy on this morning as the sun was coming up through them.

This squirrel was a distance away but I still took her photo. It's a bit blurry because I used the digital zoom also. I don't like using that as much.

The female adult rat sits in the wall watching that chipmunk. The chipmunk can get down inside that grate real fast though. The rat can't fit through the openings. She's too fat.. I'm glad. The younger rat looks out from the wall also.

Rat, rats, rats! Whatever am I going to do about them? I have to get rid of them or the landlord will find out if the women next door or upstairs reports them. Then I'll be told not to feed the animals permanently.