HOW CAN OUR WILDLIFE SURVIVE "PROGRESS?"

I dislike all-terrain vehicles.

Some years ago, when I was not quite so busy, I walked the fields from spring through fall with my dogs. I took along sketching materials and field glasses. As I sat sketching, the dogs lying quietly beside me, I saw many interesting birds. I also saw on my walks a number of large hawks, such as the red-tailed, and smaller species. I had the privilege of seeing a harrier, a male snowy owl, swooping low, for his dinner, since they are day feeders. Nyctea scandiaca. I remember, because I did a water color painting of a beautiful female.

Then all-terrain vehicles came. The birds played least-in-sight, and I no longer saw them. The larger hawks left the area altogether, except for several smaller varieties.

We saw the odd fox, summer, and winter (while cross-country skiing), and a neighbor's son, walking some distance from home late one evening, was followed by a coyote. With the all-terrain vehicles, these animals disappeared, from our view, at least. I miss seeing the animals and birds.

Most sad of all has been the highways built for "progress," which cut off the habitat of deer, moose, and the smaller animals who must cross these roads and highways to their own destruction, bringing harm often to motorists as well. Signs are up for the motorists, but the animals cannot read them.

All-terrain vehicles, and new roads and highways and more? What can we do to help these wild animals faced with progress?

Your thoughts?

WILD ANIMALS WE LOVE WITH BANDIT EYES, No.2

After the new roof went on, and the stairs were removed, serious problems with our raccoon family arose. During the winter, they pushed aside the board covering the crawl space vent, and poked a hole in the screen, taking up residence under the house. The noises we had heard above were nothing to the noises below, as they huffed, wheezed, and chewed. (My wires???)

Research confirmed I could not "turf them out." They were protected by law until the "young" could leave in the spring. I monitored their comings and goings by leaning a large board against the opening. The banging became so loud, I foolishly banged on the floor to shut them up. Wrong thinking there. The "male," no doubt, took exception, and banged back. His chewing increased, to get to his rival?? From then on, I crept about. The noises and chewing continued, but never at night, since the male was gone.

When breeding took place, all became quiet. They stayed inside for 3-4 days, again with the birth. I found it difficult to tell exact times, missing much of the comings and goings. Presumably, when the pups were born, or whelped, the parents came out for food. The large male I would see at dusk, leaving for the fields. He was back next day, at first light? I saw the smaller female only once, and never saw the pups. They moved about at late dusk, so it became difficult to see them come and go. By late spring, when I knew our wild little bandits had gone, I had the area boarded up. The solution, I found, was a heavy mesh screen, dug down one foot, and nailed tightly with boarding all around. The relief I felt was overwhelming.

I should have solved this problem sooner--what we all must do to be responsible members of our community and environment. The raccoons must live in the woods. It is only people like me--and perhaps you, who make animals take the easy way out.

How would you have handled this?

WILD ANIMALS WE LOVE WITH BANDIT EYES, No.1

A young raccoon headed down the pine tree outside my window as I sat at my computer the other day. It brought back memories. Raccoons are truly bandits. They look for food--and often a warm place to stay, or breed. The garbage can, unless clamped tight, is prey to their little "hands." This young one, out at mid-day, must have been hungry since one sees them usually only at night. I looked outside, but he had gone.

Living in the country, with older houses, encountering raccoons is inevitable, but even city dwellers have found these roly-poly creatures, masks in place, toddling along near their garbage cans, or trying to get under houses or porches.

One day, while cleaning out poison ivy from my absentee neighbor's yard (so the seeds would not blow into mine), I heard mewling noises. I crept closer to the sad looking shed at the back of the yard, and there in the long grass, were two baby raccoons. I looked around--but no mom or pop. Wisely, I retreated, and next day when I looked, the pups were gone. Perhaps I had surprised the seniors?

Before we put on a new roof, we had an outside stairway to our attic. These creatures had pulled open the bottom of the locked door, and squeezed through. For several winters we heard the patter of little feet above us. One day in mid-spring, we surprised the family coming down the stairs. A squealing little one had fallen through the stairs onto our woodpile, and mom was trying to coax it out. Opening the screen door a little to see better, pop charged us, screaming and spitting. Of course we closed the door. Soon the little one got the hang of it, and the bandits all toddled off, no doubt to the woods for the summer.

Cuteness does not cut it. We must always remember there is little doubt these animals are wild.

Have you had such an experience?

A Challenge with Nature's Grackles and Blackbirds

Do you have problems with these birds? I have two bird feeders, a larger shelf type, and a smaller hanging one. Since we are on a flight path, being near the St. Lawrence River, we see migrating birds, especially the Canada geese, and the Snow geese, spring and fall. The flights are high, heard before seen, but when they settle here, we often see them flying low to the fields to feed, then to the river at dusk for the night. We see various smaller, interesting types in the garden. Unfortunately, when the grackle and blackbird families find our feeders, the food is gone within a week. Usually, I feed only after they have gone south in the fall--but they are back.

We often walked, or cross-country skied for several miles near our house. In the upper woods in spring and fall, the blackbirds mass in the trees by the hundreds--getting together with their friends, no doubt, for the long trek--or just arriving. We have several acquaintances who live and garden near the River. In the spring, when the breeding is on, my friends are dive-bombed, and cannot work in their gardens. One said he was glad of a cap, or he would have been pecked badly. Shades of Alfred Hitchkock. When these birds come to my garden, they chase the other birds away. Talk about gimlet eyes. The creatures make me uncomfortable.

Watching birds in nature brings many great pleasure. Yet, how can we enjoy the less aggressive birds with beautiful plumage and oh, so charming manners?

Any ideas?

What Can I Do to Help the Environment?

Feral cats wandered about when we first came to live in my area. It is country, near a large city. I had a cat of my own and did not wish him infected. My neighbor and I decided to try and trap the cats, to have them spayed and neutered. We lured them nearer with food. My vet was willing to perform the surgeries if she could determine they were not rabid. After some difficulties, and lots of patience, we finally got most of them. Eleven. They appeared to be related. Two were extremely ill, so were put down. The veterinarian then went ahead. The kittens stopped coming, and eventually I was able to lure three cats into the house. Frightened of man, they suffer touching poorly, or not at all. They also suffer dreadfully through a cold winter, lose parts of their ears, and have an early death. My three lived into their twenties.

Before these events, I fed them all at a raised area. I tried to play with them by dragging a stick along the ground. They had no concept of play-just sat and stared at the stick. One day a worker came for the furnace. I opened the door to his stunned expression. "Do you know you have six cats on your roof?" I smiled. He had no idea. Another day, an old, long-haired male came, and sat in the next yard. The two older females went directly to him, rubbing sides and noses. There was an answer to the burgeoning population. He had come to say goodbye to his family. We never saw him again. All of the other cats who refused to come in, gradually disappeared.

I imagine a few of you who live in the country have been faced with this dilemma. Back when I was uncertain what to do, the local vet suggested trapping them to put them all down. I could not. A woman who had a shelter further into the country, said, they are God's creatures; you must feed them. I did. These are sad situations, and we must do what we can to help these unfortunate animals who are innocent victims of their environment. We must take a higher ground.

What would you have done?

Someone, one day, had abandoned a cat.