WARNING: The last photo may be upsetting to some of my gentle friends (it shows a dead mole with his tummy ripped out)
We *think* we have found the predator that killed our featherbabies- FOXES! Not, one fox, but a young adult pair of siblings. This is the time of year that they leave mom and they often hunt in pairs for their first winter.
We found fox scat on the Kappa Trail (the trail that runs along the Kappa Cove, the front pond). We carefully inspected it and found both bones and feather quills in it. Foxes use their scat to mark their territory. They don't hide their poop; they poop on high spots so it is easily seen, usually on top of logs and rocks. This poop was on the ground, but on the high rise of the trail. The little fuckers had claimed the pond for their own! I'm so pissed with myself. This whole horribleness happened cause we allowed them to claim the pond area. We allowed them to move in. Honestly, it's been such a busy summer/fall, we totally slacked on keeping up proper patrols and marking the area around the pond. :( I haven't walked the dogs very much down there in the last couple of months.What a hard lesson to learn.
This is fox scat
Nibs, the lone Muscovy duckling is doing OK. She was in shock and didn't eat on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday, but finally started to nibble yesterday. Today, she ate better and is starting to regain her normal Muscovy bad attitude.
The pic below is Nibs having a bath in my bathtub. It sure ain't the pond, but it's better than nothing!
I have started a "campaign of Terror: all around the pond and the surrounding forest. My goal to scare away all the wildlife in the area. The safest way to live with wildlife is to have them scared of you. Wild animals should FEAR humans. Any wild animal that doesn't fear humans will end up dead. Did you know that it is illegal for wildlife rehab centers in Nova Scotia to release a wild animal that doesn't fear humans? Yep, it is! They have to euthanize the animal if it is too friendly! An animal that doesn't fear humans will end up hanging around us, and will either hurt us or we'll hurt them. If you love wild animals, you will not feed them or try to make friends with them, you will instead help ensure they fear us. (I'm talking about mammals, not birds)
My "Campaign of Terror" consists of stomping loudly around the forest at random times; having the dogs run around the pond/forest area, peeing and pooing, and disturbing everything; setting off blackcat firecrackers at random times; moving dog poop into the pond area; having men urinate in the woods; and destroying any potential homes. By making the lives of any wildlife in the area miserable, we will hopefully encourage them to move elsewhere. This has been our technique for the last seven years and it has always worked well. Before, this year, we had never lost more than three featherbabies in a year (spread out over several months). If the predator does not move, we will have to trap it and possibly kill it. I hope it leaves! If it doesn't not fear us and leave, it may die. That makes me sad, but I will do what I need to do to protect my flock.
This photo is of my Pug Buddha. We are back in the woods, behind the Foxes' kill spot
This is Skully. Where he is standing is where we found the first turkey feather. The turkey died at the base of the tree behind him.
And of course, my fireball Taco. The tree he is on runs to the pond. We are maybe 50 feet from where we found the dead ducks.
Yesterday, when we were out causing chaos in the forest, the dogs found this poor dead guy/ He's a mole. Dead maybe 2-3 hours. It was about 150 feet from the foxes' food larder (where we found the huge pile of turkey feathers and the three dead duck bodies). Not sure who killed it? It looks like it died from a tooth in the neck and the killer ate it's insides. They thing poking out is it's backbone. Maybe a domestic cat? Weasel/minx? maybe a fox, but I don't think so?
Wishing you all a great weekend. LOVE AND HUGS!
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