Sharing your home with wildlife

I thought it would be fun to have a little thread for folks to share pictures of wildlife that has decided to make a home on/in your home. Here I have what I believe to be an Eastern Kingbird that has chosen to build a nest atop my floodlight. I like it, both hosting a momma bird and the nest itself. It's all mossy and neat looking.

There is a couple of swallows that have made their home above our balcony door. Last summer was our first summer here, but they raised two broods before flying south for the winter.

Not sure how long they’ve been nesting here for. Apparently they mate for life, and will use the same net for as long as it is viable.

They’re more than welcome to stick around, as they’re mosquito-eating machines. Also, removing an active nest is illegal in these parts. They also leave a nice pile of guano to add to the compost every year, and the babies are fun to watch when they learn to fly.

Aside from them, there are a couple roof-rats in-and-out. They, however aren’t welcome, and we trap them when we can!

This is Peter rabbit. He spent the winter under my 1938 Hudson.  He has since moved on.

I don't have a way to make pictures so I will describe how we furnish homes for birds.  We have a lot of the rare Black capped Vireo Endangered Songbird.  They use nest boxes that we build and place in various location on the house.  They also use nests that were already here.

We also have Painted Buntings:



Source

We also have a pair (or maybe more) of Mourning doves which have a nest in our cedar tree.

There are a ton of ways to encourage wildlife on a farm, and in fact, the USDA gives out a lot of grants for that endeavor. It is called WHIP, or Wildlife Habitat Improvement program. They give 90% of the money for the project to beginning farmers, and 75% to established farmers for the approved practices listed.

Sometimes they are worthwhile endeavors, and sometimes not, like any grant, it should match what the farm wants to do, and the free money is just the bonus...a farm should NEVER change its farm plan to get free money! That ALWAYS ends badly.

One way I encourage wildlife is by the way I log my farm, often doing "circle cuts", which opens up a hole in the canopy and encourages diverse forest growth. I also maintain my logging trails so that wildlife can use them, and once built a road so that my hunting neighbors can scoot across my property instead of driving miles out around, all so that they can hunt coyote with their dogs easier.

It is often the simplest things that encourage wildlife though. For instance, my sheep fence, which is consider coyote-proof, has saved countless deer. That is because deer know if they are being chased by a coyote, they can leap over one of my fences, while the coyote has to try and find a place to sneak underneath, or an open gate someplace. That delay is just enough to save the deer.

Despite heavy Bobcat pressure, the rabbits are thriving here! I have seen tons this winter.

Hurray ground bees! I just noticed I have ground dwelling bees living under my front porch. I looked up ground bees on the internets and cornell university says while the females have a stinger and can sting, they are gentle and non aggressive. I think I can get along with them and I'm delighted to provide a home for some pollinators under my porch. I won't be going under there for anything anyway.

In my post above, I had mistakenly identified my nesting friend as an Eastern Kingbird. I actually have an Eastern Phoebe nesting atop my flood light.

Lots of birds this year but I have struggled with getting pictures of them. I took this picture of the deer (2 in the picture but 4 total in the herd) out my window last night. They are enjoying the mix of cut and uncut field. The robins also love the cutting I have been doing.

Also pictures of slug and snail.

There is now a feeder that we can look out the window and door of the house to see the wildlife.  Here are some we have seen:

I have turtles in my pond, so exciting.

I've been noticing a little wren frequenting my back porch. Turns out she has a nest in the end of the gutter which extends under the porch roof. Hurray!

Lizard!

I love coexisting with our feathered and furry friends! Can't say I was all that happy with these young uns laying around sunning on the bed I'm prepping for next year, though!

Two Springs ago my brother shot a red squirrel.  The next day two baby squirrels ran up my husband's leg.  We found three more babies.  Goat's milk formula kept them going until a shipment of squirrel formula and food arrived.  
One of the babies has limited use of his back legs.  We released his siblings at a nature reserve, but decided the little one needed more help.  I built a door for him so he can come and go as he pleases.  

Hi Lori,


Welcome to Permies.