Newsletter chitchat - January 28, 2025

[Cassel]

Do you see tracks around your house?

What are they? Neighbours' pets? Wildlife?

Do you have pictures?

Let's chat.

[Jacques]

We have a problem with overpopulation of white-tailed deer in a park in our municipality.

A cull was recently authorized

[Ann Seeber]

7 hours ago, Jacques said:

We have a problem with overpopulation of white-tailed deer in a park in our municipality.

A cull was recently authorized

We have the same problem, Jacques, but as we're on the edge of rural fields they're harder to control. Recently I've seen White-tailed Deer at my bird feeders and up on my front porch eating dry cat food! And of course, they severely prune my patio plants! They have become pests; like the gray squirrels and/or rats and mice.

[Jacques]

@Ann Seeber One of my neighbors saw his cedar hedge being eaten by deer. He didn't find it funny.😒

[Rene Marker]

Tracks around my house are mainly squirrels. I have 2 Ring floodlight cameras and quite often they will record squirrels running around. I have captured video of cats/dogs and even an opossum in the middle of the night as well but those are usually not when snow is on the ground. Since my neighbor no longer has their dog, I don't have the dog prints in my backyard. They let their dog roam. Other neighbors that have dogs keep their dogs in their yards with electric fences. If Peyton is outside she is on my fenced in patio so I will have her prints there (but she doesn't like snow so not many prints).

Otherwise I might have my prints on my driveway when I go get mail or take the garbage/recycling out when we just have a dusting of snow.

[Corrie Kinkel]

On the seldom occasion we have snow I see very few prints, mostly from a cat that its owners let roam free and from some birds. On the street are tire tracks from cars and bikes. Then from my husband and me if we are going out or shoveling snow to make a path to the shed and back entrance. It hasn't happened last winter and this winter neither, until now. We live in a village and the streets and footpaths are all paved, so no sand either!

[Susan Ewart]

I see hare tracks on my lawn.  Not as much as when we moved in since other people have moved into the neighborhood that have outdoor cats.  One hare used to sleep in the garden, we'd watch it from the window so we didnt disturb it.  At work we'll see hare tracks and coyote tracks.  Oh, and I have about 10 trillion pigeon tracks in the back yard on the patio area...I counted! They aren't the best house guests.  I have a resident red squirrel but it's tracks are too small to see. She/he does race around the tree guarding it from other squirrels and knocking the snow as it goes.   

[Jacques]

There are also cats that roam around the house and come to shelter under the gallery.