View Full Version : Fox Snake and the Bluebirds
Wife came in from the garden today. We have bluebird houses on poles and about 6 adults were very agitated near one house. On close inspection a good sized fox snake got past the baffle and had mostly squeezed into the house through the air vent.
So I grabbed the tail and yanked. About a another 3 1/2 feet of snake came out which is about as big as they get around here. That air vent was pretty skinny too so the snake got a good lymphatic massage. All quiet since, no word on birds, house or the snake.
Fox snakes are good on small rodents so I would not want to harm one, but forced to take sides I'll choose the bluebirds.
I had a pretty good week. I noticed a nice healthy 5-6 foot long black snake in our back yard that borders a few hundred acres of densely wooded terrain. It has an ideal habitat of brush piles and low growth vegetation. Then, every evening, a family of deer show up to eat the flowering plants around my house and the seeds I put out for the birds.49423
This doe is really bold.
BlitzKrieg
08-03-2021, 05:43
Black snakes are pretty clever. Once I was 50 yards behind a group of troops heading down a path in the wood and once they passed by , out across the path moved 2 black snakes a good 4 foot long. I was not expecting that and caught the sight early enough to halt and not be spotted by them. Both snakes moved leisurely across the road and both climbed up a small tree effortlessly. I guess birds was on the menu ? I had never thought a black snake could climb a tree or had the inclination to do so. I had seen bamboo vipers in vegetation / bamboo and scrub during operations in Viet Nam but these black snakes sure surprised me , I never ever thought snakes in USA would be found in trees. Also, that group of troops made a lot of noise and ground vibrations and those 2 black snakes merely let them pass by a foot or so from there hiding place along the path. So much for that myth one makes enough noise walking in the woods to scare snakes away , best to move and keep your eyes on where you're going and watch where you step !~
Black snakes are pretty clever. Once I was 50 yards behind a group of troops heading down a path in the wood and once they passed by , out across the path moved 2 black snakes a good 4 foot long. I was not expecting that and caught the sight early enough to halt and not be spotted by them. Both snakes moved leisurely across the road and both climbed up a small tree effortlessly. I guess birds was on the menu ? I had never thought a black snake could climb a tree or had the inclination to do so. I had seen bamboo vipers in vegetation / bamboo and scrub during operations in Viet Nam but these black snakes sure surprised me , I never ever thought snakes in USA would be found in trees. Also, that group of troops made a lot of noise and ground vibrations and those 2 black snakes merely let them pass by a foot or so from there hiding place along the path. So much for that myth one makes enough noise walking in the woods to scare snakes away , best to move and keep your eyes on where you're going and watch where you step !~
my maternal Grandmother, born and lived on a farm most of here life, had one standing rule,
she was live and let live with all kinds of snakes and such, since all were beneficial ,
she would even relocate the black snakes from the chicken coop to the corn crib (a couple hundred yards away) so they would eat the mice vs the eggs and any chicks,
but if a black snake was ever caught climbing a tree, it was knocked out the tree and kilt,
she said a snake that would climb a tree would climb in the house,
and no snakes allowed in the house
Snakes will defeat a baffle like a length of duct tube, or PVC pipe. But, I don't think they can maneuver around a good old cone-shaped baffle. Some bluebird houses I have seen have two entrance holes on the face of the house allowing an escape (for those old enough to fly).
High Plaines Doug r
08-06-2021, 02:14
We had Bull snakes in Colorado, I guess they call them Gopher Snakes here in AZ. Bull snakes can climb Spruce and pines as well as Cottonwood trees after bird eggs or chicks. The Wife hangs flower pots from the eaves of the porch and I've seen them climb up the inside of the drain spout to hang off the gutter and get at nests in the flower pots. I hate to bother them much because they keep rattle snakes at bay so I pull them down when I see them up there.
I pulled one down out of the Spruce tree in our front yard before he got to the two Dove chicks there and chased him into the the railroad ties we had for a terrace. Less than an hour later he'd eaten one and knocked the second one out of the tree. The adult doves abandoned it at that point so I expect he got that one too.
one shot
08-06-2021, 05:56
I have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to snakes and bats .
About mid July, I noticed a colony of bats had occupied the attic crawl space in my summer home. They had gained entrance through a loose ridge vent on my roof. I hired a wildlife specialist to remove them but was told I’d have to wait until after August 1st to make sure all the pups that were born in the spring were old enough to fly. So, last week, the specialist showed up and installed a barrier on the ridge vent and installed a tube with a one-way gate that allowed the bats to exit but prevented them from returning. We watched the colony fly off at dusk and counted 29 bats. I had the specialist install a bat box on the edge of my yard to provide a home for them but the transition could take months or years, if at all. They eat an enormous amount of mosquitoes every night so I’m not in favor of exterminating them, but they can create a dangerous situation if they occupy space within a home for any length of time.
I have caught corn snakes (rat snakes) as we call them in the act of climbing up the metal pole of a bird house. The snake was coiled around it, inching itself up. Another snake was already in the house. Both snakes were killed and the birds left for the season.
In my neck of the woods we have houses for purple martin's that, like the bats, eat nothing but mosquitoes. People who move here from the North build those bat houses. The first time I saw one I asked what it was. When told I said who the hell would want to attack bats and have bats in their yards??? I'd rather have the mosquitoes any day.
When I was young I saw the martins everywhere. I still see houses but few martins. They like the houses cleaned out between seasons and I don't think anyone does that any more so other type birds nest there instead.
The pictures below of a nearby pier show the safest way to raise them.
Black snakes and bats may not be cute, but they are very beneficial predators.
Black snakes are beneficial to have around because they mainly prey on rodents. If you’re seeing them preying on birds, it usually means the rodent population has decreased. Baffles will prevent them from attacking nesting birds. Without a food source, black snakes will usually move on. Killing them isn’t a good idea.
Bats can usually consume their weight in insects every night. We haven’t been bothered by mosquitoes all summer. Right now, the bats that were living in my attic are probably roosting in the nearby trees on my property and will find and populate the new bat box soon. The last thing I want is to have them move on to a new territory.
Friends of ours long ago took their family camping. I don't know what conditions they camped out under but upon awaking the next morning they all found they had been bit by something. Since the bites were common to all of them they went to the ER. It was determined that they had been bit by bats during the night. Bats can bite w/o causing pain?
They all had to be given the very painful rabies shots which I hear is administered with long needles that reach the stomach.
We have purple martins. We have bats. We have municipalities fog with insecticides. We still have mosquitoes in abundance.
FYI: I always wondered why the mosquitoes seems to favor me over other people. When outside with groups of people no one would be bothered by the flying hypodermics except for me. The others often noticed it. I always brushed it off saying "they must like beer" even though I seldom down more than a couple of beers a month. I found out very recently that they favor type "B" blood which I have and most others don't have.
I built this bat house to what I thought was a good design several years ago. Mounted high in an oak tree on the edge of my yard. Nada! Not a single bat seen as yet. Choosy little buggers!
49508
Consider yourself blessed. You have bugs but not bats.
The few bat houses I've seen looked like nothing more than a wooden crate turned upside down with the opening at the bottom nailed to a tree trunk about 20' up or so. I suppose there may be something inside for them to perch on but that may be optional since they can stick to a flat surface.
The only bat house I want to see is one riddled with holes from shotgun blast.
BTW: That's a very attractive deck and yard you have.
Bats are protected under state and federal laws so killing them is illegal. The law said I had to wait until after August 1st to evict them and killing them was not an option.
The bat box that was installed on my property by the wildlife specialist is at the top of a 12 foot tall 4X4 and can house up to 75 bats. It is facing the Southwest and is in full sunlight almost all day. It is painted black so that it absorbs the heat from the sun and provides the ideal daytime temperature. Since it is out in the open, it can be approached from all directions.
The box is their summer home and a place to rear their pups. By October or November, most migratory bats have left while the hibernating bats have found a cave or something similar with a stable temperature to spend the winter.
495094951049511
I have done all that I can for them and hope to see them occupy the box this or next year.
Alligators were protected here for decades.
The govt said they were endangered while we were over-run with them.
Now the protection is lifted and we have a gator problem mostly caused by the govt.
Not comparing a gator to a flying rat, just pointing out that the govt doesn't always make wise decisions.
There is supposed to be a balance in nature. It is there to keep everything in check. Birds and bats compete with each other to keep the earth from being over-run by insects. That is a good thing. Even bug eating bugs like dragon flies are helping out. Mosquitoes are high on their menu. Unfortunately, purple martins love eating dragon flies.
Most of us prefer to watch the beautiful bug-eating birds. The bats aren’t pretty but that is ok. They do their work at night when nobody can see them and most eat their weight in bugs in one night. That is probably more than a bird will eat in a week.
Have you ever fished from a boat at night in early summer? I did a few times - never again. Spray all you want with insect repellent, nothing works. 99% of the bugs in PA are most active at night when the birds are all sleeping. The bats are out there finding them at night with their echo location senses and gobbling them up. Flying rat is not a fair characterization of the most unique and specialized animal on earth.
Mosquitoes? They have caused the spread of many diseases. Google heartworm disease. It is a disease in pets from a parasitic worm that comes from the bite of a mosquito. Look up yellow fever, malaria, West Nile virus, Zika and dengue fever. Yep. All transmitted by mosquitoes. You should be grateful that there is an animal out there that is willing to put a very large dent in their population.
+1 on the night fishing
friend and I were out in the middle of a local reservoir, no issues out in the middle, just enough light to see what you were doing (full moon0
we decided to plug in a floating headlamp, and see what we could catch,
big mistake, in 10 minutes we were damn near eaten alive, deep woods off was not working,
re the bats, they come out at dusk around here,
I have a large lawn (drain field and reserve) beside the house, neat to sit out on the deck and watch the bat's acrobatics I don't think they are capable of flying in a straight line,,, ,
Dragon fly larvae eat young fish and shrimp.
Most of us don't fish at night.
Bats spread diseases too and I never said mosquitos were a good thing. I'd just rather have a yard full of them even with my mosquito magnet type "B" than have a yard full of bats.
As far as the balance of nature goes where do you draw the line? Some would argue that mosquitoes are part of that balance and shouldn't be eaten.
Other than bats we pretty much see things eye to eye and we're not going to change each others mind.
my first time at Camp Perry, and was sharing a hut with the Va State Team
I was shooting the Vintage Springfield Match, had an early slot,
I had been there a few days, and knew the skeeters were rough,
slathered Skeeter repellent all over every bit of skin exposed and walked from the huts to the check in,
standing in line, barely daybreak, and I could hear them buzzing by my ears,
I apparently missed a few sections on my hands and arms, one spot, maybe as big as a pencil eraser, had 4 skeeters drilling for oil on it,
as soon as the sun got up a bit they all left,
+1 on the night fishing
friend and I were out in the middle of a local reservoir, no issues out in the middle, just enough light to see what you were doing (full moon0
we decided to plug in a floating headlamp, and see what we could catch,
big mistake, in 10 minutes we were damn near eaten alive, deep woods off was not working,
re the bats, they come out at dusk around here,
I have a large lawn (drain field and reserve) beside the house, neat to sit out on the deck and watch the bat's acrobatics I don't think they are capable of flying in a straight line,,, ,
Bats are expert flyers and can actually use their wings to guide insects into their mouths.
Speaking of swarming insects, we have enormous hatches of Mayflies on Lake Erie in early May. They actually show up on weather radar as clouds. They live long enough to spawn and fly around in huge swarms for a day and then they die. They only live in clean well oxygenated water and that description would fit Lake Erie today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb6U3Hyui8E
We used to rent a cottage on the beach at Lake Erie near the NY border back in the 1970s. There was a street light on the road in front of the cottage that attracted a swarm of millions of midges every night. We would watch them gather on the light and sit on each other. Once the swarm got too heavy, they would fall to the ground as one and then they would fly back up to the light and the process would start all over again. The bats feasting on them every night should have eventually become too big to fly.
Back to the bluebird situation. When I was a child I used to see them, not every day but regularly. Now I hardly ever see a bluebird. The main culprit is invasive species birds, especially starlings and English sparrows that destroy their nests. Illegal alien wildlife annoys me, they're almost never beneficial. Now I have a general policy of never interfering with the processes of nature and predation is one of those. But blue birds are in enough trouble I might have to make an exception, even though snakes are not the major influence in their decline. While I have nothing against serpents, if Mr. Fox Snake wouldn't stay away from the blue bird nest on his own I believe action detrimental to the snake would be justified.
plenty of Bluebirds around here, got one that wants to nest under my mailbox, and some neighbors, every year,
infact, they were early this year,
I see plenty of blue bird nesting boxes but I have only seen one nesting pair near their box on a golf course. Lots of other birds around, especially at our summer home near the Pymatuning Reservoir that’s about 40 miles south of Lake Erie on the Ohio border. Dozens of bald eagles, osprey, blue herons inhabit the islands and wooded shores of the 17,000 acre lake.
My wife and I volunteer for the blue bird count effort at a local level. We visit a local winery that was good enough to allow 21 nesting boxes amongst the vines. An electric fence intended to keep the raccoons off the vines does double duty protecting the boxes. We stroll around for about an hour checking each box, cleaning out if necessary and writing down results so their numbers can be maintained. It's relaxing and gets us out of the house early on weekends. If non-native birds (primarily house finches) have a nest started we remove it. If barn swallows have started a nest, we leave them be as they are native to our area. Where the data goes, and how it affects the birds is unknown to me. 49514
My wife and I volunteer for the blue bird count effort at a local level. We visit a local winery that was good enough to allow 21 nesting boxes amongst the vines. An electric fence intended to keep the raccoons off the vines does double duty protecting the boxes. We stroll around for about an hour checking each box, cleaning out if necessary and writing down results so their numbers can be maintained. It's relaxing and gets us out of the house early on weekends. If non-native birds (primarily house finches) have a nest started we remove it. If barn swallows have started a nest, we leave them be as they are native to our area. Where the data goes, and how it affects the birds is unknown to me. 49514
Liam,
what group?
IIRC you are in the Valley or NOVA area?
I'm in Central VA, just south of RVA, and would be interested in that group
I am in Loudoun County, VA. My wife signed us up. I believe it is the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy (https://loudounwildlife.org). We get to roam the winery alone before opening. I also make the occasional replacement house. Sometimes there are a couple of nice bottles of wine at our car when we go to leave.
thanks, I'll see if they do something similar in this county
The wife and I have raised wild birds like blue Jays, mocking birds, cardinals and coo coo birds. And then there were the doves got 27 years. We also had labs,
My son wanted to train his labs to hunt quail and retrieve ducks; he had it all figured out, he ordered baby ducks with the intention of raising the ducks with our menagerie. There was no use talking to my son so I told my wife she did not want to be home when the ducks arrived. I explained to her the ducks would come out of the box looking for the biggest, fluffiest thing in site and that would become their mother. The ducks came out of the box and then straight to the lab, he became mother.
I do not know how but the lab taught them to fly, it seemed he was very annoyed at the ducks, in an effort to loose them he took to running circles around the yard' in the beginning the ducks ran and then started flying, and then one day they got higher and then went into a skid and escaped the bounds of the yard' they managed to get higher than the fence.
The lab was trained to ring a bell when it wanted out, it was trained and or learned how to hit the glass sliding patio door when it wanted in. The girds we raised were released, most of them stayed and became friends with the lab. When the lab hit the glass door to come in the birds landed on his back and came in with him. Once in the birds got off his back and went to their gages. This went on for 5 years with one of the blue jays and for 27 years with one of the dove.
It came to 'show and tell' at the elementary school our children attended; they took the birds. The teacher called my wife to come and get then' she responded with "there are two children and two birds; which of 'them' am I to pick up. Wrong answer, my explained to the teacher it was 'show and tell'.
The teacher explained to my wife there was no room in the class to sit down, the class was wall to wall children. She said no one knew that birds could talk, play games and when it came to eating and were gull they hid the good and could remember where they hit the good. The blue jay would stuff excess food in a students hand and return for it later.
My wife asked the teacher if she could get a telephone into the class room, if so have someone call you. As soon as the phone rang the blue jay went in to its old hen routine. She said one day I was not at home when the phone rang. It was then she realized how much fun we were having.
If the blue jay was outside it would land on the wife's shoulder when she walked to her car. She said it made quite whispering sounds near her ear.
I went to rattle snake roundups, I had to give it up; when I say "don't move", don't move, never ask "WHY"? It always takes to much time to answer the question.
F. Guffey
Snakes: My family and my wife's family do the 'hoe down' on snakes. My wife's dad hollered "SNAKE!", I walked over to determine 'what kind', it was a king snake, I wasted my time but I informed him it was a good snake. And then he did the 'hoe down' on the snakes head and then declared: "Now it is a good snake".
F. Guffey
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