| General Non-Fiction posted March 13, 2023 |
  |
Learning to live with those around us
The Blackbird War
by prettybluebirds
In the spring of 2021, my niece Cindy and I were looking forward to the first summer in our new home. A lovely wooded area covered several acres south of the house, and the field west of our property was planted in corn each year. It seemed to be the ideal place to pursue our bird-watching hobby and raise a small garden. I intended to grow an excellent plot of strawberries too.
As our first course of action, we set up poles for numerous bird feeders and filled them with lots of bird treats. I think every wild critter in the vicinity was watching with thoughts of free goodies.
First, squirrels attacked the feeders en masse. That problem wasn't too hard to solve by adding squirrel guards and having my dog chase the little buggers out of the yard. Our next wildlife problem was larger, and I do mean larger as in huge. A black bear came in the night and bent the poles where the feeders hung, then ate most of the sunflower seeds before making off with the suet cakes. The only way to solve that problem was to take the feeders in after dark, which we did. The bear wasn't pleased and spent several nights snorting and snuffling around the house while my cats hid under the bed (along with me).
With the squirrels under control and the bear more or less outsmarted, we planted our garden and strawberries. We watched as the lettuce flourished, and the strawberry plants took root and began to put on new growth. Things were looking good.
My first inkling that there was another problem came when I heard Cindy screaming. She was somewhere in the general area of the garden. Thinking, "Bear," I grabbed my loaded shotgun and rushed outside. "What! What's the matter," I yelled, "Where is the critter? I'll give him a load of buckshot."
Cindy was standing by what was left of the garden. "Look at our beautiful garden, Aunt Ruth; it's ruined. Deer ate all the lettuce and trampled the tomatoes. They ate all the strawberry plants too. Well, I'll fix them," she stomped off to get ready for work.
The following day, Cindy unloaded several steel posts and rolls of woven wire from her car. It was her day off, so we spent most of that day building a rather impressive fence around the garden. We covered the strawberry plants with netting like one puts over trees to keep the birds from eating the fruit. Hopefully, our wildlife problems were solved.
It wasn't to be. Our next clash with the local wildlife came out of the blue, and I do mean out of the blue. Hundreds of blackbirds swooped down on the bird feeders. There were so many the other birds didn't stand a chance. My niece kept chasing them away as best she could. Cindy loaded pop bottles with water and threw them at the belligerent pests. It made me laugh to hear her screaming at the blackbirds. "Come on, buttheads, make my day," Cindy would scream while the birds in question stayed just out of bottle range and answered her with, "Tsk, tsk, tsk." I think that must be the bird version of "Nyah, nyah, nyah". I commenced calling the battle between Cindy and the birds the Blackbird Wars.
The Blackbird Wars continued through the summer and into late fall. Cindy never did succeed in chasing the birds away, but they developed a healthy respect for her water bombs and took flight whenever she stepped outside. I suppose that could be considered a victory, but those birds knew when Cindy was gone and took full advantage. I tried to chase them away, but they didn't fear me as they did Cindy.
Around June, I noticed some of the strawberry plants were going to produce a few berries. I watched them closely and one night decided they would be ready to pick the next morning. I watered them and made sure the netting was fastened securely so the birds and deer couldn't reach the plants. I figured we would have fresh strawberries for breakfast tomorrow.
The following morning, I took a bowl and went outside to pick the long-awaited produce. I could almost taste those sweet, delicious berries and would have if there had been any to pick. Some of the pegs that held the netting had been pulled, and there wasn't a berry to be found. My first thought was of our bear friend, but a bear would have pulled the netting off. Whatever ate the berries had pulled a few of the pegs, crawled underneath, and ate their fill. It seemed we now had another species of wildlife to deal with.
I figured raccoons were the most likely suspects for a crime of this nature. They use their front paws like hands and can be highly destructive. I once took care of a neighbor's pet raccoon while she was on vacation, and it was an experience I never care to repeat. The coon got loose in my house and raised havoc. That critter opened every cabinet door and threw the contents everywhere. By the time I got the coon back in his cage, I didn't have much left intact throughout my home. Anyhow, based on my experience, I was almost certain raccoons were the strawberry thieves.
So, up went another fence, which the coons climbed with ease. The only way we could have strawberries was to build an enclosure with a cover on top, which we did. Maybe now our problems were over for good. One would think we might come out on top eventually. Right?
Nope, next came the moles. They were everywhere. We tried traps, smoke bombs in their tunnels, and spreading some stuff that was supposed to drive them away. There were poisons for moles, but I hesitated to use them because of my pets. Occasionally, the cats or the dog would catch one of the moles, but it scarcely made a dent in their population. Finally, our neighboring farmer took pity on us and spread lime on our lawn. He explained how the lime would sweeten the ground, which in turn, drove the grubs away. With no grubs to eat, the moles would vacate the premises. It worked. We now have a mole-free lawn.
Things seemed to settle down as the summer moved on. Our garden produced lovely tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, squash, and carrots. Other than the strawberries, the coons left the garden alone. Perhaps they're not vegetarians.
We never saw our bear friend again, but the neighbors tell us several bears live in the woods by our property. News I could have done without. Deer surround us, often grazing on the lawn or playing behind the barn. There is a squirrel highway on the other side of the road in front of our house. The squirrels follow a line of trees from one wood to another. Therefore, we christened it the Squirrel Highway.
Spring 2023 will soon be here, and I imagine the blackbirds won't be far behind. Cindy and I do love to watch the wildlife around us; we just had to learn how to live with the various species. Or send them to live elsewhere in the case of the moles. Cindy would love to send the blackbirds somewhere else too---a word I don't want to repeat in this story. I suppose the Blackbird Wars will resume in earnest before too long.
Wildlife Short Story contest entry
In the spring of 2021, my niece Cindy and I were looking forward to the first summer in our new home. A lovely wooded area covered several acres south of the house, and the field west of our property was planted in corn each year. It seemed to be the ideal place to pursue our bird-watching hobby and raise a small garden. I intended to grow an excellent plot of strawberries too.
As our first course of action, we set up poles for numerous bird feeders and filled them with lots of bird treats. I think every wild critter in the vicinity was watching with thoughts of free goodies.
First, squirrels attacked the feeders en masse. That problem wasn't too hard to solve by adding squirrel guards and having my dog chase the little buggers out of the yard. Our next wildlife problem was larger, and I do mean larger as in huge. A black bear came in the night and bent the poles where the feeders hung, then ate most of the sunflower seeds before making off with the suet cakes. The only way to solve that problem was to take the feeders in after dark, which we did. The bear wasn't pleased and spent several nights snorting and snuffling around the house while my cats hid under the bed (along with me).
With the squirrels under control and the bear more or less outsmarted, we planted our garden and strawberries. We watched as the lettuce flourished, and the strawberry plants took root and began to put on new growth. Things were looking good.
My first inkling that there was another problem came when I heard Cindy screaming. She was somewhere in the general area of the garden. Thinking, "Bear," I grabbed my loaded shotgun and rushed outside. "What! What's the matter," I yelled, "Where is the critter? I'll give him a load of buckshot."
Cindy was standing by what was left of the garden. "Look at our beautiful garden, Aunt Ruth; it's ruined. Deer ate all the lettuce and trampled the tomatoes. They ate all the strawberry plants too. Well, I'll fix them," she stomped off to get ready for work.
The following day, Cindy unloaded several steel posts and rolls of woven wire from her car. It was her day off, so we spent most of that day building a rather impressive fence around the garden. We covered the strawberry plants with netting like one puts over trees to keep the birds from eating the fruit. Hopefully, our wildlife problems were solved.
It wasn't to be. Our next clash with the local wildlife came out of the blue, and I do mean out of the blue. Hundreds of blackbirds swooped down on the bird feeders. There were so many the other birds didn't stand a chance. My niece kept chasing them away as best she could. Cindy loaded pop bottles with water and threw them at the belligerent pests. It made me laugh to hear her screaming at the blackbirds. "Come on, buttheads, make my day," Cindy would scream while the birds in question stayed just out of bottle range and answered her with, "Tsk, tsk, tsk." I think that must be the bird version of "Nyah, nyah, nyah". I commenced calling the battle between Cindy and the birds the Blackbird Wars.
The Blackbird Wars continued through the summer and into late fall. Cindy never did succeed in chasing the birds away, but they developed a healthy respect for her water bombs and took flight whenever she stepped outside. I suppose that could be considered a victory, but those birds knew when Cindy was gone and took full advantage. I tried to chase them away, but they didn't fear me as they did Cindy.
Around June, I noticed some of the strawberry plants were going to produce a few berries. I watched them closely and one night decided they would be ready to pick the next morning. I watered them and made sure the netting was fastened securely so the birds and deer couldn't reach the plants. I figured we would have fresh strawberries for breakfast tomorrow.
The following morning, I took a bowl and went outside to pick the long-awaited produce. I could almost taste those sweet, delicious berries and would have if there had been any to pick. Some of the pegs that held the netting had been pulled, and there wasn't a berry to be found. My first thought was of our bear friend, but a bear would have pulled the netting off. Whatever ate the berries had pulled a few of the pegs, crawled underneath, and ate their fill. It seemed we now had another species of wildlife to deal with.
I figured raccoons were the most likely suspects for a crime of this nature. They use their front paws like hands and can be highly destructive. I once took care of a neighbor's pet raccoon while she was on vacation, and it was an experience I never care to repeat. The coon got loose in my house and raised havoc. That critter opened every cabinet door and threw the contents everywhere. By the time I got the coon back in his cage, I didn't have much left intact throughout my home. Anyhow, based on my experience, I was almost certain raccoons were the strawberry thieves.
So, up went another fence, which the coons climbed with ease. The only way we could have strawberries was to build an enclosure with a cover on top, which we did. Maybe now our problems were over for good. One would think we might come out on top eventually. Right?
Nope, next came the moles. They were everywhere. We tried traps, smoke bombs in their tunnels, and spreading some stuff that was supposed to drive them away. There were poisons for moles, but I hesitated to use them because of my pets. Occasionally, the cats or the dog would catch one of the moles, but it scarcely made a dent in their population. Finally, our neighboring farmer took pity on us and spread lime on our lawn. He explained how the lime would sweeten the ground, which in turn, drove the grubs away. With no grubs to eat, the moles would vacate the premises. It worked. We now have a mole-free lawn.
Things seemed to settle down as the summer moved on. Our garden produced lovely tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, squash, and carrots. Other than the strawberries, the coons left the garden alone. Perhaps they're not vegetarians.
We never saw our bear friend again, but the neighbors tell us several bears live in the woods by our property. News I could have done without. Deer surround us, often grazing on the lawn or playing behind the barn. There is a squirrel highway on the other side of the road in front of our house. The squirrels follow a line of trees from one wood to another. Therefore, we christened it the Squirrel Highway.
Spring 2023 will soon be here, and I imagine the blackbirds won't be far behind. Cindy and I do love to watch the wildlife around us; we just had to learn how to live with the various species. Or send them to live elsewhere in the case of the moles. Cindy would love to send the blackbirds somewhere else too---a word I don't want to repeat in this story. I suppose the Blackbird Wars will resume in earnest before too long.
 Recognized |
#50 March 2023 |
Artwork by eileen0204 at FanArtReview.com
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