My Backyard Zoo

Yes. I have my own personal backyard zoo...whether I want it or not...I have one.

Juvenile Yellow-crested Night Herons
in 2009 in the Backyard Zoo

It started off early this year with ducks in my chimney last March. Now, it's the Yellow-crested Night Herons' turn. Every year they come back to the same trees and nests to hatch their ugly babies. AND every year the raccoons try to raid their nests about 11:00pm creating total chaos in the trees. The herons are not aggressive birds. They just stand on the limbs flapping their wings and SCREAMING at the top of their lungs waking the whole neighborhood. Neighbors come out in the boxers staring at my house wondering what the crap is going on. That crazy lady is at it again. :D

Last night was no different except that the raccoons stirred up all SIX nests in my yard so there was a chorus of 12 herons screaming for 2 hours. I'm blaming the dumb ass "super" moon.

This morning while I was out watering the yard, I noticed LOTS of recently hatched eggs around. I counted 6 active nests and 10 hatched eggs. One of those eggs might have had help from Rocky Raccoon.

They're pretty light blue eggs. Nice sized ones at that.

 

 

So in a couple of weeks, I'll have ugly heron kids running around my backyard pooping crawdad shells all over the place. joy. Thank goodness it washes. One thing we have learned...NEVER EVER walk near "white paint splatter" in my yard. AND definitely...NEVER look up!!! BOMBS AWAY!!!!  I can also tell they are fed very well. Thank goodness I wore shoes for once...there were lots of "to-go boxes" of frogs and crawdads scattered underneath the nests. They need to teach their kids some table manners!

I did learn today that I must walk behind my garage more often. I think I have a varmint living back there. My wonderful yard men have just piling up leaves and limbs and not hauling them off. NOW there seems to be a burrow in there. Any volunteers to find out what lives in there??? Maybe that's who the "Dear Resident" mail is for!!!

One thing our Backyard Zoo doesn't have a problem about is mosquitoes and bugs. That's because we have mega-gargantuan chameleon lizards who are not afraid of us piddly ol' humans.

Backyard Zoo hours: 7 days a week; 24 hours a day.   ::ugh::