Mobbed by Raccoons

seadoug said:
These raccoons are much more friendly than I expected.
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Raccoons can be mean too, ask a few dogs.

I once lived in a place with lots of racoons and my dog went after then with a vengeance, barking and chasing. Until one day she caught one on a post without escape. My dog came out the worst for the encounter, but survived. She never barked at another one.

And not so cute when they use their intelligence to open things like coolers and fishing boxes... They are an intelligent breed.
 
Marian said:
Yes, I have to say that I also have bird feeders.
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When I lived in Florida bears also ate our bird seed, and destroyed the feeders in doing it. So I stopped feeding the birds, then the bears tore up some of our decking where birdseed had fallen through to get at it... There can be unexpected consequences of feeding birds.

Back to feeding them here, in Utah, no bears so far.
 
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I stopped feeding humming birds when I read what a disservice it was to the humming birds. Humans can be well meaning so much of the time and end up doing things that are harmful. It stopped being fun to watch the humming birds when I knew I was hurting rather than helping.
 
JustDave said:
I stopped feeding humming birds when I read what a disservice it was to the humming birds. Humans can be well meaning so much of the time and end up doing things that are harmful. It stopped being fun to watch the humming birds when I knew I was hurting rather than helping.hummingbirds
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I’ve been feeding hummingbirds for 35 years! 😳 How am I hurting them? Please tell me…. i don’t want to do that! I know about boiling the sugar water to keep bacteria and mold away. Anything else I need to know?
 
JustDave said:
I stopped feeding humming birds when I read what a disservice it was to the humming birds. Humans can be well meaning so much of the time and end up doing things that are harmful. It stopped being fun to watch the humming birds when I knew I was hurting rather than helping.
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I hadn't heard that. :( How so?
 
JustDave said:
I stopped feeding humming birds when I read what a disservice it was to the humming birds. Humans can be well meaning so much of the time and end up doing things that are harmful. It stopped being fun to watch the humming birds when I knew I was hurting rather than helping.
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First I heard of this, but some quick Google searching shows there is something to it. Taking precautions helps, but most of us probably don't.

Is it okay to feed hummingbirds?
https://spca.bc.ca/faqs/hummingbird-feeders/

No hummingbirds here yet, but they should be arriving any day now, they come for the spring wildflower bloom in the mountains. This should be a really good year for that.
 
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Alligatorob said:
First I heard of this, but some quick Google searching shows there is something to it. Taking precautions helps, but most of us probably don't.

Is it okay to feed hummingbirds?
https://spca.bc.ca/faqs/hummingbird-feeders/

No hummingbirds here yet, but they should be arriving any day now, they come for the spring wildflower bloom in the mountains. This should be a really good year for that.
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Not mentioned in this article, but in another, which I can't find now, this fits with my personal observations that hummingbirds are aggressive over their food supply. I watch them chase other birds away, and I can't see what happens after they chase out of view, but I have seen videos deadly hummingbird attacks on other humming birds.

Also, hit upon indirectly by your article is that feeding tends to keep hummingbirds from migrating, which can trap them in winter conditions that they are not evolved to cope with.

But none of this surprises me as feeding wild animals is not recommended, even though it's fun to do. And I've done it too. In Montana, the Department of Fish and Game asks people not to feed deer, but there are no laws to prevent this. My friend, a game biologist with Fish and Game, says the agency has just thrown up its hands and backed away, because people won't listen. The outcome of deer feeding can have devastating impacts on local deer populations. They congregate around areas of artificial feeding, where they get only enough to keep them in the area, and then they browse everything else to death. As the deep snow comes, which unlike cold temperatures, forces them to expend large amounts energy wading through deep snow to find more food when they are already in near starvation, and they die.

I think it's best to leave nature alone. It has managed to do well without human intervention. It can be enjoyed just as well by leaving it to do its thing on its own. I think it might be a better idea to plant flowers in your yard to feed hummingbirds, but I'm not an expert. I have just had information that has convinced me to leave wild things alone.
 
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Alligatorob said:
First I heard of this, but some quick Google searching shows there is something to it. Taking precautions helps, but most of us probably don't.

Is it okay to feed hummingbirds?
https://spca.bc.ca/faqs/hummingbird-feeders/

No hummingbirds here yet, but they should be arriving any day now, they come for the spring wildflower bloom in the mountains. This should be a really good year for that.
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Phew…I’m OK. Ours just showed upP1040033.jpeg
 
JustDave said:
I stopped feeding humming birds when I read what a disservice it was to the humming birds. Humans can be well meaning so much of the time and end up doing things that are harmful. It stopped being fun to watch the humming birds when I knew I was hurting rather than helping.
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We don't leave out any bird seed, but we do provide water in the red bottles that a lot of birds take advantage of, as water is scarce here in the high desert.
 
Well, that racoon guy has obviously been feeding racoons for a while. Humans don't seem to realize that animals don't have supermarkets, or even home delivery. Animals lived millions of years. They've evolved to eat off the land, and don't need human handouts to find food, but a free meal is a free meal. And you don't know what you're feeding. One neighbor was feeding "the deer", but we had bears hanging around and we were loaded with mice- both left when she did.
 
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