Maybe I'm just getting soft in my old age...

but I sure have noticed a lot of birds with problems around our warehouse lately. And, I have to admit, it upsets me.

First, I saw a mockingbird with a broken wing. He can't fly, but if he sticks around the shop, where I saw him, he will eat just fine; the bugs attracted by the lights at night can keep him full.

Then, we had a heavy storm, and I saw a baby mourning dove around the shop. I assume it got blown out of its nest. It wasn't quite old enough to fly, but I saw at least one adult near it, so I hope it was getting fed. If it could survive a week or so, it would be OK.

Then, yesterday, I saw two little killdeer babies on our concrete. They were being carefully watched by a couple of adults, but they just could not get up the curb and back on the grass. At that age, they're not much more than a little ball of fluff and feathers on stilts. I didn't see them today, so I hope they finally made it.

And, walking back to my pickup today, I saw another young mourning dove. This one appeared to have an injured wing, although it could fly at least a few feet.

I KNOW mortality is high in birds, but I sure hate to see these things.

Wow - there seems to be a lot of wildlife near your work/home. I guess it is the season for little ones, hopefully the ones you saw make it.

Last week, I saw something black on our lawn at work. At first, I thought it might be a black puppy. However, as I watched it, I realized it was a skunk, nosing around in the grass.

Our DC is out in what was the country a few years ago. In fact, we have open fields all around us.

I have to say that I live in a very large city in Massachusetts and I swear that in the streets around here we've seen deer, fox, coyotes and believe it or not 2-3 weeks ago a moose was in a vacant lot across from our house. Of course we have all the usual too, skunks, squirrels possums etc. Even though there is now all industry around here, we still have acres of woods right up the road. It's amazing what's in there.

I know what you mean about the birds. I feed birds and I see a lot of sad things out there. It's part of nature. We have had birds of prey come to our yard too. We have peregrine falcons that nest almost every spring in one of our downtown high rise buildings.

You know, I feel less bad about a predator getting an animal than seeing the animal just starving or injured. I can deal with the "circle of life."

We have some friends who have a place down in Whitney, TX, and a mother red fox had her babies in their storage barn. They've been very careful not to disturb her or the kits.

Originally Posted by lilyluvscats

I have to say that I live in a very large city in Massachusetts and I swear that in the streets around here we've seen deer, fox, coyotes and believe it or not 2-3 weeks ago a moose was in a vacant lot across from our house. Of course we have all the usual too, skunks, squirrels possums etc. Even though there is now all industry around here, we still have acres of woods right up the road. It's amazing what's in there.

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I have had a similar experience! I live in Chicago, 3rd largest city in the US... Yet within a mile of my home we have coyotes, deer, rabbits, raccoons, herons, cranes, and I saw a large fox walk right past my door last year! I've also seen evidence of beavers. We also have the usual possums, squirrels, muskrats and skunks... There is no "real" woods close to my house but I do live near a canal (complete with fish and turtles) and there is a strip of trees alongside it. The coyote I saw was in a cemetery, but a neighbor of mine saw one walking down the street a few blocks from our houses when she was out walking her dogs at 4am.

Wildlife researchers say there is not a single city in the lower 48 that does not have a coyote population. They get along very well where people live.