Wife needs to stop sending me to town

[CrealCritter]

So I'm sitting on the back deck, there's nothing quite like the sound that seems to be like two kittens crying in the dark of the pasture. Are they tabbys or bobcats or cougars? Usually where there's kittens, there's a momma I really don't want to know... I'm going in for a shower, have fun whatever kind of kittens you are. Just leave my chickens and turkeys alone.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Mini Horses]

Wow...I know sound travels well at night, especially In country quiet. Tabby would have a very tiny meow....thinking any larger would be home in a den? But....

Hope the birds are safe.

 

[CrealCritter]

Wow...I know sound travels well at night, especially In country quiet. Tabby would have a very tiny meow....thinking any larger would be home in a den? But....

Hope the birds are safe.

Stupid me I called here kitty kitty kitty and that's when I stopped myself and thought. Usually where there's kittens there's a momma... It's just been so quiet around here I almost forgot about the cougar. One cry most definitely in the pasture by the barn and the other cry sounded like it was coming from the far side of the garden or over that way. Two cry's spaced pretty far apart, where was the momma?

I sure hope someone didn't dump tabby kittens out here. I don't like when people do that at all.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Mini Horses]

Worse...maybe momma met with disaster? Seen anything?

 

[CrealCritter]

Worse...maybe momma met with disaster? Seen anything?

Nothing, nothing at all.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

So Saturday morning while drinking morning coffee in the back yard, Red my wife's rooster and his 5 hens come strolling by me. They are our yard chickens. Late morning my wife gets on the mower and while mowing she saw a dead hen around back of the barn. I went to go put it in a trash bag and looked around looked. It looked like quite a struggle went on back there, feathers everywhere. The dead hen was missing, it's head and it's addomen opened up, heart and liver eaten. I looked and found red with 3 hens in the barn under the lean to. But where did the other hen go? This happened behind the barn in broad daylight. The dead hen was not buried like the ducks were this spring, but that happened over night. It was a mystery untill today.

Today I came out of the cave and what do I see? A golden eagle sitting on top of the corner fence post of the garden. It was not a bald eagle but a golden eagle. It saw me and jumped up and flew off to the south east. That bird has quite the impressive wing span. I watched it a few minutes as it glided along circling around one of my tall white oak trees about 10 acres from where I was. Then up popped another eagle out of the oak tree. I watched both glide along in the air. Quite majestic to watch them soaring along in the air.

So I'm pretty sure, although can't be certain that I have a pair of eagles nesting in my oak tree. I'll try and look for a nest but it may be difficult to spot. It's a huge tree and oaks don't fully shed their leaves until the spring time.

I'm also pretty sure, although again have no proof that a eagle grabbed one of my hens, because there was way to many feathers for just the one hen, my wife found dead. I also seen chicken feathers around the same tall oak tree I looked for a nest but it's hard to see up there with all the leaves.

Am I mad or upset, that I lost a few yard hens? Nope absolutely not, they were old hens anyways and mainly had them free ranging for amusement and insect control. If I fed a nest of golden eagles with some old free range hens. I'm totally cool with that Red and his now 3 hens are hanging out under the run in behind the barn. They aren't venturing out and roaming the yard anymore. Pretty smart, for chickens if you ask me. We have 15 young hens in with the turkeys that are pretty much safe with a roof and enclosed with 6' tall fencing.

Here's a interesting read on Golden Eagles. If they are nesting in the oak tree they are more than welcome to stay, I'm thrilled to have them here. But with all the DDT and near extinction I'm thrilled to have them on my property.

I also have a pair of Blue Herring (storks) in my pond again they are welcome to stay if they desire. I've watched them eat small bass out of the pond. They are skittish, and fly off almost instantly when they see you. I don't know if there is a nest or not but still pretty cool to have them around. They don't seem to mind my wife's ducks in the pond.

Facts About the Magnificent Golden Eagle

Often mistaken for bald eagles, golden eagles are a large diurnal bird of prey. Discover fascinating golden eagle facts!

www.thoughtco.com

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Alaskan]

We don't have gold eagles at my place... but all other raptors.

If they have the time, they will stand on the chicken and rip all of the feathers out.

They do a pretty good plucking.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Sorry you lost some hens but really cool that you may have a nest nearby. I wonder if there's a raptor tracking group who would know the birds or would like to track them?

Also it's amazing how many feathers a single bird actually has. When ours molt it looks like a pillow exploded or something, feathers everywhere even though the bird doesn't look that bare.

 

[CrealCritter]

The eagles are out of the nest. About 25 minutes ago while outside, I counted 3 screeches coming from different directions. I went and got my wife to listen also. She said at first she thought kittens, then she said no, those are young birds. I followed the closest one and saw it with my flashlight in a tree by the southwest corner of our property. I'm super excited, wow we got eagles, that's pretty cool right there. I wished they wouldn't have eaten my chickens but eagles are way more cool than chickens. Hope they put a dent in the snakes we got around here, that would be nice

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

Sorry you lost some hens but really cool that you may have a nest nearby. I wonder if there's a raptor tracking group who would know the birds or would like to track them?

Also it's amazing how many feathers a single bird actually has. When ours molt it looks like a pillow exploded or something, feathers everywhere even though the bird doesn't look that bare.

What?

A Tracking Group? NO, let's just leave them be to do what eagles do. Their here without anyone's help and I would like to keep it that way.

Jesus is Lord and Christ