Well, I do really like Red Foxes. I'm glad to know they like to eat chipmunks. I can't help but think Red Squirrels are cute. I blame Beatrix Potter.
I think some Disney films I was shown in early childhood damaged my ability to accept the food chain. I just want all the animals to be herbivores who are friends! I guess I just have completely illogical biases for some creatures, but nature does not support favoritism based on cuteness. Thank you for the gently phrased reality check, Chris. Melanie On 9/10/2015 10:14 AM, Chris R. Pelkie wrote: > Chipmunks make excellent fox food. > I enjoy the Red Foxes that have taken up nesting, breeding, cavorting, > and howling at my place in the last few years. > For better or worse, we have a nice selection of chipmunks, red > squirrels, and gray squirrels, along with voles, deer mice, etc. to > keep them well-fed (in addition to the compost we toss out there). > The circle goes on. > ChrisP > ______________________ > > Chris Pelkie > Information/Data Manager; IT Support > Bioacoustics Research Program > Cornell Lab of Ornithology > 159 Sapsucker Woods Road > Ithaca, NY 14850 > > On Sep 9, 2015, at 20:05, Kathleen P Kramer <k...@cornell.edu > <mailto:k...@cornell.edu>> wrote: > >> Several years ago, I posted to Cayugabirds-L about seeing a chipmunk >> kill an adult female cardinal. The chipmunk and the cardinal were >> feeding, apparently companionably, on the ground beneath my dad’s >> bird feeder. Suddenly, the chipmunk lunged at the cardinal and >> grasped her in his/her mouth by the head. The cardinal flopped wildly >> from side to side, trying to escape. We ran outside, not able to >> repress that desire to save the bird, even knowing that as Rob says, >> “Nature is messy.” >> >> The chipmunk ran off, scolding loudly, but we were too late to help >> the cardinal. Her neck was broken. We had to go away from the house >> on an errand, so we placed the dead cardinal on a nearby stump. When >> we came back a short time later, the cardinal was gone. We know she >> didn’t leave under her own power, so the answer probably is that the >> chipmunk came back and dragged her away. Or perhaps a cat that wasn’t >> kept inside took her. Pretty dramatic example of how predatory these >> little bundles of muscle really are. >> >> Kathy Kramer >> >>> On Sep 9, 2015, at 6:53 PM, Rob Blye <rwb...@comcast.net >>> <mailto:rwb...@comcast.net>> wrote: >>> >>> Chipmunks and squirrels do what they do without conscience or shame >>> as do all predators. Nature is messy. Good work for keeping your >>> cats inside. >>> >>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >>> *From: *"Melanie Uhlir" <mela...@mwmu.com <mailto:mela...@mwmu.com>> >>> *To: *"Robyn Bailey" <rb...@cornell.edu <mailto:rb...@cornell.edu>>, >>> "Susan Fast" <sustf...@yahoo.com <mailto:sustf...@yahoo.com>>, >>> "CAYUGABIRDS-L" <cayugabird...@list.cornell.edu >>> <mailto:cayugabird...@list.cornell.edu>> >>> *Sent: *Wednesday, September 9, 2015 4:17:23 PM >>> *Subject: *Re: [cayugabirds-l] a mystery---goldfinchs >>> >>> I guess I hate chipmunks now. Why didn't the vicious vermin eat the >>> murder victims?? >>> >>> My cats are indoor-only. If I could train them to eat only chipmunks >>> and House Sparrows I would let them out. >>> >>> Melanie >>> >>> On 9/9/2015 4:11 PM, Robyn Bailey wrote: >>> >>> Re: Part 2…I have heard that this is a chipmunk M.O. >>> Fortunately, have never had to witness it in person. >>> >>> >>> Robyn Bailey >>> >>> >>> *From:*bounce-119633859-15067...@list.cornell.edu >>> [mailto:bounce-119633859-15067...@list.cornell.edu] *On Behalf >>> Of *Susan Fast >>> *Sent:* Wednesday, September 09, 2015 3:20 PM >>> *To:* CAYUGABIRDS-L >>> *Subject:* [cayugabirds-l] a mystery---goldfinchs >>> >>> >>> I've been watching some inexplicable behavior (to me) by 1 or 2 >>> goldfinches nesting in my yard. There are 2 parts. >>> >>> >>> Part 1: 2 weeks ago I noticed a female goldfinch perching in >>> bushes along the front of the house, then flying toward the >>> upper lefthand corner of a large double-hung window, hovering >>> for a second, then flying against the glass. This was late >>> afternoon and she repeated the behavior a dozen times. I would >>> scare her away, but she returned after several minutes. Night >>> fell and she desisted. At 0700 next morning she was at it again. >>> >>> I tightly closed the inside curtains. No effect. I then hung a >>> painter's dropcloth over the whole window on the outside. This >>> stopped her briefly, but she then moved to the upper lefthand >>> corner of an adjacent window (same size and shape, but 4' away) >>> and continued. I put a dropcloth over that window also. I have >>> 2 other identical windows in the second story over these, but >>> she did not go up there, thankfully. I didn't see her the rest >>> of the day. Next morning I took the cloths down and she did not >>> reappear. >>> >>> >>> Part 2: The last several days, I have seen a goldfinch flying >>> repeatedly into the top (40' up) of a large sugar maple in our >>> side yard. Nest, I figured. About an hour ago, my daughter >>> found a headless baby bird, still warm, on the ground under the >>> tree. The neck was still present, although skinless, the head >>> gone except for the very bottom edge of it, apparently cleanly >>> removed. She called me out to look, and as we did so, another >>> baby dropped onto the roof of her car. Blood was still flowing >>> from the point where the neck attaches to the body, but both >>> head and neck were gone. No other damage visible. >>> >>> Both babies have rudimentary wing feathers and patches of fuzz >>> here and there. At this time also, an adult goldfinch could be >>> heard vocalizing from above in the tree. Shortly thereafter, a >>> female adult was seen moving about among the goldenrod and other >>> weed heads below the tree and picking out seeds. She was also >>> vocalizing (prob. same bird) initially, but stopped after a >>> couple minutes. >>> >>> >>> Ideas welcome. >>> >>> >>> Steve Fast >>> >>> Brooktondale >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* >>> >>> Welcome and Basics >>> <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> >>> >>> Rules and Information >>> <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> >>> >>> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave >>> >>> <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> >>> >>> -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
