Same here, Cynthia, along with possums, dillos and racoons....oh, and a 4 1/2 foot water mocassin in the pool.

I have bird feeders out and am seeing many more birds than usual. Yesterday I got an ID on a Blue Grosbeak that I took a photo of. And Painted Buntings are visiting the feeders! We've never seen those at the feeders here before. I put lots of water containers and some deer feed outside the fence and I'm having trouble keeping up with restocking that...twice a day I have to go out there. It breaks my heart to think how desperate the wildlife must be. Lots of visitors, from what I can tell. Critters are regularly stripping my fig tree of figs inside the yard. Some of the insects are slowly disappearng around here. I garden for the butterflies and have seen very few recently.

we usually have a lot of doves and sparrows in our area, along with the occasional bluejay and cardinal. i plant a few of those giant sunflowers each year and the cardinals like to eat them.

this year i went to the local feed store and bought a 50lb bag of hen scratch and mixed it with a 50lb bag of black oil sunflower seed from tractor supply co. i feed them on my back porch where i can watch them from the living room. and put out a tray of water. our shih tzu growls at them. lol

How funny you wrote this, because I was thinking the same things myself last night...caterpillars on the fennel, lizards all over the place, a toad in the ground level water dish, and lots of squirrels and birds eating the seed and visiting the water I put out for them. I know they're suffering and it's very gratifying to me to help them. I'm wondering where the swallowtail came from that laid the eggs. I haven't seen a buttefly since May.

We have a lot of critters too. I'm glad I have enough water for them.

I have eight birdbaths and they are ALL in use a lot of the time.............water is so important but also, don't forget the suet for our little non seed feeders.

linda_tx8, do you live in the city or country?
I would love to attract painted buntings to our yard, but we probably don't have enough shrubs/thicket area.
We just have a regular city lot with houses all around.
We used to live on Hilton Head Island S.C. and had them feeding at the patio feeder all the time.

This is the first year I have seen multiple male painted buntings at the feeders. The females visit frequently. I have two fledgling males (look as if they make be a week or so apart in age) and the mature male. That is very encouraging to me as they must have nested here.

I don't want to talk about the nasty coons that are moving in on us. They snarl and go after us. These guys are really irritable ...more than normal.

Absolutely agree with all of you seeing more critters than usual. The blue jays actually peck on my gutters in the morning if I don't get the bird seed and peanuts out early enough! I've also had baby rabbits in my shrubs this year and an abundance of squirrels at my bird feeders. Some of my succulents are disappearing, too. I'm pretty sure the birds are partaking in them to obtain additional water/moisture in their diet. The other day I saw at leat 100 grackles bathing in a shopping center's sprinkler system. With no sign of rain in the coming week, I'm afraid we'll be seeing more animals in our backyards. Great time to see unusual birds, but unfortunate they are struggling. Bless you all for your efforts!

Here is a link that might be useful: Nature is Nurture

I have even seen a robin in my yard.............NEVER have I seen one here in July before.

ruthz, I DO live in the country, but the buntings don't usually come here. I read that they prefer moister areas with enough plant cover...like along rivers, creeks and such. Maybe some came over from a pond or creek area that dried up due to drought. We only have dry creeks here that hardly ever flow! The buntings will have access to plenty of water containers and the birdseed feeders as long as they stay here.

Well, the chickens have had a lot of wild bird guests. Their house is chain link, so small birds can come and go. The most striking effect of the drought has been that the voles have apparently retired under ground for the duration. (Except for the two fat ones who live with the chickens.) Most of the year, when I mow the front two acres, voles are constantly running ahead. Now, not one. Nothing to eat on the surface. The pond that's deep in the old gravel pit and that is part of the water table, has been dry for two months. So mammals have moved on, presumably to the nearest cattle tanks.