Such are the Rites of Spring. Thanks to you both for that while I await the next batch of snow coming my way.

tj

that's really special. Thanks for sharing!

Kind of bittersweet for me. When i had a old dog...I had birds all over. Nesting in my big Yucca in flocks that sang like canarys.

Now I have a cat. So,not nearly as many birds..and I cant feed them or draw them in.

She's a good cat,and I havent seen her with a bird...but a few feathers and the fact she draws other cats to hang around.

lol- I might get a puppy..the best of both worlds.

Hi everyone.

Meyerk - The problem isn't with the cats, it's with the owners who put them out at night, especially female cats who attract all of the stray Toms in the area.

Cats are natural nocturnal hunters and this is when they kill the birds and other wildlife and do all the damage.

It's been suggested to hang a small bell from a cat's collar so that any unsuspecing birds can hear them approaching. I've never had to worry about it myself as I've only ever had dogs.

All the best, Nev.

Its a long story. But she was kitten on her own.....

The problem I have is with the Cuban Anole, a carnivore lizard. They have killed all the mockingbird hatchlings in my yard for the past 5 years. One year, the mom made a nest in a dracena which was not strong enough nor provided enough protection but perhaps it was to stay away from the green dragon, IDK. Anyway, I found babies on the ground. I used gloves and collected them, put them back in the next only to have to repeat. Then she wanted nothing to do with them but still stayed very close. I talked to her, but she would have none of that. I even fed them with an eye dropper and a gruel of fish food. Of course I knew this would not end well but I couldn't just watch.
Anyway, this year I cut down all the bushes along the fence so the green monster will have less to hid in and perhaps we might get a little farther along with the mockingbird population. We also have a ferral cat issue but far worse are the lizards.
The blue jays love to come into my hoya baskets. I think there must be some little bugs that they find tasty. That's a win/win.
We have a purple martin condo next door. Sometimes a hawk gets a baby or two. I found one of those in my yard too. I used my pool poll to get it up to the condo and back into the safety of the nest.
Thanks for your photos

I just saw a photo of a close looking Till on Agaveville.com growing wild in Mexico. He said they all grow UPSIDE down. You know, your's Gonzer do look like they could be natural growers that way.

I was surprised to learn last year- those bulbous green Tills grow upside down in habitat.

Stan, the semi-bulbous plants will grow horizontally or upside down to allow water to drain so's they don't rot. T. bulbosa grows at times in thick forest canopy where, hanging down, their bright red inflorescence attracts pollinators.

Hi everyone.

meyerk9 - The answer to your problem could lie with one of the deterrents shown in the following link: http://anpsa.org.au/APOL2007/may07-1.html

I have in the past successfully used a similar idea to the ones in the pictures showing plastic bin lids. We used thin metal sheeting which was wrapped around the tree to form an upside funnel to prevent possums from climbing the trees.

These can be placed during the bird nesting season and removed when breeding is finished. I can say from experience THEY DO WORK for keeping possums away from fruit and leaves on trees. Possums can jump and I don't know if this is the case with your Cuban Anole, so to find out just how effective they will work, I guess you'll just have to try them.

All the best, Nev.

Thank you very much for that link. I see the mockingbirds are getting frisky, so nesting should be soon. I have three trees they love to nest in, Black Ironwoods. I will see if MacGiver can rig up something for me.

Nice photo and story Gonz.