What's visiting your yard?

[Mahoney]

Hummingbirds are back. Cardinals, blue jays and finches drain our feeders daily. But this -- hands down -- is the coolest thing that'll ever visit our yard.

From yesterday:

 

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by Mahoney

[Ann]

I joined the Florida Snake Lady facebook group. To say I don't want anything visiting my yard, is an understatement.  I am stuck with a number of golfers who think nothing of coming into the yard and hitting those out of bounds golf balls, however. 








 

[Ann]

4 hours ago, Mahoney said:

Hummingbirds are back. Cardinals, blue jays and finches drain our feeders daily. But this -- hands down -- is the coolest thing that'll ever visit our yard.

From yesterday:

 

 

Absolutely beautiful.

[RochesterRob]

10 minutes ago, Ann said:

I joined the Florida Snake Lady facebook group. To say I don't want anything visiting my yard, is an understatement.  I am stuck with a number of golfers who think nothing of coming into the yard and hitting those out of bounds golf balls, however. 








 

   One nice thing about WNY is the big scary snakes are seldom seen and usually are harmless.  About 30 years ago I was working within a few hundred feet of a creek and a field snake around 7-7.5 went slithering past to head for the creek.  Gave me a quick look of "pardon me" while he went by.  Startling because I did not notice him until he was about 15 feet away as I am normally excellent as to seeing movement out of the corner of my eye.   Not a snake lover but do not feel the need to kill one if they pass close by.  No rattlesnakes nearby so that helps.  

[Ann]

13 minutes ago, RochesterRob said:

   One nice thing about WNY is the big scary snakes are seldom seen and usually are harmless.  About 30 years ago I was working within a few hundred feet of a creek and a field snake around 7-7.5 went slithering past to head for the creek.  Gave me a quick look of "pardon me" while he went by.  Startling because I did not notice him until he was about 15 feet away as I am normally excellent as to seeing movement out of the corner of my eye.   Not a snake lover but do not feel the need to kill one if they pass close by.  No rattlesnakes nearby so that helps.  

I have learned there are six poisonous snake species locally, including cottonmouth, eastern coral snake, copperhead and rattlesnakes (three different types).  We have a screened in lanai, but if someone leaves one of the doors open something can slither in.  Hubby wanted to know why I wasn't sitting outside lately. I said, "snakes." I think he is gonna ban me from that group. 😛 

[RochesterRob]

9 minutes ago, Ann said:

I have learned there are six poisonous snake species locally, including cottonmouth, eastern coral snake, copperhead and rattlesnakes (three different types).  We have a screened in lanai, but if someone leaves one of the doors open something can slither in.  Hubby wanted to know why I wasn't sitting outside lately. I said, "snakes." I think he is gonna ban me from that group. 😛 

  Triangle head, kill it dead.

[Ann]

20 minutes ago, RochesterRob said:

  Triangle head, kill it dead.

I learned in that group that is not accurate. 

Edited to add: I went to look at what they said about this:

Cottonmouths have a flat, broad head. Notice I didn't say triangular shaped? Many snakes including watersnakes intentionally give themselves triangle shaped heads when threatened. 

Harmless snakes perceiving a threat often posture defensively and by doing so their head can appear shaped like a diamond or triangle. This makes head shape very unreliable for identifying snakes.



 

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

We pretty much only get sparrows, jays, starlings, ravens, downy woodpeckers.  We've had the same breeding pair of cardinals for about eight years at the feeder.

 

Earlier this spring, though, we had a pileated woodpecker.  That thing was a big bird.

 

And a couple years ago, in two days we had turkey buzzards, and a northern harrier.  The harrier is one freaky-looking bird - owl head, eagle body.  Most space-alien-looking thing I've ever seen.  Best picture I could find illustrating that, and it still doesn't do it justice.

 

 

 

[Mahoney]

On 5/2/2023 at 9:04 AM, Ann said:

I joined the Florida Snake Lady facebook group. To say I don't want anything visiting my yard, is an understatement.  I am stuck with a number of golfers who think nothing of coming into the yard and hitting those out of bounds golf balls, however. 

When I lived in South Florida, we found water moccasins (cottonmouths) in our pool numerous times. How they got through the mesh is anyone's guess.

[Ann]

2 hours ago, Mahoney said:

When I lived in South Florida, we found water moccasins (cottonmouths) in our pool numerous times. How they got through the mesh is anyone's guess.

I am moving. 

[RochesterRob]

3 hours ago, Mahoney said:

When I lived in South Florida, we found water moccasins (cottonmouths) in our pool numerous times. How they got through the mesh is anyone's guess.

  Snakes and rodents can squeeze through very small openings.  Snakes normally show up because they know there are rodents nearby to eat.  

[KD in CA]

On 5/2/2023 at 7:04 AM, Ann said:

I joined the Florida Snake Lady facebook group. To say I don't want anything visiting my yard, is an understatement.  I am stuck with a number of golfers who think nothing of coming into the yard and hitting those out of bounds golf balls, however. 








 

 

Eh...that's practically the middle the fairway.  Let us know when he's chipping from the front yard back over your house.

[Ann]

13 minutes ago, KD in CA said:

 

Eh...that's practically the middle the fairway.  Let us know when he's chipping from the front yard back over your house.

You have no idea how many golf balls we have picked up in the front yard. It is absurd. 

[KD in CA]

58 minutes ago, Ann said:

You have no idea how many golf balls we have picked up in the front yard. It is absurd. 

Given my slice, I can imagine!  😄

I’ve hit my share of houses in FL and Myrtle Beach.

Edited May 4, 2023 by KD in CA

[Taro T]

3 hours ago, Ann said:

You have no idea how many golf balls we have picked up in the front yard. It is absurd. 

 

You come across as a very smart lady and your hubby must be smart because he landed you.

 

No offense, but what exactly did you expect moving into a house literally located on a golf course?  You do realize golfers as bad as yours truly and even worse will be playing that course, right?  No, no, those people will just take a drop, right?  Not a friggin' chance.  If you can find it, you play it.  You need to get a pet gator.  It won't just scare off the golfers but it'll scare off the snakes and chihuahuas too.  Win, win, win.

[Ann]

8 hours ago, Taro T said:

 

You come across as a very smart lady and your hubby must be smart because he landed you.

 

No offense, but what exactly did you expect moving into a house literally located on a golf course?  You do realize golfers as bad as yours truly and even worse will be playing that course, right?  No, no, those people will just take a drop, right?  Not a friggin' chance.  If you can find it, you play it.  You need to get a pet gator.  It won't just scare off the golfers but it'll scare off the snakes and chihuahuas too.  Win, win, win.

The front yard is crazy. That means it has to go not only wildly off course, it has to go over the house! 

As far as the backyard? I sit outside and watch for entertainment. In chat here I bather to @mead107 and @Augie goofer stories a couple of times a week  - like the guy who was out of bounds in our backyard, and then hit the ball... to the other end of our backyard, also out of bounds, and then tried again from there.  Or the guy that hit it from way out of bounds (near that palm tree) and the ball hit THREE trees before landing in bounds!! (That was amazing.)

It is more the bad manners than the bad shots. The damage to the house is what it is, and wasn't unexpected (it is brick and we now have hurricane windows so it is the soffits and garage doors where most of the damage occurs. We seldom park outside.)  Surprisingly, a few do stop and own up to it and ask if they can pay for damages. Most however, do not.  There are a lot of residents here that have signs on the back of their lawns that say private property, keep out. The goofers ignore the signs just as they ignore the white out of bounds markers. 

 

⛳

[KD in CA]

10 hours ago, Taro T said:

 

You come across as a very smart lady and your hubby must be smart because he landed you.

 

No offense, but what exactly did you expect moving into a house literally located on a golf course?  You do realize golfers as bad as yours truly and even worse will be playing that course, right?  No, no, those people will just take a drop, right?  Not a friggin' chance.  If you can find it, you play it.  You need to get a pet gator.  It won't just scare off the golfers but it'll scare off the snakes and chihuahuas too.  Win, win, win.

 

I'm not taking a damn penalty when I still have a chance to break 110!

[Augie]

14 hours ago, KD in CA said:

 

Eh...that's practically the middle the fairway.  Let us know when he's chipping from the front yard back over your house.

 

I’ve lived on three golf courses, and one guy stands out. I was leaving for work one morning and was shocked to find a man on his knees reaching with a club to get his ball out from under my car in front of the house. If my stare worked, he immediately returned the cart to the clubhouse and never golfed again. But we could not be that lucky. 

[Jabba The Hutt]

11 hours ago, Taro T said:

 

You come across as a very smart lady and your hubby must be smart because he landed you.

 

No offense, but what exactly did you expect moving into a house literally located on a golf course?  You do realize golfers as bad as yours truly and even worse will be playing that course, right?  No, no, those people will just take a drop, right?  Not a friggin' chance.  If you can find it, you play it.  You need to get a pet gator.  It won't just scare off the golfers but it'll scare off the snakes and chihuahuas too.  Win, win, win.

 

2 hours ago, Ann said:

The front yard is crazy. That means it has to go not only wildly off course, it has to go over the house! 

As far as the backyard? I sit outside and watch for entertainment. In chat here I bather to @mead107 and @Augie goofer stories a couple of times a week  - like the guy who was out of bounds in our backyard, and then hit the ball... to the other end of our backyard, also out of bounds, and then tried again from there.  Or the guy that hit it from way out of bounds (near that palm tree) and the ball hit THREE trees before landing in bounds!! (That was amazing.)

It is more the bad manners than the bad shots. The damage to the house is what it is, and wasn't unexpected (it is brick and we now have hurricane windows so it is the soffits and garage doors where most of the damage occurs. We seldom park outside.)  Surprisingly, a few do stop and own up to it and ask if they can pay for damages. Most however, do not.  There are a lot of residents here that have signs on the back of their lawns that say private property, keep out. The goofers ignore the signs just as they ignore the white out of bounds markers. 

 

⛳

 

1 hour ago, Augie said:

 

I’ve lived on three golf courses, and one guy stands out. I was leaving for work one morning and was shocked to find a man on his knees reaching with a club to get his ball out from under my car in front of the house. If my stare worked, he immediately returned the cart to the clubhouse and never golfed again. But we could not be that lucky. 

 

1 hour ago, KD in CA said:

 

I'm not taking a damn penalty when I still have a chance to break 110!

Sorry to interrupt your dinner, however I noticed my ball found its way into your living room and I need to play it as it lies

[Augie]

5 hours ago, Jabba The Hutt said:

 

 

 

Sorry to interrupt your dinner, however I noticed my ball found its way into your living room and I need to play it as it lies

 

I hit a ball on the par 3 14th of the Harbour Town course that went a couple clubs too far, bounced around in an oak tree in the back yard of a house and eventually went PLUNK into their pool. They were having a poolside dinner party at the time. We went to the 15th tee as fast as the cart would take me. I did not ask to borrow a skimmer to get my ball back. It sounds like @Ann’s goofers would have jumped in to get it, then asked for a towel. 

 

My personal best was hitting three house on the same shot with a rare hook. Patio houses on small lots. Roof, roof, side of the house barely missing a window. I made it look easy, but it’s not. 

 

.

Edited May 4, 2023 by Augie