Unofficial Tex Murphy

I have a small water pond directly ouside my back door with a few small koi fish (which gave birth to about a dozen more, dammit. I digress...), and several small flowering plants to make it fresh and springlike. I have several species of birds that I feed and watch make nests near our windows. I've several repeat nesters. I recently HAD a water frog. I say this because I put small floating fogging lights on the pond which promptly baked hs little amphibian ass overnight this past spring, much to my distress. There is no floating fog light anymore. I am hoping for another frog.

This is my personal peaceful space that I endeavor to keep calm and relaxing to all who visit. So it was disturbing to see one of my birdhouses in shambles, some flowering water plants shredded, my grapevines broken, and things in general nearly destroyed. I do not know what it is doing this. In the past month, I've seen a raccoon (she had two babies last year) in one of the trees, a opossum attempting to nest in my backyard tree cavity (ran off, though I don't mind it's visits to take apple cores from the squirrels feeder), and most recently an adult red fox mistakenly ran into my backyard in the midday. It was trying to get to a local park where I suspect it's den is located. I've also literally have had a hunting hawk roll into me while catching a mouse in my front yard. That was a stunning moment for me. However, I don't think these critters did this though. The little oasis is well hidden and I'm in the middle of the city, so it isn't exactly a stop off for most wild animals.

I do KNOW there have been a rash of stray cats being fed by a local neighbor, which of course brings in more of the buggers! and they breed.. well, llike damned feral cats. I have it on rumor that the guy living a street over is shooting them off his truck one at a time (he hates them). So the population is slowly dwindling. I myself use a small BB gun on them to startle them (and maybe get one on the butt!) so they'll stay away. I'm considering a live trap approach. Local animal control can take them.

Could it be a different critter I haven't thought of, or do you think it's those damned cats? Honestly, I don't hate cats, and indoor cat is great for people as a pet or in the country locale a good way to keep vermin populations down too. But a feral cat infestation in a city neighborhood is about as bad as cockroaches. Only they're bigger and can give you a slew of nasty diseases. Any thoughts?

Could be a geiger if someone has let it out of its terrarium

Demonlawyer wrote:Could be a geiger if someone has let it out of its terrarium

Sounds like it's time for a surveillance cam on that oasis - not permanent necessarily; just long enough to figure out what's going on.

Geiger!!!! LMAO!!!!

Chandler, it's a thought to do that, but not really likely to happen. With Murphy's law intact as I speak,it'll be a while before I can do something like that. Most likely with a little luck too, the culprit will move on to bigger and better tasting birds and fish than what's near me.

Demonlawyer, the geiger might be eating any new pond frogs too. I still don't have one as far as I can tell.