sad event

[Treeman14]

It must be especially tough for you, killing one of your own.

Sorry, I know how you feel. I've maimed more than my share of wildlife with a saw. I try to remember to check for nests, but sometimes you don't notice them on palms, 'specially if they're on the far side. Usually they hunker down and stay quiet until you cut into the nest.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Originally posted by RockyJSquirrel
2 other babies were still in the nest unhurt, I left them and tried to pull some fluff over them. [/B]

Why did you leave them like that? Were they old enough to survive on their own? If so, they should have been placed on the trunk of the nearest tree, and shooed-off. Then, all they have to worry about are the hawks, owls, and the local, badass, territorial male squirrels that reside, and defend. That sucks, but it is much better then leaving them to be eaten alive by cats, or carnivorous insects.

If they won't scamper away, or their eyes are still closed, I see if anyone wants to keep them, or whatever. More times than not, the babies usually die from caretaker neglect, but I at least tried to aid them.

If nobody wants them, then I take the responsibility of euthanizing them on the spot . Instantaneous. Minimum suffering. It sucks! I phucken hate it. It makes me feel bad for the rest of the day. But I never would leave them to suffer, and die.

Contrary to popular folklore, the mother squirrel does not come back to retrieve the babies. They immediately go into a flight response, to reproduce another day. Pure instinct.

I was the one that did the home invasion. It falls upon me to rectify the consequences.



But, thats just me......

 

[MasterBlaster]

Originally posted by RockyJSquirrel

My experiences tell me that mom will get her two living babies and take them to a new nest tonight. [/B]

Thats what I would be hoping for, to make me feel better. In reality, the logistics of a mother building a new nest overnight while her young 'uns sat and watched are unrealistic, at best.

Chances are, they soon join the food chain.

You don't see too many of these.....

 

[Guy Meilleur]

I went through a w3hole nest in a hollow once, pieces and oarts of the whole family flying around in a spray of red. that was 20+ yrs ago and I still see it in my mind.
And I don't even like squirrels! (not the rodents anyway)

The babies from other squirrel homes I'vewrecked that I've relocated since then, some get claimed by mom and dad, some not; I'd guess 50-50.

?Brian I hope someday you can feel as much empathy for an underinformed tree owner as you can for an overpopulating, tree-damaging rodent.

 

[NeTree]

Working for a friend Thursday, cut down a pine with 3 babys in it. They landed amazingly unharmed though. I picked em up and brought them to the base of another tree. Within 30 minutes, mom had grabbed them anbd had them in another tree. Made us feel good.

I've killed critters in trees before, and it's weird how I can hunt and fish and it doesn't bother me, but things like that do.

 

[treeslayer]

Found a nest with a couple of baby flying squirrels once, grey squirrels often, usually after tree was down. tough nests saved em every time. Always gave them to a wildlife rescue center, (flying squirrels are worth money, though.)

 

[Ax-man]

Not trying to change the thread here , I've sawed through my share of squirrel nests.

Any one ever come across bats in a tree. They are the creepiest of all creatures. I didn't see it when cutting the limb off, it rode the limb to the ground and stunned it We didn't see it till we cut the limb up for chipping.

The eyes, fangs, and what got me the most was the skin on the arms is so thin it's almost transparent, made my skin crawl picking it up with a shovel . What really got me was this one had young ones under the wings.

I'll never forget that day!

 

[treeslayer]

Thanks, I scanned into Kodak, could not import into microsoft photo editor to convert to jpg. (surprised it even uploaded).
Did not realize it was that big,(I have a screaming cable modem.)

 

[Tree Machine]

Critters

These critters got lucky. Long hollow, I didn't peek in on my way up. Took out the top of the tree and was hunking my way through the big wood. Glanced in and saw them. Had my client attach the camera to the rope to get this shot. Finished the job six weeks later. -TM-

ps Sorry about the casualty, Rocky J.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

Originally posted by Ax-man
Any one ever come across bats in a tree. They are the creepiest of all creatures. I'll never forget that day!

Bats love palms, able to hide at top under dead hanging down fronds, kinda like squirrels, rats, lizards, snakes, roaches etc.

Holes, deep crotches in trees, that you are climbing up towards with face and hands leading, is another reason to carry a handsaw IMLHO (for inspection/tease stick). Plus fairly good for figuring out if a cavity is deep or just starting.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I've ran across squirrels, snakes, bats, possums, raccoons, owls, and even hawks.
It's a freaking zoo out there!

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by Ax-man--Any one ever come across bats in a tree. They are the creepiest of all creatures.
**They are the waycoolest once you get to know them. I have 3 occupied bathouses around the pond and those suckers eat the skeeters like you wouldn't believe.
They come out at sunset and do thiswild dance, zigzagging as they echolocate their prey. An awesome spectacle.

Diversification: Add wildlife habitat to trees as you climb in them. Many customers will buy the stuff and pay for its installation and maintenance.

Putting in squirrelhouses may slow their destructive habit of chewing off twigs.

Putting on birdhousese will make up for the fact that w3e the evil arborists rob them of housebuilding materials and locations when we clean crowns.

Putting in bathouses keeps a very beneficial animal close to us. 200 skeeters a night they can eat!

 

[TREETX]

Skwerl huggers

 

[jamie]

my expreience

this was on my first climb at work to show my boss i can climb as ive been proving myself on the ground first.

after climbing a lime and hacking my way through loadsa epicormic, to attach a line onto it, to help fell it (it was on a huge building site), then dismantling it, then while trying to remove the epicormic slowly (trying to ensure that there was no s**t in there) i noticed something grey, thought, hmmm best remove that brick / stoney thing found out that it was two juvenile pigeons, whoops, poor things musta been s*****g it, after me trampling over the top of it, the tree coming down and almost being cut up, they were old enough to fly so off they went.

ive had to euthanise a fair few chicks as the nest and the top of the tree drops out of the sky....

jamie

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

http://www.comics.com/comics/getfuzzy/archive/images/getfuzzy2003083130681.jpg[/IMG]

You can pull most syndicated comix right off the web.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I knew you would whine about it?

Just letting you know you did not need to scan a clipping from the paper, too

 

[Steve Bunyan]

killing wildlife

Clearing shrubs out of a deep window well I did't see the newborn kitten until I heard it squealing under my boot. It was a stray cat on the local army base so I didn't have the added guilt of stepping on someones pet. I couldn't euthanize it and face my four cats at home so I drove him to the vet where he died 3 days later. Cost me $65 and a lot of helpless guilt.

I'd rather drop a 100 crows nests than kill another cat.

 

[Froggy]

Squirrel

Well it's sad when you get any kind of wildlife in your path of destruction. It seems to stick with you. As for hunting you look at the animal as an opponent not an innocent by standard. So it dosen't tend to bother you. It's human nature to feel guilt when injuring or killing the inocent.
BB:angel:

 

[jblimbwalker]

cut a gash in a baby squirrel's head with a hyd. circular saw years ago. Figured he was good as dead, but a groundman took him home and nursed him back to health. Named him Lucky and as far as I know he still has that squirrel.

 

[monkeypuzzle]

Glad to know you guys have a soft spot for the critters. I have a hard time killing anything really, but do hunt the ducks and catch the fish with no problem.

The cruelest thing I have ever seen was this tuff-guy throwing kittens at road signs. Wow, but true, and what is strange I could shoot tuffguys knee out and be fine enuff to sleep like a baby.No problem.