Chronicles of Covid: wild animals
There have been more reports of animals in the city, as mentioned in some media. On my block, for the first time since I’ve lived in Villeray (2005), skunks have been noticed under a neighbour’s back porch. He’s posted Facebook video of the little ones, admittedly kind of cute, but he’s had to call an animal control company and is now taking contributions toward having them rounded up and taken away.
We haven’t had any wild turkey sightings, though, and no unusual creatures have been seen in Jarry Park pond.
Alison Cummins 09:17 on 2020-06-08 Permalink
Gratuitous cute baby skunk video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwmq5etuFYQ
Alex L 12:02 on 2020-06-08 Permalink
Over our neighbourhood in the Sud-Ouest, we’ve been seeing (and hearing) swallows since a few weeks now. And about a month ago, our neighbour saw a wild turkey “jump” his fence and run down the alleyway.
walkerp 12:53 on 2020-06-08 Permalink
I don’t know if this is related to the quarantine, but we had an awesome marmot hanging around in our backyard and the neighbours’. I have seen one in our alley in 8 years so pretty rare. Maybe he was just wandering through.
MarcG 13:03 on 2020-06-08 Permalink
There are a lot more geese with their goslings hanging around the St-Lawrence riverside in Verdun this year, despite that fact that it’s now overrun with humans.
Michael Black 13:15 on 2020-06-08 Permalink
Apparently the ground hog has returned to the neighbourhood. I haven’t seen it in years, but there were reports. Years ago the dog and I saw it in the backyard, and the groundhog ran to underneath the neighbors stairs. Later we saw it on a neighbor’s path, lying still, the dog just watching it carefully.
But who knows if it’s the same guy.
Bert 16:30 on 2020-06-08 Permalink
A friend of mine spotted a turkey in Ahunstic over the weekend and I had one on my lot in Laval about a month ago.
EmilyG 21:01 on 2020-06-08 Permalink
The chimney swifts are back, flying overhead in all parts of Montreal, with their twittering. I’ve always liked chimney swifts.
I also saw someone walking a pet pig, but that doesn’t count as wildlife.
JP 22:40 on 2020-06-08 Permalink
My mom and I spotted a turkey for the first time here in New Bordeaux a couple of weeks ago. We’ve been seeing skunks and ground hogs for years now. As for birds, there are lots of sparrows, robins, cardinals, seagulls, geese, crows, and an elusive blue bird that I think might be a blue jay! It is quite exciting to see new animals and birds in the neighborhood.
We actually had a cardinal build a nest in a shrub next to our front door. A chick even hatched but after two consecutive days of being watched/approached by a cat, the parents abandoned the nest and the chick died. I know the survival rates of nestlings is low, but we were very sad and disappointed. I often wonder if there was something we could’ve done.
Chris 09:49 on 2020-06-09 Permalink
>he’s had to call an animal control company
“Had to”? Why?
Ian 11:12 on 2020-06-09 Permalink
Lots of geese in Maurice Richard park in Ahuntsic! By my count there’s 5 adults and their extensive communal childcare system. A regular flotilla of goslings. Down here in Mile End there’s a family of nighthawks that seems to have tripled in size this year, you can hear them out hunting all day and night now that the ambient sound isn’t all trucks and airplanes.
Ian 11:18 on 2020-06-09 Permalink
//edit
I take it back, I’m seeing the chimney swifts too, like EmilyG. I realized as soon as I watched the video. I used to live a bit closer to where they nest and at night I could hear them doing that fast dive that makes their feathers shriek, apparently it’s a mating display… I thought it was only nighthawks that did that.
Plus nighthawks have visible white patches on their wings and don’t sound like swifts haha
Kate 12:47 on 2020-06-09 Permalink
Chris, kids play in the alley, cats mooch around, people walk their dogs, nobody wants to get skunked or have their animals get skunked. I have to explain this?
My neighbour took care to find an animal control company that guaranteed it would remove the skunk family elsewhere.
Tee Owe 15:12 on 2020-06-09 Permalink
Nobody ever have to de-skunk their dog? – hint, tomato juice
Tee Owe 15:36 on 2020-06-09 Permalink
JP – about your cardinals – we tried to rescue a crow that was abandoned by its parents – charming little one and lots of good times – but in the end he/she wasn’t up to it, didn’t learn to fly, fell prey to local cats whatever – bottom line, bird parents abandon lost causes, Mom and Dad know best. Nothing you could do, don’t feel bad.
dwgs 15:52 on 2020-06-09 Permalink
Tomato juice to get rid of skunk smell is an old wives tale. Make a solution of one litre of hydrogen peroxide, one quarter cup of baking soda, and a tablespoon or two of dish soap. Or double that depending on the size of the dog. Wash, rinse, repeat.