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maddmaxx

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3 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

This Pilated Woodpecker has been responsible for a few trees in the area going down.  That means that the tree was probably already in trouble cause he's hunting insects.  He's made some holes big enough to put your arm through.  We caught this picture just after dawn this morning.

May be an image of bird and nature

What are you feeding on the little benches?

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5 hours ago, Thaddeus Kosciuszko said:

I've seen woodpeckers attack utility poles to the point where there wasn't much wood left, just an outer shell at one spot and very little of that.  I'm not sure why a woodpecker would find creosote or wood-preservative flavored insects all that tasty, but the pole was so badly damaged it had to be replaced.

those are the avian equivalent of humans that eat black licorice.

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6 minutes ago, jsharr said:

those are the avian equivalent of humans that eat black licorice.

Shut your pie hole, Texan.

Anyone that dislikes black licorice is a dolt.  Anyone that tries to lampoon the character of someone who likes black licorice is a moran.

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2 hours ago, denniS said:

What are you feeding on the little benches?

This time of year, squirrels, racoon, birds.  We don't see the deer much right now.  Winter's over and they are off doing other things.  Some seem to like their food on the ground and others like it up on the table.  

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2 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

This time of year, squirrels, racoon, birds.  We don't see the deer much right now.  Winter's over and they are off doing other things.

I don't know what corn does to squirrels and raccoons, but it's bad for deer. Feeding deer is not usually a good idea, but if you do, you should feed them food their stomachs can process. 

 

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5 minutes ago, denniS said:

I don't know what corn does to squirrels and raccoons, but it's bad for deer. Feeding deer is not usually a good idea, but if you do, you should feed them food their stomachs can process. 

 

Many articles, presentations, and campfire conversations about deer nutrition state emphatically that corn is not good for deer. In a general sense, this is true because corn is low in protein (9%), has a poor mineral profile, and can cause digestive upset and metabolic problems. However, general statements that corn is bad for deer simplify a more complex relationship between deer and corn. When corn is part of a diverse diet, the nutritional deficiencies of corn can be overcome and corn's high energy content may be beneficial.

https://www.ckwri.tamuk.edu/sites/default/files/pdf-attachment/2016-05/january_2013.pdf

The corn is not the only thing they eat here.  The same deer do not show up every day and some days they only get apples.

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4 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

Many articles, presentations, and campfire conversations about deer nutrition state emphatically that corn is not good for deer. In a general sense, this is true because corn is low in protein (9%), has a poor mineral profile, and can cause digestive upset and metabolic problems. However, general statements that corn is bad for deer simplify a more complex relationship between deer and corn. When corn is part of a diverse diet, the nutritional deficiencies of corn can be overcome and corn's high energy content may be beneficial.

https://www.ckwri.tamuk.edu/sites/default/files/pdf-attachment/2016-05/january_2013.pdf

The corn is not the only thing they eat here.  The same deer do not show up every day and some days they only get apples.

And ask any farmer - deer are more worser on the corn that the corn is on the deer.

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3 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

Many articles, presentations, and campfire conversations about deer nutrition state emphatically that corn is not good for deer. In a general sense, this is true because corn is low in protein (9%), has a poor mineral profile, and can cause digestive upset and metabolic problems. However, general statements that corn is bad for deer simplify a more complex relationship between deer and corn. When corn is part of a diverse diet, the nutritional deficiencies of corn can be overcome and corn's high energy content may be beneficial.

https://www.ckwri.tamuk.edu/sites/default/files/pdf-attachment/2016-05/january_2013.pdf

The corn is not the only thing they eat here.  The same deer do not show up every day and some days they only get apples.

Because of CWD, most places have outlawed feeding deer. But given the choice of corn or something beneficial, corn is the worse choice. Unless you are raising the deer and know exactly what they are eating 100% of the time, you not helping them. They can eat corn from a field, they don't need people to feed it to them. 

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5 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

There is a considerable lack of sick and dying deer around here.  I think womaxx will continue with the feeding.

This is useful. 

https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Learn-About-Wildlife/Deer-in-Connecticut

What are the negative impacts of winter feeding?
Deer are ruminants, meaning they have a four part stomach with microbes (bacteria) that help digest woody vegetation. Deer acquire specifically adapted microbes over a period of time that digest specific food material. For example, during spring as the green-up of vegetation slowly occurs, deer will slowly begin to use the new food source as the season progresses. When deer eat food that has not been part of their diet, such as large quantities suddenly placed out during severe winters, the specific microbes are not present to help with digestion. Deer will eat any readily available handouts during winter, thus they may fill their stomach with indigestible material. It has been documented over several years that deer have died with stomachs full of food (hay and corn) that was placed out during harsh winters as an emergency food source when limited natural foods were available. Food sources rich in carbohydrates have been known to cause acidosis (grain overload) and enterotoxemia (overeating disease), which can be fatal. In addition, feeding deer during winter can artificially congregate deer into small areas, damaging natural vegetation and habituating deer to humans, thus increasing their use of urban areas and the destruction of ornamental landscape plantings. Although bovine tuberculosis (TB) or chronic wasting disease (CWD) have not been documented in Connecticut’s deer population, winter feeding may artificially congregate deer, increasing the potential for transmission of diseases.

Why shouldn’t I feed deer during winter?
Severe winters cause people to be concerned about the welfare of white-tailed deer and their ability to survive winter. Whether an individual deer can survive winter depends on its physical condition going into winter, the severity of winter, amount and quality of winter food sources, and the animal’s energy expenditures. White-tailed deer have biological adaptations that help them survive through winter. Although winter-related starvation can occur during particularly harsh winters, trying to save deer by supplementally feeding them is not the solution. DEEP discourages providing supplemental food for deer during winter. Feeding deer often makes them more vulnerable to starvation, predation, disease, and vehicle collisions.

 

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We were getting every sized Woody Pecker stopping at our feeders but we stopped feeding the birds for a while after the Starlings and Grackles took over our backyard. There are just too many of them and they chased all the other birds away. Then, after the Robins finish battling over the Service Berries and fighting with their reflections in our car windows for nesting sites next month, we'll try putting food out in the feeders again. :dontknow: 

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