Trappin's

We are still live-catching the occasional pack rat, but the marking experiment with the nail polish was only partly successful: pack rats don't sit still for the procedure. Nonetheless, we have yet to find a repeat offender.

Unfortunately, we are catching other critters in the live trap, mostly in the potting bench. Granted, it is a wonderful potting bench; the potting bench to end all potting benches and a standard by which any potting bench should be measured. It houses all the garden tools, pots, anything one needs to keep a garden and landscape in tiptop shape. It is, however, not the most secure of places: the pack rats love all those nooks and crannies, and I have found a bird in there from time to time.

Yesterday there were pots toppled over again, and some clothes pins had been strategically placed on the floor as a nest foundation, so Dan set the trap around lunchtime. When he came out a few hours later, Emma was keen to investigate some rustling in the potting bench and lo and behold, a Canyon Towhee had found its way into the trap! Dan said that when he released it, it flew off with an offended "tweet". Then again, maybe it was "thanks".

So, to prevent a repeat performance, we left the potting bench door just ajar. Even if a bird got in through a crack in the roof, it would be able to get out. This morning I checked the trap, and it was sprung, but when I lifted it to the bench it was awfully heavy. A rabbit had gotten trapped, and it was none too happy about being in such a confined space!

Of course we let her go immediately, after taking a picture, and she sped away behind the shop/shed and hid in one of the left-over downspouts. The dogs were inside when she was released but it took them no time at all to find her, safely in the middle of the tube. I wonder if she is the same bunny that the coyotes tried to get out a few weeks ago. See here: wild night

The dogs were called off and I gave the bunny lots of time to find its proper burrow.