Paddy Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 Dear All, I was moving my gas bottles around yesterday and apart from the large number of toads I have running around my forge, I saw this ugly looking lady offering security to my oxygen bottle. What interesting wildlife is crawling, running or flying around your forge?. Cheers, Paddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poleframer Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 Yup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 I had some plans left on my welding/layut table one evening . Upon returning in the morning there were multiple racoon tracks on the plans.......no work done though . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 mice and so bullsnakes, black widows---quite a few, probably a tarantula or two wandering through, I've chased a couple of humming birds out when they come in the shop and get confused by the fiberglass panels in the roof---sorry no exit that way! I check my gloves and hearing protectors before putting them on---I want to make a screened in container for them so they can dry out after use but not get buggy...I am also careful *NOT* to reach where I cannot see---black widows and the possibility of rattlesnakes. I took a 12 button rattle off a road kill rattlesnake within sight of my house a week ago. Living in the desert! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavala Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 I have geckos running around wich is not normal for Nashville. The first I took home for my step son thinking it was an escaped pet but since then I've seen several all different sizes. They scatter when I turn off the lights. I also keep a 4.5' tegu, its like a south American monitor lizard. He out grew our apt. So my wife asked (made me) move him to the shop. Clients get a kick out of him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edge9001 Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 the only critter I've seen inmy shop are my two dogs. they have found a way into my shop, and I have yet to figure out how. of course with as many small holes as my shop has it doesn't supise me much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hildenmw Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 Spiders brown recluse and black widows. Mice and milk snakes. Mice like to build nests with the door insulation of my gas fprge. I'm half decent throwing a chisel. Surprised myself and a couple of mice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chyancarrek Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 Cats . . . lots and lots of cats . . . A Polydactyl momma and 5 mutant babies showed up about 5 weeks ago . . . My GF is a cat whisperer so I was doomed from the start. My shop is now a feline halfway house - the only satisfaction I get is watching them scatter when I fire up the power hammer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan P. Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 I have some very small, very strange and rather ugly red worms living in my front bosh (quench tank). With the amount of toxic nastiness that's in there I'm surprised they can survive, but they seem pretty happy boogying around down there, so I just let them be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spears Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 This thing was trying to get into the shop so I got a rake and tossed him in the woods. A bit bigger than the average of his kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 I get bull frogs (really loud!), butterflies, large common orb spiders (bodies about a nickle), and an occasional worm snake or garter snake. If one of the neighbors ducks or chickens get in, they will be dinner, but they do not follow trails of old french fries. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edge9001 Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 Spiders brown recluse and black widows. Mice and milk snakes. Mice like to build nests with the door insulation of my gas fprge. I'm half decent throwing a chisel. Surprised myself and a couple of mice. now that you mention mice and their nests, I've had a mouse build a nest, get this, inside the tuyere of my solid fuel forge. I went to crank up the heat the other day and I noticed my fan wouldn't turn. i reached in an turned it by mand a time or two and it started right up. then I saw there was still not very much air flow. I took the fan off and saw the pipe was full of little mouse nesting fluff. I've made sure I fire up that thing once a week now that I now it;s prime realestate for critters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Falzone Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 Dear All, I was moving my gas bottles around yesterday and apart from the large number of toads I have running around my forge, I saw this ugly looking lady offering security to my oxygen bottle. What interesting wildlife is crawling, running or flying around your forge?. Cheers, PaddyWHAT THE XXXX IS THAT !!! ... and where do you live ?!?! The only critter I've had to deal with in my shed/shop was a opposum who decided to get comfy under my work bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Falzone Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 Yup Now that's what I call delivery !!! I love quail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Falzone Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 Cats . . . lots and lots of cats . . . A Polydactyl momma and 5 mutant babies showed up about 5 weeks ago . . . My GF is a cat whisperer so I was doomed from the start. My shop is now a feline halfway house - the only satisfaction I get is watching them scatter when I fire up the power hammer I have lots of friends who have barn cats - I'm seriously thinking of keeping a shop cat, specifically to keep the critters at bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 We had a mouse nest inside the electric motor on our Blacker, according to the newspapers it had used for its nest it had been there for a number of years, and we were working it throughout that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 I don't consider a shop cat as "wildlife" they are more like wildlife prevention and/or search and destroy units. My cat likes to lay on the concrete floor in the way; or if I'm in the extension, up on a table so he can keep an eye on what I'm doing. But he's not a full time shop cat. I've been thinking of building a shop door for him; just got to do it so the local skunks can make use of it. I was thinking of having it high and making a set of "jump steps" to get to it. Oh I also have sparrows in nesting in the eves and had a dozen barn swallows on the roof a couple of mornings ago---they nest on our house porches. We also have a local roadrunner but I chase him away as I like the lizards and snakes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chyancarrek Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 I'm seriously thinking of keeping a shop cat . . . . What's your address Sam and how many do you want? I'll pay the shipping! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 Spears, That sure is a nice Rat snake you got there, it'll keep the mice out of your shop and house, it's a keeper. The only real problem I had in the shop was Black Widows and scorpions, that's bad enough! Where I am now we get lots of stuff around the equipment and steel, rattlers, spiders, scorpions, javelina, bobcats, coyotes, owls, gila monsters, if it's wild it's around the stuff. :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 "rattlers, spiders, scorpions, javelina, bobcats, coyotes, owls, gila monsters" and you just *know* they were all shaking their heads and saying "there goes the neighborhood" when a blacksmith moved in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 The smaller critters, like the pack rat was saying, O Boy! more places to pack in dog crap, cactus thorns and other stuff. I get so tired of cleaning up after them things. I trap and drown around 20 to 30 a year and it doesn't seem to slow them down a bit. In the summer the carcase gets thrown on the side of the road for the Turkey Vultures to eat and in the winter I put it on top of the neighbors wall for the bobcat to eat. Pack Rats make such a mess with their crap, chew up everything, hauling in all the dog crap out of the yard, chewing up cholla cactus, it's an awful mess all the time. I never kill a snake because they eat pack rats, not even a rattler. Rattlers I just relocate with my snake tongs, but I sure don't like pack rats. :angry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Posted September 9, 2010 Author Share Posted September 9, 2010 I saw that spider again today, it's now living in the plastic sheet that I put over my gas bottles to keep a few drips off. It was moving around looking menacing. I really don't want to find out what it is. it isn't a brown recluse or a black widow thats the main thing. Glad to see loads of wildlife gets a look in. cheers, paddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chyancarrek Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 Hey Poleframer - How'd you end up with a Chukkar in your shop? We used to raise them for the Game Dept. in SW Washington and even being brought up in pens, they were real skittish - I'm surprised to see one in a building! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 Hey Paddy, I believe you have an ORB WEAVER spider. My smithy, such as it is, is open to the elements. Right now I am up to 1,980 gallons worth of 55 gallon drums stacked, and welded into 2 walls. No roof,since we only get an average of 4.5" of rain a year. On my property I have a covey of quail that marches through every morning, and evening. I have also seen in the house, or around the property; roadrunners, banded geckos, desert iguanas, desert recluse, sun spiders, black widows, doves, a couple of feral cats, yodel dogs, ground squirrels, gophers, and scorpions-just caught another big one last night. I never would have thought that there were flippin gophers in the desert. Bentiron, you hate pack rats (hmmm, some people call me that ) I hate gophers. They have killed quite a few of the trees, and shrubs I have put in, and one, or more is trying their best to fill in my basement Trapped a couple, but I need to train the feral cats to go after them. Haven't seen any mice, so maybe they are keeping full on them. This latest scorpion is around 4", fed it a cricket last night. If I find a scorpion in the house I relocate it outside to eat cockroaches. Black widows don't bother me, as they stay in the basement. The desert recluses on the other hand assume room temp as soon as I see one in the house. As for the quail, I hope they will keep coming around as long as I am here. I really enjoy seeing them come through, and listening to them as they scratch around for seeds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddDuck Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 Nice thing about Maine is that the pests are, by and large, non-poisionous. Rattlers and scorpions and spiders, oh my! Does a skunk in the trash bin count? The removal was less than successful and I didn't use the foundry for a month or so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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