What an amazing and instructive video. THANK YOU. I do feel sorry for the 5th chick... I know it's how nature works and the snake has to eat, too. Sigh.
Nice camera work. Just had a family that spent 5/29/23 - 6/25/23 in a vacant screech owl box in my backyard. It was fun to watch the parents constantly in and out with food once the chicks were born. Unfortunately , I did not get to see them fledge. Must have been early evening on the 25th . Hopefully they return next year.
Thank you MBYB for editing out the rat snake eating the chick--- i wonder if you applied that substance that repels snakes, around the nest box, if that would help. Will look into it--again ty
The video of the chick and snake is really brutal. I may show it with a warning someday for those that might stomach it as it is instructive in how the snakes work. Those red rats snakes really are climbers I'm going to have to come up with something for next year - don't want to deal with that again. 10 feet straight up a concrete stucco wall,but the texture of the stucco I guess they can hang on to. Amazing and scary if your on the second floor with your window open ;-) BB
We saw a large water moccasin climb up a 7 foot stuuco wall in jan. of 1983. It was wrapped around an outside light by our friends condo door-it was was about 30 degrees that evening, we were returning from a meeting-- we thought the light was going out, etc-due to it being so dim-- But it was, a 3 foot+ water moccasin ,wrapped around the light, obviously trying to keep warm-- have 2 other witness's to this event---- the condo owner knocked it off the light and dispensed with it ( recent california transpalnt) --- so you are correct in your staement MBYB, even the slight edges in the stucco give them this ability @@MyBackyardBirding -- have heard of a snake on the balcony of a 4th floor condo here in fort myers florida- we were very fortunate to be the assistant to George Campbell- the Sanibel Island naturalist from 1980-1986( (could write a small book about our adventures) he was flat out bonkers-- but very nice and loved the wildlife he studied and cared for-- he kept a 5 foot dwarf south american caiman in a bathtub in his house as a pet)
Shut Yo Mouth, like Little Richard use to day! 😀. I don’t like snakes! I grew up around them. Now I haven’t seen one since a kid in decades and I’m so glad! Poor Chick #5, I’m sure it would’ve left the nest in one more day!
thanks for the heads up in the commentary re: the last chick so I could stop watching the video. I get that nature happens but sometimes I dont want to see it.
