TD-40 Posted January 14, 2013 Posted January 14, 2013 Go out on the porch late at night and start playing the flute. Soothe and relax them. I would let them see you more often, if that's possible. I might also be wary about using any camera or motion detector that emits any infrared because they might be able to see that themselves. Sounds crazy, but you never know. I would get more acclimated to them, and them to you, before you tried capturing them on film.
ThePhaige Posted January 14, 2013 Posted January 14, 2013 Thanks for sharing your experiences gcraddock7. I'm from the dont feed don't try to befriend them camp. I believe they should be left alone.However all my attempts to break off relations had failed, and I kept having experiences with them on their terms evidently. So what do I know. Since moving from FL to WA my interactions have stopped. Not a day goes by though that I am not trying to sort it all out, and I appreciate your putting it out there for us. I look forward to hearing more as things progress.
Guest Posted January 14, 2013 Posted January 14, 2013 Heres three pics of the birdfeeders. One pic is of the feeder with a snicker bar in it (which was never taken). One pic is the day I found it wide open with the block of bird seed missing. The last pic is the day I found the feeders at the edge of the yard. Both feeders, the hook I used to hang the first one with and (I'm still confused about this one) a solar powered landscaping light were all laying together at the edge of the yard! The solar powered light is a weird story. I don't like to blame every little incidence on these guys, but I just don't know about this one. A day or so before I found the feeders and light, my wife and I were out in the front yard talking about a few things we'd like to do around the outside of the cabin. I mentioned to her I wish we had a few more solar powered lights like the one we have by our front sidewalk (I have one by our front door that we brought with us from our previous home). When I found the feeders a couple days later there was this light right beside them! Another weird thing is that it's just like the one we already had! Somewhere in our community I'll bet somebody is missing a landscaping light. It's just crazy things like this that have happened over the past 10 months we've lived here. Strange. http://www.divshare.com/download/22930795-91f http://www.divshare.com/download/22930797-7e2 http://www.divshare.com/download/22930779-f0f
georgerm Posted January 14, 2013 Posted January 14, 2013 Sounds like you have your hands full. What general area do you live in?
Guest Posted January 14, 2013 Posted January 14, 2013 Before we knew what we were dealing with, we'd often hear the dog go nuts barking at the front or back door just after we went to bed. I also talked to someone at a different location (his house) that saw his front door knob slowly turn late one night. I don't think it a common occurrence, but I do think it happens.
Sunflower Posted January 14, 2013 Posted January 14, 2013 If your yard starts to get messy with items from "who knows where" LOL you could show them how to use a trash bag. Walk around your yard and make sure they see you put trash into the bag. It's worth a try and cuts down on your chores. One friend had items that were definitely not hers showing up and so it became obvious that they were snooping in the neighbors' garages and sheds? They even left canned cat food for her pets except it was not her usual brand and it made her giggle.....
Guest Posted January 14, 2013 Posted January 14, 2013 Normally, they leave the plastic bag so I could throw it away. But, when I gave them blueberries they ran off with the bag. Now, I'm using more biodegradable containers.
Guest Posted January 15, 2013 Posted January 15, 2013 Have you considered the possibility of a bear? I know, I know, I'm a poop, but all the same, bears do go after bird feeders, especially the suet kind, they do investigate objects they come across and occassionally they do carry "prizes" around and then leave them somewhere else when they get tired of them. By "prizes" I mean the same thing that my dog used to do. She'd carry sticks, bones, shoes, and once a dead rabbit. A slower more plodding gait may be construed as a bipedal walk and a more leaping run may be construed as bipedal running. I routinely leave "offerings" of fruit and meat and even leftover bread and judging from the frequent inhabitants of my havahart traps I'm pretty sure of the usual culprits. They probably also explain the eyeshine I frequently see but a bear could explain your account. Continue with trying to get them on video though. Even if all you get is nature videos you'll still have fun. And who knows maybe you'll get a video of bigfoot.
Guest Posted January 17, 2013 Posted January 17, 2013 G7, have you experienced any strange smells when they were near?
Guest Posted January 22, 2013 Posted January 22, 2013 Florida Reader- Only once have I ever smelled an odd odor when I suspected they were around. One time this past summer I was out in the driveway putting some floormats back into my vehicle that I had been letting dry in the sun after cleaning them. While I was bent over in the vehicle I had a strong sense that I was being watched and and very briefly a fairly strong musty/earthy/wet dog type smell blew through the vehicle. Instantly I stopped what I was doing and stood up looking all around and up the hill toward the woods. Didn't see a thing. About 10 minutes later I walked out back close to where we have our campfires and found a mushroom that had been pulled up out of the ground (roots still attached) laying on a stump at the edge of our yard. It still had pieces of soil stuck to the bottom of it. I always took it as a gift from the big guys. Other than that there has never been any smells even in other close encounters with them. My theory is they're just like people. You have clean ones and smelly ones!
Cotter Posted January 22, 2013 Posted January 22, 2013 G7, will you attempt to collect a specimen if the opportunity presents itself?
Martin Posted January 22, 2013 Posted January 22, 2013 What makes anyone think that they can become over-dependent on the habituator? It would seem hungrier they are the easier it would be to get evidence. G7 can you find a thermal camera?
kbhunter Posted January 23, 2013 Posted January 23, 2013 Interesting discussions and some good advice too. GC7, there are a few other things you can try to determine what you have going on. If they are indeed listening and observing you, try a few of these things. 1) take a jar of peanut butter and put it out in your "gifting" area. Leave the lid on it and always talk to them when you do so. Let them know it is a gift. You may find they take the jar, if so....look for a gift in it's place. If it is still there and it appears un-touched. Get a jar and take it outside with you and dip a spoon or butter knife in a make sure you eat some in few of the wood line. Make sure they know it tastes good. 2) Many of the ones we deal with are very smart and understand ancient cultures. In my teaching of them from my Native American friends, they have observed the N/A ways for many centuries prior to us being here, that is handed down to them. Such as, the medicine wheel and the four directions. In Native American cultures, the four directions is extremely prevalent in teachings of life's journey. Here is a good reference as to those theachings. http://www.spiritualnetwork.net/native/medicine_wheel.htm. Try placing 4 rocks in an area of your gifting or you can use 2 sticks place in a cross shape that would represent the four directions. Take photos of them and make sure you observe them when you go there. See if any get moved or switched. I like to take 4 different colored ones and do that. 3) Leave them gifts in the same area, it doesn't always have to be food. They love feathers, simple and pretty things that you might think is nice. 4) Always observe the sticks and leaves around your area. A friend of mine has collected some beautiful stick gliph photos of arrangements. such as crosses and woven sticks in patterns. 5) A friend of mine has very good luck with music, such as playning a flute or other instrument. Record both playing and afterwards on a digital recorder. 6) Another idea I was given from a friend is leave some finger paints out. See if the use them to mark nearby trees or rocks. Always assume they are watching and listening. With this in mind, be aware anything you do that could be unfriendly in nature, ALWAYS show great respect. Good luck, KB
Cotter Posted January 23, 2013 Posted January 23, 2013 kb - do you recommend doing the gifting in the daytime only or can it be done at night? Additionally, do you feel that your technique will work in areas where the BF are not 'used' to you? Thx!
Recommended Posts