#277147
Apr 27th, 2009 at 07:46 AM
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,521
The Bird Man
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OP
The Bird Man
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,521 |
I FINALLY got some pics of the Groundhog that hangs out at my grandson's school. Then I found out there's a whole FAMILY of them BEHIND the school. YAAAAY! More pictures......BABIES!......(later) THE GROUNDHOG THE GROUNDHOG AND ITS DEN NAPTIME!
Kingdoms RAGE and go to war...but the PEasants plant potatoes.. EARTH FIRST! (we'll strip-mine the OTHER planets later.)
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 508
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 508 |
Oooooooh I am so envious! I just love Groundhogs but I never get to see them for real. I would just love to see one for real and here you get to take great pictures of one!!!
My next house will have no kitchen - just vending machines and a large trash can.
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,521
The Bird Man
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OP
The Bird Man
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,521 |
This is the first one I've ever really photographed. I've gotten pics with less powerful cameras from a distance. This one was relatively tame and let me get about 30 feet from it.
Kingdoms RAGE and go to war...but the PEasants plant potatoes.. EARTH FIRST! (we'll strip-mine the OTHER planets later.)
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 545
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 545 |
I can't look at groundhogs without a chuckle as I think of Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.
"He could still be alive"
Kaboom!
"Well, maybe not now"
Eternity
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,521
The Bird Man
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OP
The Bird Man
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,521 |
I found out THIS morning that what I've called a Groundhog or Woodchuck all my life is actually a Marmot, a Giant Ground Squirrel! A friend in France sent me a picture of a Marmot he took in The Alps and it was IDENTICAL, so I Googled it up and sure enough, Groundhog is an American nickname for Marmot!
Kingdoms RAGE and go to war...but the PEasants plant potatoes.. EARTH FIRST! (we'll strip-mine the OTHER planets later.)
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 18,743 Likes: 31
Patriot
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Patriot
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 18,743 Likes: 31 |
never knew that either Thornius. I've never seen one in person either.
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,521
The Bird Man
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OP
The Bird Man
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,521 |
Come on over, Sheri. How many do you want to see? I've got two or three colonies already located. Oh! And they are close, GIANT relatives of Prairie Dogs, too!
Kingdoms RAGE and go to war...but the PEasants plant potatoes.. EARTH FIRST! (we'll strip-mine the OTHER planets later.)
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 18,743 Likes: 31
Patriot
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Patriot
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 18,743 Likes: 31 |
how many are in a colony? Do they eat gardens and flowers or what? Will they bite the students at the school?
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,521
The Bird Man
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OP
The Bird Man
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,521 |
Colonies are basically family groups, all members genetically related. A colony is a bout 2 - 5 members. They are somewhat destructive of crops and gardens. In rural Tennessee, many farmers carry rifles in their trucks to shoot the ground hogs they see. Groundhogs can dig burrows in pastures causing livestock to fall and injure themselves. They won't bite the students. They tend to run from people and aren't aggressive at all. If capture as babies and raised, they make good pets.
Kingdoms RAGE and go to war...but the PEasants plant potatoes.. EARTH FIRST! (we'll strip-mine the OTHER planets later.)
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,556
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,556 |
Groundhogs look amazing creatures, we dont have them in England, so forgive my ignorance, but how big is a fully grown groundhog?
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,521
The Bird Man
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OP
The Bird Man
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,521 |
They are pretty big, Glenda. As big or bigger than a large house cat and can weigh about a Stone (14lbs.) My new son-in-law is from Scotland and is rapidly turning me into an honorary Brit. I am learning all the measurements and currency you use across the pond. They have Groundhogs in the Alps and Pyrenees where they are called Marmots. SAME animal, different continent.
Kingdoms RAGE and go to war...but the PEasants plant potatoes.. EARTH FIRST! (we'll strip-mine the OTHER planets later.)
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,556
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,556 |
Thanks for the info Thorny.They seem amazing.
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,521
The Bird Man
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OP
The Bird Man
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,521 |
I found ANOTHER Groundhog/Marmot today. It was by the entrance to President Andrew Jackson's mansion, The Hermitage, about 1 1/2 miles from the picture I took in this thread, so I've now located about 4 dens in my town, all within 3 miles of my house.
Kingdoms RAGE and go to war...but the PEasants plant potatoes.. EARTH FIRST! (we'll strip-mine the OTHER planets later.)
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