Wrong garden gopher!

[Collector]

pushing dirt down in the hole??!!!

They push the dirt towards the entry or exit of the hole and they go backwards it’s faster lol. Found that out years ago working in a trench dirt started trickling out of the bank and then a gopher came out tail first. He was angry that we dug through his hole lol.

 

[digitS']

After being absent from the garden for 3 days, we pulled up to park and what was seen racing across the lawn from behind the neighbor's garage?

Quail!

It brought an immediate smile of relief. The quail will make dust baths in new plantings. They will peck holes in ripe tomatoes (harvest the tomatoes just before they are fully ripe if that's a problem ). Quail - silly looking quail.

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

After being absent from the garden for 3 days, we pulled up to park and what was seen racing across the lawn from behind the neighbor's garage?

Quail!

It brought an immediate smile of relief. The quail will make dust baths in new plantings. They will peck holes in ripe tomatoes (harvest the tomatoes just before they are fully ripe if that's a problem ). Quail - silly looking quail.

Steve

will they do that if you provide some water for them?

we have very little damage to tomatoes from birds and i think that is because we have water in birdbaths and the ditches. or perhaps the fencing around the garden where we plant most of the tomatoes, but then again, even the tomatoes i've planted outside the fenced area still don't get bothered as long as the deer don't find them...

we're also lucky in that there aren't many squirrels around (here they would be hawk food if they get out in the open too often). i've never noticed chipmunks doing anything to tomatoes...

no gophers here, just groundhogs... how big is that gopher? the groundhogs here get pretty big (large raccoon size).

 

[digitS']

The neighbors keep water near an outdoor faucet, in a small tub. It's visited regularly by birds and, maybe, other critters.

No. The quail have never been enough of a problem to worry about.

I don't know if I should cheer for coyotes coming thru since there are so many pets. They are likely a primary predator for rodents, however. Here is the local Marmota:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoary_marmot

Steve

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

I don't have voles or gophers, just darn rats.

Mary

Just notches on your fenceposts

 

[catjac1975]

I thought a gopher and a woodchuck were the same thing. That looks kind of small.

 

[digitS']

Gophers are Geomyoidea. They are relatives of mice.

Woodchucks, groundhogs, marmots ... are Sciuridea. That's a family including prairie dogs and the tree squirrels.

Moles are something else, entirely.

Steve