Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum
Other Stuff => Your other hobbies => Topic started by: plexi50 on March 03, 2008, 11:11:43 am
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Remember the conductive foam Steve?
I do. Some things are priceless! ;)
Did you forget to feed that squirel?
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Slucky were you ever in the Boston area?
I spent 7 months in the PMEL lab at Hanscom Field in '74. Lived in Bedford and Chelmsford.
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Did you forget to feed that squirel?
Nagh. That's Stinky. She was a T-totaller but loved to sniff cheap wine. ;D
Stinky was a hurricane rescued baby that we raised. My wife and I have been raising/releasing orphans for 4 years now.
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Thats great. Our daughters red eared slider turtle is getting huge. Its virtually outgrowing the aquarium it's in
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Slucky were you ever in the Boston area?
I spent 7 months in the PMEL lab at Hanscom Field in '74. Lived in Bedford and Chelmsford.
Ah, well I played with a guitar picker with your same name,
around that time, but a bit later. A fine picker singer too.
Though you might be him.
In '74 I was in Sudbury 2 towns over from Bedford.
And working in the big studio in Maynard for a time.
I did get out to Hanscom a few times but much earlier.
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We got white ones here.
I have 3 white ones that show up everyday and get free peanut handouts from me while I work.
They are not albinos, they still have dark eyes and some are whiter than others.
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I like Squirrels and Chipmunks.
I have 3 chipmunks I trained to take peanuts from my hand.
I don't trust the squirrels enough to hand feed them, they have big teeth.
If I leave my shop door open, a couple of my chipmunks will come up to me and wait for their peanut. I'll be sitting in my office chair, hear something behind me and there's a beggar sitting there waiting for the goods.
Here's a white baby
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I also have bunches of flying squirrels here.
I built a box and put a camera in to film them.
They are pretty cool.
here's a movie with 4 flyers jumping around like a bunch of weasels.
They are about the size of a chipmunk.
http://www.el34world.com/Misc/Movies/D120206T184319.avi
BTW: They are not humping in this video. They play that conga line game all the time. Females and males all do it. They seem to like forming a conga line.
I have seen up to seven flyers in that box at one time.
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We got flying squirrels too. And they occasionally take up residence in my blue bird boxes. When we sit on the deck in the evening we enjoy watching them come to the regular squirrel feeding platforms near the deck. They're pretty bold until you shine a flashlight on them.
Squirrels really are cool to watch. Very playful at times. The juveniles are really a hoot to play with! And always acrobatic. Good problem solvers too! As common as they are, it's surprising how few people really see them as more than a pesky nuisance. Thanks for sharing Doug. Now that comcast has given me 1GB web space, I may put up some pics. If I do, I'll put a link here.
...Steve
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Cool, another squirrel fan!
I think most people see them as Rats with nicer outfits.
Each one actually has it's own personality and they are unbelievable smart.
I have about 10 or so that show up every morning for hand outs and I can tell most all of them apart, unless a new one shows up.
Squirrels are smart but I tell you, the chipmunks can outfox them and steal the peanuts right from under their nose every time.
post some of your pics and I'll dig up some more of mine a couple videos I made.
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Here's pic of Mohawk and his babe.
The white one is a big male. He is king stud muffin around here.
He's so big that he sits up for a peanut and his package drags on the ground. ;D
I built a couple of those boxes and put them up in the trees about 20+ feet. A few females raised young in them.
In one of the boxes, a swarm of honey bees moved into and stayed for two years.
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Here's another one of Mohawk when he was a pup on my porch.
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Very nostalgic for me.
I haven't seen a squirrel in 4 years!
Cute lil guys for sure.
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> few people really see them as more than a pesky nuisance.
Bah, tree-rats. I know this is their world and I'm just a squatter, but what an attitude!
True, they do far less damage to car and yard than road/garden rats (AKA deer).
And they do us one favor. We (they?) have an enormous Tulip Tree. You almost need binoculars to see the flowers. The squirrels chew the ends of the branches off and drop them to the ground for easy eating of Tulip Tree nuts. We get an ample number of Tulip Tree flowers for the house that way.
> Each one actually has its own personality..
For sure.
> and they are unbelievable smart.
Sharp as a tack. All semester they lurk, hitting the trash only between class periods. The DAY that the semester is over and most people leave, they are all over the trash and unafraid of the few people stuck on campus.
My Corgis believe their job is to keep our yard free from squirrels. Yap-yap-yap-yap-yap with tiny legs spinning like Formula One car pistons. Squirrel hops on the fence and chuckles. He can read them like a script. He's often back on the ground before the Corgis get inside again.
I like chipmunks. But they are ground-dwellers, and Suburban ground is too neat to leave them much habitat, and the squirrels in our over-healthy trees scold them incessantly. You say your chipmunks out-fox your squirrels; my chipmunks (2 in 20 years) have an inferiority complex.
Groundhog lives under my porch. Hardly ever see that guy. He has a tunnel into the back, the Corgis know it, but never find him.
Bear and coyote are coming back in the NorthEast. If we stay on our couches enough, nature will return and we won't notice.
> They are not albinos, they still have dark eyes and some are whiter than others.
There are degrees of albinism. I had a friend with severe lack of pigment. It isn't just color, the pigments serve many functions throughout the body. His body was messed-up more than skin-deep. Most European-stock people are mild albinos, but there are so many of us that "Albino" is defined lighter than us. Your Mohawk is more Viking than Nubian, and not near what we call "albino" in people. The gene for hair-color is fickle, and if you don't have a lot of eagles Mohawk will do fine. The gene for retina pigment is less changeable, because without pigment you are blind, and that usually gets you dead before you have pups. He may have liver issues but obviously not enough to stunt his appetite.
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i love squirrels... i hate squirrels... i live in austin, tx. and work for a larger state university. we share a considerable amount of aerial/buried fiber optic cable made up into several smaller metro rings within the city and outlying metro areas. we share that fiber with other state, educational, city, and county agencies... those animals have cost us literally thousands of dollars in maintenance/repairs. it seems as though they like to chew through the outer sheath and lick up the gel-coat. :-/ folks on the poorer sides of town like to shoot at it... drunks take out phone poles and take down a segment(s) almost monthly it seems... :-/
like PRR says, nothin' but a bushy tailed rat! ;D
they love my pecan trees and i have no problem sharing... plus they keep the dog entertained... ummmm... pecan pie... 8-)
lastly, they seem to be allergic to pole pigs and electricity... but that's another story... :o
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Squirrel Attacks Deer (http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=13786)
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Funny! I just saw that on tv last night.
Wish I had some video of Woody chasing my wife around the yard. Woody is almost 2 years old and he was raised alone, so he has a tighter bond to us than most of the orphans. He still runs to us anytime we're out and loves to climb an play under your shirt or coat or whatever. He also bites! Hard!! He always draws blood too. You can never tell if he's in a playful mood or a biting mood until it's too late. Once was enough for Carol. Now she runs from him. I've seen her run to the other side of the pool and also into the house to get away. All Woody wants to do is climb up your back. And sometimes bite! It's funny seeing an adult run from a squirrel.
I gotta put some pics on the net.
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Man, squirrel teeth are huge and powerfull. It would scare the crap outa me too!
One time one of my chipmunks accidentaly nipped my finger as she was taking a peanut from me. It didn't hurt cause she realized that my finger was not the peanut and then went for the peanut.
That was enough to give me respect for rodent teeth.
I can only imagine a big yellow set of rodent teeth piercing my flesh. :o
We also have vandal white squirrels here. A couple of them stole my Nova one time.
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We also have vandal white squirrels here. A couple of them stole my Nova one time.
Hey that's better than blocking it up in the front yard! ;D ;D ;D
Wish I could get'em to steal some of my crap!
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Yeah, well they caught the two thieving bastards that stole my Nova.
They locked em up for a few days, but they are back on the street now.
When I got the car back, the back seat and the trunk was full of walnut shells.
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This is after they been on the yard on the weight bench in general population. They gotta bulk up or they end up being somebody's bitch.
(http://www.fugly.com/media/IMAGES/Funny/muscle-squirrel.jpg)
Regards,
Dyna
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...the back seat and the trunk was full of walnut shells.
I bet they pissed on it a bunch too!
I feed about 100lbs of 50/50 corn and sunflower seeds per month. I keep it in a steel garbage can under the gazebo for convenience. The lid to that can always has fresh piss on it from the squirrels marking their territory. It's mine! No, it's mine! ;D
I've had 2 calls this week about baby squirrels. The fall and first part of winter was so mild that the squirrels continued breeding. One pinky died before I could return the call and another hairy one with unopened eyes, but the people just wanted info. They want to try to raise it themselves. We're working thru the local Enviromental Center and they say it's been crazy like that since Christmas. Same thing happening with the deer population down here.
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This guy was here last week looking for Mohawk.
Said he was from out west and had a score to settle???
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This guy was here last week looking for Mohawk.
Said he was from out west and had a score to settle???
I forsee a good movie.... The Last of the Mohawkians! Maybe they will meet up over at Chimney Rock. ;D ;D ;D
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Do they fall out of trees?
Is that how you get them?
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Yes. It was very windy yesterday. There are not many hollow trees around here so the squirrels build nests from sticks and leaves and patio furniture stuffing. ;D Very few nests survive a big blow. Almost none can hold up to a hurricane.
A young lady noticed her dogs acting funny in her back yard yesterday. They had found the nest and babies scattered on the ground. She called the local Environmental Center, which takes in orphans and crippled wildlife, but not squirrels. They would have to add 4 more staff just to handle the squirrel requests. So the EC maintains a list of people sorted by locality who will take in orphans. They passed on our phone number and here we are.
This is the first year I ever remember baby squirrels in the winter. And I saw a spotted fawn after Thanksgiving! My brother said the late fawn is the result of an over population of does in the area. Could be something similar with the squirrels too, but I think it's a small sign of global warming. I know Big Al would agree!
I've gotta do some ebay shopping this morning. We feed the squirrels Esbilac, a puppy milk formula recommended by our vet. It's expensive over the vet counter. You can find anything on ebay though!
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I thought they bred when the food supply was good or bad.
Seems that way around here anyway.
On years that have tons of acorns, I see lots of young uns.
Last couple years, not too many acorns on the trees and very few babies running around here.
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On years that have tons of acorns, I see lots of young uns.
You may just have something there! '06 was dry around here and pecans, hickory nuts and acorns were scarce. We only took in one squirrel, Woody. Last year was a bumper nut crop and we took in 9. Hmmm...
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That's usually the way animals and nature do it.
Mice, rats, etc all breed heavy when there's lots of food.
Al Gore only breeds once every 17 years. He's in sync with the locust or Cycadia's I think.
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There's really got to be something to your food supply/breeding theory. Yesterday Sissy, a 3 year old female that we raised, brought her babies to one of the juvenile boxes we have under the gazebo. And since you first mentioned it, I've seen 2 other wild squirrels that are definitely suckling.
Update on the 4 orphans we got last Friday... Eyes are open and they have adjusted to drinking puppy formula with a syringe. Unfortunately, two had injuries and didn't survive.
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That's too bad.
By the way, that's not my knarly hand holding that white baby up above.
I got that photo from a lady who takes in wild life, the same as you.
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That's usually the way animals and nature do it.
Mice, rats, etc all breed heavy when there's lots of food.
Al Gore only breeds once every 17 years. He's in sync with the locust or Cycadia's I think.
Well he was busy inventing the Internet I think... :D
Regards,
Dyna
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Here's an update on the squirrels. The big one is 'Lil Bit'. She is the lone survivor of the four orphans we took in two weeks ago. The other three had injuries and just couldn't pull through. The new little one is 'Patty'. We got her on St. Patrick's Day. She's healthy and has a good appetite. When her eyes open we'll begin socializing them more. Hopefully they'll soon be able to move in together. Makes it easier to care for them and they don't imprint so strongly on us when they're not raised alone. They also seem to learn how to be squirrels faster.
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/sq-2008-2.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/sq-2008-3.jpg)
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Wow, they are tiny.
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Cool, I love critters like that and have had many over the years. Never had a squirrel though. the squirrels up here in Michigan are mostly black, every now and then there will be a black one with a white tail or a streaked black and white tail like a skunk. My wife loves to raise small critters like that.
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Well, we just got 2 more Friday afternoon! These came from our neighborhood. They're maybe a week older than 'Lil Bit' and already eating solid food. They may be too old to bottle feed. They're in the big cage. My dining room is beginning to look and smell squirrelly!
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/sq-2008-4.jpg)
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How many squirrels do you have hanging around outside you house? When you turn them loose do they hang around or do they end up moving away?
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I have a 1 acre lot with lot's of live oak trees. Most days you can easily count 10 to 20 squirrels whenever you walk outside It can be confusing to count the moving targets! There are six squirrels that we have released over the past 3 years that we see regularly and can still hand feed. There are a couple wild ones that have learned they can get a handout from us also. Sissy is the oldest that we released that's still around. She's going on 3 years old and has had 3 litters. We've see two of the litters, but they are wild. Just last week, Sissy brought 2 of her juveniles to our gazebo and they stayed in a squirrel box for 2 days. She's still nursing them but I don't know where they are.
Some of the released squirrels slowly spread out over the neighborhood. We also lose some to hawks, cats, and cars. It's about 50/50 survival rate after we release them. I don't mean that half of them die. Some just revert back to the wild and blend into the population and we lose track.
Last fall we raised and released 9. None had their eyes open when we got them. I regularly see 5 of those and 4 of them will still come to me and eat from my hand. One is just a little wild but will just go around to the opposite side of a tree. You can get close, but no touchy.
I feed 100lbs of 50/50 whole shelled corn and black sunflower seeds per month. That's my secret to keeping the squirrels out of the bird feeders! ;D
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Thats a lot of food! It's cool that you can still hand feed some of them, I would imagine it gives you some satisfaction, after you saved their lives. Its cool what you do with them Sluckey, I respect you for it.
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I do get a lot of satisfaction from doing this. They're totally helpless when we get them. It's neat to see them gradually trust you and then grow up to live in the back yard, or wherever. I know it's just a squirrel, but they are each unique. And I have a lot of 'payback' to do. I grew up in rural lower Alabama and hunting was just a way of life, whether you 'needed' to put food on the table or not. As a kid and young adult I killed a lot of wild game, big and small. It was a big rush. I killed my last deer in the fall of '86. As soon as I pulled the trigger something inside told me it was not right for me. I haven't harmed a critter since. And recently I've begun my payback.
This is such a bigger rush! Kinda like electronics.
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WOW, I had the same thing happen but it was in 98. Hunting in Michigan is a way of life too, mostly deer, duck and squirrel. I had the same thoughts. Its good to know how to hunt, we may need it someday, maybe sooner than we think but why do it when you dont have to have it to live.
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Looks like I'm fixing to have a litter of squirrels in my Elm tree. There's this hole which has played nest to 2 litters of owls in the past. I just saw a pair of squirrels lurking in and out of the hole. 1 is either a bulimic or fixing to give birth. My Border Collie hates squirrels. He's blasted through the screen twice now in hot pursuit of squirrels. I hope he isn't a problem. I also hope the owls aren't watching their old nest. Last summer there were 3 babies. The mama owl looked smaller than the babies.
(http://www.butterylicious.com/Images/owl/owl1A.jpg)
(http://www.butterylicious.com/Images/owl/owl-baby.jpg)
(http://www.butterylicious.com/Images/owl/owl-mama.jpg)
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My daughter had a baby duck once, it was in our fenced in back yard, she came in screaming that it was gone. I went out and found the body laying with out a head and was wondering what had happened. All of a sudden a huge owl swooped down in front of me and snatched up the body. I figured out where the head went real fast. The thing was so big it could have knocked me over.
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I bet the owls will gladly share their den with some young tender squirrels! ;D
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The only wild things around my place are rabbits. Although I had a skunk under my yard barn last summer. Used a gas bomb to get him out, and now it's just wild rabbits. My cat is strictly a house cat, so the rabbits are safe. There's not much cover around here for wild life, there is worked up farmland all around this area.
I'm not capable of killing anything in my old age. My last hunting was in 1957, for deer.
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My step son is a falconer. He has the federal license all that bit, currently has a Harris Hawk (3.5 foot wing span 1.5-2.5 lbs). Anyway he does a apprenticeship when the Renaissance Fair is in town. They have a Redtail hawk that they fly as part of the birds of prey show. One day during its flight out to the handler during the show, he got a sight of one of the chickens in the petting zoo on the property. Well, WHAM he makes a fast dive and hits this chicken which was dead before it hit the ground with a whole bunch of kids standing around. My stepson was horrified that the kids had seen it, but the parents were cool about and the kids were like 'Dude, that was COOOOOL' (sick little kids these days, desensitized from video games haha). Sorry to get off track, but with the mention of the owl I was reminded of the story.
Regards,
Dyna
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A 3.5 ft wing span is a BIG bird!!
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Falconing would be cool, my license would probably get pulled for teaching it to attack my exwife ;D Now that would be COOOL
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It would be great if you get them to swoop down and remove hairpieces, wigs and stupid looking hats.
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A 3.5 ft wing span is a BIG bird!!
Definitely, its a impressive bird. Hawks (raptors) have amazing strength in they're talons too. About 250 lbs per square inch. Obviously good sight too. They can see clearly from something like 2 miles away.
Regards,
Dyna
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Here's a squirrel update...
Patty opened her eyes Friday night. Lil Bit has moved outside to the big cage under the gazebo and is now running around free. She moved into a squirrel box Saturday and spent her first night out of the box. I give her the juice twice a day and will begin a single juicing tomorrow. She is adapting very well and more rapidly than any of our previous orphans. The other two orphans we got last week are also doing well. They've been on solid food the whole time. They are still in a big cage hanging under the gazebo and have calmed down enough to take food from my hand. Next Friday I'll open the cage and hopefully they'll move into a squirrel box. I just want to keep these two safe and give them a good chance at survival without imprinting too strongly on them.
This morning is a perfect spring morning in Mobile. I got up at 6:00 and juiced the babies and then just sat at the gazebo drinking three cups of coffee while the backyard woke up. Just a hint of early morning misty fog. Azaleas and dogwoods are in full bloom. Goldfinches are turning yellow and getting fat for the northern migration. Songbirds are happy and filling the otherwise quiet morning air with love songs. And the squirrels are playing everywhere! It's the 'Life of Riley!"
...Steve
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/sq-2008-5.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/sq-2008-6.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/sq-2008-7.jpg)
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Gee thanks Sluckey, I live in Michigan. My morning cosisted of sitting in from of the sliding glass door looking out at dead trees and grass with hints of snow here and there, the pool cover iced up and an dead leaf blow by from the 30 mph north wind. I need to visit you!
The squirrel is cute.
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I hear ya Hemi !! Same here. Jeez, it got into the 40s today, a heat wave! ;D
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Spring is just around the corner here.
We get hints of it with 60+ temps and then it goes back to the 30's
That's mountain weather.
Thanks for th sq update Steve
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I have a nephew visiting for a couple days. He's from the town of Hancock in the U.P. Just drove down yesterday. He said it's miserable up there.
Since Patty opened her eyes, she became a lot more mobile. She's in the little BIG cage now. Look at that big belly! She just got juiced.
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/Patty_01.jpg)
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He lives in the UP aye?
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Yes. He's a Miami boy too! He's a professor at Michigan Technological University working on his PHD.
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Thats beautiful country up there. I try to make it up there snowmobiling 3 or 4 times a season. Some of the winter views from the hills after a fresh snow are breath taking.
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I was born and raised inMI.
Lived there till 1973 and then went to FL for 28 years.
Now I'm in NC
They call us types a half back here cause I moved halfway back.
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Where about in Michigan were you raise Half Back? ::)
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OK, I admit it ........... I like squirrels too and feed them corn and sunflower seeds. Haven't adopted any though.
What I like better is feeding birds. I have four bird feeders plus two additional feeders for humming birds .......... and 3 bird houses.
I go thru an average of 50 lbs of sunflower seeds a month. ;D
I have a bluebird house which currently has 5 eggs in it. I caught a photo of the male "guarding" the home. I was pretty close to the bird when I took the photo. Maybe 10 feet away.
Tubenit
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The bluebird eggs as of last wkend.
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The only place I see Blue Birds around here anymore are on the golf course.
I have a buddy that has a place in Northern Mich. He goes up every week end. He bought one of those corn spreaders that feed the deer. It was pretty cool, deer hung out by his house all day waiting for the thing to spread corn which it did 3 times a day. After about a couple of months he had to get rid of the thing, the deer were destroying his yard, his garage had corners worn down from deer rubbing their antlers on it. He had no grass left, it was mud.
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Hemi,
Born in Battle creek,
moved to Jackson till 4th grade
and then moved to Marshall
Left Marshall when I was 17 and went to Florida
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Holy, crap,
I moved to Battle Creek at age 1, have lived here all my life, My corporate office is in Jackson. I hung out in Marshall during my teen years, (mainly because of a girl), most of my friends are from Marshall. It is a small world, we probably hung out together some time or another.
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Doug, did you ever own a blue and white Triumph motorcycle when you were in Marshall?
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No, wish I did! ;D
I had a Yamaha 125CC. I think it was called a Big Bear?
Don't remember exactly.
I had a babe magnet 1961 Ford falcon station wagon in high school.
It had the ranch theme vinyl seat covers with cow brands, horseshoes, etc
That Ford was party central for me and my buds.
I left MI in 1973.What years are you talking about?
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1968 to 1974. One of my employees has lived in Marshall all his life, I was telling him about you and he thought he remembered you. Was wondering if you had a Triumph. His name is Steve Sayers, he lived in town but now lives on Stewart lake. I dont rmember your car. I had a babe magnet too, a 66 Chevy step side pickup. I used to cruise town a lot with, hang out at the foutain etc. The city wont let you hang out at the fountain any more, I keep wondering if I am the reason ::)
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Hmm, just looked at my high school yearbook from 1971.
Don't see a Steve Sayers, unless he was not in, or already out of high school by 1971?
I remember Michele Sayers, maybe that was his sister?
Used to hang out downtown also and cruise main street.
Hanging on the parking meters and watching the people cruise by was a weekend night past time in Marshall.
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Steve was out of school. Michele is his siter though. Man, its a small small world.
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How are the squirrels doing Sluckey?
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All squirrels are fine. They're living and sleeping in the trees now. I see them daily at feeding time. I did pick up one more squirrel from a lady that had raised it, but had no good place to release it. This little girl was named Skunky and she moved into one of the nesting boxes with Patty. They bonded and even now when you see one, you usually see the other nearby.
...Steve
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Its pretty cool they bonded like that. Especially with them both being females isnt it?
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Its pretty cool they bonded like that. Especially with them both being females isnt it?
I've seen some unusual combos. Last fall we had a young female that we put together with three much younger females. She immediately took to them and began washing and mothering them. We called the group Charlie and the Angels.
They don't always mix like that though. You just have to try and see. When it works, it simplifies raising them.
The bonds usually hold for about six months. When they become mature enough to breed, they become solitaire (especially the females). But during cold or stormy weather we occasionally fine several piled up together in a nesting box.
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We had big wind here this week end so I had to pick up sticks that fell from the trees before I mowed the lawn today. (several of them). When I was done I started the tractor and began mowing, I came to one spot that I had picked up all of the sticks and there were several more on the ground again, and it wasnt windy. While picking them up I noticed they had been chewed off. I looked up and there was a brand new squirrel nest about 2o feet up in the tree. Later while mowing I saw the squirrel, he or she is smaller and a beautiful silver with some white. Ill try and get you a picture. If it is building a nest, is it going to have babys? :-?
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If it is building a nest, is it going to have babys?
Could be. Squirrels in my area usually build several nests. Sometimes it's a group project if the squirrels are juvenile. If it's a single female squirrel, there's a good chance you'll have babies. Squirrels will move their young from nest to nest, usually two or three times. I don't know how the nests hold together. They're usually very crude.
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It is a crude looking nest. I will keep an eye on it and keep you updated.
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This is a kinda neat story. (If you're squirrly that is!)
My college age daughter works in the extended daycare program at the school where my wife teaches. Monday afternoon while Megan (daughter) was outside with the kids she heard a high pitched squeal. She recognized the sound as that of a lost baby squirrel. Well she found it and brought it home. The baby was very hungry and dehydrated. But before bedtime we had juiced him twice and all's well. The mother squirrel was probably dead because they just don't abandon babies that small. The baby had eyes open and was nibbling at solid food, but was definitely not weaned.
I told my wife that there were probably some more babies too. The next day she found 2 siblings in a tree near where my daughter found the first baby. She was able to coax them down. So, the family is reunited and doing very well. They all took to the juice immediately and they are eating acorns, pecans, and hickory nuts (cracked of course) as well.
Ah, the nest is full again! :)
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I've followed this thread from the beginning and that's incredible. I've lived in the country all my life and never had the opportunity to adopt like that. The closest I've come to that is a wolf I have from the reintroduction efforts several years back in the northwest. His mom and dad didn't relocate well.
On the other hand, I've had friends who have done what you guys have done, except with raccoons.
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That's not true, you have a monkey that you taught to play guitar.
I wouldn't mind taking care of a baby squirrel.
I have several that come into my shop every day and get peanuts from me.
I now have 4 chipmunks that are extrememly tame.
A couple of them get under foot here in the shop.
They sneak up behind me and look up waiting for a peanut.
I let the chipmunks take the peanuts from my hand, but not the big rodents.
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I moved this topic to the hobby board because I think this is definately a hobby for Steve
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This is an update on my last post. My wife and daughter had just rescued 3 orphaned babies from school.
Coaxing a hungry orphan down to safety. Yes, that's Poison Ivy!
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/triplets_1.jpg)
Mrs. Luckey's first grade class saves two babies.
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/triplets_2.jpg)
Two weeks later the triplets enjoy their new home.
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/triplets_3.jpg)
Episode Two. My niece raised an orphan this summer and brought him to me to release. This could be a challenge. Jake doesn't know he's a squirrel yet!
Jake says goodbye to his family.
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/jake_1.jpg)
But he doesn't grieve too long. Gotta get ready for Mardi Gras!
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/jake_2.jpg)
Patiently waiting for the next pine nut.
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/jake_3.jpg)
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Wow, cool pics, cute babies
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Hopefully this is the last squirrel for this fall season. This makes six! The triplets, Jake, Peanut (he's pretty wild), and now Dude.
A young woman that works for a local vet found Dude when he was a pinky. She mothered him until last week but had no place to release him, so she brought him to me. It's really tough to raise one that young. There's feedings every 2 hours for about 3 weeks and you have to use warm wet Q-tips (simulates mama squirrel's tounge) to stimulate them to use the bathroom. Then you gotta clean them with wet cotton balls. He'll be totally weened in a few more days, then I'll start letting him out of the cage. Hopefully he'll move into one of the nesting boxes and sleep there until next spring. He's been raised alone and has a strong attachment to us. He'll probably be a lot like Jake so we decided to take a pic of them together.
So here's Jake helping me feed lil Dude. I hope they will be friends soon.
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/Jake_Dude.jpg)
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Just saw the photos!!! VERY VERY cool! What an incredible thing to do!
I did not realize how tame and "relational" they got with you. That's really amazing to me!
Kind hearted thing that you have done. Bravo!
With respect, Jeff
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This thread is pretty cool.
We have plenty of wildlife here, considering how close we are to town. Not too many deer except maybe middle of the night. I think they stay away from the busy streets here.
A few summers ago the grass was temporarily high....a mother rabbit gave birth 10 feet away from our side deck. I went ambling outside and she ran off; I thought I just doomed the babies but felt it was better to not get too close. Apparently the mother just comes back to nurse once or twice a day. We still see some of the offspring when I'm not making big noise out in the garage.
Squirrels are all over....one was ran over a few years ago, I swear he was the size of an average chihuahua.
The coolest is the hawks around this area....some good size ones....and foxes.
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Squirrel update...
Most of the little ones have scattered thru the trees and the neighborhood. I still see and recognize three of them regularly, but they are wild and wont let me get any closer than a few feet. On the other hand, Jake is still my buddy. I see him daily and he's still interested in checking out my pockets and occasionally playing. I have to wear gloves now because biting is part of play, and he has big, strong teeth! He was shot with a BB gun a couple weeks ago and was really struggling. He moved back into his nest box under the gazebo for several days while he recouped. He's made a good recovery, not quite 100% yet, but getting there. He'll be fine if he just stays away from the kids next door.
These pics were taken 12/30/08.
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/jake123008_04.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/jake123008_07.jpg)
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Steve,
Great photo! And that's a cool update. You and that squirrel are handsome fellas! I figure if a squirrel can crank a walnut, that they can sure put some hurt on ya with those teeth. It's really easy to develop an affection for an animal you've nursed back to health.
;)
I'd have a talk with the neighbor kids about shooting "my" squirrel. I wouldn't like that. I wonder if there would be a safe way to mark your squirrel to distinguish it from others?
One of my neighbors cat occasionally gets a bird off my bird feeder and I'm not real happy about that either. However, the hawks do more damage to the doves that feed by dive bombing the doves right off the feeder. Pretty amazing to see the hawks and perrigines move that quick.
With respect, Jeff
BTW, do you still surf & where?
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BTW, do you still surf & where?
Those are wind surfer boards. We haven't done that since '96. Carol and I were big on catamaran sailing. We have a Prindle 19 that's rigged for racing. We used to follow the regattas between Biloxi, MS and Panama City, FL. Then Megan came along and we switched over to wind surfing. That allowed one to play in the bay while the other took care of the baby. We were regulars at Fairhope on the Mobile Bay and part timers over at Pensacola Beach. The little board with the Dolphin head centerboard was a kiddy board for Megan.
Then along came softball and we spent the next 10 years at the ball park. With no life of our own! ;D
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Wind surfer boards! How cool is that? I always wanted to live someplace where I could give that a shot.
I used to live in Panama City, Fla. as a kid. Actually lived in a screened in cottage on Mexico beach before getting based housing on Tyndall AFB. That was around '60 or '61. Good memories there. Used to be tons of sand sharks swimming all around us and occasionally small hammerheads. Never thought too much about it. However, I had a rather interesting experience with a thresher shark coming up from the deep to get a look or bite of my feet before I wisely removed them from the water. Probably about a 10-11' shark.
;D
With respect, Jeff
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Cool Squirrel pics, thanks for the update.
You should have the kids over and show them your buddy up close.
I bet they would see the squirrels in a different light?
Not something to shoot, but a cool little creature that has a brain and is really smart.
Unless of course they are souless demons from hell. :-[
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Or.... Put on some sniper camo and any time the kids come outside, shoot them with a bb gun... Perhaps they'll quit coming out if they associate pain with coming outside...... I often wanted to do that with Taggers hide on a roof top with a night scope and shoot the spray can in they're hand with a pellet rifle... :D
Regards,
Dyna
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Spring project...
Angel was very near death when we got her. But she's a fighter and has some strong squirrel instincts. We've had her almost a month now. She's already exploring the gazebo and a nearby tree. She's only a week away from moving into a nesting box. Looks like she already has one picked out. She looked into another box, but to her surprise (and mine too) a screech owl had moved in! I can't tell if the owl is nesting or just roosting, but it did not leave the box last night so I suspect it may be nesting. Doesn't appear to mind my inspection mirror probing. The owl is about the size of a fat robin. I don't really think it's a threat to the grey squirrels. Hope I'm not wrong!
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/Angel_000.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/Angel_001.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/Angel_002.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/Angel_003.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/Angel_004.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/Angel_005.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/Angel_006.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/Angel_007.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/squirrel/Angel_008.jpg)
PS... Here are a couple sound clips of an eastern screech owl.
http://www.el34world.com/Misc/Music/xspf_player_slim.swf?song_url=http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/owl_1.mp3
http://www.el34world.com/Misc/Music/xspf_player_slim.swf?song_url=http://home.comcast.net/~seluckey/owl_2.mp3
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Cool, another fuzzy one to raise!
The top sreech owl sound is the one I hear all the time in Pisgah during our night rides.
We see them along the creek beds all the time.
They always seem to take off and fly right in front of us on the bikes.
It's like having owl escorts.
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The owl is sitting on eggs. I don't know much about owls. Hope I can learn because I really want this to work. I'm concerned the squirrels will eat the eggs (or babies) if left unguarded during the daytime. Hopefully the nocturnal nature of the owl will work to it's advantage. It's such a neat feeling having an owl nest in the gazebo!
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A screech owl moved into a squirrel box at my girlfriends house a couple years ago.
We never even saw it until about a wek before the baby and the mom flew away.
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Check this out.
http://inside.cua.edu/story2.cfm
I teach at CUA, and I have personally seen this squirrel several times. The squirrels are very well treated there; revered even.
Alcee
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yeah, that's the true albino model
We have the regular white/non albino's all over the place here.
Here's two of them outside my shop.
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That's so cool!
Alcee
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Here's a little ditty about the white squirrels in Olney, IL...
http://www.el34world.com/Misc/Music/xspf_player_slim.swf?song_url=http://www.mondovox.com/Olney/whiteSquirrels.mp3
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Hey Doug, you need to name those two, Edgar and Johnny.. :D Cool pictures, only squirrel's we have here are much bigger and panhandle you for money at the local Fry's.. ;D
Regards,
Dyna
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Hey Doug, you need to name those two, Edgar and Johnny.. :D Cool pictures, only squirrel's we have here are much bigger and panhandle you for money at the local Fry's.. ;D
Regards,
Dyna
IT COULD BE WORST
Squirrel Stealing My Chips
Seagull Steals Doritos
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I just want to feed the chipmunks
Do they eat rice
I can get 10 pounds for $3.00
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Rice is not a good choice for little critters. Ever notice how much rice swells when it gets wet? Just google for "chipmunk food". Lot's of ideas.
I feed grey squirrels with corn and black oil sunflower seeds. The special squirrels also get pecans and hickory nuts. That's what I'd feed chipmunks too, if there were any around my house.
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That is why I asked
Thanks
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Chipmunks and Squirrels love unsalted peanuts.
I buy 25 pound cases every 6 weeks and share with them
http://www.nutsonline.com/nuts/peanuts/jumbo-roasted-inshell-wholesale.html
I love peanuts, unsalted and roasted in the shell
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I got a question
This is my 3rd year for Strawberries in my yard
The squirrels are eating them now
I don't think this is right
They eat the berry and leave the green steam on the sidewalk
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So, what's the question?
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They like other things besides nuts.
I have seen them eat wild mushrooms, bones, katydids and fruits.
The chipmunks love fig newtons.
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> The squirrels are eating them now
I don't think this is right
Squirrels own all food.
If you feel this is wrong, you can use a shotgun (but other squirrels will fill the vacancy), tie Corgis to the vine (but they get tangled), waste money on netting which the squirrels will quickly get through.... or admit that squirrels own all food, get your own berries at the ShopRite.
Be glad they are outside in the berry patch. I have them coming in the house. The one came down the chimney found his way out again. The one who came down the radon fan.... well, I suppose his little soul went to a better place, but his corpse lay there and stank. Threw-out a $180 fan.
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Can't wait for my jalepeno's to get going around my last remaining strawberry plant. Like clockwerk just as I look at a promising berry and think "hmmm, that one will be good tomarrow" next mornin' it's all chewed up! I haven't had a single walnut either, the squirrels own the tree in my back yard- and tell me so every so often. Time for more beer to feed the slugs, earwigs, and escargot (at 2.99 a sixpac, that's all it's good for)... Corn is about 4" and most of the peas & beans are showing through.
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The ants eat my strawberries before I can get to them. :sad:
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> The squirrels are eating them now
I don't think this is right
Squirrels own all food.
If you feel this is wrong, you can use a shotgun (but other squirrels will fill the vacancy), tie Corgis to the vine (but they get tangled), waste money on netting which the squirrels will quickly get through.... or admit that squirrels own all food, get your own berries at the ShopRite.
Be glad they are outside in the berry patch. I have them coming in the house. The one came down the chimney found his way out again. The one who came down the radon fan.... well, I suppose his little soul went to a better place, but his corpse lay there and stank. Threw-out a $180 fan.
you have radon gas? :shocked:
:sad:
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> The squirrels are eating them now
I don't think this is right
Squirrels own all food.
If you feel this is wrong, you can use a shotgun (but other squirrels will fill the vacancy), tie Corgis to the vine (but they get tangled), waste money on netting which the squirrels will quickly get through.... or admit that squirrels own all food, get your own berries at the ShopRite.
Supermarket berries suck they are green inside picked green and then use some gas to make the RED
Home grown are red all the way thru and sweet
I only get two weeks of berries
I have netting it does work.
I shot them before while huntting did not like them they can live
Now a bear who drank you beer and goes off you back deck
(http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk243/supro66/Anamils/bearpee.jpg)
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They like other things besides nuts.
I have seen them eat wild mushrooms, bones, katydids and fruits.
The chipmunks love fig newtons.
What kind of bush do they grow on :laugh:
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> you have radon gas?
Around here, nearly everybody does. New homes get venting because they will probably need it.
Most "young" lava flow emits radon gas. My ridge was a lava-crack just a few million years back.
Somehow this was missed until a nuke-plant worker set off alarms on his way IN to work.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radon
"EPA estimates that one in 15 homes in the United States has radon levels above the recommended guideline".
Government map of US hot-spots:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8b/US_homes_over_recommended_radon_levels.gif)
(this map is NOT accurate-- I'm in a dark blue zone, yet most unremediated basements here along the ridge have marginal radon readings.)
Parts of Cornwall England have so much radon that they exceed the limits for an operating nuclear reactor, and there's no reactor.
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I live in the southeast corner of PA
Boothwyn Pa 19014
5410 Chichester Ave 19014
Google map it
When I brought the house 3 years ago they had to put the system in
I see Nj and De are in the blue
Nj was below sea level all sand
De the same high water table not many dry basements
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Hey BaBoo! I'm ssurprised that there's not a much higher radon level over JellyStone-Imean-YellowStone park- being that it's a moderatly active point that is also a permanent hot spot (and possibly the demise of the western world should it ever let loose in our millenia).
Supro: that would be a fignut or possably a figmint bush :wink: