Illegal Immigrants in Birdland…

Johnny-on-the-Spot … by John Foster …

Almost daily, we see or hear stories regarding illegal immigrants and our southern border.

But I want to talk about yet another incursion that is affecting us in mid-America.

It involves North America’s lone marsupial. and the only one found north of Mexico.

The Virginia opossum.

Here in North America, we often refer to them as “possums” instead of “opossums” but a true “possum” is found in Australia and is a totally different critter than our opossums.

The illegal immigrant problem in birdland concerns the tree in our front yard that converts into a huge birdfeeder in the cold weather months.

Of particular interest to the birds and opossums are the suet cakes I make available.

I have a recipe for a suet cake made of lard, crunchy peanut butter, bacon grease. oatmeal and cornmeal, plus dried meal worms.

The birds go ape over it.

So do opossums.

I’d put one of my home treats out and by the next morning, the feeder would be empty or on the ground.

I also noted some broken smaller branches.

Mature opossums can reach lengths of 21-36 inches and weigh up to 15 pounds.

I suspected my “illegals” were either opossums or raccoons.

I baited my modified “catch and release trap” with apple slices, tuna and celery with peanut butter and placed it near the tree.

Within 5 days I snared two large opossums which I relocated to lands several miles removed from the palatial Foster estate.

The size of these critters made me think they had been the ones dining on my lard and crunchy peanut butter bird snacks.

Beaucoup calories.

I think the bacon grease adds some additional dining attraction.

I really have no problems with opossums until they interfere with my bird diner.

Truth be known, the critters get a bad rap.

They are often thought of as slow, dimwitted, dirty creatures but they’re actually smarter, cleaner and more beneficial than given credit for.

Much like housecats, they groom themselves frequently and thoroughly and they will actually eat up to 95% of the ticks they pick up.

Some scientists think an opossum will consumer up to 5,000 ticks in one season which means they help fight Lyme disease.

The also will eat cockroaches, frogs, rats and mice but they cross paths with we humans when they get into our garbage.

Or, our bird feeders.

It’s tough to be an opossum.

The young-uns are born blind and hairless (about the size of a honeybee) and crawl into Mama’s pouch.

She’s only fitted with about a dozen nipples so if you’re the 14th of the litter, it’s survival of the fittest.

That pouch is home for several weeks before the “joeys” emerge and often hang on Momma’s back to travel around.

Opossums will bare their 50 teeth and hiss when cornered, but if that fails to scare you off, the extreme stress of the moment can cause them to fall into a catatonic state.

It’s involuntary.

An opossum will go limp, appear to stop breathing and often emit a foul odor.

It’s what some refer to as “playing opossum”.

They can remain like that for just a few minutes or several hours.

In the wild, opossums usually call abandoned burrows homes.

They’ll sometimes bed down in hollow logs, brush or woodpiles.

That’s why I’m not overly concerned when I release them into a new environment removed from my property.

The problem is opossums are better than cats, dogs and rats at remembering places where they find treats.

If I don’t take them far enough away, they’re likely to be back.

They don’t hibernate and since their ears and tails are hairless, they’re often susceptible to frost bite.

In the dead of winter, they’ll hunker down for a few days to try and stay warm.

Have I caught the last of my current “illegal immigrants”?

Probably not.

That’s why I’m reviewing these solar-powered sonar units that not only keep opossums at bay, they supposedly repel cats and raccoons, too.

The reviews regarding effectiveness are mixed.

In the meantime, “birdland” appears to be “illegal immigrant” free.

Chirp! Chirp!