Wild Stories From Our Backyard

This week, I have found myself watching a surprising amount of wildlife here in the city  -  even more than I typically noticed in our prior country home.  Dog-sitting for my son has added a fun fillip of excitement to  the activity.
 
Since I do much of my writing while ensconced in one of the comfortable chairs in our den, I often lift my head whenever I see a flash of motion outside our patio doors.  Sometimes, it’s a cardinal flying by or a robin hopping around on our yard.  (Note to self:  ask daughter-in-law for suggestions on types and locations of bird feeders when they return from vacation.)

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Yesterday, I noticed my son’s dog was staring intently out those same doors, and caught a glimpse of a young buck dodging evergreen branches to rest under our neighbor’s tree.  (The dog, Atlas, really wanted to go out and make friends.  I’m sure that wouldn’t have gone over well.)  I also spotted our neighborhood doe with two cavorting fawns in that same yard.  (It’s probably just as well Atlas was sleeping then.)  Later, I saw a bigger buck lounging under a different evergreen by the front corner of our house.  It was a little disconcerting to see a deer with a large 8-point rack staring calmly back at me from about twenty feet away.
 
I know there is other wildlife on our block, too.  Something has been digging small holes in our yard.  Since my mother suggested that it might be skunks looking for grubs, I plan to stay away from them.  Far, far away.  Fortunately, skunks are not something I see on my walks in the neighborhood.  But I did have a close encounter last week with a red-tailed hawk who swooped by at waist level directly in front of me.  I was surprised to see that, like the deer, he apparently has lost most of his fear of humans. 
 
And of course, there are the bunnies and chipmunks.  It’s a good thing my son’s dog looks but doesn’t race after them if he sees one on our walks.  Atlas is a mastiff mix, and could probably drag me off my feet if he wasn’t such a sweet dog.
 
Is all of this wildlife normal in the city?  I suppose it is.  Having lived in the country my entire life before this, it’s a novel question for me to consider.  For many other people, the animals are likely common, part of the background we tend to ignore.  At any rate, I am almost looking forward to winter, when I’ll be able to see all of their tracks criss-crossing a smooth, snow-covered lawn.  Who knew I’d see more wildlife in the city than I did in the country?

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