Critters

I live on a fairly naturally secluded subdivision on the side of a mountain, within the city boundary. A huge Target-anchored shopping center is one mile away, at the base of this mountain. A SuperWalmart on the other side. I bought the house because of the view, but a second and best feature is the deep lots. Lots are the 100-ft standard width, but 350 feet in depth, due to a slope ordnance, which mean lots of trees and undeveloped back yards that in turn draw critters of all types.

I have tons of songbirds that come to my many stocked feeders, but also raptors, squirrel, chipmunk, foxes, raccoon, groundhog, possum, deer, skunk, turtle, snakes and who knows what else. Now, I've got to admit that I do feed them all, and that I delight in seeing all my backyard acquaintances. They are entertaining but yet not draining in the sense that if I have to go out of town for work or vacation, I toss gobs of stuff out and let them fend for themselves... like the wild animals they are. The only pet I keep in the house is Rover, my iRobot Roomva vacuum cleaner, that runs around 7-8 pm daily to welcome me home.

I've been learning the names of the different birds that come by to say hi. Many of them are transients. Right now the Ruby Throated hummingbirds are on their way thru. A couple of years ago I heard the very unusual high-pitched sound of the Cedar Waxwing as the pack devoured a berry bush in the side yard. Sometimes these transients have a narrow window... but there's Mockingbird, Cardinals, Wren, Finches, Titmice, Nuthatches and Chickadees permanently here.

I sometimes see other critters while I bike commute or hike, but mostly hear them. Every morning I say hello to Phoebe the Chickadee, Titiu the Killdeer and Twiddle the Wren. My buddy that cuts my grass left me a small 4' copperhead right by my back door, but called me to complain about the pets I keep, so I saw it coming. I bought an inflatable Dolphin and put it in my neighbor's pool while he was on vacation... big goldfish or carp would have been better.

In essence, it's like I live in the country but a mile away from civilization, and I like it.

- © 2008 by Willy
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