Wildlife sightings

By BECKY NELSON
Bramblings
We were hoping for some rain this week when the weather front went through. We got a quick shower and a lot of clouds passed over with quite a light show as lightning cracked from cloud to cloud, but no significant rain blessed the farm. The storms were quite severe in other parts of the state, so I am thankful that these storms passed us by. We will keep hoping, as the crops are beginning to show some signs of stress as they look for moisture.

I have written often about the need for water and the power that this life-giving resource holds. This was more evident in the news this week with flooding hitting parts of the Midwest and the cave rescue of the soccer team trapped by water in the Thailand cave flooded with torrents caused by rains, and by the lack of rain in the west where wildfires are sparked by dry lightning and burn uncontrolled when rainfall is scarce. Despite our need for rain, we are not in emergency situations like these folks are, and I feel blessed.

Part of my blessings is the wildlife around here. We live in a wild kingdom that simply amazes me, and in the past couple of weeks we have seen an amazing number of critters. Of course our local bear is still around somewhere, but we haven’t seen it since it visited our feeder in April. With the berries ripening and the crops growing, I hope we don’t see it again for a long time, as bears, like we, love the good food we grow. We did have a woodchuck visiting one of the garden plots, where he mowed down most of the Swiss chard and a third of the cabbage before we were able to dissuade him from the goods. Deer are always pests here, and we have to keep careful watch for damage as the peas and beans are always attractive to them. Possum, which never were an issue when I was young, are now an added garden pest, and we have had to dispatch a couple in the last few years. It’s too bad that we have to compete with these critters in order to harvest our crops, as they are absolutely fascinating and beautiful and catching a glimpse of them is a treat I treasure.

In the last week, we have seen a moose in the field where the raspberries grow. These fascinating, awkward-looking creatures are usually pretty skittish about showing up where there is much activity, so it was fun to watch him. As I left my driveway the other day, a small raccoon crossed the road, probably heading to his den for the day. The youngster looked pretty healthy, and it was fun to watch him amble up the ditch into the undergrowth. As I had my morning coffee a few days ago, a beautiful gray fox with the bushiest tail I have ever seen on a creature worked his way across the lawn, most probably hunting the pack of squirrels that plagued my bird feeders a few weeks back. I have never seen a gray fox before, so it was amazing to be able to watch him out my window as he hunted. He returned the next day, as well, so I knew the hunting was good, and I appreciated him looking for rodents and squirrels that might just think my house was home. My aunt and uncle saw a fisher cat and a buck with a big rack of horns all in velvet this week, just a short distance beyond our house.

Birds seem to be making a comeback, as well. On one of my passes back and forth between the raspberry patch, the store and the farm, I turned into the driveway to a treat with a purple finch and three cedar waxwings in a tree beside the road. Our pair of cardinals are almost always around so must be nesting nearby, and I can hear them and some crows this morning as I write, and just as I looked up from the screen can see Mr. Cardinal on the telephone wire outside the house. With the morning mist hanging over the field and the mountain blue and green and lovely in the backdrop, the morning looks like a painting. I truly am blessed.

My wild creatures and I are at peace for the moment. The hassled and harried nature of my usual days has not yet made me unobservant and jaded to the beauty and quiet and relatively simple nature of my mornings. I hope to be able to carry this moment and the moments of wildlife sightings with me through today, through the week and through all the hectic moments. I know I won’t, but it’s a nice thought. I hope you have a window and a view and a creature or two to look at this week. Maybe you can find that little sliver of peace in your life, too, and appreciate all that our neighborhoods and wild places have to offer. A moment or two to sit back and relax and enjoy the sounds of birds and sights of critters does wonders for the soul.