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Welcome Visitors

I love living in the middle of nowhere. I get to see nature up close & personal. In the last few weeks I’ve seen a red fox dashing across my yard, watched turkey vultures soaring effortlessly overhead, and (don’t tell my sisters – they get nervous) a bear crossing the road a few hundred yards in front of me.

Today I had several wild visitors.
grasshopper
Actually, I saw this little guy in the house yesterday. I would have happily removed him to the outdoors, but he was way up high on the top of a window frame. There was no doubt in my mind that by the time I figured out how to get up that high, he would have jumped away, so I didn’t even try. Today he was making his way outside, hanging on my screen door. I had the presence of mind to snap a few pix before I opened the door and let him out.

Then in the middle of the day I came home from a trip to town, surprised by how hot it was outside in the sun, despite the breeze. So I came in the house and began shutting windows to keep it cool inside. As I did so, I caught a glimpse of a hen turkey nipping blueberries off my bushes. I don’t mind sharing, so that wasn’t a problem. Turkeys have such good eyesight (and hearing, too, I think) that I was surprised by the fact that my activity shutting the windows facing her didn’t cause her to bolt. Instead, she simply moved slowly away from me through the tall grass. I was pleased that her path was bringing her down into the yard. And I was really thrilled to see that she was accompanied by five poults.
hen turkey and poults
They all sauntered off back into the woods while I watched.

I knew I had to shoot the picture through the closed door & screen – had I opened them mama and babies would have freaked out, and I’m amazed that the pictures turned out so well.

Your turn — had any visitors at your house lately?

6 comments to Welcome Visitors

  • MMP

    so lovely to see animals that we NEVER have in our gardens over here!!

  • Judy

    ok – they’re cool photos. But you’re right, you better not let those nervous sisters of yours hear about the bear. : )

    We also saw a red fox up close at Zoar a few days ago, but he didn’t hang around long enough for a photo. Peter gets to see eagles soaring there several times a season as there was a nest nearby. We usually do get turkeys (unfortunately they can devastate a garden bed quickly, so we don’t encourage them to hang around. And he’s stumbled across newborn fawns twice this year, but I’ve missed both. And we did see a turkey vulture several times along the lake shore when we were in Canada a couple of weeks ago. It was after a storm and he was looking for fish that were washed up on shore. Happily, we haven’t seen any bear.

    • Peg Cherre

      I’ve never seen eagles at home, although I do occasionally see them in my travels. I’ve never seen newborn fawns up close & personal — that would require walking through woods & fields, and I’m usually a road walker.

  • great pictures…i like our wildlife too

  • If you count the fever virus as one, yes. 🙁
    My son and I have been ‘suffering from’ its visit.

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