Wildlife

What a dull place this would be without our animal brethern...
Many -if not the majority - of the following photos were taken from our house.

The summer of 2001 we were 'invaded' by a flock of turkeys.

Turkeys as seen from the front porch...

Turkeys crossing the driveway...

Turkeys in the backyard, about 15 feet from the house...

Turkeys 'fenced in'...

Turkeys on the far side of Candy's field...

Turkey almost ready for Thanksgiving?

This photo is our standard "Happy Thanksgiving" greeting.
Then came hunting season and we have seen a very few turkeys since that summer. Perhaps they were too trusting of humans?

Deer

Doe in early spring.

Deer snoozing in Candy's field during the summer.

I think we counted seven points on this buck.

Deer snoozing in Candy's field during the winter.

Buck in the lead and a doe on a sunny winter's day.

Deer.

Four point buck crossing Candy's field.

Deer during snowstorm. Think there are at least five deer in this photo.

Birds

A scarlet tanager... [2004]

A Baltimore Oriole was attacking a wasp nest near the gutter on the garage.


He posed quite nicely for us. [2004]

Barn Swallows


Aren't they adorable? It got so hot in the barn that I felt I had to aim the fan in their direction. I do think they appreciated it. [2001]

Then there was this bluebird sitting in our crab apple tree in midwinter. [2003]

This Pileated Woodpecker... [2004]

This Red Headed Woodpecker who nested nearby and then brought the baby redheads to our suet feeder this past summer. [2004]

And lastly these 'Flickers" who were courting(?) on the lawn.

Later, we saw the babies on the lawn as well. Their red spots were not a brilliant red yet, which was also true of the juvenile Red Heads as well.

Baby Robin



Nothing like a "captive" subject to allow one to take better photos, This baby robin blew out of the nest before he was ready. For four days I kept the cats in 24 hours a day (boy, did they hate that!) and I guarded this little robin until he could fly well enough to 'escape' into the trees. These were taken the first day that I came across him in the front yard. May he/she live long and prosper.
What an adorable little bird.

Hooty Owl

This Screech Owl appeared one day in the winter and stayed around for about 10 days - feasting on the English sparrows who insist on living in the barns and sheds.

"Domestic Birds"

From time to time we have had various chickens, these were the most recent. Doesn't the rooster remind you of a red Foghorn Leghorn?

Bugs

Our rhododendrens seem to attract yellow swallowtail buterflies every year. This past year there were six at once, but none would really hold still long enough for a good photo.

Mark took this picture of a Monarch Butterfly.

One of our favorite bugs is the praying manthis. We had many of them in the upper field until the turkeys discovered them. Now there are just a few around the house and barns.

I found this most uniquely colored "bug" in the woods.

Other Critters

We came across this beautiful frog while cutting firewood in the woods.
We just had to take his picture.



We seem to be home to several possums. This one was zipping across the lawn at dusk, hence the fuzziness of his portrait.

Our favorite critter - unfortunately the chipmunks are the cats' favorite critter as well.

There are an abundance of grey squirrels who come to the birdfeeders on our upper porch to compete for the sunflower seeds. Who? Me?!

This critter was laying quite dead in our driveway one morning. I didn't think weasels had much to worry about...except I guess other weasels? His throat/neck was slashed.

This critter was found under a rotting stump in the woods.