Our Wildlife Preserve

I cannot believe how drastically my front yard has changed over time. It’s been a very intriguing journey from having an unkempt yard to living amid a wildlife preserve. It all started with a plan to attract birds by hanging a bird feeder filled with wild bird seed. Little did I know that this simple idea would attract so many visitors. In the beginning, it was only a few birds, but now, with the functional Lind Bird Kitchen, we see an increasing number of feathered friends. I have seen quite a variety of birds – sparrows, wrens, titmice, blue jays, grackles, crows, mourning doves, golden finches and more. I have also heard the calls of catbirds and mockingbirds that I wasn’t able to spot. Among these pretty little creatures, from time to time, a hawk swoops in causing some disturbances in the wildlife preserve.

As we continued to feed the birds, one day we noticed a small squirrel who had perched himself on the windowsill and stretched over to feast on the wild bird seed. He appeared to be a lonely visitor and stood out from the rest as he had scruffy fur and an unkempt tail. My granddaughter named him Jeremy, and in time, he made friends with other squirrels who would routinely make fun of his tail. Soon, a small group of squirrels gathered, emptying the feeder on an almost daily basis. I spotted regular squirrels, squirrels with white fringed tails, and a squirrel with a completely blond tail. Originally the squirrels were scared whenever they saw me, quickly scurrying away each time I ventured outdoors. Recently, they seem to have become much braver, staring back at me from a few feet away. One even stood its ground, glaring at me as if to say, “are you looking at me?”.

One winter day, my wife noticed a stray cat in our front yard. We felt sorry for the poor creature, so we put out a bowl of Meow Mix for him/her. The next morning the food was gone, so we put out another bowl with the same result. That was the beginning of our love story with cats. Soon after, Walmart delivered a 25-pound bag of Feral Cat Food. We also received a wooden outdoor cat house. Now we have at least five cats who visit each night for food and water.

It turns out raccoons are fond of feral cat food as well and we soon had several of them visiting each night. I can’t be sure of the number as they all look the same to me, but the driveway security camera has recorded their visits – sometimes in groups of three and sometimes as a pair. Thankfully, the cats and raccoons seem to coexist without issue.

Occasionally, an opossum stops by. I believe it is only one albino opossum as it appears to have a unique appearance. The opossum shows up a few times every week. One night, we even spotted two coyotes passing by the driveway. They have only visited once and seem rather unimpressed with the feral cat food.

If you have enjoyed reading about our wildlife preserve, please feel free to share. We are always happy to hear your own experiences in the animal realm. Use the comment section below to share something. Take care and see you next Friday!