Tuesday 4 ~Wildlife

 

Wild Life

Tuesday 4 is here once again.

(Per our hostess Annie:) I was thinking about wild life that is all around us. Summer brings us out of the house and we spend more time outdoors, weather permitting, and have an opportunity to see animals and birds that live around us.

1. Do you see many animals where you live? Is your answer a good or bad thing?

Well, people who follow my blog know that I have a lot of "wild-life" around where we live. Mostly birds and squirrels. But the variety of birds especially keeps us entertained all the time. It's not quite like it was when we lived in the Ocala National Forest (at our last house, which is just 30 miles from here), where we saw bears and deer on a regular basis, with a few coyote, raccoons and possums thrown in for extra fun, but we are thankful for what we do have here.  Here is a link to a post from our old house in the woods, with LOTS of wildlife!  I do kind of miss all of the excitement, but I guess we are better off without so much wild activity around us.  If you go back into my post archives, most anything between 2012 and 2019 will have some wildlife somewhere in there!

2. What kind of animals and birds are around your area?

Sand Hill Cranes, Hawks, Great Blue Heron, Bluebirds, Cardinals, woodpeckers, Wrens, to name a few of the birds.  Animals: we do have squirrels, possums and armadillos

Armadillo in our yard.

occasionally in our yard, along with neighborhood cats and sometimes a stray dog. Oh, and turtles. Gopher Tortoises are in the area, but thankfully not in our yard as they make a lot of tunnels. (and they are endangered and protected).

And there are deer in the woods, we just don't get to see them very often except occasionally where we take our walks one might venture out and cross our path if we are fortunate enough to see it. 

We did actually see a coyote run through the woods one evening when we were walking. That has made us much more cautious about when we go walking. 

Red Shouldered Hawk (juvenile)

One of our Sand Hill Crane Colts

Bluebirds having a chat at the birdbath

Canada Geese

Mama Sand Hill Crane and one of the colts earlier this spring

Ruby Throated Hummingbird (Male)

Great Blue Heron on Still Waters Pond

Turtles on the pond

3. What kind of animals and birds could you do without and what kind would you love to see more often?

Stray dogs...this area is ripe with stray dogs and cats. Fortunately they aren't right here in our neighborhood (the dogs), but you have to be very careful where you walk as they sometimes form packs out in the more wooded areas and have become not just a nuisance, but dangerous.  Our animal control system is not able to keep up with it. It is very sad that many of these dogs and cats come from thoughtless and careless people who dump off their unwanted litters of dogs and cats in the woods, and then they continue to breed and the problem is multiplied.  Sadly we had to bury a stray cat recently, who apparently just got sick and died on the edge of our lawn and pond. There was no sign of injury. It was like she just laid down and died. It was very sad.  We gave her a nice little burial and I even said a little prayer.  It made me very sad, but she was a stray and our neighbor, who feeds some of the strays in the area said she had never seen this one before.  So it could be someone dumped her off in the woods and left her to die. That makes me so angry.

4. Do you feed wild birds or animals ?

Yes, we feed the small wild birds that come to our bird feeder. We don't feed any animals or the bigger birds like the Cranes or Canada Geese. If you start to feed them, they will expect it every time they see you, and it really isn't good for them to be fed by humans, and it is actually against the law to feed them.  Our neighbor, as I mentioned above, does feed some stray cats in the neighborhood, but I noticed one came into our yard today and I am afraid she might be pregnant. I don't know much about cats, but she looks kind of fat in the belly, so time will tell.  I hope not, because that will mean more stray cats to run wild. At least she isn't really feral, and maybe the kittens can be taken to the humane shelter. Time will tell. I hope I'm wrong...

HERE is a link to a post I wrote about that same neighborhood cat last fall.  At least I think it's the same cat...and maybe it's really just a chubby "he", and not a "she". As I said, time will tell. 

Well, that's it for my "wild life" here these days.  Now let's go see what other people are enjoying in their neck of the woods!  Here's the link!

My "Wild" Life in Review - Friday Foto Friends UPDATED

 Here it is late Friday afternoon, and I still don't have any new pictures to share with you for this week that you haven't already seen.  It's been too hot to go out and do much outside so we've been keeping cool inside and really not doing much of anything that we don't absolutely have to do! So, that being said, I've got nothing new to share with you. So I thought I might go back and find an old post that you might enjoy seeing again...or perhaps you haven't seen it at all before! 

This post was originally written  back in October of 2016, while we were still living in our house in the woods.  We left there exactly two years ago to move to our current home on Still Waters Pond, where life is a bit "quieter" and not quite as "wild" as before.

So here is the original post from October 2016..."My Wild Life in Review".... I hope you will enjoy this again!

"Ever since we moved to the Ocala National Forest almost five years ago, we have encountered many kinds of wildlife...oftentimes right here in our own front yard...and sometimes as we travel around the area "in search of" anything worthy of our notice...and to feed my "photography bug".   A few years ago my dear brother gave me a digital camera because I was the last one in the universe to still be using a film camera, and he happened to have an old Kodak EasyShare Z650 with a neat little attached zoom lens sitting in his cabinet, (he worked for Kodak) and when he gave that to me it opened up a whole new world!

So, for my Friday Foto Friends, here is a little bit of my "wild life" from just this past week.

We'll start out with our resident "Little Bear", who has been walking through our yard frequently over the past couple of months.  He started out looking much more scraggly and skinny than these pictures taken this afternoon. It appears that he is starting to fatten up as he prepares for winter.  Little Bear is probably just a year or two old, and apparently is an "orphan" bear, out on his own.  Our yard connects to the forest, and we discovered very soon after moving here that the bears claimed our yard as a part of their trail to the woods.  Click HERE for a previous post about our bears.

 I love how Little Bear stopped and posed for us before leaving the yard.  This picture makes him look a lot larger than he is, but it is definitely the same "Little Bear" as above.  He stopped and sniffed the air for a minute or two...trying to figure out where the noise was coming from...(we were INSIDE the house taking these pictures, I can assure you)

 Bye Bye Little Bear!

We also have a wildlife "night camera" that takes pictures of animals walking through our yard at night.  This is a bobcat prowling around.  We often also get pictures of coyotes, foxes, raccoons, deer, and of course, the bears...

If you've kept up with any previous posts recently, you've already seen my deer...but here they were one evening this week...the fawns have really grown up and no longer have any spots.  I've enjoyed watching their antics this past summer.  I pray they and their mother all make it through hunting season, which will be starting soon....(sorry to add a sad thought in the midst of this, but that is the reality of life in the big woods)

Now, this next batch of pictures I must admit was not taken in our yard or neighborhood.  However, we were invited to go play golf (that's another story that I'll explain later) with some friends yesterday, and the golf course proved to be a nature wonderland for me with my camera. (I don't play golf...so guess what I did?)  

Here is a critter that I have been trying to capture on camera for a long time.  This is a Fox Squirrel. (Click HERE for more info on this )  They live in the pine and oak woodlands around the forest, but are rapidly becoming almost extinct because of so much development.  I've seen some along the road near where we live, but by the time we can stop the car and get the camera focused, they are long gone. So you can imagine my joy and excitement as not one, but several fox squirrels showed up to watch us play!  Apparently people feed them and so they don't seem to be too afraid to come near.

When he ran up the tree he spread out on the limb like this and pretended we couldn't see him...

They were so much fun to watch...my friends had to keep reminding me that we had to keep moving on to the next hole on the fairway...

I did actually try to putt when we got to each hole, but I didn't attempt any long shots. We would have spent too much time trying to find the golf balls...

Here's the rest of our group. They were the serious golfers...

I was just along for the ride, and after a while my friend even trusted me to drive the golf cart, which was another first for me:

Well, back to the "Wild Life"....when we got to the 14th hole, (yes, I can't believe we actually played 18 holes...), there was some other interesting "wild life" to keep me entertained while the rest of them tried to hit the golf balls:

Out of the woods came this whole flock of wild turkeys:

 This one was looking at me with a rather disgusted look...and I think someone must have told her that Thanksgiving is coming in a few weeks...

So on that note, I will end this wild tale...and remind us that we ought always to be thankful!  I am very thankful for our home, for the wonderful creatures God has created and that we are privileged to enjoy, and also for good friends and family who brighten our lives and encourage us to step out on the "wild side" and try something new...

In the book of Philippians, chapter 4 verses 4-7, we are given the "secret of the peace of God" (according to the heading in my Bible)

"Rejoice in the Lord always.

Again I will say, rejoice!

Let your gentleness be known to all men.

The Lord is at hand.

Be anxious for nothing,

but in everything by prayer and supplication, 

with Thanksgiving,

let your requests be made known to God;

and the peace of God,

which surpasses all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and minds

through Christ Jesus."

Friday Foto Friends ~ A Walk on the Wild Side

Greetings Friends! It's Friday already! I think I am glad for this week to come to an end. Had to get out and take a walk and enjoy some fresh air and listen to the birdies sing!

“For you shall go out with joy,

And be led out with peace;

The mountains and the hills

Shall break forth into singing before you,

And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."

Isaiah 55:12

The trees in the woods were full of Tufted Titmice and Chickadees and Woodpeckers. I could hear them before I could see them. It was as if they were sending the message all over the woods: 

"An intruder is coming near...pass the word!"

Two Tufted Titmice in the tree above.

A Downy Woodpecker looks like he is caught in a cage, but he flew quickly away before I could get another picture.

The Red Bellied Woodpecker was finding something good inside that pinecone!

There was a lot of commotion down the street with these big old ugly buzzards flying all over the place:

They really did not like me invading their space because they were all in hot competition for the remains of an unfortunate deer that had apparently been hit by a car and was laying in the bushes:

(no picture of that...trying to keep this clean)

The buzzards were all over the trees surrounding me as I walked through, impatiently waiting for me to get on by so they could get back to their dinner.

I felt like I was in the movie set for "The Birds"...not a pleasant thought, so I hurried on back to join my hubby on our walk. Never did like that movie.

But I still enjoyed my walk and seeing some real bird activity for a change.  I haven't been taking as many walks as usual because of the holidays and the cold weather, and just being too busy (or lazy). Now I need to get back in the routine and keep my body moving! 

Speaking of wildlife and holidays, my son and his sweet wife, who comprise the company of 

Ben & Rose's Country Woodshop, were busily creating some special gifts for us this Christmas.  I've been asking for some extra shelving and/or towel bars/hooks for our bathrooms, and so they heeded the call and livened up my bathroom with some "wildlife":

If you've known me very long, you know that bears have played a big part in my "former life" before moving here where it is a little more civilized than our last home in the middle of the national forest. I do miss seeing our bears so frequently, so the kids thought they'd add a little reminder to my bathroom decor where I will see them every day!  I love it! 

 (I already had that towel...just needed a place to hang it!)

In case you didn't know me back then, here's just a little sampling of some of the wildlife that we had in  our front yard at our former home. Bears were frequent visitors during the night and sometimes during the day...and the deer were always frolicking around:

This bear wanted to know why we had our house up for sale:

The deer were always congregating in our yard and road:

I do miss these beautiful animals, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do...and we are very happy where we are living now.

Likewise, they made another little towel bar/shelf  so I'd have a place to hang other guest/hand towels and also a place to put some things... No, I didn't take that framed photograph. It was a gift last year from a friend. I love it as it is typical of our surroundings where we live now.

And they didn't forget hubby's bathroom. He also got a new towel bar and some hooks:

His weren't as "wild" as mine, but they are functional and that is all that mattered to him.

Yes, we have that same "wallpaper" in all of our bathrooms. It came with the house and it would be rather costly to cover or replace, so we live with it. It's a bit busy, but it kind of grows on you after a while. LOL.

So there you have it...a little taste of "walking on the wild side" for this week.  Sure beats what's going on in the news, which we won't discuss. I nearly had a meltdown last night when I listened to what people in the media are saying, so we are not watching the news and probably won't for the next four years. I may just retreat back into the woods for a while...

10. “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,

And do not return there,

But water the earth,

And make it bring forth and bud,

That it may give seed to the sower

And bread to the eater,

11.  So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void,

But it shall accomplish what I please,

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:10-11

So be it, Lord. Accomplish Your will through the sharing of Your Word...

that is where I want to be...

Have a lovely weekend, my friends. Might be a good time to get outside and enjoy God's beautiful world around us and stay away from the news for a while!