If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know that from time to time I have posted pictures of some of the wildlife in my yard. We live on a marsh, and it is simply gorgeous every day - the trees, the wildflowers, the wildlife — something is always flying over, or walking through, or crawling by. Certainly, at this time of the year, we have many little fledglings learning to be adult birds, AND we have baby ducks! This little family has survived natural predators and everyone is thriving. They literally grow by inches each day! I don’t always see them during the day, but as I work in the kitchen at my bay window, I keep an eye out for them, and today, they and Mama arrived - a bit later than usual, but they are here! I rushed to get my camera to snap a picture for all to see! They have nested down the bank, but not so close to the water’s edge that the eggs or very young ducklings could have been taken by snapping turtles.
My personal feeling is that Nature balances and provides, and it is only when Man intervenes that things are thrown off balance. I believe that we must live in concert WITH Nature, rather than flying in her face. We have large hawks which come to catch the occasional slow moving dove in the yard. We have harriers which nest close by and provide for their young. That is the way that it is.
Because I believe that I live in the environment of the wild things, and because the homes are built on the edge of this setting, I try to provide for the vanishing food supply for my neighbors. I feed vast numbers of birds - cardinals, nuthatches, titmice, blue jays, robins, thrushes, red-wing blackbirds, goldfinches, purple finches, hummingbirds, and even grackles! Oh, the crows swing by during the day as well. And every spring, I have ducklings. And, every summer, I have baby raccoons. I have a steady population of raccoons and possums who come to feed at night. I have never been bitten, scratched, hissed at, or anything else. I think they instinctively can recognize my intentions, and the raccoons love to sit on the windowsill at night, or in the late afternoon, and watch me sculpt and paint. They put their paws against my hand through the glass, and they wait for their evening meal - dog food, sunflower seeds, and they love watermelon rinds! Then, of course, I have many squirrels during the day, and their babies come as well as they learn about their little world. The squirrels will knock on the window if all of their seeds are gone, and they frequently sit and watch me as well.
Enjoy this small peek into my vibrant backyard. Oh, we even have gray foxes occasionally, and muskrats from the river. We are alive, and well, and content here on the marsh in Virginia Beach……
Just look at him now!…. well, almost now. This was taken nearly two years ago at a wedding reception for a close family friend. Matthew is a BIT taller than I am! Is he not a darlin’?!
