{Wild Kingdom...in my Backyard}

Here's a little bit of what we've been experiencing lately...and loving it.

We have about an acre and a half of property, with 150 acres of woods behind us. It's private, very country, and yet still somehow close to everything. You know what they say...location, location, location! But enough about that.

The best part is that it feels like Wild Kingdom! :)

We see 3 different coyotes at least a couple of times a week. Two are usually together, and then one that seems to travel alone.

This one is the loner and seems comfortable with us watching him/her. He just seems to enjoy snacking on walnuts and watching us watch him. We named it Wile E. :) The 2 that hang together are very skittish though, and I've yet to get a pic of them together.

There are tons of deer coming through the yard day and night, but we have a few regulars that we recognize. The sneaky ones:

 And 2 does...one with twins, and one with an only. Haven't been able to get a pic of the twins, but the 'only' has been left in our yard more than once while mom goes off to feed. Isn't she beautiful?

Then there are the sneaky squirrels, who we kid about but actually don't mind them stealing the birdseed. They are too fun to watch to care!

 One of the coolest things we've found in the yard was a big surprise and wonderful...if only for a few hours.

I stumbled upon a turtle nest while walking our dogs. Many eggs were crushed and mangled, so I assumed something had eaten them. Then I saw an eye, peeking out of a shell, just beginning life.

 He was the last and final egg, completely untouched I guess, and I happened to find the nest as he was pushing his way out! I spent the afternoon checking on him every 30-45 minutes, taking pics and video like crazy. It was pretty amazing! I nearly went to the school to bring my daughter home to witness the whole thing!

Unfortunately, he worked so hard to get out, and even made it completely out of the nest and facing the woods...but then went to the happy turtle grounds in the sky. :( I was so bummed! We're still researching to try to figure out what kind of turtle he was, if he needed mom, etc.

 My daughter made a burial place for him, and named him "Sam". (It seemed like a good unisex name.)

And then there are all the miscellaneous cool critters we see...HUGE, interesting insects like cowkillers , cicada killers , and this luna moth:

Little snakes and tiny cabbage loopers...

I saw a baby skunk one night as I was about to take the dogs for a walk. Of course we steered clear, but can we just say CUTE!! So small and waddling all over. I'm just glad we didn't run into Momma skunk.

I love living in the country! We are huge lovers of nature, and the surprise of what we might see outside every day is such a neat thing to experience.  I'm never sure what I might find or see on any given day, so the camera is always at the ready.

Ahhhh....country livin'....sitting on the deck eating dinner, waiting to see what will come out next.

If you want to join us for dinner, be sure to bring your camera!

Thanks for dropping by,