Wildlife Experiences

Nancy . One spring evening, my husband and I were watching the news on television and heard some strange noises coming from the fireplace.  There was no fire in the fireplace.  Upon inspection, my husband determined that something seemed to be in the chimney.  He took a flashlight and went up on the roof of the house to peer into the chimney.  There he could see a Wood Duck . most likely looking for a place to nest.  (Wood Ducks like chimneys in which to build a nest for their young.)  We did not wish to have the duck nest there so we placed a pan of water on the fireplace floor hoping it would attract her down and closed the glass doors on the front of the fireplace.  Then we went to bed.

The next morning when I looked at the glass doors to see if we had attracted the duck, it was hard to see inside.  A coating of wet ash was all over the doors as if someone had "painted" the wet ash on them.  But upon further inspection, I could see the duck on the floor of the fireplace.  She had evidently walked in and splashed the water on her wings and then stirred up the ashes.

We summoned our son to help us.  He and my husband donned leather gloves.  We then opened the patio door to the outside in preparation for the release of the duck.  Carefully, my husband opened the glass fireplace doors and our son reached in and caught the duck.  He then carried her to the deck outside the room and let her go.  She immediately flew to the north and then circled and came back across the yard flying to the south.  We hoped that she found a satisfactory nesting site somewhere else.

Mabel . Once, on a walk down near the creek, our dog startled a fawn out of hiding.  The old mother deer made the loudest sound and went for the dog.  The dog ran to me.  I thought the doe was going to take me.  I don't know who was the most frightened - the dog, the fawn, the doe, or me!  Nothing happened - we just all got out of there as fast as possible.

Carissa .  We have a spring in the north pasture that supplies water to our cattle, even during a hot, rainless summer.  I walked the half-mile north of the road, over rolling hills to check both the lower and upper pools.  While sloshing about in ankle-deep water, I was startled by a snake - or maybe the snake was startled by me. 

It wasn't too concerned by my presence, though.  I jumped back, thinking it was going to strike.  However, a frog was the object of the snake's attention.  Uncoiling, the snake grabbed the frog across its middle.  I figured I would return to the spring another day!

Nancy . We have a patio door that leads to our deck from the family room.  While watching television in the evening, it is not unusual for us to look up and see a pair of eyes looking in at us.  It is usually a raccoon peering into the room while searching for food and water.  Raccoons like cat food and are often in need of water . especially during a hot and dry summer.  Occasionally, we will hear a raccoon walking around on our roof at night.

Mabel . When I was young, we had a raccoon as a pet.  One day, I heard my Mother yelling.  She had just hung out the clothes on the line when our pet raccoon came along the clothesline pulling off the clothespins and letting everything fall on the ground.

Nancy . I have often gone out my backdoor in the evening to put the car in the garage and found a possum on the steps having a supper of cat food.

Mabel .  I have seen baby bobcats playing and rolling in the dirt just like over-sized kittens.