We live on a 1,000-foot mountain that is part of the Catoctin Mountain range in Maryland. This is a several-years-out-of-date aerial view of our house (in the center of the photo) and surrounding area....
Because of this we get all sorts of animals roaming through our 2.5 acres. We saw a coyote once and a very large white owl twice, but, unfortunately, never got a picture of either. As you will see, although we live in suburbia (we are not out in the country by any means), we are a crossroads for the animal kingdom. I will warn you in advance--you will see several snakes. I will put them at the end and give you advance warning in case you want to stop viewing before you get there!
I'll start with our feathered friends. The colorful male Cardinal is my favorite, especially when seen in the snow....
...but he's gorgeous anytime of the year...
His mate built her nest in our Arbor last year....
We also have other lovely birds visit our yard like this Tufted Titmouse....
White-throated sparrow....
Blue-Jay....
Crows...
Wild turkeys....
I don't know what this is. Could it be a young turkey....
See the red on that tree trunk? It's the head of a Pileated Woodpecker....
This Robin was not hurt. I think she was trying to lure a predator away from her nest....
But this bird, unfortunately, flew into our front window. We called the animal rescue agency. They came to collect it, but I always wondered if they bothered trying to save it....
We've also had domestic feathered friends visit. These are our neighbor's chickens peering into our basement....
...at Poetry, our cat....
The most interesting bird was this hawk....
I saw a hawk a year later and "captured" it in flight. Magnificent....
We have an abundance of furry animals like rabbits eating my weeds, which I don't mind....
....and squirrels eating my strawberries, which I do mind....
....and the birds' seed....
We also have black squirrels....
There are plenty of nuisance furry animals like moles and this ground hog....
I saw this fox twice, but only barely got this photo. It's the blur of brownish orange at the top of the photo...,
This furry animal was quite a sight to behold, but we did not want repeat visits, so we keep our garbage can in the garage now....
We always have deer coming through. I love it when the fawns are born. We'll often see them frolicking in our open area. We have to be careful coming up our driveway too fast....
We'll see as many as a dozen following each other through our woods....
....or drinking from my little pond in the front yard....
Once we saw a deer resting in my flower bed. When I went outside to investigate she got up hobbled away holding one rear foot off the ground. I thought it odd she would come so close to the house into an area my dog frequents....
The following aren't exactly wild animals. Our neighbor has a Llama and sheep....
....and a horse that got loose and ended up in our woods (does that count as "wild"?)....
We have our share of insects, of course, like this spider....
Snails....
Wooly caterpillars....
Strange looking caterpillars....
photo credit: Ken
Praying Mantis....
photo credit: Ken
Ladybugs....
photo credit: Ken
Bees....
....and butterflies....
...and this huge Cecropia Moth that is holding Poetry's attention....
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Last but not least are the reptiles (fair warning)....but the non-threatening ones first. This is a box turtle that our dog, Gabriel, was too interested in so we had to carry him off to the woods--twice....
I found this toad under a potted plant....
We always have bullfrogs in our little pond....
This black snake found his way into this birdhouse. They are harmless to us, but not the poor bird's eggs....
This Garter snake, which is only slightly venomous, helps keep down the mice....
This Copperhead, however, is dangerous. This one is in the driveway, but we've had them on our front steps....
I steer clear away from ALL snakes....all will bite if cornered, so if I see Gabriel peering intently into the bushes I investigate immediately. It's the price one must pay to enjoy the other wildlife--we've learned to live with all God's creatures great and small, tame and wild, safe and dangerous.
You have a good eye for capturing all that wildlife on camera. Wonderful photos. I appreciated your "warning" towards the end. Snakes are my greatest fear and I need to understand they don't usually attack unless threatened.
Yes, they will slither off in the opposite direction if they can. You usually don't know they're there. When I startle one while gardening and it makes its presence known, the scream I emit usually elicits my husband to come running with the hoe to see if it's a Copperhead or not. That's the only snake we dispatch.
I made a comment earlier and somehow I guess it went into outspace. Lovely wild kingdom you have there. Your photography and videos are great. I especially like the hawk video. We have a redtail hawk pair that flys to the large oaks in our back yard. They are beautiful,but very deadly hunters.The parent is now trying to get his "child" to leave his territory and find his own. I love all creatures great and small, but am not too fond of snakes. ♥
I'm not positive about the hawk in the video, but I'm pretty sure the one you captured in flight is a red tailed hawk. Great photo,by the way! The hawk in the video appears to be a juvenile. ♥
Beautiful photographs! We have quite a few of the same creatures in our world. I'm in Baltimore County and found those 'strange caterpillars' here last summer - saddleback caterpillars - and found that they can be quite dangerous. I don't remember ever seeing them before but I'll be looking for them in the future - and making sure I have my garden gloves on!
Hey Cathy. SNAKES on the front steps? Wow, I'm not sure I'd stick around long enough to experience all the rest of the natural beauty in that area. But boy - and I know I've said it before - WHAT A SPOT you live in! Just beautiful - it looks as though you're in the middle of a large conservancy-type park. And you certainly excel at video - yours are among the cleanest and clearest I've ever seen by amateurs on the Web. I could watch birds for hours - and I love the naturals sounds too. All I know about the Catoctins is that Camp David is there - are you anywhere close to that? Wet, rainy, dreary-dull here in upstate New York. But better than snow - don't have to shovel it or scrape it off cars! Have a great day.
Hi Janet, We're 13 miles as the crow flies from Camp David. After 9/11 we had to listen to nightly military jets flying constantly overhead as part of the tightened security in the area. It only added to the ominous feeling of the time. Our 3 neighbors to the east and north of us have a combined acreage of about 40 acres. It's all been put into a Land Conservancy to protect it from future development. It's wet and dreary looking here today, too.
You have a good eye for capturing all that wildlife on camera. Wonderful photos. I appreciated your "warning" towards the end. Snakes are my greatest fear and I need to understand they don't usually attack unless threatened.
ReplyDeleteYes, they will slither off in the opposite direction if they can. You usually don't know they're there. When I startle one while gardening and it makes its presence known, the scream I emit usually elicits my husband to come running with the hoe to see if it's a Copperhead or not. That's the only snake we dispatch.
DeleteI made a comment earlier and somehow I guess it went into outspace. Lovely wild kingdom you have there. Your photography and videos are great. I especially like the hawk video. We have a redtail hawk pair that flys to the large oaks in our back yard. They are beautiful,but very deadly hunters.The parent is now trying to get his "child" to leave his territory and find his own. I love all creatures great and small, but am not too fond of snakes. ♥
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you tried again. I have not seen your first comment! So, do you think our hawk is a Red-Tail? I wasn't sure.
DeleteI'm not positive about the hawk in the video, but I'm pretty sure the one you captured in flight is a red tailed hawk. Great photo,by the way! The hawk in the video appears to be a juvenile. ♥
ReplyDeleteThanks Martha Ellen. Since the one in flight was taken a year later maybe it was the one in the video grown up now!?
DeleteBeautiful photographs! We have quite a few of the same creatures in our world. I'm in Baltimore County and found those 'strange caterpillars' here last summer - saddleback caterpillars - and found that they can be quite dangerous. I don't remember ever seeing them before but I'll be looking for them in the future - and making sure I have my garden gloves on!
DeleteThat's good to know Elaine about that caterpillar. I'm going to add that to my post so others will be forewarned.
DeleteThanks for visiting my blog, Cathy. Your words were very kind and gracious. I appreciate them very much.
DeleteHey Cathy. SNAKES on the front steps? Wow, I'm not sure I'd stick around long enough to experience all the rest of the natural beauty in that area. But boy - and I know I've said it before - WHAT A SPOT you live in! Just beautiful - it looks as though you're in the middle of a large conservancy-type park. And you certainly excel at video - yours are among the cleanest and clearest I've ever seen by amateurs on the Web. I could watch birds for hours - and I love the naturals sounds too. All I know about the Catoctins is that Camp David is there - are you anywhere close to that? Wet, rainy, dreary-dull here in upstate New York. But better than snow - don't have to shovel it or scrape it off cars! Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteHi Janet, We're 13 miles as the crow flies from Camp David. After 9/11 we had to listen to nightly military jets flying constantly overhead as part of the tightened security in the area. It only added to the ominous feeling of the time. Our 3 neighbors to the east and north of us have a combined acreage of about 40 acres. It's all been put into a Land Conservancy to protect it from future development. It's wet and dreary looking here today, too.
Delete