Wildlife on the farm #1

      We were blessed with a variety of wildlife on the farm. This first pic is a young deer nursing from its mother. It seems nearly as big as its mom. The deer were always wonderful to watch. It was interesting to me that I could approach them and get very close to them as long as I did not make eye contact. That would spook them and they would be gone in a flash. There were times when I was pushing a lawnmower that they would come up right behind me and watch me or just feed on something. They loved eating the spring starts on my day lilies.

      These deer were feeding in our orchard. They were like a vacuum cleaner for fruit that fell from the trees. In this pic they are under the crab apple trees.

      This hen turkey was right off the back deck. She felt perfectly safe being so close because we never bothered them in the yard. Some years the hens would hatch their eggs and have a big clutch that all survived and every day as we sat in the front porch (perhaps having a beer) the hens would parade by with their young brood following tight behind them. They would only be 8-10 feet away, proudly showing us their chicks.

      This heinous critter is a coyote; we rarely saw them out during the daytime. Good thing I had my camera with me. On the north side of the house there was a coyote highway that allowed them to travel for miles at a time with good cover. I don't know where it started or where it ended, but late nights I would here them from far away and could tell when they got close all the dogs nearby at the other farms would start barking as the coyotes got close. As they passed the house the howls became a din of noise. It sounded like they were enjoying their run. It gave us the creeps, and the dog would trot off to the barn and hide.

      
Copyright Bill Weber 2018 and beyond.