Local Wildlife

These are two deer that we saw as we turned the corner towards my boyfriend's house. They may have been the same two which were playfully cavorting near the fence to his property about a week ago. They seem pretty relaxed; only getting skittish when you get within 10 feet of them.

I feel as if I am surrounded by wildlife. I've seen more than I ever remember seeing anyplace else I've lived. For example, I've seen:

• A great blue heron, that sits silently on a small island in a nearby pond;
• A wild turkey, trotting calmly down the dirt road near the reservoir;
• A beaver which almost got itself killed walking across the main road near the bay;
• A very large bird which I believe was a turkey buzzard, nearly blotting out the sun above with its great wingspan;
• A curmudgeonly raccoon that looks at us with disdain and waves his paw when we yell for it to get out of the garden;
• A family of woodchucks grazing on the lawn down the street;
• A mallard which appears near the birdfeeder behind my apartment every spring and patiently waits; in the morning for his female partner to come out of our pool;
• Several bunnies who reside near my apartment (one in the bushes directly outside; it's primary purpose seems to be perplexing my dog).

And there are more - the squirrels and chipmunks that zip across the apartment sidewalks, the hundreds of Canada geese I see daily (in the bay, in the fields - you name it), the toads on the doorstep, the hawks overhead, always circling...

I'm always happier when I see them alive (and not left on the side the road, hapless victims of a brush with modern technology.) And I'm glad they allow me to share their space with them.