Abuzz With Wildlife

Behind our house is a field that leads to the West Fork of the Trinity River about a mile or so away. It's a serene scene with lots of grass, some trees, and an old barn in the woods. And it's filled with all sorts of wildlife.

We regularly see mockingbirds, robins, and cardinals. Hummingbirds visit our feeder daily. We've begun affectionately calling them "hummies". I awoke one morning last month to find a large hawk sitting on the back fence scouting for its breakfast in the field—it was awesome! I've seen others flying high overhead in the mornings and evenings. And occasionally, white heron-like birds can be seen in the direction of the water. So, we've got plenty of winged creatures flying about.

Of course there are snakes and spiders. Lots of spiders. I've caught a few rats or mice that have stumbled into the garage. I even caught two on the same mouse trap once! And then there are some unseen things that make the grass move whenever we walk near to the fence. That's always fun to guess what it could be.

I've seen a wolf or coyote trotting far out in the field and my neighbor's seen the reflection of light in its eyes in the woods late at night. Maybe that's why I don't see a lot of cats running around out here. (Hey, doesn't Pepper want to come out and play?) That's about it for large wildlife.

Rounding out our collection of outdoor critters are butterflies, dragonflies, frogs, crickets, lightning bugs, wasps, and yellow jackets. And tonight we added one more natural neighbor to the list. It was a real treat when Jodie recognized an owl's hoot that could faintly be heard in the breeze. It was a soft, pleasant sound.

Much better than the constant buzzing of all these mosquitos.