backyard wildlife

so if you happen to be an interested reader of this site, take a look along the right side at the backyard wildlife. it'll change from time to time as i catch a good pic of some interesting critter here in the yard. it's a common enough occurence. just this morning, a redtail hawk with a 40" wigspan (est) slammed his face into the front window. left a streak of spit. flew away instantly. crazy. he had just missed a young squirrel who looked to die of a heart attack. there are a dozen insolent, indolent squirrels in the yard, and i don't begrudge such a magnificent bird a furry meal.

there's a pair of cooper's hawks that call this end of the street home, which can be rough on songbirds. still, there are jays and cardinals, orioles and juncoes, grackels and crows and house sparrows. there are resident wrens, so bold as to nest by the front door. one cold winter night i saw an owl on a limb over the driveway.

there's a herd of deer that come by here from time to time. ones and twos this time of year, threes and fives in the spring and summer. i haven't seen the big 12 pt buck since the developers clear cut the 40 acres of woods that used to abut our yard, but the does can still be seen almost daily.

so when the yappy little dog (puppy e) points out a new invader in the night-time yard, we're not surprised to see a young opposum hoping that we're not interested in making a meal of him, as he's really got no outs. he was good enough to sit quite still while i snapped a dozen shots of him trying to get a decent one. and there it is, the latest backyard wildlife.