Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road

Our Busy Neighborhood

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Mike Dunn Avatar
Mike Dunn

A good neighbor is a very desirable thing.

~Thomas Jefferson

While we were in Montana for a couple of weeks last month, our wild neighbors were quite active. The trail cameras recorded lots of interesting snippets of what happens in our woods that we would otherwise not see. Here are a few of the highlights…(enlarge to full screen for best viewing).

–The local deer have been doing that thing (the rut) for the past month. It usually peaks in November in this area. There were many videos of bucks trailing or downright chasing does these past few weeks. Here’s a sample (I slowed this down so you can see the deer more clearly)

–This buck tried a different strategy…maybe the girls like a sharp dresser…it appears as though he is wearing a pawpaw cape to try to impress the ladies.

–This big boy may have been checking to make sure he was looking his best before heading out on a chase

–When the females finally get a chance to rest, they can watch the happenings in the neighborhood…here a foraging raccoon passes by a resting doe.

–Looks like I’m not the only one that gained a few over the Thanksgiving holiday…this very large opossum may soon need to move up a size in fur coats

–After a recent rain, the wet weather creek on our property had a little flow in it and created this nice pool near a log jam. The neighborhood crow family took advantage.

–The predators were out in force during our absence. Here, a Red-tailed Hawk catches something and gulps it. I slowed the playback…can you tell what it caught?

–A Barred Owl makes a rare on-screen appearance as it catches a small snake in daylight.

–A dainty Gray Fox trots along the then dry creek bed. In October, the cameras caught a limping fox…if the same one, it has healed nicely it seems.

–A beautiful Bobcat saunters along the creek bottom. Look at those spots!

It always amazes me what goes on in our woods that we never personally witness, but that happens day and night, often within sight of the house. Though the Montana move will give us a whole new suite of nearby wild residents, I am going to miss these regulars in our nature neighborhood.

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Comments

4 responses to “Our Busy Neighborhood”

  1. John Byron Wheatley Avatar
    John Byron Wheatley

    Enjoy the West. I will definitely miss your posts on the Eastern woodlands we share.

    Reply
  2. roadsendnaturalist Avatar
    roadsendnaturalist

    Thanks, John. There will be more for the next few months and then i will continue writing about what we discover in our travels.

    Reply
  3. Ann Avatar
    Ann

    We will miss you so much in NC! Please continue your blog, as we will always open them first thing when they arrive.
    Montana will be a great adventure, please keep the blogs coming, and maybe you’ll offer outings there for some of us in NC who will be eager to attend!

    Reply
    1. roadsendnaturalist Avatar
      roadsendnaturalist

      Thanks, Ann. Of course, we will miss so much about NC, but the pull of Yellowstone is a strong one for both of us, so the new adventure should be promising. And I intend to continue the blog:)

      Reply

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Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road

Copyright Mike Dunn and Melissa Dowland