When we first moved here, I thought wildlife surprises were turning around to find a black snake where my foot would go. And that is a surprise.
Another such encounter was reaching into a hen nest and grabbing a black snake. I don’t know which of us had the biggest heart attack.
Chills still come up my back when I remember walking in the woods and looking down on my jeans to find them crawling with ticks. At least the snakes want as little to do with me as possible and vanish quickly. Ticks must be removed as they don’t want to leave.
Perhaps I’m giving the wrong impression. Although there are unpleasant wildlife surprises, there are more pleasant ones.
A group of tom turkeys spent months walking around in the pastures eating grass seeds and insects. An eight point buck stood in the back of the yard one morning. Baby grey foxes played in the back yard one year.
Every year brings a new set of wildlife surprises. Some seem routine as coming across box turtles while walking in the hills. Others are treats as when the bald eagles visit the valley or turkey vultures roost in a tree across from the house.
The latest surprise is an albino squirrel. It came hunting black walnuts in the back yard one afternoon. I’m glad I got a picture as it hasn’t been back since.
Each day brings something different, something special. Cold, frosty mornings put icy lace around leaves while freezing fingers and toes. Sunrises are never the same, but that first light sparkles on the icy coatings on tree branches.
Who knows what today will bring. All it takes is going for a walk, looking around outside or out the windows to see both special sights and maybe wildlife surprises.
