In My Own Back Yard - Coyote at Work

I didn't see him...but I heard the tale and saw the evidence.  The remains were gruesome, laying there in the middle of the lawn between the decrepid deck and our trampoline (a very popular spot for the rabbits to come and graze).  The body was torn apart, exposed....face half torn off (as my son put it)...bits of hair here and there.
Poor Joey - that was the name I had given him.  I asked that he be disposed of before our dog Marley went out...or she'd take care of him herself.
"Take a shovel and throw him over the edge," I said, matter-of-fact (this is the country, and these things happen after-all)..."I don't want Marley getting into that!"
How did it happen?  Where did he come from?
He was quiet, stealth...it was a surprise attack....the witness said he'd never seen anything like that before.
"He jumped out of the bushes and in two leaps he grabbed the poor thing and shook him so violently!"  Then is was over.
But he must have gotten spooked because he looked up and bolted down the hill towards the road...not realizing he was being watched from the living room window.  The stealthy grey one with piercingly wild eyes was gone as quickly as he had appeared.  .
"And you're sure it was a coyote, not a fox?" I asked.
"Oh no, it was DEFINITELY a coyote!  You should have seen it!  WOW!  I've never seen THAT before!"

No, although we had never seen a coyote attack its prey in our backyard, it wasn't the first time one was so close to the house....just another day at Ridgeview, with Nature working exactly as it should.  As sad as it was to see another dead rabbit (one had been hit by a car by the driveway earlier that day), and as disturbing as it was to have a coyote capture its prey so close to the house, it's all part of the life cycle, and part of living life IN Nature by conservation and farm property...and no surprise - the town issues coyote warnings every year.

As humans, I think that we forget how great and powerful Nature is, and that we're just a SPECK amongst its existence.  We have to respect that it has its own laws, which far transcend anything that us humans like to make up as "law".  Nature doesn't care - it just IS - and exists with or without us.

I for one am grateful to be OF Nature and IN Nature, to bear witness to Nature's power and glory - be it torrential thunderstorms, glorious sunrises and sunsets, visits from dragonflies and butterflies or any of the many species of wildlife in my own back yard....even COYOTES :)

(Photo from:  http://www.theifp.ca/news/town-reminds-residents-to-beware-of-coyotes/)

PREVENTING AND MANAGING COYOTE ENCOUNTERS:
Coyotes are well-adapted well to both urban and rural environments.
If you encounter a coyote, keep your distance and do not approach it.
Do not turn your back and run from a wild animal - remain calm and back away; stand tall, wave your arms and make noise.

Coyotes are most active at dawn and dusk and during the night...carry a flashlight at night and keep your property well lit (I know I will be installing more lights around the house this summer).

Install fencing around your yard (not practical on 5 acres of property, but I can make the yard less appealing to coyotes with other measures such as lighting and keeping the yard clean).

Coyotes will come in your yard looking for food, particularly rabbits and rodents. They are also opportunistic feeders, so keep your trash secure inside the garage or other structure where its enclosed and inaccessible.

Don't leave pets unattended, especially at night.
Clean up after your dog - coyotes are attracted to dog feces.
Spay and neuter your dog - coyotes are attracted to and can mate with domestic dogs.

Teach your children basic safety regarding wild animals (and even domestic ones for that matter).
Don't leave small children and babies unattended in your yard - there have been reports of coyotes dragging children off into the woods.

Most of all, use common sense when it comes to living with and IN Nature.  Remember, animals was here before us, and they have just learned to adapt to us encroaching on their habitat - we should respect that and appreciate the full beauty of what Nature is.  In so doing, we could learn to adapt to wildlife living around us, and create a harmonious environment for all of us.


For more information on living with coyotes, see the following links:
http://www.discover-southern-ontario.com/coyotes.html
http://www.theifp.ca/news/town-reminds-residents-to-beware-of-coyotes/
https://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/preventing-and-managing-conflicts-coyotes-wolves-and-foxes

Weekend of Thankfullness

It's that time of year again - Fall, Thanksgiving, bright colors.  As much as I love my fall views at Ridgeview, nothing compares to the rich brightness of the fall colors in areas a bit further north and in Quebec, where frost sets in a little earlier than Southern Ontario.  This Thanksgiving weekend was no exception...

I always look forward to the Thanksgiving weekend trip to Quebec to see my family - somehow everything seems better at home (good food, family, sun, bright colors - what more could you want!).  Saturday's trip did NOT disappoint!  It started off in the darkness of the morning, when the stars still lit up the sky as I packed the FJ.  Then, as I moved east of Toronto, I watched the sky as it turned golden at dusk, until the sun finally made its appearance - WOW!  what a sight!  My body buzzed, my smile grew, and my heart filled with gratitude...and I thought about all the things I was grateful for that day.

Oh, but it didn't end with the sunrise...the further I moved east, the brighter the colors got - yellows, oranges, reds, mixed with a dash of green... I lost count of the number of times I said WOW! on the trip!  I finally rounded the bend before my parents road, and pointed to the hill and said "Hey kids, look!  The leaves are so bright that the forest looks like it's on fire!"
















The weekend sure showed me a lot to be thankful for...it gave me a chance to reconnect with Nature for a few hours - to play, to get down in the leaves and enjoy the beauty of Fall (even had the dogs and a squirrel join me :)) <3  I'm always thankful for that chance - not only at Thanksgiving, but all year long <3 <3 <3

 

























Thankful for the tranquil moments, and time spent with family and good mom-prepared food (especially the pies!), the weekend ended with the opportunity to watch the sunset, in the exact spot where I watched the sunrise two days earlier.  And what a view it presented :) 

What are you thankful for?

Bugs 3

I have a new-found appreciation for bugs…not that I’ve come to like them, rather I appreciate them a whole lot more than I used to, and have become fascinated with them – their looks, their purpose, why they all seem to appear at Ridgeview…they truly are fascinating.  

Spider on a broad-leafed weed...if anyone can tell me what it is, please do.

Lappet Moth - July 12, 2013

Tent Catepillar Moth - July 15, 2013

Underside of Tent Catepillar Moth

In the last week or so, I’ve been paying attention to moths in particular.  These interesting creatures often fly around me when I’m on a walk in the field or playing in the yard.  They appear on my door each morning, and stick around for hours, almost as if they’re trying to discover and observe what’s on the other side of the door – fascinated with us, just as much as I’m fascinated with them.  I have so many questions for them – Where do they come from? Why do they look the way they do? Why are they here? What do they do? What do they eat? What other interesting creatures are coming to commune in my yard? – but haven’t yet taken the time to ask.       

Blood-thirsty mosquito - July 14, 2013

My recent experience with mosquitoes and flies also fascinates me.  On the weekend, I was lounging and reading on my outdoor bench, near the cedar rail fence where mosquitoes frequently take over.  A small dear fly had been circling around me, landing on my arm a few times then flying off when I told it that I’m not food.  Not once did it bite me, and not once did I swat at it.  I sat there for an hour before my oldest son came out to see me.  The mosquitoes immediately swarmed him and started biting him as he swatted them away.  I wondered, why are they swarming him, having sat here only a minute, and not me when I’ve been here for an hour?   I concluded that it was because I didn’t care to be afraid of them and swat at them, so they left me alone for the most part (that, or they had heard that my blood wasn’t so sweet :-) which is hard to believe given the amount of chocolate I like to eat :-)).  I did notice that after my son left me, a few decided they would try to feast on me.  I kindly communicated that I was not here to be their food – some left, others were politely flipped away or squashed as they sunk their daggers into my skin. 

A few years ago, if I had seen a bug, I would have run the other way, or grabbed something to swat it dead.  Now, I find myself observing them, communing with them and taking their pictures to share with others.  This new awakening to such things in nature has me wondering – Why did I take my fear of these things so seriously for all these years?  Why do I take ANY fears so seriously?  Really, what IS there truly to fear? ... The answer is fascinating and a true awakening for me ... NOTHING!!!  How fascinating it is to fear NOTHING ... how FREEING it is, wouldn't you agree?!?!