For many of us that enjoy the great outdoors and wildlife, there is an area close to home that we often overlook when studying nature…our own backyards!  Yes, some of the most interesting forms of wildlife, the feathered and furred, can be found right outside your back door.

My own little wildlife haven is nestled in the suburbs, just outside center city Philadelphia.  It is a residential area bordered by busy streets and heavy traffic.  The street outside my door is bursting with traffic at least 16 hours a day.  However, the roar of buses, cars, and trucks, has little or no effect on the many animals that make our home-their home.

Unfortunately, in this day and age, because of over-development and crowding, many animals have learned to adapt and live in close proximity to people.  And for those of us that enjoy sharing our space with these intelligent and sometimes industrious creatures, we can derive much enjoyment from them, if we are careful and observant.

On almost any given morning just before sunrise, my yard plays host to a multitude of varying animals.  Some like the raccoon have been busy all night searching for food, while countless feisty squirrels are just awakening to start their busy day.  When the raccoon is about to retire for the day, the squirrels are starting their day.  The squirrels day is a busy one and their survival depends upon their success.  The chilly days of autumn are becoming shorter now and this triggers the squirrels instinct to find and store food for the long winter months ahead.

Another patient but busy little body is the eastern cottontail rabbit.  Every morning scattered about our lawn is a family of rabbits chewing away on a vast menu of grass and other green goodies.  Like the squirrels, the rabbits have become accustomed to my wife and I, and politely ignore our presence.  I find it fun watching the tiny newborns as they romp and eat alongside their mother.   Its also interesting to see how easily they get along with the more energetic and industrious squirrels.

Not all of our backyard wildlife are frequent visitors.  For example, I like to classify some of these critters as interlopers, or species,” just passing through.”  We don’t always see the raccoon or the opossum as often as  the rabbits and squirrels, but nonetheless, they make their presence known, and we see enough of them to enjoy their antics.

The slow moving opossum with its lack of keen vision saunters about our yard as though it is intoxicated, but this hardly impedes its ability to find food, even under the worst conditions.  The raccoon, that clever little masked bandit, is readily adept at opening trash cans to get whatever morsels it might offer.  One of my daily chores each day is to place the lid back on the trash can and replace the scattered food the raccoon refused to eat from its menu.  He is smart enough to sense that I like him, and on some nights will raid my trash can while I am watching him.  His antics are hilarious and we really enjoy his company.

Then there is the colorful variety of birds that fill our yard with their melodic chirps and beautiful songs.  We have robins, mockingbirds, blue jays, sparrows, juncos, finches and catbirds.   One of my favorite birds is the mourning dove.  Its song is sad and doesn’t seem to fit the beauty of this friendly bird, that returns each year to use the same nest to raise its young.

Sometimes, on occasion,  we have the opportunity to see an owl or hawk interrupt its journey to seek rest in a nearby tree.  They are a large and imposing figure as opposed to the songbirds, who immediately sound the alarm and vacate the area until the raptors move on.

In the winter months we miss our feathered friends when they migrate, but leave plenty of food in our feeders for those too old or weak to make the long journey.  This provides us with an opportunity to share the company of our avian friends all year long.

The natural world is fascinating and has much to offer us if we know where to find and enjoy it.  In this case, there are no travel plans needed, no reservations or expense, you need only step out your back door to discover and share one of nature’s greatest treasures.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 7:03 am.