Last night we watched a show about raccoons living in cities and how destructive they can be so I was kinda halfway thinking about wild life when I went to bed. We have lots of wild life around here, some of it we don’t often see but we know is out there. Every now and then I walk around outside and I wonder how many eyes see me that I don’t know are watching me. And I’m not talking about the folks at NSA! 🙁
We’ve seen a mountain lion and others in the area have reported seeing them too. I haven’t seen a skunk but I’ve smelled them and I know they’ve been real close. We have roadrunners that we see almost every day. They were so busy during the peak of grasshopper season. One built a nest in a tree right by the house but I’m not sure she spent enough time on the nest for anything to hatch. We haven’t seen armadillos but we’ve seen areas where they’ve been digging. We’ve seen several foxes. There are turkeys and deer that we see pretty often. There are too many coyotes. We don’t see them often but we hear them. One night we were sitting out with the neighbors and all of a sudden, we heard a massive chorus of coyotes wailing. It’s a blood curdling sound! The neighbor said they had probably caught something and they were doing what they do when they make a kill. They sounded so close! I said “We have to get out of here!” (as we were sitting on their back porch about 2 feet from the door) but the neighbor assured me they were not leaving whatever they had just killed and had no interest in eating us!
We see lots of cottontails and jack rabbits.
Cottontail
During the night last night, I was awakened by a scream right outside the bedroom window. It takes a lot to wake me up. I sat straight up in bed, my heart was pounding. My first thought was there was someone out there and they were coming in. Then I figured a burglar probably isn’t going to stand outside your bedroom window and scream before he sneaks into the house.
The sound I heard wasn’t cats so I’m thinking it was a rabbit. I fully expected to walk outside this morning and find rabbit fur everywhere but, there are no signs of trouble.
There are critters in a lot of cities these days but there’s something calming about seeing or hearing the wildlife in the woods (except the coyotes) and knowing they’re where they’re supposed to be. Even when they’re obnoxious and destructive here, I’m always aware that I moved into their territory and I will find a way to live in peace with them, for the most part. Foxes after my chickens may not find me to be so peaceful!
I’m glad I’ve lived life in town, though never in a huge city, and I’m especially glad that we’re living in the country at this time in our life.
Sarah in Upstate NY says
You should google “fox calls” and listen to some of the audio clips. One of the warning calls that fox make sounds very similar to a woman screaming. Its very freaky to hear it the first time. We had a den of fox on our property and we heard them all the time. They also make a sound that is similar to a dog bark.
JudyL says
We can sometimes hear them and have come across several dens that may or may not be currently used. We had one that kept coming near the house and was hanging out around the chicken coop and we’ll come upon a mom and babies every now and then, or have one run across the driveway but for the most part, we rarely see or hear them but they’re here.
Donna Keating says
Mountain lions and coyotes. That’s why Boots should stay indoors at night. I love the sounds in the country.
Susan says
I wouldn’t leave my chickens running loose, or let Boots out, but Coyotes don’t usually bother people. They are actually pretty shy, in my experience in the N. AZ forests. Isn’t it funny how differently people feel about the same sounds, depending on their experiences? I like to hear coyotes howl. It’s sort of a comforting night sound that says to me that everything is normal out there. =)
JudyL says
I don’t like hearing them because they kill the calves and fawns. With the drought, there’s not been enough food for them and they’ve moved closer in to the houses.
Vivian Oaks says
I know what you mean about living in the country. Bobcats sound like a woman’s scream too, but I don’t know if you have them in Texas. I grew up in the country (nearest mall was 45 miles away!) and live in the suburbs now that is more like country. My front yard and back yard are both lots of trees, and it’s very enjoyable. I’d be happy to be rid of the raccoons and opossums, but watching the deer is always enjoyable. Love your house in the country, and enjoy the wildlife! 🙂
wanda ll says
Could have been a screech owl too.First time I heard one of those it scared me to death. I thought is was a women screaming. So who knows what it was but scary sounding it was I’m sure.
Judy have you seen or heard any other kinds of owls around there? We have screech and hoot owls here.
Susan T says
When we lived in Moosonee (at the bottom of Hudson’s Bay), during the winter the wolf packs would prowl around the perimeter fence at night and howl – really blood curdling, especially on the many nights that DH was working. We lived there for 2 years – a great experience but not one that I’d like to repeat!
Pat Hathaway says
Have you ever heard a baby bunny scream? It sounds just like the squeaker in dog toys. We had a cat that loved to eat baby bunny heads–only the head. Every time I heard that scream I knew he had another.
I know you got Boots her shots, and you probably already know, but raccoons are often carriers of rabies. I’d try to keep her in at night too.
We can’t stand to keep our half-feral Boots twin at night–she drives us crazy! She even tries to undo the door knobs! If we don’t open the door she claws her way up the door to the window and hangs there kicking and scratching the wood!