Well, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I was close, but no cigar! 

Our pond de-iced this past weekend but no ducks. It seems many of the island ducks have taken up residence on the Southport school pond, revving up a bit before making the big transition down the road to our place. There was a large gathering at the school the other day when I went by, possibly trying to reach consensus regarding the next move. I suspect we will see the flock soon on our pond about one week later than last year.

I did not expect the ice to clear so quickly. Wrong again!

It’s been, I think, a rather challenging winter for our wildlife. Since we stopped feeding the birds on the west side of the house, the critter population has reduced substantially. We used to have lots of interesting birds but they spewed seed all over the place which attracted mice, squirrels, red and gray, turkeys, crows, and the occasional owl. Less frequently, coyote visits. Everyone moved on to greener pastures I guess.

Out in the back fields however, there are plenty of signs of deer and coyote and turkeys. The paths into and out of the woods are plentiful and well traveled. Our trail cameras show lots of activity, even a bobcat showed up one time. But, all in all, I think finding food has been a big project, especially during the deep cold months of early winter. I know I was looking for more food too.

I’m not sure if it’s a trend or not, but it seems like wildlife is venturing closer into our living spaces than ever before. Not sure what that’s about, but we never used to see so much activity close to the house. Since 2021, when we moved to Southport, we have noticed more of the bigger animal variety. Every year we seem to see new deer and lots more turkeys. Not so much though of coyotes. They seem to keep to themselves pretty much -- curious sometimes, but mostly just out of sight. I do hear them at night quite often as they communicate with one another, especially on the full moons. On the odd occasion we will see one in daylight.

The photo shared today was not of a recent visitor. We have a compost bin in the back yard which may have attracted some interest. I know the raccoons seem quite curious about it and boy can they make a mess. We have since transitioned to a more secure container and are better about what we add to the pile. Our resident pup sure seems to have her nose in the air and on the turf a whole lot more as activities around the property increase. She can find a “chuck-it” ball with her nose in two feet of snow 30 yards away. It makes me very nervous to let her run off lead. She picks up a scent and is off like a rocket with no regard for my pleas to return.

Soon the food supply will increase with warmer weather. The peepers are due to sound off (if our calendar record is correct) within the next week or so. A welcome sound close by.