Testimonial #1

Ours is a wild place, a vibrant ecosystem teeming with life, both during the day and at night. We have been fortunate to observe the intricate interactions and coexistence among various species, from the graceful white-tailed deer to the scavenging raccoons and the haunting calls of the gray foxes. The diversity of bird species adds another layer of richness to our environment, creating a symphony of sounds and colors throughout the day. Such high biodiversity suggests that our property and those that surround us provide essential resources such as food, water, and shelter for these animals.

Properties along RM 1826 act as a wildlife corridor, allowing animals to move between different habitats. This corridor serves as a vital link in maintaining connectivity between ecosystems. This connectivity is crucial for the survival of wildlife populations, as it facilitates genetic exchange and movement for breeding, foraging, and dispersal.

For generations, a white-tailed doe and her female descendants have chosen and defended our back septic field as their special place to give birth and raise their fawns. We have watched as these spotty fawns gambol about on impossibly thin shaky legs. They streak about our yard as they learn escape routes and gain the much needed strength and agility to evade predators. We have watched male bucks test each other in this exact same place. Snorting and clashing their amazing racks together making sounds like gunshots ringing out.

During the night, all sorts of nocturnal creatures venture out. The Striped Skunk hunts around the edge of our patio and stone walkways, looking for scorpions, spiders, beetles and small reptiles. We have watched a mama skunk attempting to go about her nightly foraging with six babies glued to her side, the whole lot of them moving in perfect unison with babies flopping underneath mama attempting to nurse the second she stops moving.

We have watched ol’ Virginia Opossum who looks like she is wearing socks with her dark legs and pink feet under her pale coat.

Common Raccoons live here and we watch them grow and get impossibly fat. They hunt for frogs in our water features, hand-like paws feeling around in the dark water under rocks, never looking down but always keeping a lookout around them. We can hear them squabbling and chittering in the darkness.

Gray Fox are also regular night time visitors. They move like smoke through the grasses and we hear their hauntingly beautiful mating calls. The sound gives us chills every time we hear them.

It is particularly interesting how different nocturnal creatures, like foxes, raccoons, skunks, and opossums, manage to coexist despite their competition for food. This harmony among species showcases the resilience and adaptability of nature.

One of our night visitors, the Coyote, may not be as accepted into the above group. We have watched them trot up our driveway, looking deceptively like long-legged foxes. We hear their amazing howls and yips of celebration as their pack comes together.

During the day and night, we are treated to an incredible amount of birdsong. Every spring and fall we enjoy the sights and sounds of the migrators and year round, our resident feeder birds.

We have captured audio recordings and/or visually seen the following list of birds:

American Crow, American Goldfinch, American Kestrel, American Redstart, American Robin, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Bewicks Wren, Black- and-White Warbler, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Black-crested Titmouse, Black-headed Grosbeak, Black-throated Green Warbler, Black Vulture, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Blue Jay, Boat-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Caroline Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Cedar Waxwing, Chipping Sparrow, Chuck-will’s-widow, Common Grackle, Common Yellowthroat, Coopers Hawk, Crested Caracara, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Screech-Owl, European Starling, Field Sparrow, Golden-cheeked Warbler (endangered), Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Gray Catbird, Great Horned Owl, Greater Roadrunner, House Finch, House Sparrow, Inca Dove, Indigo Bunting, Killdeer, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Least Flycatcher, Lesser Goldfinch, Loggerhead Shrike, Magnolia Warbler, Mississippi Kite, Mourning Dove, Nashville Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Northern Mockingbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Painted Bunting, Painted Redstart, Pine Siskin, Purple Martin, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Sandhill Crane, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Scotts Oriole, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Song Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Summer Tanager, Tufted Titmouse, Turkey Vulture, Western Bluebird, Western Kingbird, Western Screech-Owl, Western Scrub-Jay, Western Tanager, White-crowned Sparrow, White-eyed Vireo, White-throated Sparrow, White-winged Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Yellow Warbler.

The presence of the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler that we heard on our property adds conservation significance to this area. Protecting habitats that support this species is essential for their survival and for maintaining biodiversity in the region.

Our property and those around us provide ecosystem services such as pollination, pest control, and soil stabilization, benefiting both wildlife and human communities in the area.

Our observations highlight the interconnectedness of life within our surroundings, reminding us of the beauty and wonder found in the natural world. It's truly a privilege to witness such a diverse array of wildlife thriving in their habitat. We are proud stewards of this very special wild place.

--- Neighbor of RM 1826 for 19 years and counting