When we moved to this house, I was really disappointed with the fact that we didn't end up with a larger yard. It was one of the top things on our list when we were house hunting, but as the search dragged on, we found that we had to make some compromises. [Or we were just exhausted from looking at a million homes and we just picked one.] But this house had a little more to offer in the fact that it was in a cul-de sac [bonus], and had access to a creek and a small field out back [double bonus]. Anyway, my point is that with such a small backyard in the middle of a large suburban community, I never imagined that we would witness such an array of wildlife just outside our windows. But in two and a half years, we've played audience to a number of species of birds including Cardinals, Blue Jays, Woodpeckers, Road Runners, and even a family of
Screech Owls. We've also watched the daily commute of squirrels scampering along the top of our fence. We raised a couple of caterpillars that we found on our plants. We've seen raccoons and possums and even a few snakes. And for the second time, we've found
kits nesting in our backyard...three little nippers to be exact.
Audrie found Trixie trying to play with two of them by our playscape. And upon further investigation, we discovered the nest, and a third bunny:
They are the absolute cutest things, and of course we just wanted to feed them and snuggle them, and dress them up in little outfits, but with a dog and a little bit of sense, we decided the best thing to do would be to leave them alone. The last time we
found baby bunnies in our yard, the experience ended in tragedy. I never wrote about it. We were pretty heartbroken. I kind of freaked my husband out because I called him, crying so hard I couldn't speak.
This time, though, we were extra careful watching the dog when she went out, and waiting [hoping] for the mommy bunny to move the babies. By the next day, the nest was empty, but just to be safe, we watched for signs of the babies for quite a few more days before we were sure they had been moved out of the yard.
While I would have liked to have played with these bunnies a little more [and use them for our Easter pics], I'm glad they are safe elsewhere. I can't wait to see what other adventures with wildlife that our tiny backyard holds.
xo
nessa dee
