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We hadn’t seen much of mother red squirrel lately, which after the last pregnant photo I took of her.. was a very good thing.
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But she showed up yesterday…
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Looking kind of rough. Motherhood must be taking its toll this time around.
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Now if only I could coordinate her visits with this new addition to the backyard wildlife sightings….
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He could solve all our squirrel problems in one fell swoop.
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The late season Bambi is back and not looking quite so evil this time.
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Eat up little one, winter is coming and you’ve got a lot of pounds to pack on before the white stuff falls.
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The big buck was here as well.
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As was his son from last year whose felt is starting to shed.
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Hard to believe we still have a spotted fawn this late in the year. Makes me worry.
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Fall is here and with such a terribly dry summer the pickings aren’t good.
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The rut will be here shortly.
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And this guy will be very busy.
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Never let it be said I don’t put myself in harm’s way for my loyal readers.
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Yes, I drove home from the store one handed the other day just so I could share a few shots of our beautiful fall foliage in Maine.
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We had a very hot dry summer…
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So the leaves aren’t as vibrant as they could be.
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But it’s still a pretty sweet show.
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Minus the spots and streaks on my dirty windshield that is.
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No small animals were killed while I swerved left for that burning bush…
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And swerved right for that perfect sugar maple.
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Good thing we don’t get much traffic on our road.
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Or police cruisers.
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Ah, autumn in New England.
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If you’ve never experienced it….
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What are you waiting for?
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And what passes for local news on their Facebook page.
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No, I don’t know what’s happening either. But turtles are involved so it must be good.
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Goat shooing happens more often than you think here.
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Now this is news!
While we do live in Maine, moose are more commonly seen up north. Having one stroll our river is a sure way to fire up the locals.
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This is another type of wildlife sighting altogether. A traveling donkey who spends a few nights on your lawn by request. Made by a local artist, his name is Mr. H.
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Goats are still on the loose.
Clearly their walkabout is causing concern.
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But in happier news, the slandering chicken is back home on the drivay.
Perhaps if her owner learned how to spell she’d stay home more often.
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Our old doe surprised us recently. She’s been with us for a long time, and every year? She has young.
She was pregnant so often, that’s actually what we call her. Pregnant.
Original? No.
But she didn’t look like a Betty, so go with it.
This year she’s been moving more slowly and looks quite thin. It’s September and we hadn’t seen her with any fawns so we figured that time of her life had passed.
Until yesterday….
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When we looked out and saw her bringing a baby out of the field.
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It’s late in the year to have such a young spotted fawn.
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And to be honest, something about this baby looked…. off.
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At first I couldn’t put my finger on it.
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And then I thought…
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That little sucker just looks….
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Mean.
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Look at this last picture and tell me I’m wrong.
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Go on, I dare you.
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No, it’s not me eating a meatless meat patty or getting down with the free Billy Ocean album the husband’s playing to torment me in his barn, man cave large building filled with crap.
It’s this:
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Eight baby turkeys on the run, headed straight for our bird feeders.
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Momma brought them up for a nosh for the very first time since we’ve lived here.
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And that, my friends…. deserves a blog.
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The little guys were so sweet.
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Scratching the ground and pecking for seed.
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They stayed close to mom.
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And braved the great wide open for a snack.
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When mom looked wary?
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Babies did as well.
And a few seconds after this riveting video that will cause my new found legion of YouTube fans to flee….
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Momma got spooked and gathered her chicks.
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Funny thing was, all the babies ran one way and she ran the other.
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The chicks gathered.
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Huddled, and plopped right down to wait.
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When the coast was clear, momma called.
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They ran back.
And before I could focus?
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Everyone went flying for the woods.
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Okay, we don’t live in the mountains.
But there was fog over the woodchucks this morning…
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So I’m rolling with it.
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My little fellows are quite used to being served breakfast now.
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Spoiled?
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Maybe just a bit.
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Our resident skunk who visits nightly.
Like everything else around here, he’s ass backwards with a black striped tail and white tip.
Regardless, he’s still a little stinker… and if the tip goes up?
Run.
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Two CH-53E Marine Corps choppers flying over our backyard during some rare state of Maine training.
We lived in the flight pattern of these babies down south when my husband was active duty, and trust me, when they go by? You feel it.
As does your house.. because everything that isn’t nailed down rattles.
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The sunset up the road from our house the other night.
You may ooh and ah at will.
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A sign I bought for the husband’s future barn bar.
Beer.
Making friends more interesting for centuries.
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He surely is a handsome devil.
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Strutting out of the woods with his son.
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Always wary of the neighbor’s dogs.
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And the crazy lady with the camera.
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The time of year I worry about him is almost upon us.
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And as much as autumn is my favorite season….
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It brings with it rifles and bullets and trophy hunters.
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And I’ll fear for our beautiful visitors.
Our big fellow made an appearance last night.
Moseying on up the back lawn.
Nibbling along the route.
Fresh grass pickings are slim with everything turning brown from our drought..
Except for over the septic tank.
Even he knows the grass is always greener there.
River's world..... 