All Creatures Great and Small

One of my favorite book series (serieses? serii?) is the All Creatures Great and Small books by James Herriot. If you're not familiar with them, James Herriot was a veterinarian in the Yorkshire region of England starting in the 1930s, dealing largely with livestock of rural farmers, but also some small animal medicine. His stories of the charming and eclectic characters he met (both human and animal) during his years there are chronicled in a series of books with titles based on the old hymn: All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Wise and Wonderful, and The Lord God Made Them All, as well as literally dozens of other collections, including several children's books. By pure chance, I happened to have been in the middle of (re-)reading All Things Wise and Wonderful when we moved into our new house. It seems particularly appropriate, since one of the many things that I love about this house is the abundance of wildlife nearby.

One of the first things I did, before we even finished unpacking (or even unloading) all our boxes, was to hang up my hummingbird feeder outside the large picture window in the family room.

While I was waiting (somewhat impatiently, I will admit) for the hummingbirds to find it, I enjoyed watching the antics of the local chipmunk population. Our property is dotted with lovely stone walls that make perfect havens for the chippies. There is clearly a population living on the far side of the pool, a few that live on the near side right by the feeder, and some that live in the section that forms the small terraced garden just behind the feeder. One of the chipmunks that lives nearest the feeder shouts loudly and indignantly if he happens to be near when I walk by. My favorite chippy is a little guy with a short, stubby, dark tail, whom I have dubbed "Stumpy." He seems to live in the far wall, as I frequently see him scurrying the length of the pool to get to the feeder area. My husband picked up a "standard" seed bird feeder and a suet feeder for me, and I spilled a bunch of seeds when I was hanging them up, so the chippies have been congregating under the feeders enjoying the bounty. They often sit on the wall and give me the hairy eyeball for a few moments before they go stuff their cheeks.

In the week and a half of so since we moved in, I've continued to get a feel for the wild creatures, both animals and birds, that frequent our yard. I've even gotten to know some of the individual personalities.

Bird behavior is fascinating to me. Some species are timid, some are bold and even aggressive, some are curious. The hummingbirds are especially fun to watch. They are extremely territorial and aggressive, chasing each other around the yard should one dare to approach the feeder while another is eating. They make angry chittering sounds at each other. Yet, they are curious about people, often hovering in front of the window, peering in at us, or even zooming over to the table where we're eating to check us out. Some of them prefer to hover while they eat, while others perch on the rail of the feeder.

The finches, on the other hand, tend to be more shy and nervous, sitting on the top of the crook from which the feeder hangs, scoping out the situation before they hop down to grab some seeds. Once they come, though, they often stay for a while, taking a seed and either eating it at the feeder or sitting atop the crook, deftly holding the seed with their feet while they peck off the shell. The titmice nearly always sit on top of the crook to de-shell their dinner, keeping a wary eye on any watchers while they eat. 

Another favorite kind of visitor is the lovely pair of cardinals. They took more time than some of the other birds to dare to approach, starting by whistling from the trees, until the male flew down to sit on the nearby fence and whistle for some time, before he finally flew to the ground to forage for seeds that other birds had dropped, and eventually the female came to join him. Now they are frequent visitors, showing up beautifully in the dark pine trees where they perch before they come to eat. I look forward to seeing them against the white snow in winter. 

There are a number of still shyer visitors who sit in the trees but have yet to brave the feeders. I continue to hope that the woodpeckers come to the suet feeder. I love to watch them, often shyly flitting down and then flying away a few times before they're brave enough to settle. Judging from the variety of soft but hoarse chucks I hear in the woods, there is a significant woodpecker population. 

There are many other birds that we have heard but not seen, or that we've just gotten quick glimpses of, including a goldfinch, Baltimore oriole, blue jays, Carolina wren, screech owl, and an impressive turkey vulture that has soared overhead several times. There is also a great blue heron that lives at pond across the street, that my son spotted when he went fishing there a few days ago. 

As I sit writing this, there is a small bunny nibbling some grass in the shade of the house, aware that I am here but also clearly aware both that there is a fence between us and that he can easily outrun me. Other than the chipmunks and one lone gray squirrel, the bunnies (in both front and back yards) are the only animals we have seen. although the previous owners have mentioned sightings of deer, foxes, coyotes, and woodchucks. They had not been living in the house for some time before we moved in, so I am holding out hope that the animals are just getting used to seeing human activity around the house again before returning to the yard. (I won't mind if the coyotes come back, but I would like to see foxes and deer.)

Slowly but surely, this yard is becoming my new oasis, my peaceful haven, my escape from the thoughts racing around my head. It is my happy place, full of all creatures, great and small.