Friday, April 15, 2011

There Goes the Neighborhood...

There's been some strange activity in the 'hood lately. Besides my nemisis, Socks the Devil Cat, there have been some characters waltzing around.

We live in a pretty suburban neighborhood, we're not out in the country or anything. Although, our property ends up against a railroad track then woods beyond. It's an older neighborhood so there are lots of established trees. All of this is part of why mom and dad chose our house. But apparently, with the trees also comes some sketchy characters.

Exhibit A: The band of marauding turkeys.

They just walk on out, stand in the road and eventually wander off. At first mom thought she was seeing things. But then dad saw them too! And this is also right by a school, there's some pretty heavy traffic there in the mornings, but these turkey's ain't scared...they're hard core gangsta turkeys.



There's about 7-8 of them...but we haven't seen them in a few weeks. Dad says it's because it's now officially turkey season here, so the turkeys must be smart! They ain't scared of a car, but they are scared of becoming this:



Exhibit 2: Apparently I have some long distance relatives coming to visit. Can you see them in the photos?




Yep, that's a coyote! Not just one, but there are two. Dad caught these with his camera phone so the quality ain't great, but almost every day, about 12:30 or so, a pair of coyotes go down the tracks behind our house!





Mom did some research and apparently late March is when coyotes turn on the Barry White and "get it on"with the languate of l-o-v-e. Mom thinks that this pair may have a den close by. So we'll wait and see if we hear any little coyote howls in the next few months!


We've also had a pair of "fighting" raccoons we've heard in the woods, but I have to stay away. Mom says there's been reports of rabid raccoons lately! Oh my! We've also seen a bobcat walk on the tracks as well.


So it seems my 'hood is going wild! Do you have any interesting neighbors?

19 comments:

  1. OMD, you saw a coyote in the fur? I has only seened coyote poop on the trails. You can tell it be coyote poo coz it be pointy at one end and there be furs in it. Hmmm. I wonner how often us dog get accused of pooing on the trails when the coyotes dunned it? Anyways, we has a groundhog wot comes in our yard sometimes and about a month ago my sis Sydney had him in her MOUF and woz shaking he. He screamed "AAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!" and mom came a runnin and saved him from the Jaws of Death. He did has blood on hisself and mom woz freaking out and screaming at Sydney. I just wanted to gib him a sniff, rilly. So anyways, he lives unner our garage and he maded the floor cave in back in the corner from his tunnel. So mom woz in the garage a cuppull of days later and he commed out of his tunnel and up in the garage through the floor to say to her thank you fur saving him from that bad, bad Sydney and to show mom he woz OK from the bitey Sydney putted on him. It do be the only time efur mom has akshually seened him in the garage but she woz so happy he showed hisself coz she had been rilly worried. (And Sydney was sooo in the dog house...) Oh mai, this do be long... Bye.

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  2. Well, don't be too surprised to find turkey minced meat on the road when you go for your walkies next time. Those fellas have NO idea what could happen to them on the road where there are cars driving. Be careful of those cayotes. Me don't want you to get hurted by them.

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  3. It sounds like you have the wild woods behind your house. I have seen wild turkeys a few times - they were smart though they were in a park - so no hunting of them. be careful of those other critters too - they are not as innocent as they may seem

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  4. You sure have exciting neighbors! How do you and Duncan stand not going out to greet them all the time?

    We have coyotes out in the fields around here, but they don't come into town. You can hear them at night. There are owls here around us, too, and we have one that hangs out under the kitchen window awning when it gets really bad out in the winter. Although, there are currently some baby sparrows in residence under there. We've seen turkeys out at the state park, and pheasants here in the fields, but that's just out of town. Then there are the rabbits, that Morgan and I would like to help eradicate from the yard.

    The one thing that drives me insane, though, is that there are a pair of horses that ride through town when it's nice weather out and they go right past our house! Oh, if I could just get one shot at them! Morgan feels the same way I do.

    Bunny

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  5. You have some very interesting neighbors! Gangsta turkeys!! I'd be leary of the coyotes and the raccoons. The only thing we've seen around here are possums sneaking around the house at night! Lots of love, Holly and mom

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  6. We don't have coyotes, but even we city slickers have a pack of wild turkeys. They love to tie up traffic on the main roads..

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  7. Anna, it means a lot that you remember those posts. I am glad that you liked the story.. it was an amazing experience to be able to re-tell it. I think I'm going to post them again next year, on the 5th anniversary of his death. Thank you. :)

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  8. Oh yeah Anna, we know about those gangsta turkeys. That's exactly what they act like, lol! Like its their turf so you might as well go somewhere else. Unfortunately the ones around here don't go anywhere during hunting season, since this is within the city limits. I've come home to find 50 of these whoppers on my front lawn! Seeing a coyote is pretty rare though - that's amazing that you got to see them in the daylight. And raccoons? Exciting stuff going on in your neighborhood!

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  9. That's some interesting neighbours. It's all pesky squirrels and cats round our way although we do sometimes see a beautiful heron that the LOTH tried to get a photo of the other day on our walk.

    Glad you liked my post about the animal memorials at the National Memorial Arboretum. There were more brave GSDs than any other dog breed commemorated there I noticed.

    xxx

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  10. Wow,Anna, your neighborhood really is getting pretty wild. We do see a pair of wild turkeys in the woods along the trail behind our house. And every now and then the coyotes go racing by. Of course, there is always a deer or two grazing by the creek. But the best was last summer when a fox came to visit in our yard just outside our fence. He came every day for about a week early in the morning. He let Mom take his picture and everything.

    Mom says this is all because we stole the wild critters land and they just want to come back to visit.

    Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara

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  11. Wow - you have LOTS of cool critters in your back yard! A regular Wild Kingdom! We've seen coyote in Yellowstone. Does that count?

    The Road Dogs

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  12. Hey Anna!
    Wow, you've got the same kind of neighbors that I have! They are really neat. Great pix of the struttin' gobbler. Do you have porcupines too? They're great to see too...just at a distance! BWAR HAR Thanks for sharing the pix of your hood-lums!
    Grr and Woof,
    Sarge, COP

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  13. careful of those coyotes! We have a gangsta turkey in our hood as well. i guess he is still here...

    wiggles,
    calhoun

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  14. what the heck! How dare they trespass
    Benny & Lily

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  15. Anna! We've got lots of coyotes, bunnies, raccoons, hawks, egrets, sometimes bob cats. We love it!!

    BTW, we awardified you today. Come check out our blog!

    -Gizmo. Bart and Ruby

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  16. We see coyotes, hawks, lots of rabbits, a bobcat (only twice), a fox, a skunk, a ton of birds, and snakes. We've got quite a bit around since we're right up against undeveloped land a creek. We LOVE it!

    But those turkeys are pretty gangsta - even the coyotes run away...

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  17. The wild out-of-doors is coming closer!! :)
    We have the band of wild turkeys too....they occasionally peck at car tires when they really don't want your vehicle to pass...and they can be a specticle when they all decide to party on the roof of your house! Got the pair of cayotes too....mom was just remembering how worried she was when she threw my ball down to the end of the street, and realized there was a cayote standing just beyond the start of the fireroad... I didn't see the cayote, but mom has it imbedded in her brain... who knows what would have happened. And, I've had my run in with skunk spray a month or so ago...so, got those too :)
    Great photos!


    Sweet hugs,
    Sierra Rose

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  18. OMG, if I had neighbors like that, I might never want to go outside! haha A turkey?! Coyote? Those are some interesting neighbors!! :)

    Woofs & hugs,

    ~Bailey

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  19. I'd say that your 'hood is getting very interesting! Be careful with those coyotes, Anna. I worry the most about them hurting or killing my dogs in my 'hood - bears and cougars are much less likely to be aggressive toward a dog.

    You need a wildlife camera! Imagine those male turkeys strutting their stuff past your camera. Very cool!

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