Living by the woods, I always knew there were wild things living in and around my garden.  I grew up watching squirrels leap from tree to tree, chipmunks disappearing into holes by the cement walk, robins pulling worms from the lawn, and the occasional snake sunning itself on a large rock.  It wasn’t until I put up a game camera in the backyard that I realized just how many wild things came to call.

I enjoy watching visitors to my yard, giving them a healthy dose of respect and keeping my distance.  They may be cute, but they’re wild things and unpredictable.  Right now, I’m watching a squirrel climbing through the branches of the witch hazel as though he’s searching for something.  I suspect that “something” is a way to get to the line holding the (currently empty) birdfeeder, which is on what has proven to be a generally squirrel-proof setup.  I’ve only seen a squirrel get access to the birdfeeders twice:  once when I left a wheelbarrow parked under the hanging feeders (never did that again) and once early one spring when a witch hazel branch had grown close enough to be a convenient jumping-off point for one squirrel to reach the line (others tried, but like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, only one squirrel was just right). After the branch was pruned back a bit, it took a while for the confused squirrel to figure out why the branches of the witch hazel no longer provided a working launch pad.  I did laugh a lot that summer as it scurried from branch to branch, sometimes leaping (unsuccessfully) toward the birdfeeders. 

The biggest, and best supplier of comic relief, are the black bears.  They usually keep their distance when humans are out and about, but that doesn’t mean they stay in the woods.  Bird feeders will lure them in, though I’ve managed to discourage them with a liberal dose of cayenne pepper mixed with the birdseed.  It doesn’t bother the birds but after a bear takes down a feeder laced with cayenne, it’s left behind uneaten and the bear grows cautious.  They may come back again, but they’ll carefully sniff at the feeder and leave it alone if they detect the scent of cayenne.  Eventually, they just don’t bother coming that close to the house.

I’ve spotted bears snacking at the blackberry patch or strolling along the lawn at the edge of the woods.  Oh, and there was the young one that while exploring got too close with his paw to the greenhouse cover and I banged on the porch door and yelled to try to spook him.  What did he do?  He came around the side of the greenhouse and stared at me, eventually striking the most adorable pose for my camera.  Needless to say, I was safe indoors when I snapped the picture. 

The game cam and doorbell camera catch a parade of regular nighttime visitors:  deer, raccoons, possums, skunks, foxes, rabbits, groundhogs, and (new this year) a porcupine.  I even caught a bobcat on video once.  They’re all welcome, though I do wish they’d avoid dining on plants I’ve purchased for the garden.  If only they’d eat the weeds instead.  (I’m talking to you, groundhog.  Please stop beheading my flowers!)

The view from my window any day of the week shows a parade of birds whether the feeders are out or not.  They dine on seedheads and berries from the plants in my pesticide-free yard.  They nest in evergreen shrubs and deciduous trees.  They dine on nectar and pollinate my plants.  They bathe in the birdbaths.  And they sing.

When I’m outside, sometimes I stop just to listen.  I watch as smaller birds flit about the trees or as a hawk soars overhead.  I even talk to the crows when they visit.  I am transfixed when I’m outside just before dusk as hundreds of them fly overhead, heading for their nighttime roost. 

Years ago, I joined the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife program and had my property recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat.  At the edge of the woods with natural springs flowing across the property, my yard provides food, water, cover, and places for wild critters to raise their young.  While the idea is to benefit wildlife, I think I benefit as much from their presence as they do.

So, I don’t mind too much when the birds eat some of my blueberries, or when the deer nibble my tulips or hosta, or when the bears snack on my blackberries, or even when a squirrel takes a bite out of a just-ripened tomato.  Okay, that last one does make me grumble. 

Mostly, I feel lucky to live in the Berkshires where all this is outside my door.

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