Even though I live in a neighborhood with many homes, we still have lots of wild animals who visit or live in my yard. A baby squirrel once slept in the nook of my arm, and a rabbit once sprawled out in the grass just a few feet from me as I photographed flowers. And one morning, after putting a few sunflower seeds on my porch for a chipmunk, it hopped right up to nibble them by my feet. I like to think the animals know me as “The Kind Lady.” Maybe that’s why an injured hawk settled on our deck rail when it needed help. We called a rehabilitator. When the hawk was safe, I wrote a story inspired by the experience, which I hope becomes a picture book.
Here’s a list of the animals who have shared my yard.
Groundhogs
Skunks
Deer
Red foxes
An opossum
Rabbits
Robins, mourning doves, and cardinals who’ve nested on our deck
Red tailed hawks, a bald eagle, barred and screech owls, and many other birds
Raccoons
Chipmunks
Squirrels
Field mice
Garter snakes
