(new) neighborhood wildlife

Our old house was in a great location close to civilization but letting us see the occasional woodland creature scampering by.  We saw foxes a few times and heard a lot of fishercats in the woods next to the house.  There were lots of turkeys, and there was this little guy.

We love the house we've moved to, but there's been a bit of wistfulness about leaving behind the "hidden wooded gem in the middle of the city" location we used to have.  Mind you, I'm glad to leave the fishercats behind, but the thought of just squirrels and chipmunks in the yard was a little boring.

Thankfully, the new neighborhood doesn't disappoint.  Mr. Cecil and I were out on a walk last week, when I noticed about seven or so really, surprisingly, intimidatingly large birds in a cluster of trees.  We turned a corner and found a few of them perched on the roof and chimney of a house.  Stock-still.  With their wings spread out.  It was more than a little creepy, in a fascinating way.

Based on a little quick googling, I think they're turkey vultures.  So, not a threat to small and medium-sized dogs (yay!) but pretty cool to see.

 

Eventful Morning

The gubernatorial race is still too close to call, so that's definitely not what I'm talking about.

Nope, the morning was eventful for an entirely separate reason (unless you consider a symbolic connection, if you believe the natural world has an awareness of current events as well as a bitingly sarcastic sense of humor).



If you look closely, on and next to the fence, those are wild turkeys. There were six of them walking across our neighbor's yard this morning, but all but those two had become shy by the time I grabbed my camera.



I also learned, despite my previous assumptions (based on what exactly, I'm not sure), that wild turkeys are capable of flight.



Hmmm. Who else is ready for Thanksgiving? I feel a sudden desire to incorporate cranberry sauce into tonight's dinner...