Personal Reflection on Wildlife Preservation

I'm sitting here at my computer looking out the window to part of my yard. It's a beautiful sunny day with a temperature around 60 degrees. Tonight it will be much cooler and by Monday morning, we are anticipating a hard freeze with temperatures 30 degrees and below. This is Florida in winter!

At my Wildlife News & Humor topic - http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/wild... I often write about the numerous visitors to my yard and today I was reflecting on just how many critters have passed through my gates looking for a warm place to sleep, a tree to climb, or a morsel of food.

I live in the city limits, so don't think I'm fortunate enough to be out on several acres in the country. No, just a regular house on a regular lot in an older neighborhood but boy of boy, do we have a lot of trees. I believe this is one of the key elements to having wildlife visitors in the city.

Recently, I had the pleasure of watching two baby raccoons climbing in my oak tree and visiting the outside cat food bowls. They have no fear of anything, just a keen curiosity of everything in my yard. I watched them for several nights but have not seen them for a week. I figure they've moved on to another location but can't be sure. I've had many raccoons over the years visit my yard and it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful and inquisitive they are.

At the same time the raccoons moved in, I also had a mother possum and her baby move in under my house. The mom is huge and has met me more than once on my front porch or is skittering across my yard when I get home from work. I hadn't seen her or her baby in several days until two nights ago when coming home at around 7:30, there she was with her baby, one block over in search of food.

If you've read any of my other articles, you will know that I enjoy feeding the many bird species that flock through my yard. I'm up to 10 different birds! Well, you can imagine, the possums and the raccoons also enjoy the food I leave out for the birds. Usually grain type breads, plain crackers, wild birdseed, peanuts (for the squirrels and bluejays), cereal (oat, raison bran, corn flakes) sunflower seeds. It's a regular feast.

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