Keeping my eyes open for the local wildlife. And my ears: tonight I had just come home and was getting out of the truck when I heard a pack of coyotes from about a block away where our subdivision ends. Unmistakable. A big pack in full cry. Those piercing yips that challenge the whole world. Maybe someday I'll get a shot of those urban legends.
A junco. John Gierach, in A Fly Rod of Your Own, says they look like little executioners in their black hoods.
The ubiquitous cardinal. This was one of many flitting about our backyard loving this January warm-up. He posed for awhile then tried to hide behind a branch.
A beautiful and elegant mourning dove. Their peaceful call is part of my earliest memories.
Finally, what I'm beginning to think of as "our" squirrel. She (she seems like a she to me) was busy burying walnuts. Here she stops after burying a nut behind her and pats the earth gently. Checking to see if a previous cache is still secure? Testing for a soft place to dig for the next nut she buries?
I'll keep my eyes open to see if I can figure out that and many more of the mysteries occurring daily in our own backyards.
