We have no hummingbird feeders in our yard, nor do we have any red flowers that would attract hummingbirds. Our neighbor, however, has a couple feeders on their back yard patio, as well as two hanging baskets of red flowers. I noticed last evening that the hummingbirds were darting across the sky from our neighbor’s feeders and flowers to a bush beside our picnic pavilion, where I had been sitting listening to one of my audio books. Early this afternoon, camera in hand, I attempted to photograph hummingbirds as they would perch upon a branch. Have you ever tried to photograph a hummingbird? A hummingbird moves quickly through the sky. They appear, then vanish in the blink of an eye. After trying unsuccessfully for several minutes to photograph a hummingbird, I focused my camera on a still scene –a neighbor’s flower garden. Isn’t the garden pretty?
An Owl Keeps Watch Over Neighbor’s Garden
All of a sudden I heard banging, clanking noises. I looked at the garden owl. Could a summer breeze be causing the owl to make banging, clanking noises? No, the noise wasn’t coming from the owl. The banging and clanking noises grew louder at the same time that I sensed movement in front of the flower garden. I noticed, then, that a cage was sitting in front of the flower garden. Inside the cage was an animal!
Now, how did I get myself into this predicament?
That woodchuck has made itself at home in our yard and our neighbors’ yards since early Summer. Chuck has been “living the life of Riley”, with plenty of grass to eat and no predators. Chuck has lived contently among the rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and birds that frequent our neighborhood. I’m sure that Chuck would rather not leave home; however, we will be happy to see him go. It was fun to watch Chuck; however he was problematic. In addition to eating grass, Chuck ate stuff in our gardens. It is possible, too, that there is a burrow underneath our neighbor’s shed because Chuck seems to hang predominately around the shed (and will scurry underneath it when frightened). We have seen only this one woodchuck. We hope that Chuck was living a solitary life, that he had no mate (or children!).
It is now a few hours later. The live trap is gone. Our neighbors transported Chuck to his new home, which has lots of trees and grass meadows. I recall a story that my husband told me about a rabbit that he caught in a live trap when he was a teenager. Bob said he transported that rabbit several miles from home. Funny thing is that rabbit found its way back home. How did Bob know it was the same rabbit? The rabbit that Bob captured had a tear in its ear, same as the rabbit that showed up in the yard a few days later. I hope that Chuck likes his new home. If Chuck likes its new home, he won’t try to find his way back here!
Oh, by the way, I did manage to capture a few photographs of hummingbirds, while I was sitting on my neighbor’s patio. I may bring out my tripod another day and try to capture better photographs. Also, I would love to capture a photograph of a male hummingbird. The male hummingbird is much more colorful than the female.
The Beauty Around Us 