A Wandering Tom

Earlier this year…Spring, in fact, and only six days since Brother Crow‘s visit…a single, unaccompanied Tom came to say hello.

Or cluck hello.

A single Tom usually means the Hens are busy with their eggs. We were fortunate enough in our travels to see a proud Hen with some quite young (less than a week old) chicks flurrying around her.

They were grand.

We stopped traffic in both directions though. She was taking them across a road. I encouraged her not to.

She agreed, gathered them, and hurried back into The Wild.

Drivers flashed their lights, gave us a thumbs-up, and waited patiently.

It’s a good thing.

Enjoy.

 

He Likes Peanuts?

And now of much higher quality than I’m an object of curiosity (because my hands aren’t in the way), we see this strapping fellow in full.

I admit none of us would have known his presence were it not for the other wildlife taking to the trees and uttering epithets of such vehemence!

After all, this is the dinner hour to many of The Wild in our yard.

Which reminds me of a great standup routine by Sebastian Maniscalco about how telephone usage has changed over time.

It use to be that a ringing phone meant everybody pay attention, this could be important. Dinner? Ha! If somebody’s calling when they know we’ll be eating, you know it’s gotta be important because nobody in their right mind would destroy the sanctity of the family meal.

(and note Congress had to pass a law that phone solicitors couldn’t call during the “dinner hour”)

But now? Let it ring. They’ll call back or voicemail will get it. Who cares, we can’t be bothered.

I think the reverse is true with young people. They seem to crave something anything interrupting having to interact with their parents.

Which goes back to learning from one’s teachers, as mentioned last week…

 

I’m an object of curiosity

While recognizably of poor quality (the video, not the gentleman who is the subject of the video), the attention The Wild grants Two-Legs always intrigues me.

And not just Coyote – as is the subject of this post – but all Old Ones focus on us when we’re around.

Survival, I’m sure, to many, and I doubt that’s the case here (meaning “in our yard”) as they don’t shy away from us often.

Such is not the case when our neighbors gather.

Then it’s hustle justle hustle get back into deep cover before they do something…

foolish.

But I’ve interacted with Two-Legs enough to know respect for one’s teachers is neither a universal nor a given.

Sigh.

 

Turkey Prejudices

Following up on last week’s Turkeys and a Cautious Squirrel, we note a concern with our WildLife‘s social skills.

Specifically with some Turkeys.

We learn some Turkeys do not like Squirrels.

Regular readers may remember Agnes’s Chippie War Dance when an aberrant chipmunk thought to oust her from her pile of seeds.

That was a different issue, however.

Property rights (we suspect Agnes learned property rights from some of our neighbors).

Oh, if I’m to be accurate (why start now?) it’s more like resource issues and such is more in the mindsets of The Wild.

And being completely honest, would you want squirrels around if you were a Turkey?

Nasty little things, you know…the way they watch you…just waiting for you to drop a peanut or a seed or –God Forbid! – a cookie!

Okay, okay, okay. We put out food for our Squirrels, too.

 

The Old Ones Return

From early Feb 2022, The Old Ones return, and like most of us waking from a long slumber, they’re unsure. Shy, really.

It’s obvious they recognize me and know I’m not a threat.

Perhaps their concern is that they haven’t had a chance to put their makeup on, or do their hair.

You know, that “Come back after I’ve had my coffee” look? You’re still in your PJs, still have sleep in your eyes, don’t yet want to talk, might be coherent enough to listen to NPR but can’t actually find the radio yet although you might be clutching your mobile because you never really let go of it during the night.

Kind of makes you wish you were in The Wild, doesn’t it?

No need for mobiles there. Grunt or a groan’s as good as a snarl or a bark with them.