"Voyeur!" had been my wife's reply to my text message. And I suppose It was a fair assessment. I had been quite brazen about it, although I couldn't get too close for fear of disturbing the couple. Well, actually, the scene was edgier than that. I was watching and photographing a menage a trois, a … Continue reading Backyard Note #6 — Singers, Lovers, Assassins
Category: Backyard Notes
Backyard Note #5 — Feeding the Stock
[From a journal entry dated July 2003] I've been busy hunting for food for our various wildlife guests. We have been collecting specimens from the Chemung River. It all started with the set of twenty or so toad tadpoles that we found in a small pool along the bank of the river. It was water … Continue reading Backyard Note #5 — Feeding the Stock
Backyard Notes #4
He (or she) seems quite at ease and dignified in the photographs of him strutting across our front lawn. I have only the pictures to go by. I was at work during his visit. My son took the pictures. That our imperious visitor was a Cooper's hawk was plain almost immediately. What made his visit … Continue reading Backyard Notes #4
Backyard Notes #3
A Prayer Today, my generous Lord, you have allowed me to enjoy the use of my body out in lovely spring weather. I mowed the backyard, pushing the mower up and down the yard, around obstacles , across the wide, flat section. I felt the strength of my legs and arms as I used my … Continue reading Backyard Notes #3
Backyard Notes #2
Well, our little wood frog seems to have moved to his winter quarters to hibernate away the winter under a rock or in the brush pile or under a thick layer of leaf litter. He's been a constant resident of our little backyard pond since he came to us a a tadpole in early summer. … Continue reading Backyard Notes #2
Backyard Notes #1
The ideal American lawn is pretty much as useful to wildlife as a paved parking lot. At my house, we've decided to go against the prevailing attitude and make our yard more hospitable to wildlife. Here's part of the story about how we decided to that.
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 