Our Animal visitors at Rocky Top
All Photos by R T Douse
Updated:  June 12, 2018

The Fox



This little gray fox has been a visitor every evening for quite awhile
now.  The rock he is standing on is about twenty feet from the front
door of our home.  Richard has taken to putting out a small handful
of Ann Margret's catfood as well as an occasional mouse or
gopher that Ann captures but refuses to eat.  Of course we bring Ann
in every night so she won't end up like her mice or gophers.





The raccoon



Another visitor has been this raccoon which came to drink
at our garden pond.  We haven't seen him since the fish died.
This photo was taken through our bedroom window one
evening.






The bobcatOne morning, when we were camping in our 5th wheel trailer, we happened to look over to the East line of our property and saw this little bobcat who had just leaped over the rock wall we had begun building.  We saw him (or her) again a few days later and watched while it walked past our trailer and down the drive.
We saw it stop and turn toward the tall green grass by the side of the road.  It leaped straight up, over, and down and came back to the road with a mouse in its mouth. With a flick of its head,it tossed it into the air and swallowed it in one gulp!



Deer saying Hi!


The very same day we saw the bobcat for the first time, within
minutes, this little girl hopped out from behind some buckbrush.
Since then, hardly a day goes by when we don't see deer.




    

our girls



Not all our "girls" have four legs!  





the pause that refreshes


This little girl just stopped by for a drink.  She has a
nest somewhere close.







Pacific rattlesnake

And, not all of our animal friends are furry.  I spotted this cute little guy on a rock that borders our patio.  Since he was just a baby, I put him in a paint bucket and took him to a far corner of our land and let him go.  We see about 4 or 5 every year. If they are large, they don't get off so easily.




Two Pacific Rattlesnakes


. . . like these two!   Actually, if they hadn't taken up residence by the edge of our patio, I would have let them be - but they were just too close to home.





Two garter snakes


Here we have two harmless and really quite beneficial
garter snakes.  This pair were also next to our patio.  
Making babies, perhaps.






Western Fence Lizards

You don't often see Western Fence Lizards fighting.  
These two were so angry with each other that they
completely ignored me while I was photographing them.






I hope you enjoy these pictures.  I took all of them  The Next - an omenaround
our home that we call "Rocky Top."  If you enjoy them, then you're probably the kind of person that appreciates the out of doors and the wildlife one finds there.  

You are also, quite probably the kind of person that would enjoy my new novel, "The Next - an omen"  No, it's not about witchcraft or that sort of thing.   It is an action / adventure story that shows what can happen when people, even those with the best intentions, try to meddle with nature.  It is an excellent book for luring young people away from TV and video games and getting them to long for more time out of doors.  It can be ordered from Amazon.com.

Now then, here's a few more friends of mine! 


Blacktail Jackrabbit



The Blacktail Jackrabbit used to be common over much of the West.  
However, many ranchers poison them or shoot them.  This makes
no sense to me.  They also poison or shoot the coyotes that help
keep their numbers under control.  I guess some people just like killing.








Jackrabbit running


Blacktail Jackrabbits are as much a symbol of the West as
cowboys and coyotes.  Let's hope they remain so.






Grey Fox


A lot of people would look at this picture and think this is a
Red Fox.  They would be wrong.  This is a Grey Fox and
the proof of the matter is that the tip of its tail is black.  Yes,
I know, you can't see the tail in this picture.  Just take my
word for it.



Blacktail deer fawn



Every Spring we enjoy watching wildlife babies.  This little
Blacktail Deer fawn stayed around our property until its
spots were gone.








Blacktail Buck


Some wild animals just like to pose.  This is a mature
Blacktail buck who I sincerely hope evaded the hunters
this year.  If so, I'll be seeing him again next year!

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