Wilderness Sightings

Living in a somewhat rural area has some very unique advantages. For one thing, as Carrie has mentioned before, we get to see the mountains, unobstructed in many places. Where there are mountains, you can also be certain to find wildlife.

This past summer, when we had our garden, we had a friendly pheasant that would walk up and check it out. He must have found some yummy things there, for he kept coming back until our neighbors put up a fence (of course, leaving some birdfood in the garden for him may have had something to do with it!).

However, recently we had two interesting wildlife sightings. My office is located near the local university. Most often, unversity settings don't allow for much wildlife of the natural kind, other than squirrels. However, being in a mountain valley has its advantages.

About two weeks ago, near my office, a small herd of deer simply came wandering by. Carrie and I were watching as they casually strolled by, walking up the hill, and finally wandering up toward the university. By the time we could get our camera out, all we could see was the white of their behinds.

Then, just today, as Carrie, my assistant, and I were standing in my office, we looked out my office window and what did we see? A male pheasant strutting by, just outside the window. We were literally 5 feet away from him, separated only by wall, window, and door. As we watched him, he wandered past the window, proceeding up the hill toward a busy street where, hopefully, he looked both ways before crossing.

Wildlife outside your office. Just one more great thing about living in the mountains.