Wild Friends

It has been a little 'wild' around here lately. Along with the bears whom we haven't seen but who return to leave their scat on a nightly basis (the last one was 3 feet from the kitchen window), a coyote has also dropped in. This time I saw her (him?) from the kitchen window, run right into the middle of the backyard, heading for Roostie. I ran out and chased her off and spent the rest of the morning puttering around the chicken coop. She was beautiful, though, with her bushy tail and light brown fur. I don't think any more chickens have gone missing.... yet....

But our most interesting have been our hooting visitors who have taken up regular residence in the elm tree beside the porch. Usually there is just one owl.
We are pretty sure it is a great horned owl - it has ear tufts and a white bib. It sits there all day and watches us every time we go outside. Usually it sits facing the chickens. We've had the chance to examine its pellets which fall into the flowerbed beneath and to lay on the ground looking up at it, and take pictures. At Rhiannon's birthday party there were two of them. This morning it was back to one. He was quite active and I got to watch him (her?) groom himself.

We've been enjoying our wild visitors and bringing our domestic ones inside every night. Tigger loves it...