When I first moved to Braemar, a large subdivision in Prince William County, I never thought that I would be seeing any more wildlife than I had previously seen living in Centreville, VA...just fourteen miles away. It's still the suburbs.
Well, since moving here in 2004, I have seen more wildlife than I ever thought possible. And when I tell people what I regularly see, they must get the idea that I live on an acre or two of land. Not so. My house is about 20 feet from my neighbor, built on a 1/4 acre lot, but sides to a 100 year flood plain and backs to wooded common area. So I feel secluded on the side and back of my property.
So what do I see coming out of the woods? Wish I had pictures of all of it, but here's what I've seen:
A WILD TURKEY...and on Christmas Eve last year.
DEER..I regularly see deer on my front yard. The other day I looked out the window to see what held my cats' attention and counted 10 deer running through the flood plain.
FOX..I used to see fox on my front yard when I first moved in, but within six months, really didn't see them anymore. Occasionally I hear them when they are in heat, crying in the woods, but that is all.
OWLS...Talk about freaky. I had never heard an owl prior to moving out here. Now, I don't consider that I live at the ends of the earth, but it is very weird to hear an owl, perched just outside your bedroom on a tree.
WOODPECKERS...Two years ago a woodpecker found my roof to make the most attractive noise to attract a mate. Lucky me, I got awakened every morning to the jack-hammer like sounds coming from my roof.
BLUE HERON..This is a lovely bird. And it only comes around in the summer, when the flood plain has standing water. It is really something to see this gigantic water foul take off. Luckily, my front porch faces the floor plain, so I've seen this guy numerous times. Beautiful.
HAWKS...Predatory birds often frequent the area. Vultures too. Scary looking things. Bigger than this picture does justice.
SNAKES... Not really crazy about these...and thankfully haven't seen anything with my own eyes bigger than a six inch garden snake, but have heard stories of Copperheads just up the street.
TURTLES... Used to have these in my backyard when I was a kid. Love seeing them again.
FROGS...Never get tired of seeing frogs and toads in my garden after a rainstorm. They are adorable.
RACCOONS...We see raccoons every night. They walk right up onto our porch, searching for food. Since we regulary feed two stray cats in the neighborhood, they often get lucky.
RABBITS..I almost forgot about these furry guys, probably because I haven't seen them since Fall. But I'm sure they'll be back any day now.
GROUNDHOG...Only saw one of these about a year ago.
CATS...The feral cats in the area have actually lead to my adopting three additional animals...3 adorable kittens that I found on my front porch. My husband and I are adamant about feeding the feral cats, and trying to control the population. We're in the process of working with a local animal charity to get the ferals spayed/neutered and any additional medical attention.
I like living here and seeing the wildlife. And when I bought the house in 2004, I never would have expected the wildlife to still be around when construction was complete. I'm happy it's still here.
If you've got wildlife sightings in Braemar, I'd love to hear about them.
