Pictures of Wildlife in your Back Garden

Heron on the roof

 

Robin in our back garden a few summers ago.

 

Blackbird in our cherry tree, a few summers ago.

 

A toad in our back garden.

 

Bentley Priory very relaxed mouse

 

Bentley Priory Deer Park

 

Herd of deer in the back 20 acres, taken in April. Only a few shown, but 3 groups all out to graze for a total of 16. All wild.

 

Followed by one large flock of 20 wild turkeys. Watched them grow up over the summer.

 

FENTON!!

 

Kestrel Bentley Priory

 

They found a baby owl in this year's NYC Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
It's about 160 miles from Oneonta, NY, where the tree was cut down, to New York City.

Owl found inside Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in good condition

 

on the attack

 

Five Whitetail Deer on top of the Palisade Cliffs across the Hudson River from New York City.

This is directly above the spot where General Cornwallis landed to attack Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Battle of Fort Lee

The Palisades | bluffs, New Jersey and New York, United States

 

Wildlife in the backgarden of Arnhem:



The wolve has made a come-back in Holland for a couple of years an now is flourishing in the wooded region north of Arnhem, known as De Veluwe. A wolve family of two adults and seven young animals recently has been spotted by a wildlife camera.

 

Stolpi,
Did you bring them to the NL from your fishing expedition in Canada?

 

I'm afraid they invaded our country from the east .

Recently another pair was spotted in southern region of the Veluwe - near Arnhem. A male and female - which may lead to even more wolves.

Which reminds me of the Dutch Folk Song "Deathride" of Drs P. (worldfamous in Holland and Poet Laureate):


Which translates as follows, though it no longer rhymes:

We drive the troika through the endless forest
It freezes about thirty degrees,
it is winter and quite cold The horse's hooves crunch in the fresh snow
It's evening in Siberia and nowhere is a lion

We travel with the children, although they are still a bit young
Through the endless forest I just sang about
A shady and very unclear site
In which people are fortunate that there are no lions

We are on our way to Omsk, but the road there is long
And that is why we fill the time with festive singing
In the meantime, something starts to move in the background:
Something dark and something numerous and it seems unhealthy to me

They are still quite far behind us, but I can see them
It's a lot and they run pretty fast
And by following us they catch up with us
Which can be unfavorable for a young family

The dark figures are particularly agile
They walk on all fours, and they look very mean
They have big teeth, that is clearly visible
They are probably wolves and malicious too

Although the situation is alarming,
I do not panic I keep the courage through folk music
We know our collection and we sing a lot
As the wolves approach at a stretched trot

From here to Omsk it is still just under a hundred werst
It's nice that the horses have just been refreshed this afternoon
It is a pity that the wolves have caught up with us
You can see the strong appetite that radiates from their eyes

We act very carefree and we sing continuously
Still, something must be done under Mother's umbrella
And without being noticed, I consult with my wife "Who should believe it?"
I ask, "Come on, think about it soon"

"Should it be Igor?", "No, because Igor plays the violin"
"What do you think of Natasja?", "But she is learning so well at school!"
"And what about Sonja?", "No, not Sonja, she has a beautiful alto"
So that the choice finally falls on little Piotr

So under the singing I take the little guy handily
There, he flies out of the troika with an eerie cry
The wolves have all their attention for that delicacy
Eighty-four more werst, and oh, how happy we are today

We can appreciate Piotr for his edibility
Because that will make us lose that mess for the time being
So we chase on as in a gruesome dream
Ajo ajo ajo already in that high topping tree

There you hear that crying again and our hopes are torn again
The wolves are back and now it's Sonja's turn
There goes the poor child, she was so cheerful and so good
Another sixty-eight werst and a count lives in The Hague

I am still pondering and my wife sheds many tears
And look, the wolves are already coming behind us
So Igor, it's a shame, but you're not going to be a virtuoso
Fifty-two more werst and there was a girl there recently

Now that Igor has been removed, we have some rest again
But no, there are the wolves again, eager for another part
Natasja's death cry painfully cuts us through the soul
Thirty-six werst and in blue checked smock

Only my wife and I are left, so we sing a duet
And if things want to go down for a while, we might just make it
Alas, I have to give her up to the hungry mess
Now only twenty werst and Hoeperdepoep was on the sidewalk

I now sing a bit more lustily because Omsk is coming into view
I jump for joy and lose my balance
While the wolves are devouring me, I think "That's bad luck
Yes Omsk is a beautiful city, but just a little too far away "

(Troika here, Troika there)
Yes, you will see a lot this year
(Troika here, Troika there)
Horse hair is everywhere
(Troika here, Troika there)
Always available from stock
(Troika here, Troika there)
The samovar snorts gently
(Troika here, Troika there)
With a Slavic hand gesture
(Troika here, Troika there)
Do it yourself with needle and scissors
(Troika here, Troika there)
Isn't that wonderful now
(Troika here, Troika there)
Two half pastries and a tartare
(Troika here, Troika there)
A charity bazaar
(Troika here, Troika there)
Tribute to the golden pair
(Troika here, Troika there)
Foe how drowsy you stand there
(Troika here, Troika there)
Mother is the coffee finished
(Troika here, Troika there)
Look there is an eagle walking
(Troika here, Troika there)
There is also an abattoir here
(Troika here, Troika there)
Bass guitar and slap cigar
(Troika here, Troika there)
Well-built widower
(Troika here, Troika there)
Long live our good Tsar!