Many Critters this week!

I had lots of visitors this week in my backyard sanctuary and I love them all!
  This big ol' bunny comes every day and usually tries to eat my Orange Day Lilies even before they blossom so I protect them with a little garden wire.  But now that the blossoms are gone, I took it away and she feasted on the leaves.

 And then the Stork returned.  I never get tired of watching them in their silly fishing way.  They walk as though intoxicated spreading one wing and then the other as though for balance as they forage near the banks.

 

Such fun!  And inside the house, the ragdoll, Isabella is chilling and Lilly Chihuahua is playing with her bone under a blanket-ha!

 Don't you just love this little face?

Thanks for visiting and come again soon to my lovely sanctuary.

My wild heart to yours...

Wood Stork visit for breakfast...

I was fortunate to see the Wood Stork this morning when I raised the blinds in the bath at 7 am.  He was walking along the bank wading and stirring the water.  Then he would scoop something up in his long bill and eat.  If the screen is black, click on the arrow at the bottom of the screen. :)

It was so much fun watching his ritual as with each step and stirring the water, he would stretch out one wing and then the other.

I never get tired of watching the birds and wildlife here in SC.  I am truly blessed every day by the sights and sounds of nature and God's critters.

My wild heart to yours...

Alligator Turtle and Tree Frog, Baby Geese

My yard has been a sea of adventure in wildlife!  A few nights ago, I went out after dark to bring my porch chair cushions in for the night and there was this huge tree frog sitting on the back.  I had never seen one this large before!

Notice the suction cup toes.  I probably caused temporary blindness when my flash went off!  But he hopped away happily after posing for my photo shoot-ha!

I was fascinated with his approximate size of 3" as I had never seen a Tree Frog this large before.

Talk about a gaggle of geese!  About 4 Canadian geese families came with their babies to bask in the sun in the back yard before returning to the lake



The "teen" goslings are becoming beautiful, losing their soft down baby feathers.  They will be flying soon when their wings grow longer and then the flying lessons begin, fun to watch!! 

Returning to the water. 

Escaping through the neighbor's yard above and one cooperative pose from one of the babes. 

Resting and preening.

Last but not least, yesterday I encountered this Alligator Turtle that definitely looks like a prehistoric critter!  My neighbor helped get him back to the lake after he crossed the road and was in my front yard.  He was huge, approximately 24 " from head to tail and must have weighed 25lbs.  My neighbor picked him up on the end of a shovel (which the turtle bit) and flopped him into the lake.  He was bigger than my little Lilly Chihuahua!  I would hate to meet him in the dark!!

My neighbor deciding how to move him towards the lake.

He has lake weed caught on his shell which was really clean and shiny.  His tail had bumps going down it just like an Alligator!  Very scary!  But he finally was plopped back into the lake behind my house and I hope I do not see him again.  

A gift left behind from the adult Canadian Goose~ a Quill feather that I will make into a pen :)

My wild heart to yours....