Where are the animals?

When I planned my trip to the Upper Peninsula, I went to see the animals. I had visions of hiking a trail for a mile or so, finding a big rock or log to sit on, sitting still for a few minutes, and then watching the birds and squirrels play. I thought, perhaps, I might even see an eagle, moose, elk, wolf or bear. (Well, I really didn’t expect to find one in the woods, but maybe along the side of the road or something …)

I spent a week and was along the shore and in and out of the woods. And I saw less than what I see in my own backyard. No songbirds. No deer. No rabbits. No squirrels. No raccoons. No foxes. No skunks. No coyotes. Not even any roadkill!

Honestly, I’m starting to think that whole bear and moose thing are myths! Probably something they tell us trolls (those who live below the bridge) to get us to travel up there and spend money.

I was extremely disappointed. And, since that was such a big part of our trip, I had to document it … so I scrapbooked the few animals I did see using the Mosaic Moments system.

Want to see how I did it? Click here to watch the video …

Through My Window

I may live in a crowded lake subdivision, but my studio sits in front of a large picture window that overlooks a few empty lots and a small wooded patch. My in-laws allow us to garden a large portion of the area. The rest they have landscaped with numerous flowerbeds and large trees.

I will admit, I have the best view in the neighborhood! It may not be of the lake, but it is filled with songbirds, butterflies, squirrels, rabbits, hummingbirds and other wild creatures. Although I do not spend hours staring out of the window, I do look out it often enough to catch amazing moments in time.

Take this spring day a few weeks ago … I looked up as a pair of deer wandered out of the woods and into the “park,” as my in-laws sometimes call it.

We have noticed tracks in the garden and my mother-in-law’s tulips and lilies are often tasty treats for the deer, but we rarely ever see them — especially in the middle of the day. I quickly took a photo with my cell phone so I would have proof this happened, but I knew it would be a bad picture, since they were so far away. I wanted my real camera, which was in another room, but I was afraid to move.

 

I watched for a few minutes and the deer seemed in no hurry to leave. I asked them if they would wait while I grabbed a camera. Naturally, they didn’t answer me, but they did wait for me to get my camera and change the lens and take numerous pictures before something spooked them and they ran back into the woods. These are my favorites …

There is nothing more exciting than being able to observe wild animals in nature.

And, I am pretty impressed with my camera’s ability to take pictures through less-than-spotless windows!