Wildlife Adventures in Our Backyard

Sometimes you don't need to travel far for a little adventure.

Yesterday I was catching up on some paperwork when Julie, just back from college, excitedly called from the back door. I was sure she was going to point out the pair of wild turkeys that have take up residence. What we saw was just a bit more dramatic. A red-tailed hawk had successfully hunted a rabbit and was now preparing his afternoon meal.

Although we missed the hunt, we were allowed to witness the culinary event. The hawk took his time prepping his meal. He rolled the rabbit onto its back, ripped open the the gut and carefully pulled out the entrails, leaving them in neat pile beside the carcass. He then enjoyed a leisurely meal in the shade of our oak tree.

The hawk couldn't be bothered by my photographic efforts and cared even less about Julie watching, with a combination of fascination and revulsion, from the deck. After about 15 minutes the predator had his fill. He attempted to move the remains, but with great effort he could only drag them about a foot away from the pile of entrails. He flew up into the tree for an after meal rest until heading back to the woods.

You might say our townhouse with its shared yard is a representative microcosm of New Jersey. New Jersey is the most populous state in the country. Traveling the Turnpike through refineries outside of Newark airport, you could be excused for mocking our motto "The Garden State" embossed on millions of license plates. But you don't have to travel far off the highway to find miles of rolling country roads. Similarly, we only live a few hundred yards from Rt. 1, but our yard backs up to the D&R canal and beyond the canal is a large track of protected woodlands. It is encouraging that the wildlife is clearly thriving in spite of the continued development.