Archive for the ‘Wildlife in my Backyard’ Category

There’s a really interesting project you can do with your family that I call a “Square Foot Safari” and the premise is that there is a whole universe at our feet, but you need to get down there to see what is going on. Kids can sketch what they find in their one square foot patch, makes lists, write up observations or just be amazed by the whole experience.


Yesterday, I did my own version of a Square Foot Safari which involved laying down on a blanket in the far corner of my backyard and shooting what I found using my 60mm lens. I made up my own rules and those rules were essentially that if I could reach something by rolling over or propping myself up on my elbows, it was all good. But I was not going to get up from that blanket.


In part, that is because I like parameters and rules and plans, even if they are just things to ignore, but mostly because it was a simply glorious day and I was very comfortable right where I was.

I was even okay with the wildlife that roamed into my space:


My safari journal:

When I felt that I had successfully catalogued my little corner of the world, I put my camera aside, rested my cheek on the blanket, and promptly fell asleep.

Anyone will tell you that a safari can be exhausting.









As the king’s pie-maker approached, an uneasy silence fell upon the forest.

pie time

Your friend, Wabi Sabi, is a fearless woman but Life can sometimes surprise her.

This is what she saw outside the window as she wandered into her living room this morning:


Oh! said Wabi Sabi. Why is a prehistoric creature standing on my deck and where is my camera?


This guy has been coming around for a couple of weeks.  I think he’s been eyeing up the finch feeder and trying to figure out how to cash in on some free food. At first, I only found his…um…calling cards on my deck. (He pooped on my deck. There. I said it. He pooped. And if there are any jokes about the “poop deck,” you are grounded.)

Then I actually saw him out there one afternoon, but by the time I’d grabbed my camera, he’d disappeared. Turkeys are a skittish lot.

But today? Now look: I am setting you up for a really bad joke here.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I mean it: you can still bail out before I get to the end of this story.


I admit it: I was shocked to come around a corner and come face to face with a…wait for it…wait for it…

okay, this is it…


Disclaimer: I gave you more than ample warning on this one. You could have walked away any time.