Midwestern Midcentury

Fawn and Flora

We see deer in our yard from time to time, but this little guy showed up with his mom and his brother (or sister).

Another Visitor

Our kitty is fascinated by this nighttime visitor and the strange little dance he is doing.  Below you can see the raccoon's response when I extended my hand toward the window.

Interesting facts about raccons:

• they can open doors with their paws
• they hunt birds
• their pregnancies last only two months
• baby raccoons are called "kits"
• they are excellent swimmers
• they are related to pandas (red)

Hawk!

A hawk paid us a visit today.  Can you find him in the photo?  Some of the best things about living here are the animals that cross our path from time to time.

Bird Strikes Picture Window

Each year several birds strike two large windows on our home.  Most glance off and fly away, some are stunned for a few minutes and then fly away, and one or two a year are killed instantly.

The female cardinal shown above hit the same window twice in the same afternoon.

After the first strike she fell from the second story to the ground level and went head first into a snow bank.  I went out with gloves on and gently lifted her from the snow and placed her in some greenery near the house.  She was conscious and breathing, but limp.

After several minutes I noticed she was sitting upright (that's when I took the photo), and bit later she recovered enough to fly away.

Then...wham!  She flew into the same window about an hour later!  Fortunately, the second hit was just a glancing blow.

Is there anything I can do to discourage our fine feathered friends from trying to fly through our MCM picture windows?  Please share your ideas or experiences.