May 20, 2005 - The National Wildlife Federation Certified our Backyard as a "Backyard Wildlife Habitat." To learn more or to apply to have your backyard certified, click the NWF logo below!

Birds found in our backyard at different times of the year include:

Cardinals, chickadees, titmice, Carolina wrens,  bluebirds, goldfinches, ruby-throated hummingbirds, red-headed woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, pileated woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, blue jays, mourning doves, chipping sparrows, crows, red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, road runners, cedar waxwings, indigo and painted buntings, robins, orioles, phoebes,  grosbeaks, nuthatches, black-bellied whistling ducks, pine warblers, and new in 2009 - many pine siskins! 

Animals:  White-tailed deer, raccoons, opossums, rabbits, red squirrels, gray squirrels, red fox, flying squirrels, coyotes and armadillos.

Other:  Anole lizards, speckled salamanders, tree frogs, blue-tailed skinks, some fancy striped toads and an assortment of box turtles.

~  ~  ~

Whatever it is that lives,
a man, a tree or a bird,
should be touched gently.
...Elizabeth Goudge

"The closer man associates himself with nature,
the greater his personal, spiritual
and even physical well being grow and expand
as a direct result of that association."  -- Frank Lloyd Wright

 Photos, Photos...
The joys of our backyard!

Communing with nature is stepping
into our Lord's ever changing masterpiece
 

Photos by Bari
Location:  Magnolia, TX
Camera:  Canon EOS 20D

Our Cat Happy Cat Pride can be seen HERE

White Deer:  Ghosts of the Forest by Jeff Richter

We love our deer and were amazed by the white deer of  Wisconsin.
  Click the photo above and enjoy the video!

Year 'round we provide black oil sunflower seed, suet, wild bird seed, thistle seed, corn, apple spice blocks and maintain 5 watering stations for the birds, deer, etc.

Hummingbirds have their own web page.  We keep hummingbird feeders out most of the year.  From March to September we have around 10-20 ruby throats that visit, then in Sept/Oct, the numbers increase to 200+ as they migrate south across Texas.  At that point we have 12 feeders and go through around 40 cups of sugar water a day!  It is quite a sight.

The black-bellied whistling ducks (photos below) were new in 2005.  Large flocks fly low over our property and land in our trees, happily whistling at each other.  Up to 20 will land in our yard at a time and help themselves to sunflower seeds and corn, while the others stay in the tops of trees nearby. They are quite a treat to see!  And no, we've never seen them in our pool! 

We have frequent gatherings of small gray squirrels.  White bellies and flitting tails abound. What fun!  Some days we'll have 20-30 chasing each other, and eating deer corn and sunflower seeds!  I call the little ones teacup squirrels because they curl their little tails upon their backs like little handles.

Our white-tailed deer visitors number around 25 each day.  They are usually waiting for breakfast at dawn, come back off and on during the day, and many nights sleep in our back yard.  We anxiously await fawns each year - usually seen by July 1.