Cottage: Wildlife

The cottage is a fantastic place for a little girl (or a littler boy) to experience the wonder of the great outdoors. Our yard at home is no sterile rock garden or anything, but there is something about being far away from civilization that allows the reality of the natural world to soak in, rather than manufacturing it by planting begonias. Sophia (and the rest of the family) were treated to many wilderness experiences, both fauna and flora, while we were there.

The island is a small chunk of rock about 200 feet from the shore, and while it is officially government property, we feel a kind of kinship with the island, since it is right in front of the cottage building, and we swim to it regularly. On the island, there is an old dead pine tree which is a favorite perching spot for bald eagles:




Here's Sophia looking out the window at the eagle on the island.




Loons, are, of course, a plentiful and vocal presence on any northern lake, and our little bay is no exception. There is a pair, named Louie and Lou-lou, who return to our little bay and try each year to have a couple of chicks on the island. Unfortunately, the odds are stacked against them because of fluctuating water levels and an abundance of predators, including the bald eagle. Regardless, the loons return year after year and keep us company with their haunting call. Their haunting, 4:00am call.



Deer are also plentiful where we are, with a family which seems to have nested (burrowed? set up a shanty? what do deer do anyway?) about 300m from the cottage. We have seen the parents and the young faun a few times, ducking in and out of the road, and once they stood at the top of the hill by the cottage for a while, just looking at us, and we could see new antlers on the male.

You don't have to go far from the cottage to see interesting animals. There are a number of habitats right near the building. The propane tank, with its cool metal and shaded valve cover is a favorite hiding place of green toads or tree frogs (not sure), while the garden is popular with leopard frogs. The north-facing wall of the building, bathed in sunlight, is a favorite sunning spot for moths, including Gypsys and Lunas.



We also discovered this year that the front step is inhabited by a least weasel. Look closely, they're quick little things:






Of course, there is also a wide variety of plant life at the cottage, and the recent news that half of UK kids can't recognize an oak leaf or that US kids can recognize a thousand corporate logos but only 10 plant species makes me want to expose Sophia to whatever natural ecosystems I can. While at the cottage, we went for walks through the forest and up on the hill, looking at trees and plants and bugs. We even identified poison ivy for her, although I think she will need a few more lessons about why it's something to avoid when every other plant is something to poke at. Her most exciting identification was blueberries, and she went to the top of the hill several times to pick them. You can't tell me that there is anything better than sitting on the hill picking and eating wild berries.