Wildlife sightings

On Thursday, it was a coyote crossing the road in front of my truck. As I went by, he turned and seemed to look me right in the eye. That look of wisdom and humor — the joker of the animal kingdom. Then the next day an immense blue heron fluttered down to check out our pond. Woe was me, my camera was out in the office, and I couldn’t get to it without him seeing me. So I settled into watching him through the window. He circled the house, I believe looking for gophers. Seeing him so close up was unusual, because they are ultra-spooky birds (like the wild pigeons). It was such a thrill, this magnificent bird. He was almost 4′ tall. And thirdly, a friend spotted a mountain lion on the edge of town. A vicarious thrill here; if I had to choose one animal to catch even a glimpse of, this is the one. (I’ve seen two.) It’s a blessing to have creatures like these around.

About Lloyd Kahn

Lloyd Kahn started building his own home in the early '60s and went on to publish books showing homeowners how they could build their own homes with their own hands. He got his start in publishing by working as the shelter editor of the Whole Earth Catalog with Stewart Brand in the late '60s. He has since authored six highly-graphic books on homemade building, all of which are interrelated. The books, "The Shelter Library Of Building Books," include Shelter, Shelter II (1978), Home Work (2004), Builders of the Pacific Coast (2008), Tiny Homes (2012), and Tiny Homes on the Move (2014). Lloyd operates from Northern California studio built of recycled lumber, set in the midst of a vegetable garden, and hooked into the world via five Mac computers. You can check out videos (one with over 450,000 views) on Lloyd by doing a search on YouTube:

6 Responses to Wildlife sightings

  1. One time as I walked the Lithia Park in Ashland, Oregon while we lived there for 6 years….I came across a 4 foot tall Blue Heron on a big rock on one of the ponds. I was 5 feet away from that glorious bird. I stood still for 10 min…looking at everything I could see in him. He is a photo in my mind's eye that I return to when I see one out here on the Mississippi River….marvelous birds. They are gorgeous when they fly in and out. I got out my mind's eye photo and smiled again.

  2. We live on a pond where blue herons often come to catch breakfast. Their prodigious wingspans have prompted us to refer to them as "blue pterodactyls." They do indeed inspire awe. Best wishes.

  3. some days ago, I came across two busy badgers at twilight (one of their favorite tracks goes through this meadow). It was very windy and they didn't smell me. Five minutes of delight !

  4. We’re lucky to have a good number of Blue Herons in the area (southwest Michigan). The other day, I heard a strange call, got out the binocs, and spotted a Green Heron at the top of our evergreen tree. Way smaller than the Blue, but exciting to see no less. We also have Sandhill Cranes during portions of the year, and I love the sound of their call.

  5. am grateful for these wild obs + certainly appreciate your perspective on our fauna, and share an affinity for those critters that may have been/still are considered pestilence by many; makes me think of arne naess who discourages tendetious quoting, but i'll do it here "Appreciate all life-forms rather than merely those considered beautiful, remarkable, or narrowly useful. Remain conscious of the intrinsic value and dignity of life-forms even when using them as resources. Don't insulate yourself from nature and the weather; go barefoot, etc. When there is a conflict between interests of pet animals and wild species, protect the latter." = arne naess. bless em coyotes. thanks Lloyd!

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