Wildlife, or Simply Life, in Southern Eau Claire County

I live in the country, a ways off the road, in the woods. We are fortunate to see, up close and personal sometimes, many kinds of wildlife. We saw our first bear in about 2008 and now they are regular visitors. I stopped taking walks for a while until a DNR friend of ours said bear are more afraid of me than I am of them – unless there are cubs involved. I’m still cautious and usually sing or use a bell to warn the animals that I’m out there sharing their space. Other critters we have seen, or caught on our trail cam, include bobcats, fishers, pileated woodpeckers, fox, coyote, and of course, deer. My husband’s current screen saver is a bear peering into his camera in the woods. Mine is a beautiful owl that was in a tree off the deck.

“Henry Thoreau wrote of the charms and joys of simple living in the woods, away from the hectic nuisances of our city civilization. His philosophy has become part of our American heritage, as sound today as the day he first set it down.” This is part of a book review on Amazon for At Home in the Woods: Living the Life of Thoreau Today. Thoreau (1817-1862) had the right idea for nature/wildlife lovers, then and now. We all could benefit from more peace and quiet, or to slow down just a little. For me, how wonderful it is to lie in bed at night with windows open, listening to the night sounds. We realize how fortunate we are to live on our little chunk of earth. We don’t kid ourselves that we are really “roughing it”, because we have all the amenities of modern life (unless the power goes out), but it just feels good.

So when you take a Sunday drive, or for the fun of it seek out a road you haven’t been on before, be on the lookout for the eagle or hawk swooping, or perched in a tree, the turtle on the side of the road, the deer who often get too close. Be careful, and enjoy!