Spring Is Here and wildlife abounds at my place!

Spring Is Here and wildlife abounds at my place!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

by Marilyn Freedman
super active

Spring is Here! For the last few years around the beginning of April we have been hosts to this couple who pop in for a few weeks and spend the days lazing in and around our swimming pool, and eating the bounty of our backyard. Some years they have brought their children and we watch from our bedroom window, or sneak quietly through the side yard to catch a glimpse of our gorgeous guests. For you country folks it may not be a big deal to have ducks in your backyard, but for us city folks who live smack dab in the middle of Toronto, it is the biggest thrill. Last year we had an additional visitor, a grey hare, who hung around until late fall and I hope we see it again now that the snow has melted. I rescued the poor hare after it fell into the pool. I scooped it out with my bare hands and put it gently down on the deck. It scampered away. I realized that it knew that I was helping it and that is why it didn’t try to bite me. It is hard to explain the feeling of holding a wild animal in your hands, having no control over the circumstance – except that it was an “awesome” few seconds. We are investigating ways to make the pool more environmentally friendly while maintaining a standard of health for people use.