What Made All Those Tracks in My Yard?

My first blog! Covid has been rough. R-O-U-G-H. To survive, I had to force myself to find some joy or ”bliss”. And while I did it kicking and screaming some days, I did it….and have kept going. And started this blog to keep going and to prove to myself that I can find the joy in the everyday.

And I am choosing to find some joy in knowing that on this very cold post-blizzard day in the northern Prairies that I can still smile when I see my neighbour’s footprints in my yard.

The neighbour is a small northern wild rabbit that has chosen to make a home in my snow covered snow bushes. Particularly this past winter, I have noticed a lot more trails in my yard leading to my cedar bushes. So its clear all these trails are there with a purpose – to lead them to food or to lead them home. The other day (due to triggering my Ring camera), I realized that there is more than one “neighbor” in my yard. What a surprise!

Bliss Reflection #1

Knowing that I can share my yard with the woodland creatures gives me joy. Whether the birds, the rabbits or my own four-legged creature, I feel blessed that even in the dead of winter, there is life in my yard.

I have taken pleasure in watching all the bunny trails throughout my yard, and the many chickadees perching on my apple tree. Its not quite Noah’s Ark but the sights and sounds make me feel like I have my own park right in my backyard. I know some of these cottontails can be a nuisance (particularly for gardeners) but I’ve just learned to cohabitate – by planting flowers that bunnies don’t like or putting up cages to protect the veggies. And if in the summer they choose to have some of my lettuce, so be it. 

And well, having a little Terrier in the yard usually means that these neighbours only come out at night of very early in the AM, because the dog (built like a mack track) will come charging out of the house and between my legs and ”zzzzzhuuuup”, its a blur of dog and bunny. (Don’t worry, the bunny ALWAYS outruns the dog by a mile.)

Taking taking a moment to stop and look at the bunny trails in my yard is a peaceful moment in my day. I look at these trails with curiosity – how many rabbits are there? Is it a family? How to do they stay warm? Where are they finding food? In the cold and bleak winter up north, it’s always nice to see life in your own backyard. And the joy also comes from not forcing any interaction with the creatures, rather by choosing to just take it all in and observe. 

Bliss Finds and Facts:

• Although I rarely see my “neighbours”, because they always are so fast, I have caught some glimmers of their beige salt and pepper fur. According to an 2017 article in ”Cottage Life”, it looks like I may have a ”white-tailed jackrabbit” in my yard. (See https://cottagelife.com/outdoors/how-to-identify-canadas-5-rabbit-species/ ) (I’ll do an update after I confirm the species with our local municipality.)
• I found a great article that goes into more detail about this particular species at ThoughtCo. They’ve collected some really interesting facts such as habitat, behaviour and diet.
• I also found a cool app for kids from a ”famous” Canadian Wildlife Federation and their Hinterland Who’s Who resource. Growing up in Canada, you would always see the Hinterland Who’s Who commercials featuring our rich and vast cast of characters. The app takes a fun approach to helping kids (and adults) learn more about the creatures and wildlife across Canada using video games, fact cards and even a scavenger hunt.