Sunday, October 4, 2009

Santa Ynez Wildlife





Someone asked today about wildlife in the area of Ridgeline Ranch. The question came up in part because this rare property is adjacent to the Sedgwick Reserve. Our ranch's perimeter is fully fenced so we don't get as many visitors as we might otherwise.



Here are photos taken at a water tank in the Sedgwick Reserve by a motion activated camera.
The first shows three deer and a fox. The second shows a bobcat looking for a drink while being cautious about falling in.



In Woodstock Ranch we also see badgers waddling by the roadside at dusk and a multitude of groundsquirrels plus a number of arboreal squirrels. We hear coyotes call at night although I've never seen one as close as I did in Pasadena. Also, our noses sense the presence of skunks although my dogs quickly learned to give them a wide berth.
I've come to enjoy bird watching, too, since we moved here. My spring posts included photos of some of our avian visitors. Lately, I've seen lots of Western bluebirds and a surpring number of kestrels. See the handsome kestrel posing at the top of this entry.

It seems so fitting to be living in an environmentally "green" house as we witness nature's bounty.

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