Where wild things are...

Apparently the wild things are all around us.  Just last weekend, three deer ambled there way across our neighbors front yard.  We wonder if they are the same three that trotted across ours earlier that week.

Yes, we live in Indianapolis.  Yes we live less than 1/2 mile from I-465.  And yes, we live less than a mile from one of the busiest intersections here on the north side of Indianapolis.  Seems that's not enough traffic to deter the wildlife from roaming around here.

We've gotten accustomed to the birds, squirrels and chipmunks, and it's kind of amusing to watch Hudson bolt out the patio door in pursuit of the bushy tailed little rodents.  The chipmunks are annoying in the summer months when the windows are open and they bark to each other.  Bark isn't quite the sound I would call it. 

More of a high pitch - and loud - squeak.  They are incredibly fast too.  I don't think Hudson will catch any of them.  At least I hope he doesn't.  Westies were bred for the purpose of vermin eradication, but the thought of Hudson dragging dead animal carcasses up to our back door isn't appealing.  Neither is the thought of him loosing a battle with a squirrel.  That is a bat house the squirrel is perched on in the picture.  It's attached to a large maple tree in our backyard.  Robbie's not crazy about the Batman logo on it (neither am I), but it's up too high for us to easily do anything about it.  We inherited it when we took possession of our house.  I don't think it's ever had any of the intended occupants, just an errant spider or two as squatters as evident by the webs hanging from the entrance at the bottom of the house.

But now it seems as if we have to also share our neighborhood with deer and according to the neighbors, the occasional coyote. I know that there are 'possum around here as I see their carcasses along the streets here all the time.  I've not seen any raccoon, but they tend to be nocturnal also.  We also don't set our garbage cans outside until trash pickup day as those seem to advertise BUFFET in raccoon speak.  What's next?  Cougar?  Grey Wolves?  Black Bear? What other species indigenous to Indiana could make a comeback?  Lord help us if the Bison ever do.  I'm sure they'd love the little stream that winds it way through our neighborhood. Not to mention all the tall decorative grasses neighbors have planted in their tidy landscape beds.