ahhh... I have a love/hate relationship... I love watching the wildlife here in Northern Vermont... I hate the damage they do to my domestic charges, my garden, my house, etc...

raccoons just came through last night and delicately picked every ear of corn and ate them one by one

a raccoon killed one of my chickens this summer when I came home too late to close the chicken house door

the bears have destroyed my beehives, tore down fences, finagled their way into the chicken coop and ate the grain, walked up onto my deck and destroyed the hummingbird feeder (all other bird feeders are taken down by April of each year because of bears), made it impossible to have a compost pile, require me to make sure all doors are shut tight so they don't enter the house.......

the fox has made it impossible for me to let my chickens free range

a fisher and a mink/ermine have continuously harangued my chickens

the skunks dig many holes in the yard at night looking for insects and will eat the chicken eggs if they find their way into the coop

the squirrels, chipmunks, mice all get into any storage I have in the garage and find nice places to pull out all the insulation in my house in order to build nests for the winter

I have to keep a plastic owl out in the chicken yard so the hawks don't swoop down and nab one of the young ones

but... when I can ignore all those things, I love to watch the wildlife and laugh at their benign antics... and so far the deer, moose, wild turkeys, ducks, etc. roaming through the yard all give me great pleasure!!