Wildlife at Kearney Cabin

Wildlife is a wonderful thing to see when you head up north. The backyard at Kearney Cabin opens up onto city owned woodland and brush. Because of this it has been known to get visitors from time to time. There have been deer, moose, bear, grouse and turkey seen on the property. Ducks and geese can be heard as they fly over the property. For those that like to bird watch there are blue jays, cardinals and chickadees that come to the birdfeeders several times through out the day. Several Ravens frequently hang out in the backyard at all times of the day.

Guests frequently tell us about their experiences, but here are a few that I personally have encountered, and you may as well when you stay at Kearney Cabin.

A family of swallows nests by the front door right above the kitchen window. They seem to return year after year, though there is no way of telling if it is the same birds. In the spring we usually see baby birds peeking out over the side of the nests while mom and dad keep an eye on us when we get close. They are a messy bird though so we try to keep nothing under their nests.

One of my favorite experiences with the local wildlife was early one morning when I was preparing to go fishing. I was loading my stuff in to the back of my car when I heard what i thought was a nieghbour casually walking down my driveway. Just when I though they would be right beside me I peaked around the corner of my car, except it was not a neighbour at all…click here to see what it was.

One day in the spring I had just stepped outside the front door looking towards the street. I heard a noise from the backyard but by the time I turned, all I could see was a black bear running away. He was still pretty close so he must have been just off the end of the deck when I first came out side. So maybe 15 feet away. That is too close for comfort!

Another “friend” that we have is a little chipmunk who seems to live somewhere around the garage. He seems pretty unafraid of humans. I know they are cute but please do not feed them. We do not need a family of chipmunks running around!

The spring also brings a battle of wits between me and a ground hog. He comes back every year and torments me with new holes around the cabin. Every year I set up a humane trap to relocate him and he never takes the bait. When I see him, I run at him screaming so he gets the idea he is not wanted in the area, but he always comes back. If you see the ground hog, please scream at him and tell him to go away. Don’t worry about the neighbours. They will not think you are crazy. They have seen me do it a hundred times.

These are just a few of my wildlife stories. I hope you will get a chance to stay at Kearney Cabin and hopefully you can share your stories with us too! If you happen to get a great photo, please post it on our Facebook page so every one can see.