Lots of wildlife in Johnson Lane

I received a phone call Monday night from a Johnson Lane resident who lives on Squires Street. Last Thursday night she saw a pretty big mountain lion with a cub or two. Another neighbor saw it also. Please protect your pets until we know it is gone. Division of wildlife was out and confirmed the tracks were those of a mountain lion and at least one cub. Has anyone else seen it? Call me.

Bald eagle

It happened to me last week. I was carrying a piece of wood from the back of the property to the front when I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye. It was a very large black bird, flying low to the ground and it was coming right at me. It was a bald eagle. Where is my camera when I need it? It would have made an excellent picture because he was maybe 20 feet above my head. Darn it, a missed opportunity. Then I was driving down the road, and there he was again, perched on a telephone pole. Where was my camera again? I slowed way down and actually stopped in the middle of the road. The only other car on the road was stopped in front of me. We must have both looked pretty silly with our jaws to the ground as we were in "ah" of such a beautiful sight. I have never seen a bald eagle up here by my house. I always figured they stayed down in the flat lands where the cattle are. So now that my camera is in my car, I'll probably never see him again. But I am ready if I do.

Quail

There are lots more quail here this year, I do believe. We usually don't see very many in our yard because they don't like dogs. But, I think this year is different. It could be because the dogs are spoiled and have been in the house lots because of our cool temperatures. I have enjoyed washing dishes and seeing so many quail running about looking for food.

Hawk

There is one hawk that has enjoyed frequenting our back yard this past month. He is in pursuit of my only bantam hen. She is a cute little 2-pound tan hen and he has on several occasions lately, tried to take her out of our yard while I have been watching. So far, he has been unsuccessful.

Jackrabbits

We have lots of jackrabbits splattered on our roads. I was in the driveway waiting for the school bus to arrive, and there was one freshly hit in the middle of the street. From a 1/2-mile down the road, I see this German shepherd walking right down the center of the street. Several cars drove by honking, but the dog never lost sight of his goal. He picked up the jackrabbit, turned around, and walked right back down the road. Did he smell that rabbit from far away? I had never seen this dog before and haven't since.

-- Lisa Welch is a Johnson Lane resident and can be reached at 267-9350.