Wildlife
Wild turkeys in the meadow
Yellow swallow tail
Due to the unique mix of meadows, hedgerows, gardens, tree copses, groves and wetland, Windswept is home to dozens of different bird species during the year. We have heard them all, saw most, and fed quite a few of them: Baltimore oriole, Barn Swallow, Blue jay, Brown-headed cowbird, Canada goose, Carolina wren, Chickadee, Cooper's hawk, Crackle, Crow, Downy woodpecker, Eastern bluebird, Eastern screech-owl, Eastern towhee, English sparrow, Gold finch, Grey cat bird, Hairy woodpecker, House finch, House wren, Indigo bunting, Mourning dove, Northern cardinal, Northern mockingbird, Pileated woodpecker, Purple finch, Red-bellied woodpecker, Red-tailed hawk, Red-winged blackbird, Robin, Rose-breasted grosbeak, Ruby-throated hummingbird, Snow goose, Song sparrow, Starling, Tufted titmouse, Turkey vulture, White-breasted nuthatch, Wild turkey, Wood thrush. Some stay year round, others migrate with the seasons. Some come when called to the feeders below the kitchen, others keep their distance, soaring overhead.
Our mammalian visitors, are less obvious and mostly very quiet. We have white tail deer in the hay field on the crest of the hill, and the odd fox, skunk, raccoon, and opossum. Most of these animals are nocturnal and can rarely be seen during the daytime. Which does not apply to the rabbits and occasional woodchuck, who like to hop around in the meadow on a summer afternoon.
Rumor has it that there is also a black bear roaming the hills, somewhere a few miles away. However we've never seen them in over three decades, nor found any proof of their existence. Folklore perhaps?
Black Lab playing hide-and-seek