Wildlife Sightings!

Some RV parks are small enough and parking spots close enough to nature that you would expect to see wildlife now and then. We were lucky during the past year and a half to have three sightings worth mentioning. The first was in late July 2020 when we had returned to Pisgah View Ranch (Candler, NC) to close MFI’s Gift Stall. We parked Arthur in the driveway next to Webbwood, our cabin home for nine summers. The rear of Arthur was aimed north toward the Chickadee cabin. I was working at the dining table when out of my periphery something moved outside. I turned my head in time to see a black bear sauntering toward the cabin, but I was so startled I almost forgot to take a picture. As it was, I fumbled around for my iPhone and barely captured this image.

This bear looked to be about 150 pounds. We figured he smelled the drippings beneath our Weber grill and checked it out while passing. Lucky we didn’t exit the trailer while he was at the door or everyone would have suffered from shock.

The second sighting occurred at the beginning of July 2021, while we were camped at Red Gates RV Park, Hendersonville, NC. Again, Arthur was backed into the site with the rear windows less than 5′ from the forest. Once again I was working at the dining table when something fluttered in my periphery. I looked up to see a Pileated Woodpecker clinging to the side of a tree. These gorgeous birds are elusive, so sightings are rare. In our nine summers at Pisgah View Ranch, we had only seen two, and never long enough for me to get a photo. I felt very lucky to capture this short video.

The Pileated Woodpecker is typically crow-sized and can weigh just under a pound. This colorful woodpecker was said to be the inspiration behind the theatrical short film star, Woody Woodpecker, created by cartoonist, animator, producer, and director Walter Lantz. If you remember Woody, then you’re as old as we are, possibly older. Universal Studios distributed these productions between 1940 and 1972. Woody had an infectious woodpecker laugh, created by none other than the incomparable Mel Blanc.

Fortunately, my luck continued. She returned with her fledgling and proceeded to feed the hungry youngster, or so I thought. The adult bird in these pictures is actually a male, distinguished from females by a red instead of black feather mustache. Wow, three of these woodpeckers within a few minutes.

The third sighting was less spectacular, although the circumstances and location were somewhat unique. We were camped for the winter at the Midway RV Park on Naval Support Activity Mid-South base, Millington, TN. We were again backed up to one of many small forest plots dotting the base. I was raking our campsite when a small herd of deer passed through the trees about 25 yards away. We found it strange for the deer population to be so large given the base is surrounded by the typical military security fence line, barbed-wire and all. Once settled on base, they certainly had become a protected and prolific species .

Originally, I intended to update this blog as other sightings happened; however, it is easier for readers if I simply include new wildlife appearances within the blogs published at the time and place they occur.