The True Animal Whisperer Does Exist.

My Uncle Bud and Aunt Audrey live up north tucked away in the wood not far from town.  My uncle Bud is what I think of as an animal whisperer.  He has a soothing demeanor, a quietness to his voice that just puts everyone including the animals at ease when they are around him.  Audrey and Bud are married, but Bud has had a girlfriend on the side for about 4 years.  Audrey doesn’t mind a bit because the girlfriend is Gretchen…..Gretchen the Grouse.

This love affair started 5 years ago. Bud would take his ATV through trails out to a wood pile.  This sassy little grouse soon became aware of the sound of the ATV and would come to check Bud out.  He would talk to her, and she got closer and more comfortable with him.  Pretty soon they were Pals. Bud would put a small hand full of cracked corn and sunflower seeds on the ground, which she happily pecked at.  Over time, he would sit on a cushion next to “their spot” in the woods.  She got to the point that she would sit on his leg.  But only if he was wearing blue jeans.  She would not sit on him if he had any other type of pants on.  We witness one of these feedings.  However, she knew we were there and wouldn’t sit on his lap. But she sat next to him happily pecking away as he whispered sweet nothings in her ear. You could see the love in both of their eyes.  It was heartwarming to watch them.  After a little snack he would walk down the path gently asking her if she wanted to play teeter tauter.  I know, I though the same thing…What?  There is a pile of branches in a clearing and one of the branches is entwined in the pile but still moves up and down. He told us we could get off the ATV and walk slowly and quietly.  Normally she follows along next to him as if they were two friends walking the trail.  But because we were there, she stayed in the woods.  It was comical to watch her follow along hiding behind trees and standing stick still in the leaves.  She blended in so well, it was hard to see her unless she moved.  Bud kept up his soft banter with her and pretty soon she worked her way around the far side of the woodpile, so Bud was between us and her.   He made the “teeter totter” go up and down and encouraged her to play, but because we were they she didn’t quite get up the courage. He told us she usually will jump on the branch and glide up and down with delight. As we headed back down the trail, Bud told us to watch for a deer.  Sure enough, there was a deer who knew their routine and while they played teeter totter, she would come in and clean up the rest of the grain on the ground.  The deer didn’t move as Bud approached, but when she saw us she stepped softly back into the wood.

Gretchen has a sense of humor. She is a lovable, quirky, fun bird.  One day Bud went out to see her and he couldn’t find her.  He became worried, wondering if a fox or other animal got to her. Or she could just be getting old and died.  He cut his wood and got back on the ATV with a heavy heart. He then saw something move in the woods. It was Gretchen hiding behind a tree.  He acted like he didn’t see her and moved along, the whole time she played hide and seek with him.  It was all a game to her.  Silly bird.

We got back on the ATV and went back to the house.  He no sooner got it parked and “Big MaMa” showed up.  This is a doe that also has a love affair with Bud.  She is so comfortable with him, that she walked up to the garage telling him she wanted corn.  When he went into the garage to get the corn, she went all the way up passed the door looking in to make sure he was getting it.  He spoke softly to her, “Big Mama you must have a baby close by” She was bagged up and you could tell she had a fawn tucked away close by, yet she still came to see Bud.  Bud asked her for a kiss, which she promptly gave him he then put his hands out with some corn.  She ate right out of his hand. Scott and I were standing quietly close by. Big Mama is a special deer who found Bud a special man.

Now if that isn’t enough then add Romeo and Juliet to the list.  They are a pair of ducks that came out of the woods right up Bud with no prompting or feeding. Juliette got pretty cozy with him but Romeo was more guarded.  Bud eventually got some corn and Juliette started eating right out of his hand. Whenever, Bud was outside, they would show up.  He fed Juliet regularly, but Romeo was on guard the whole time.  Romeo ate out of his hand only a few times but allowed Juliette to feed til her heart’s content. We didn’t get to witness these two but enjoyed the story.

We then went into the house and in his backyard was a beautiful buck showing his horns, with its velvety beauty, proudly on top of his head.  When Bud walks out the back door, the woods stand up.  There are critters out there just waiting for him.

We were honored to witness Buds love affairs while Audrey sat back watching it all with a grin of pride on her face.

Thanks for reading,

Karen and Scott

m/v Last Call

Unique Random Photo Of The Day: