PLAY DEAD

a backyard close encounter

 

The frequent backyard visits from area wildlife are a continuous source of inspiration for my artwork. The usual suspects are birds, deer, possum, coyote, raccoon...

Recently, I was walking out to my garden and I walked into the space of what I first thought was a groundhog, but it was a late day visit from a fisher! That is one animal I had never spotted in the wilds of the small 3 acres I reside on. It turned back to look at me with a growly-hiss to tell me I had entered it's personal space, so I froze completely just staring at it in awe. It quickly bounded off, went on its way and left me to consider that of all the wildlife I've encountered, pound for pound, these fairly small creatures can be pretty darn intimidating. The Fisher hung around our area for a few weeks, raiding some other animal hideouts and making a lot of noise at night while going about its hangry business. Logically, I know the facts about Fishers, they aren't as dangerous as their reputation, and I was feeling rather honored to have seen one at all! The mystique of the fisher embedded in my psyche after that encounter, and I kind of love that they have such a bad ass reputation for such a tiny, fuzzy being. At all of 5'2" myself, I admire their long term effort to gain such notoriety!

Maine.gov has some great information about Fisher if you want to know more about them, but remember, their superpower IS their mystery and reputation!