With the library situated right by the big marsh, it isn't a surprise to see a fair amount of wildlife. Over the years, there have been ducks paddling in the marsh water, lots of red-wing blackbirds, the occasional hawk, and a family of chipmunks. A few years back, we had a muskrat spending enough time on the lawn we named him Monty and made him the mascot for Summer Reading.
But this past month has been a banner period for sightings. It started with an infestation of voles. They were all around the building and a few decided to try out being indoors. The knitters got a bit of a surprise. Then it was a cluster of bunnies outside the back of the children's room. They came by everyday nibbling away at something in the lawn. The children's room staff was enchanted. The next thing was a really, really large hawk (I'm convinced it was some sort of eagle - black and white feathers mixed throughout), first sited standing on the lawn with one of the voles in claw. And this bird has been back a number of times, no doubt realizing the easy pickings being offered this year. And then to top it all off, a deer was spotted hanging out in the parking lot before calmly heading behind the library towards the woods.
I bring these sightings up because they are quite unusual here. I moved from a relatively urban setting in PA about 10 years ago, and expected to see wildlife all the time. Roadkill by the ton. Why? Because back in PA we saw a lot - deer, turkey, raccoons, possums - squirrels were a rare thing to see, oddly. Right in town with little natural cover available. On the local roads, enough that we were used to driving with an eye out for deer crossing suddenly. So I thought moving to an area with a lot of woods, marshes, etc. we would be seeing so much more. Much to my disappointment, I have seen very little. Mostly skunks around my place - something you don't want to come across suddenly at night!
So these sightings this past month are something to treasure, to wonder at, to share with others. A momentary peek at others sharing our space, but often hidden. You may guess where I am going with this - this is the real value of a library, full of books and films that offer a similar momentary peek at others sharing our space that we often don't see. But that sighting is a moment of excitement, of wonder, of community, of understanding.
