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The Kuhens Family of the Carolinas

The Critters of Hidden Falls

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If one turns a blind eye to the varied and significant evils of urban sprawl, Hidden Falls offers the best of two worlds. Located smack dab between two housing subdivisions just five minutes from downtown, its 40 or so acres included in and adjacent to a utility easement offer a safe haven for many critters.

Within walking distance there are, among other amenities, two schools; four supermarkets; fast-food, mall-food and fine dining; multiplex cinemas; upscale shopping centers; two home-improvement warehouses; and, of course, a Super Wal-Mart. It is no wonder then that what used to be a plantation before it was Hillbrook Dairy Farm before it was Hatcher Gardens before it was the palette for a renowned landscape architect and conservationist, Hidden Falls is a nature-lover's dream well worth documenting and conserving.

Click any picture to enlarge or to see movies:

This was shot from a window in the family room.
HawkFalls.jpg

Brian captured this bat for Sage to release.
Bat.jpg

DucklingHands.jpg

HeronSunning.jpg

Bugup.jpg

This pair kept at it for days...
Snappingatit.jpg

Sage watching Mama Turtle lay and bury her eggs.
SageTurtleEggs.jpg

August2009/Cicada2.jpg

Herons often join us for meals.
KitchenHeron.jpg
This shot was taken from a kitchen window.

August2009/SageDux.jpg

bambi.jpg

This "Hisser" is not indigenous to Hidden Falls.
pullin.jpg
The colony was a gift to Sage from Cindy and Jim.

RSHawkC.jpg

BoxTurtle.jpg

HeronTree.jpg

The texture of this little bee's head...
BeeHug.jpg
...makes clicking this image worthwhile.

Froglet.jpg

hawkstump.jpg

stinkyshine.jpg

heronchill.jpg

GooseTurtle.jpg
This turtle wants Mother Goose's eggs.

ladydawn.jpg

Ever-present Kingfishers are noisy and bold.
kingfishercrash.jpg
This one saw stars a while after he hit a window.

ChaniSage.jpg

Earth12brood.jpg

helgramites.jpg

OrngBFup.jpg

SageThrush.jpg

bfmyrtle.jpg

This one is the wallpaper on Donna's laptop.
MallardRipples.jpg

This one enlarges well...
metadawn.jpg

Hawkeye.jpg

Our friend Erwin with a fish...
Erwin.jpg
...stranded during the dam's restoration.

This mantis was Sage's pet for almost two years.
ElderMantid.jpg
This was taken on the day we released him.

hawksun.jpg

AdolMantis.jpg

Racute.jpg

ducklingshen.jpg

humjitter.jpg

BlueberryBlake.jpg

Everyone needs a shower now and then...
hawkrain.jpg

AlbinSquirrel.jpg

This bugger is huge!
gatortort.jpg
Look at the spines on his tail!

heronfrog.jpg

trust.jpg

Frogwin.jpg

Click this to see a movie of Sage...
SageBox.jpg
...documenting her "Nipping Turtle."

BForange.jpg

RuffledHeron.jpg.jpg

woodpud.jpg

nestpot.jpg

humcard.jpg

flosspid.jpg

herongrn.jpg

This is a 3-year-old frog named "Fatso."
fatso.jpg
Sage raised him from a tadpole.

We love our Cooters!
CooterShoals.jpg

herontree2.jpg

August2009/Chipmunk.jpg

PeachSpiders.jpg

whiteherondn.jpg

Buckam.jpg

woodhensquirrel.jpg

This one enlarges well...
waxwing.jpg

GreenHeron3p.jpg

cardkiss.jpg

This was shot from the kitchen sink.
DucksMBRoof.jpg
This shows the proximity of the MBR roof to the dam.

stinkmater.jpg

ratsnake.jpg

heronrainducks.jpg

spiker.jpg

adolhen.jpg

snailprpl.jpg

Bduckling.jpg

CuteCat.jpg

This one enlarges well...
turtlebright.jpg

downy.jpg

camobeetle.jpg

dillcat.jpg

sageslug2.jpg

entre.jpg

Just a couple weeks earlier...
BlakeSage.jpg
...the snake would have found the post's nest.

2sleep.jpg

4sleep.jpg

When we first pulled into Hidden Falls' driveway on moving day, a rafter of wild turkeys stopped by to greet us. The red fox with a bushy black tail frequents the Hourglass Courtyard at dawn. Both black and red river otters lope in pairs from the woods down to the pond. A golden fox torments Ginger at dusk. Dozens of species of birds are checked off as sighted in our birdwatching guide. With all these critters and many more still too bashful to have their images captured, this page is destined to grow and grow.

FoxSit.jpg

August2009/HandsBird_2.jpg

The River Otters are fun to watch frolic.
RiverOtter.jpg

Yoga Squirrel
YogaSquirrel.jpg

DuckGooseMamas.jpg

HawkCrawfish.jpg

Realeasing a pet baby water snake.
Kissnake.jpg

GooseSpan.jpg

Changes in the environment bring out the curious.
MuskratSnack.jpg
This muskrat liked the cover of the open dam valves.

DuckButts.jpg

BohemianWax.jpg

Sage kept this skink as a pet for over two years.
skinkfree.jpg
Sage named him "Striper" when she was five.

BarredOwlBranch.jpg

caterpillars.jpg

Click this photo to see a blooper reel...
SageCater.jpg

Three snakes fishing together for better grip:
FishingSnakes.jpg

Thrush.jpg

TurtleFloat.jpg

There are bright yellow ones, too...
ScarletTanager.jpg

centi.jpg

HF4Buck.jpg

Hummingbirds are constant companions.
humbf.jpg
This feeder is only two feet away from the iMac.

This is Darkblade, Sage's first pet leech.
darkblade.jpg

Coonup.jpg

Blue Jays often pester the Kingfishers
JayBlue.jpg

crawfishdam.jpg

fireflyr.jpg

DoeEyes.jpg

beetlesense.jpg

ducklinedup.jpg

afterfire.jpg

PrplPollen.jpg

HeronCat.jpg

arachnidud.jpg

muscute.jpg

HumFlash.gif

beecone.jpg

This one enlarges well...
HappyHeron.jpg

mrtlbetl.jpg

GrnHeron.jpg

mothcont.jpg

Nesters.jpg

spiderbf.jpg

bunnies3.jpg

This one enlarges well...
butterfalls3.jpg

SageSlug.jpg

heronapproach.jpg

Sage busy at her "Inspiration Station"
InspirationStation.jpg

WaterSnakePair.jpg

Carolina Wren: SC State Bird
CWren.jpg

FoxChill.jpg

Cicadas are Brian's favorite insect.
cicada.jpg

beaverout.jpg

Woodpecker1.jpg

What a cute smile!
coonsmile.jpg

mothprpl.jpg

Hawks dislike crows as much as we do.
HawkCrow.gif

RobinRB.jpg

blackwasp.jpg

PPecker.jpg

babysnake.jpg

nightscatch.jpg

BFblue.jpg

We had never before seen this stage of a coat.
AdolDeer.jpg
Twilight critters are the hardest to photograph!

StinkyTulip.jpg

Snappemerge.jpg

BarredOwlRoof.jpg

categgs.jpg

HumPerch.jpg

We're eating sandwiches...
donnaheron.jpg
...our guest would probably prefer fish.

DoeWoods.jpg

sage1stbf.jpg

River otter catching lunch.
OtterFish.jpg

ribbit.jpg

moseatr.jpg

decksquirrel.jpg

gutrlegs.jpg

Click the snake to see a movie...
snakeat.jpg
...of him eating his lunch.

This one enlarges well...
prplstnk.jpg

deerforest.jpg

yikes.jpg

cooncorn.jpg

shatchlings.jpg

katyorng.jpg

dragshad.jpg

frogsage2.jpg

FloxBee.jpg

Lunchtime for a Red-Shouldered Hawk
hawklunch.jpg
That's a snake in her talons.

DFtie.jpg

That's just pollen collecting downstream...
SnakesDuxPollen.jpg
...though the ducklings do face many real dangers.

LiquidEyes.jpg

Humoth.jpg

damsel.jpg

The post at the gate to Chani's Run...
1hatch.jpg
...hosts a birds' nest every Spring.

3feed.jpg

5grow.jpg

6watch.jpg

The photographer at work.
photographer.jpg