As the crow flies, our house is about five miles from the historic courthouse in downtown Nashville. We have lived in Inglewood for 48 years, moving from East Nashville. My family lived in Northeast Nashville when I was born and I grew up there. My husband spent most of his childhood and teen years, a couple of blocks from East Nashville High School. Wildlife in our childhood urban neighborhoods consisted of songbirds, pigeons, or an occasional toad. There must have been possums around but I don't remember seeing them. When we moved to Inglewood, rabbits were abundant, sometimes we spotted a possum crossing the road or a garter snake slithering through the grass.
The times they are a changin' with the urban wildlife. There are more birds and a bigger variety. Crows as big as ravens rule the treetops. Recently while looking out to investigate the barking of neighboring dogs at 2 am, seven deer were walking in the road past my house. Neighbors post photos of turkey, deer, and coyotes on Facebook.
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| Tom Turkey showing off for his lady friend, Inglewood, June 2015, Debie Oeser Cox |
We have heard the eerie call of the neighborhood fox. One morning we looked out the window to see a coyote in front of the house. A family of raccoons lives in a neighbor's tree.
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| Mama Raccoon, Inglewood, June 2017 Debie Oeser Cox |
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| Young Raccoons, Inglewood, June 2017 Debie Oeser Cox |
We still see an occasional possum. Rabbits are around but not as plentiful as in the past. Hawks of more than one type, are plentiful. A neighbor has seen a heron fishing in her backyard pond. We have seen a great horned owl and often hear the call of the Barred Owl. Folks living along the river have reported seeing an eagle. A bobcat have been spotted in areas along the Cumberland as it flows through Inglewood. As Inglewood has become more urban, development nearby has sent more wildlife our way.
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