TALLINN 59°23’16.0”N 24°42’28.2”E
KETTER RAUDMETS
“I love my backyard and all its life. With each click, you can capture the essence and magic of the flora and fauna around your home.”
my first memory of this world is when I was a little child sitting on a pile of mud while my family was harvesting potatoes. I loved running around at my family’s farm with our silly German shepherd Kaspar, finding insects, mice, rabbits, and all the wonderful trees and plants, or hopping on a horse without a saddle and having a sleepover in the barn with the cows. I grew up with nature. Many people believe that we must travel the world to see the wonders of nature, but I would like to teach you otherwise. Your garden, the park, or the forest next door can bring you into the world’s wonders. One mid-April afternoon, I was having a sandwich in the kitchen at my family’s house. When I looked outside the window, I saw our garden with beautiful green grass, flowers, and pine trees. The trees were filled with life and sound from the squirrels who loved to munch on pine cones, jumping from tree to tree and chasing each other up and down. Some squirrel species, such as the red squirrel, play a role in managing the population of tree-damaging insects. They feed on insects and their larvae, helping to reduce potential damage to trees. One of the squirrels was carrying something in her mouth. It wasn’t a pine cone; it was something else, something moving. Squirrels are known for burying nuts and seeds as a food cache. While they may not retrieve all the buried food, they unintentionally contribute to a healthy backyard. Forgotten or abandoned seeds often grow into new plants, supporting the forest’s growth and diversity. That moment, I realized the squirrel was carrying her baby in her mouth. I dropped my sandwich on the table and ran to get my camera. When I rushed out, the warm sun was greeting me. Everything in our garden was growing, and the grey winter was relapsed by the colors and smells of spring. When I arrived near our neighbor’s house, I noticed the squirrel mama’s head and her baby’s little feet peeking out from the rooftop. I watched her running back and forth a few times. Extremely cute and exciting! She was carrying her babies to a new nest. Mama squirrel running with her babies over to our house, where she decided to build her new nest, was beautiful to see, but also nerve-racking. I watched a crow coming down after her. I watched her run, hide, and return to get the rest of her little ones. Luckily she felt safe enough with me to let me watch her carry her litter under our roof. While she was jumping from house to tree holding her youngster, I was in complete awe and managed to capture the moment with my camera. After a few minutes, the brave sow (that’s what female squirrels are called) managed to carry all her three babies under our rooftop. Safe. Later the following year, I saw one of the young ones all grown up. Living under our roof made them trust me, and I was able to keep documenting the next generation. Nature is always there, sometimes just hiding under our roof without us knowing.
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MOTHER VOLUME TWO
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