As I stepped out of the house with a bag of birdseed in hand, I was focused on filling the “squirrel proof” feeder and getting back to work. Focus is a good thing unless you are so single-minded that you blunder into a situation where slow is better than fast, like popping out to the truck at night and nearly walking into a porcupine. Lifting my head to the row of bird feeders, I suddenly was face to face with a hairy woodpecker 18 inches away, clearly a juvenile from the ruffled feathers light on colors. While an adult woody would have been long gone, this bird was more curious than alarmed and clung to the suet feeder for roughly 30 seconds assessing me. Finally, she flitted away, and I was left wishing I’d had my camera.

Spend enough time outdoors and you are guaranteed a wide range of such encounters. It is easy to become so caught up in the day-to-day swirl of life that you take little note of these events, but many of us seek them out, filing each one away in the brain’s repository of tiny thrills. Serendipity is your friend if you value these meetings, but you can increase the odds of success by being deliberate in your pursuit of the next breath-taking encounter. Think of some of the best wildlife photos you have ever seen and I suspect most of them were the result of painstaking effort by the photographers.

There are wildlife memories that take me back decades, like the small garter snake I picked up at around five years old only to get a bite on the hand for my curiosity. The ground nest of angry hornets that delivered two wicked stings on small bare feet. Three tiny raccoons clutching a tree with no mother in sight. Picking blueberries with my mother when she quietly directed us to back out of the patch because there was a small black bear on the other side. These have permanent slots in my memory while the 6^th grade lecture on social studies is long forgotten.

Sometimes our close encounters leave us chuckling, like the leaping largemouth bass I hooked in a tiny pond of the Adirondacks. My dear wife nearly swamped our canoe while shrieking that I must not let that bass touch her face! I still cannot figure out why Mary thought that bass wanted to attack her pretty cheekbones. How about the young red fox that ran into our rural backyard one evening as we played with a new puppy? I assume the fox merely wanted to join the romp, but Dad was quick to chase him away. Just last week we were enjoying pre-dinner drinks with friends when a mature wild turkey gobbler strutted into the yard and flew onto a spruce branch about ten feet from their deck, ready for a good night’s snooze. That bird was mighty perplexed when I gave him a series of hen turkey clucks and putts.

There is always the risk that chance encounters might have consequences. A memorable backpacking trip in Glacier National Park at age 22 comes to mind, where we ended up quaking in our boots in a lake when a huge bull moose suddenly emerged from the brush onto the small sandbar where we had been standing. Fortunately, he was more interested in snacking on aquatic vegetation than in chasing us into deeper water. Two nights later a small grizzly bear appeared on the edge of camp, attracted by the smell of fresh whitefish we had baked in the fire pit. Throwing more wood on the fire was enough to make him depart, leaving us shivering in relief (and a hard lesson learned about not cooking near the campsite). A 1980’s quail hunt in South Texas took a scary turn when a valuable shorthair pointer narrowly missed a strike from a six-foot diamond back rattlesnake, but then proceeded to harass the snake with incessant barking. Our guide was forced to kill the rattler to save the foolish dog’s life.

If you spend your waking hours doing email at your desk, the odds of such wildlife encounters are low. Get outside to hang around in likely spots and you boost your odds considerably. If you are keen to learn more about warblers, spend a few hours on a fine May morning loitering in the thicker cover at Curtis Farm Preserve. Hoping to see a Maine moose? Find yourself a quiet wetland area some evening near Rangeley or Moosehead Lake with your binoculars in hand. Migrating shorebirds like the sandpipers are visible in large numbers during late summer months along our shorelines, as are visiting goldeneyes and long-tailed ducks in the winter.

If your approach to wildlife viewing involves large groups and constant chatter, try a quiet walk alone or with a friend instead. Keeping noise and movement to a minimum when near wildlife or when waiting in likely areas is key since most creatures are highly alert to unusual visitors within their home ranges. In my early twenties I was resting on the ground late in the day, leaning against a big maple tree in a quiet forest. Out of the corner of my eye I spied a small doe walking down a path toward me. I froze in place, head down and limiting my eye movements to avoid spooking the deer. Gradually she approached, and with the wind in my favor, she had little reason to fear me. That deer ended up close enough to smell my boot before she turned and meandered on her way. That encounter I remember very well!

While movement is the biggest factor in spooking wildlife, it helps to wear muted colors, even camouflage items that blend into a background. Anything that breaks up your profile is helpful when playing the waiting game. Think about your scent since many animals use the wind to detect danger – leave the perfume and cologne at home and stay downwind of areas where you hope to spot wildlife. Go one step further and use a blind, either a small popup model or one you build using natural materials. Not only does a blind mask your presence it also covers up small movements you make in handling a camera or binoculars. Please use caution during deer hunting season when it is best to wear at least one article of orange clothing. Finally, take steps to protect yourself from ticks and other biting insects.

Most members of HHLT enjoy being outdoors, walking the great trails on our many preserves, or simply sitting on a bench or log enjoying a peaceful break in the day. In past surveys over 50 percent of our respondents have listed wildlife viewing as a primary reason for being out there. While you can leave things completely to chance, your odds of having one of those memorable moments with a wild creature are much improved if you quietly insert yourself into appropriate habitat and settle in to wait. While we have had moose and black bears in town in recent years, I think we can at least rule out a hungry grizzly!

If you like Ed Robinson’s writing, check out his two Nature Notes books! Click here for more information.