A reader called our newsroom to say there’s a wild turkey in her backyard. Others have seen came deer in the neighborhood. Along the Neponset River, red-tailed hawks wind currents over the cityscape. Critters of all sorts have been sighted: skunks, raccoons and opossums are regular local habitué. In Codman Hill, a coyote has taken made its home in someone’s backyard, and they’re“protected wildlife,” and cannot be disturbed. Others keep a wary eye out for their cats and small dogs, lest they become a predator’s meal.

Cedar Grove Cemetery staffer Rusty White keeps a digital camera on hand to record the neighborhood wildlife. He says it’s common to see coyotes, and the resident fox a den in nearby wetlands. He says the once-common sightings of deer has diminished, perhaps due to the increase in the coyote population.