Wildlife

Wag’s World Orchards Wildlife in Delta County, Western CO - A Thriving Ecosystem

Wag's World Orchards is a thriving ecosystem for countless species of birds and wildlife. Drawn by bloom and sweet delicious fruit, predators, birds and other animals challenge our wits and will to keep them out. We are a food safety farm and do our best to mitigate their visitation, however, we are only the caretakers of this land. The ecosystem and its residents are the true lords of the land and will rule long after we are gone. The orchards overlook the vast Tongue Creek Valley high on a mesa. Here's some of our beautiful wildlife visitors that have graced the orchard in all seasons and we have been grateful to view.

Dove Babies

Dove babies and other baby animals are left alone if found in the rows. We have even seen baby porcupines and raccoons that were so cute!

Here the dove mom hides the babies up in one of the tractor overhangs.

Fox on the Prowl

Red fox, grey fox and coyote are abundant in the orchard. They are seen at all times of the year. We even had a pair of red fox live covered in the wind machine base one winter and when we opened it up to work on the fan for the spring, everyone was quite surprised! Fox and coyotes keep the rodent populations, even squirrels and gophers under control for the crops.

Pretty Pheasants

Pheasants and other game birds, i.e., quail, live around the orchard in the scrub brush. They are always moving and looking for a good meal on the ground.

Here the pheasant peruses the front lawn for things to eat.

Tom & the Girls

Wild turkeys are very prominent in Colorado. They are terrific flyers and have tremendous eyesight, so it is difficult to creep up on them. They roost in very tall trees at night.

Here a Tom Turkey displays his beautiful feathers to his harem.

A Deer to Behold

Deer are not frequent visitors to the orchards. Even though there is a deer fence around the border of the acerage, sometimes a deer will sneak in. Deer and even bear, can be very counterproductive to growing fruit. They can chew the buds off the trees and snap whole branches off. We have even had a bear split trees in two as he was reaching for some peaches. Our property is completely fenced to also keep out an elk herd that travels around the Tongue Creek Valley below us. Here a beautiful Christmas deer browses the front lawn of our house.

The bottom line is, when you take care of the orchard, you are also taking care of the ecosystem that manages this beautiful land. We are tender caretakers of this land and treat all the trees, land, birds and animals with responsibility because we live here, too!