Mona Chen

These adorable little goslings on campus brought us so much joy in freshman year.

We are true Saratogans. Not because we were born here (which we weren’t, actually) but because we’ve seen the forested mountains around the city and the diverse wildlife it contains. Though much of the city of 31,000 is filled in with hundreds of homes and paved with roads, there is still plenty of wildlife, and we enjoy seeing them around. Here are some of our favorite stories about unexpected encounters with the varied nature around our city. 

Wild turkey encounters (Mona)

My first time seeing wild turkeys was when taking a walk with my dad and brother during Thanksgiving break. When we passed Madronia Cemetery after walking up the hill in downtown Saratoga, a feathered surprise leaped onto the fence. It was a big, dark-colored wild turkey, followed by several more gobbling and flapping their clumsy wings. They quickly jumped back down when they noticed us approaching. Looking over the fence, we saw five of them running around and chasing each other through a lawn. 

My dad remarked that the turkeys should be glad they didn’t end up on the dinner table. 

The following week, my mom rapidly hit the brakes at an intersection. Confused at first, I immediately burst into laughter upon seeing the two unusual pedestrians: wild turkeys, reminding me of the ones from the previous week. Noticing the car stop, they hesitated for a moment before trotting through the crosswalk in sync, moving their legs at the exact same pace. It’s honestly surprising how these birds follow traffic rules better than human pedestrians. 

Our yearly winged visitors (Mona)

Each spring, I know that the Canadian geese have arrived when dark green splats appear before the student center. Most of the time, they saunter through the grass and the quad, picking at plants and school lunch leftovers. 

In my freshman year, two of the geese on campus became proud parents and gave their four yellow, fluffy goslings a thorough campus tour during their stay. During one inconvenient PE class, I was halfway through my 800-meter run assessment when the family decided to cross the track. Our class had no choice but to keep their distance and curve around the geese. 

 

More geese appeared in the following year, peaking at around eight regular visitors at one point. The more adventurous ones sometimes appeared on rooftops, looking down upon the crowds of students. Unfortunately, there were barely any gosling encounters during my sophomore year, though I heard some people witnessing the new family on campus. 

 

The unsettling side of nature (Mona)

I was walking home one afternoon in my freshman year when I encountered a disturbing scene on Saratoga Sunnyvale Road. In the dirt next to the sidewalk lay the bony remains of a deer — only the head was still intact. I haven’t seen coyotes or mountain lions yet, but the carcass serves as proof that these predators are active in the area — and maybe a bit too close to school. 

 

The unsettling side of nature No. 2 (Clara)

 One summer, my parents found a decapitated raccoon head in our backyard, though, thankfully, I didn’t see it myself. My parents wondered if it had been a mother, because they also saw there were three young raccoons on the fence huddled together. No one was sure what exactly happened, but it sure was a gory and uncommon sight. 

 

Baby squirrel emergency (Clara)

One stormy night, my dog, Cola, was adventuring in the backyard when my mom noticed that Cola had been outside for much longer than usual. Worried, we went outside, only to find her sniffing and poking at some strange little bundle of fur. Upon closer inspection, we realized it was a young squirrel lying on the ground, shivering in the cold. 

We decided to bring it inside and put it in a cardboard box with paper towels and water, trying to keep it warm. For some reason, Cola was really interested in it, eyes glued inside the box. Hopefully it wasn’t with the intention of eating it. 

 

My dad proceeded to go into full Boy Scout mode, carefully wiping the squirrel down with warm water and taking a plethora of photos. My mom decided to feed it some tree nuts we had in the fridge. The next day, the squirrel recovered and we released it back where we had found it — Cola stared longingly as we did. Now, whenever we see a wayward squirrel in the yard, we imagine that maybe it was the one they found and sheltered long ago. 

 

Blue jay nest (Clara)

 

While walking up the driveway to her house last spring, I heard a chirping sound coming from a small tree just outside the front door. Turns out, it was a nest of four baby blue jays guarded by their short-tempered parents. Each passing day, I took pictures as I watched the hatchlings grow bigger and bigger. Then one day, they all took off and disappeared, leaving me with their nest and a new sort of attachment to blue jays. Hopefully, they will come visit us again this year. 

 

Our other animal encounters

 

Some other sightings include the rabbits lurking in people’s bushes, worms drowning in puddles along driveways, and woodpeckers living on the oak tree in Saratoga Elementary. Even with much of the land urbanized, we’re glad that Saratoga is still a home for these various creatures, and we enjoy seeing them around from time to time.