My porch light stayed on by mistake and now I watch for animals every night

I used to always switch it off to cut costs, but after spotting a moose in the glow one evening, I never turned it back off. Now I catch foxes and owls passing through, which really breaks up the dark winter hours.

3 comments

3 Comments

william_williams755d ago

Ever thought about what other lights around a house might show you if they stayed on? My neighbor has a sensor light by his shed that pops on with any movement after dark. One night it kept flicking on and off, and when I looked out, there was just a big raccoon sitting there, washing something in a puddle like it was his own kitchen sink. It’s funny what you notice when a little light gets thrown on the ordinary dark. Makes you wonder what’s going on right outside your window every single night.

grant.jason5d ago

Yeah, that bit about the "nature channel" is so true. It reminds me of the broken streetlight by my old apartment (it flickered for months before anyone fixed it). That weird, stuttering light actually made it easier to spot the possums that would come out to raid the garbage cans, and even a skunk a few times, which was equal parts cool and terrifying. You never really know what's just out of sight until some random light (even a broken one) gives you a little peek. Kind of makes you wonder what the total dark is hiding on purpose.

faith_palmer515d ago

It's cool how that one light can show you a whole secret schedule of the neighborhood. You start to learn which fox cuts through at 10pm or which owl likes the same branch. Turns a boring patch of yard into your own little nature channel, free of charge. Makes the whole place feel more alive when you know who's passing by.