Thief In The Night

Day 138: One of the drawbacks to having multiple bird feeders (or any bird feeders at all) is that they tend to draw other types of unwelcome wildlife to the yard. Last year, I relocated well over a dozen squirrels and disposed of two Bushy-Tailed Woodrats, but the largest of the thieves won't fit in my only Havahart trap. Over the years, I've seen several families of raccoons as well as frequent solos. Sometimes one will sit just outside the kitchen's sliding glass door to engage in a hissing/yowling match with Skunk, who takes considerable offense at their presence. Tip just runs back and forth from the door to the living room window, trying to get the best view. Between cats protesting the invaders and Rocky shoving my garbage can and recycling bin around as he tried to figure out a way to get inside, I didn't get much sleep last night. That said, this is the first time I've managed to get a decent picture of one of the varmints, and as I stood there with the kitchen door open just far enough to stick the camera outside, it advanced toward the house until only a few yards away. I slammed the door shut with a bang, but even that only startled the 'coon momentarily. It moved as far as the fence, checked out the ground below the crow board, and then shambled off toward Clyde's house. Raccoons are just one of many reasons my cats are not allowed outdoors. A raccoon can easily kill a full-grown cat.