One Newcomer Returned Last Night

Young male, very shy!

Well look who came back. One of the very shy newcomers helping himself to some banana. Notice the tiny nick on the base of his left ear. That’s where the photography helps in making an identification. This young fellow is still extremely wary, the slightest movement on my part and he would vanish for a couple of minutes. My guess is this is a ‘teenage’ male who does not dare come anywhere near other female raccoons with their kits. He is probably only a little over a year old.

Big Momma

Surprise at midnight!

In all there were five bundles of fur. I had taken about eight photos when I realized my flash was not working properly. Nearly dead batteries! Using rechargeable batteries is OK, except they suddenly die without warning. I was worried that the raccoon gang would move on while I put in fresh batteries - but they stayed, munching on some kibble, apple, and a few tea biscuits.

The black line you see in some photos is exactly a foot long - to help give an idea of size.

Now - how to tell one kit from another? Certainly oe seems to have lighter colored fur than the other four - and two of them seem to be somewhat more outgoing in nature. Finding names for them will be - interesting.