Update on our robin. She is now taking good care of those eggs. I will try to get a photo from a much better vantage point later today.

Many birds show up from time to time, but most will vanish at the slightest motion. Sitting there and holding the camera up to my eye as long as I possible, (surprising how heavy it seems to get) - and I finally get a bird in my viewfinder. BUT - as soon as I depress the shutter button the subject is away - demonstrating some fantastic reflexes. Far faster than mine I must say. I hope I can get some better shots as the weather gets a little warmer and I become a little more motivated.

This must mean spring is here

It seems the very wet snow had little effect on the various garden plants. The Bleeding heart is going to be I it’s full glory over the next few days. The Hosta are sprouting. Ferns are going crazy and the lilac tree looks like it will be sporting a bumper crop of blooms.

I have no idea what this pretty blue flower is, nor do I know where it came from - but I like it.

Oh yes - the dandelions are doing just great!

Things Are Sprouting

After The Snow

A Minor Glitch - SNOW!

Chloe is nursing!

Yesterday turned out quite eventful. First of all, Chloe showed up at the door early in the afternoon. Eat and run - then back again several minutes later to repeat the pattern. Sure enough it seems she is now nursing a litter. Her den must be close by but I have no idea where - and I’m not going to do anything to disturb it. At one point she even came up behind Milady and waited for her to hand feed her a tea biscuit. Last week she was running away whenever Milady came within fifty feet of the retreat.

Bear Returns - with Kimmie?

Later last night I had a visit from a huge raccoon. I think it was Kimmie, aka Big Momma. This raccoon is about five times larger than Chloe - but is as gentle as a lamb at this time of year. A few minutes later an even bigger, very rough looking character joined Kimmie at the dinner table. Also a gentle giant - this one looked familiar. Sure enough, a good photograph comparison identifies this one as Bear - one raccoon I never expected to see again. (Check further down for another photo of Bear taken last year).

I have no idea what these two weigh - but my guess is they may be around fifty pounds! And yet, (at this time of year) - they are as friendly and gentle as can be.

Still one question remains, (Only one)? Is that Kimmie? If not who is it? This raccoon obviously knew me. A search through my photographs may supply the answer. About the only real distinguishing mark is that tail, (and of course the size). But marks like that are only temporary.

Keep you posted. It's going to be an exciting summer in the back yard!

This has been one of the warm spring days when I could sit outside very quietly in the shade waiting for the daytime critters to get within camera range. There were quite a few species I did not manage to photograph, but it’s a start. My friendly (?) squirrel seemed to be considering if she should check out my pockets. Having experienced those needle-like squirrel claws in the distant past made me a little wary of that idea.

A warm spring afternoon

Just a change of pace!

I added this photo just for fun. This is not the camera used to take the pictures in this blog - though it is still in working condition.

Mr Fuzzytail comes to town.

The local doves are starting to show up once more, and one of the squirrels seems to be a little less wary of me today. I managed to get a few photographs of this one.

Our favorite robin has returned and is building a nest once more in the same place. This one (I think) has a thing about constructing the nest over the spotlight. (The spotlight is turned off for the season). This is the forth consecutive year for this activity. What a chance for a video camera. That may be a project for next year. At present I don’t have the required equipment.

Chloe

Her winter coat is almost gone - and she looks pretty awful, but is in good health and as sweet as ever. I'm beginning to think she may be a lot older than I thought. I first made friends with her in 2008, but I think she may have been around at least two years before that. She will still sit up and take a tea biscuit from my hand, but I still can't say for sure if she is expecting, or has had her kits already. If she starts coming by during the day it will probably indicate she is nursing a brood. She is a real little lady - even her year-old kits are twice her size!

And Here He (or she) Is...

I was just giving some treats to Jasper and Alex when I saw the little skunk about eight feet away. And this time she did not run away. I finally got a photograph. Now with a little more patience I might see all the critters sharing dinner.

A Newcomer at my door

I had a new visitor last night. A very big, healthy, male raccoon. He was extremely wary of me and it took almost two hours of hide and seek, (and feeding little bits of kibble) - before I was able to grab a couple of photos. By now he might be somewhat used to me, and may become more trusting. However if the friendly female regulars are raising any kits nearby they may drive him away - in spite of his size. If he returns we will have to find a name. Suggestions always welcome!

I’m waiting to see if the little skunk becomes a regular before giving him or her a name.

Just a Quick Note

The bleeding heart is the first thing up around here. The raccoons are more or less regular in their visits, though I have not seen Chloe for the past ten days. That may mean she is taking care of a new family. Time will tell. Same with Kimmie. The little skunk has returned, but is still extremely shy. I still hope I can get a picture of the little critter.

Waiting for interesting events.

Waiting for the fun stuff. Will the very shy groundhog return?

Will Chloe and Kimmie visit to show off their litter this year? (If indeed they even have any kits to show off).

I’m waiting and watching for any signs. Alex and Jasper are still too young to have litters of their own - but they come by just about every night.

Stinky, (We gotta get another name) - the young skunk is almost used to me moving about. He or she has not once made any threatening move, but is still too shy to let me get a photograph.

Lets just wait and watch together.

In the meantime watch the following video to see a bit of what may be expected.

Chloe in 2008

Note - the E-Mail address in the video is no longer valid.

Chloe this week.

She is well on the way to loosing her winter coat. I wonder if she has had her kits yet, I suspect she has. Chloe, (like most raccoons) - loves eggs, raw or cooked!

Our Regular Patrons (Raccoon Clan)

Who Is Who? (Among our regular Raccoon visitors).

How I define their character;

RESERVED = prefers to keep at least a few feet away from me.
PASSIVE = non-aggressive toward other raccoons. (At least around here).
FRIENDLY = will come right up to me, can be touched. Will take food right from my hand.

Bear Looks like a real, battle scarred old timer. Passive, reserved in nature. Probably male. Unknown age.

Kimmie: Passive in nature, very big female perhaps about 50 pounds. She had five kits early last Spring - all big and quite aggressive with other raccoons, though not with me. But none became particularly friendly, nor do I recall naming any of them.

Chloe Small, female at least four years old. Photograph from last year - with one of her kits, probably Alpha.

Jasper Light (Female) colored fur - reserved but friendly

Growler (Sex unknown) The biggest of Chloes family - reserved
(OK, I’m not completely sure, I think this was Growler late last summer).

Alex (Female) The smallest, but extremely friendly, and inquisitive plus playful!

Scar: Reserved in nature - a medium sized male of unknown age. The scar from a cut on his upper jaw that became infected, but eventually healed naturally.
Friday, March 26, 2010

I must be nuts!

Then along came a small, good looking young skunk! I might add there was no smell about this particular critter. Yes, I tried - very carefully - to make friends with him- or her. Well as soon as I, (very slowly) - opened the door of my garden retreat Stinky would slip around the corner. I put out a very small amount of kibble - and sure enough Stinky would come back for more. It may take some time - but I will get some photos of this very interesting animal. (The name Stinky will have to go - any ideas)?

BTW - the other morning I was awakened to the potent smell of another passing skunk. I would prefer if that one stayed far away. ;) I do have certain limits.

Oh yes, the Robins returned two days ago. Now the predawn hours are filled with the sound of all sorts of birds, including a very noisy red wing blackbird building a nest an the cedar tree next to my retreat. Love those sounds of Spring though.

Regular visit from Alex

Alex was the smallest of Chloe's litter - but is double the size of her mom

Chatter

I guess it’s the second full day of the Spring season. In fact it felt like Spring for the last two weeks. This winter has set all time records for being dry, and warmer than normal in our area. That said, I see it’s actually snowing at the moment. There was no snow left on the ground, and the present temperature is about +3C- so I don’t expect any great accumulation.

The raccoons have been regular nightly visitors here at my retreat.

More later today folks.

Chloe checks in

Though I had not seen Chloe for about a week, she showed up the night before last. I was wondering if she had her kits - but I can’t be sure. She would eat a small amount, then vanish for about fifteen minutes and return to eat some more. She may be checking on her brood. That’s what she did last year though it seems a little early in the season.

Kimmie is recovering

Kimmie - the biggest female raccoon had some sort of misadventure. At first I thought she may have lost her left eye. However it seems now it was only a severe cut below her eye that had become infected. It has almost completely healed up. I have no idea what may have caused the injury, but her appetite remains good. UPDATE - It seems this was not Kimmie, but another raccoon.

Alex is back!

Alex is one of Chloe's daughters. She is one of the most inquisitive and friendly of the wild raccoons. Since she is not quite a year old it's unlikly she will have any kits of her own this year. It's sure nice to see her return - and remember me.

The grass is showing in places.

But we all know the month of March can be deceptive. Will we get another big blizzard? Time will tell, I guess. Anyhow, this is what it looks like today. A cardinal is singing his heart out - starting before the sun even comes up. Many other birds also making a lot of noise. Perhaps the robins will be back before too long. The raccoons are quite active though I can't yet tell if there are any young ones on the way, it's still a little early. I will post some more raccoon photos later today. In the meatime feel free to leave comments or ask questions. I will be happy to answer those I can, or refer you to someone who knows.

Jasper and Chloe

Jasper is Chloe's daughter from last spring. She still shows an interest in playing with things that swing - like the shade cord on the door of the retreat. Chloe displays a good set of teeth while munching on some tidbit. The realtivly warm weather for febuary has encouraged the local raccoons to wake up and head out looking for food. Another raccoon showed up last night, one thats a stranger to me. He or she was so cautious that I was unable to get a photograph. I'm still keeping my figers crossed that Alex will return one of these days.

I won't be too surprised if I spot the first robin sometime soon.

Chloe and Kimmie

Have returned after being absent for about a week. I still can't tell if they are expecting a new brood this season. But both are looking very well and they don't mind my company at all. We are getting a heavy snowfall tonight so I don't know if they will show up at the door of my retreat.

Chloe and Friend - last night.

There is quite a difference in size. I suspect the larger raccoon is Kimmie, also a visitor from last summer. Check further down in the Blog for the video 'Chloe 2008'. Now I'm wondering if both will have kits again this summer.

Chloe is back!

This is certainly Chloe. looking good, though she is starting to shed her winter fur coat. (Called 'cracking' in the case of raccoons). Though tiny compared to the other raccoon, she can stand up for herself. This makes the third year I have known this friendly little critter.

It's getting busy!

I'm now almost certain this is Kimmie. The smaller raccoon is Chloe. So far these are the only two seen since late in the fall.

The season is starting.

Mating season for raccoons is generally during the early winter. Kits (baby raccoons) are usually born between March and May. The male raccoons play no part in the raising of the kits, and in fact are banished by the females.

A raccoons fur can look quite ragged in the spring. Once the fur starts ‘cracking’ (the raccoon form of shedding), it can look very bad until the new, darker and softer fur comes in.

By April most of the litters will have been born. At this time of year the older raccoons will often be seen moving about during the day. This in no way reflects on the health of the animal. Mother raccoons will take a short break from her litter to feed herself. Later the baby raccoons will begin to explore during the day. They will revert to the night shift when they are about four months of age. Once the kits start moving about mom will bring them out to explore the neighborhood while mom eats. Later as they are weaned they will follow mom about while they learn what can be eaten and what dangers to avoid. The mother raccoon makes certain her brood behaves. Should one kit misbehave she will tell it off in no uncertain terms, and may even give it a ‘time out’ leaving the kit while she and the rest of her brood go elsewhere. And yes, sometimes she might give a misbehaving kit a swift swat!


Our northern raccoons are generally much larger in size than their southern cousins. An average weight for a fully grown animal is probably about 25 pounds, but some have been known to grow to about fifty pounds. That’s a very big raccoon!

This morning I had a visitor!

Just before sunrise. I suspect it's Kimmie, a big mother raccoon that was a regular at my door last summer.

Obviously expecting.

More to follow in the next few days.

Crystal Clear Night

There is something about the mid-winter moon, just past full and riding very high in a crystal clear sky. No raccoons are expected on such a cold night. Though they don't hibernate, they do sleep the sub-zero weather away. They store up fat during the summer and fall to tide them through the winter. As the temperature starts to rise in March the raccoon will begin to roam again.

Groundhog Prediction from the retreat.

I can reasonably predict I will NOT see my shy, but friendly groundhog tomorrow. It's just too doggone cold. (Scroll down a bit to see his portrait). He will no doubt be sleeping the rest of this cold weather away for however log it takes. Sometimes I wish I could do the same. (Smile).

Teenagers and Treat Time. October 8th., 2009

It was treat time for Alex, Jasper, and Growler, three of Chloe's four youngsters. The kits have grown to nearly adult size though they will not mature for another eighteen months. By now they are pretty well on their own while mom does her own thing. They have just finished a number of treats, mostly in the form of a few tea biscuits, and Milady is telling them she has no more.

Alex (female) is the smallest one sitting comfortably on Milady's lap. Growler (male) is the biggest and is begging for more. Jasper, the light colored sister, is looking on.

Before one tries anything like this there must be a long period of observation, and establishing mutual trust between animal and human. I live in an area that is virtually free of any threat of rabies, and certainly over the last three months no other disease has been observed in the local animal population. The raccoons that have dropped by seeking food have all been wormed, thus taking care of any potetial problem with roundworm infection. (Which can infect other animals, including humans. More on this subject later).

Despite the apparent bond, these animals are not dependant on us for handouts, nor are they so used to human contact as to carelessly approach other people who may not be so kindly disposed to their welfare.