A change of pace...

Well hello little bird! My neighbor appeared yesterday at the retreat with this little fellow. One of the neighborhood cats brought it to her - completely unhurt. The little critter is almost ready to fly, but is not up to feeding himself. We have no idea where the cat found him. The redwing moms in my backyard totally ignored the little one. Feeding is not a problem as milady had a formula food and experience in feeding baby birds. Our neighbor was also experienced in feeding. I think she willbe bringing the little fellow to a nearby bird rehabbing center within a few days.

Feed me, feed me....

Two Newcomers Visit the Retreat

These two characters first appeared three nights ago. At the slightest movement from me they would run - but return a little later to snack on whatever Chloe had left. Over the next few nights they started to get a little more used to me and last night I was finally able to get some good photographs. I suspect they are both young males - perhaps a little over a year old but not yet mature. One has very distinctive eyebrows - the other a slight nick near the base of his left ear. (That may vanish in time though).

Interesting Fellow

Covered in bloom!

Them bloomin' shrubs..

The snowball is almost finished, but the wigellia (sp)? is out in allit's glory.

Another old friend?

Not a very good photo - but this critter has been here before. Though I'm not yet certain it may be one of Kimmie's kits from last year. The slight clip on his right ear may help. I'm going back over the archives to see if I can get a sure ID. At least this will help identify this one in the future.

Links!

Don't forget to check out the various links. There is even a fantastic movie taken of a mother raccoon (Named Doc) and her five kits. Doc shows up frequently on The Critter Window. (thecritterwindow.com).

In the meantime I'm waiting until Chloe brings her brood to show off at the retreat. I also hope to be able to 'film' their antics before too long. ATB! Rusty

Who am I?

It's one of Chloe's youngsters - from last year. Not Alex, but it might be Jasper (fur color changing), Alpha, or Growler. My best bet is it's Jasper. Big, but very gentle and not at all 'pushy'. She waited patiently while I fought to open a new bag of kibble.

Last One Out - a new adventure!

There were three chicks in the nest - and this is the last one to leave.

On Guard

It’s interesting how different species of bird will cooperate on keeping the baby birds safe by chasing any hunting cat.

Good Morning

Between getting food, persuading chicks to leave the nest, and watching out for local cats - mom has her work cut out for her.

A good friend, but not a pet.

I was bringing the garbage out when I realized I was not alone. Chloe was standing right by my foot looking up at me probably wondering when I would put some kibble out for her supper. Now who could refuse a look like that? I was unable to completely finish a big plate of lasagna, and I thought why not? An extra treat for her - with some kibble added. If you look closely at her whiskers you can see she was enjoying the dish.

A nice change.

Her new fur coat is coming in, soft and thick. Good color too. You can also see she is nursing some kits. It won’t be long before they start moving about with her.

Hmmm - yummy!

Looking over her territory

From this vantage point she can decide where to hunt for a meal - and keep an eye open for potential dangers. Job one - feeding her babies!

Shh - I'm hunting

She hears something, and a moment later she has another meal for her youngsters.

Waiting for lunch

Eyes are open now. There are at least three chicks in the nest - and probably four. Mom is out looking for worm steak. ;)

Defensive Equipment (Smile)

A very ‘special’ tool to keep handy in case a raccoon gets a little too pushy. Very simple, easy to handle, and can be used in a manner that will not hurt the animal It will keep you safe should one of your local critters decide to enter your space uninvited. They learn quickly where the limits are. Yes, I used it last year a couple of times when a big raccoon thought he would push his way into the retreat and get into a big bag of dog kibble. It worked wonders! The same raccoon still comes by and never tries to push his luck. (the snow shovel is very light, and the blade is made of plastic).

A busy evening

It was a busy time last night. Chloe made her regular visit - still no sign of her kits though. But a little later two very big raccoons came to call. One was easy to identify as Bear, but I’m still not certain who the other one is. Both very calm and friendly though. These photos were taken as close at they seem. In fact the ‘stranger’ was more interested in checking out my camera part of the time. One of the pictures shows why one does not want to mess about with a raccoon’s claws! Yet they can use these ‘paws’ very much like we use our hands. Quite dexterous and very gentle most of the time.