Wildlife, living next to nature

[Gravdigr]

@ 2:16:

I got one!! I got one!!

[xoxoxoBruce]

I sent it to Leah, she said that's at the elephant park where she goes every year.

[BigV]

The bald eagle that soared overhead as we walked back to our car in the parking lot of Safeway went unphotographed but not unnoticed.

[Gravdigr]

Wildlife, it's everywhere, even in the Safeway parking lot.

[BigV]

Eagles are a regular sight around here, and I always find them beautiful.


Meanwhile, I found these two rascals in my driveway the other day. They were checking out something interesting in a pile of weeds and grass I'd recently dug up. Either that or the one on the left is taking a dump in my rosebed.



Then, they moved away from the car, not a care in the world, enjoying the sunny day.



There was some discussion in the middle of the street,



Which was resolved as they decided to go check out the backyard of my neighbor across the street.

[glatt]

I've never seen a raccoon in the wild. I've only seen them in urban areas.

On Saturday I saw a black bear on the hillside maybe 100 feet from the road. It was pretty cool, I hadn't seen one in decades. This was in Shenandoah National Park. No pics, but it did happen.

[infinite monkey]

I think raccoons like to be around foodstuffs, garbage cans and the like. I had one raid me until I got a better trashcan. I let him raid, I ain't messin' with those big mean mudderpluckers.

People are starting to see bald eagles around here. They're really making a comeback (like their latest album was really GOOD) and my brother saw one in his field. Someone says there have been sightings along the river, so I'm keeping my eyes open.

[Clodfobble]

Raccoons are nocturnal. I'd be nervous seeing them out in the day, something's not right there.

[BigV]

I agree. I've seen them in my yard before, during the daytime. I wouldn't even go near them, not even to shoo them away unless it was some kind of emergency. No thanks. I took all these pictures from inside my house.

[Gravdigr]

Probably a good practice.

As with all wildlife, raccoons should not be approached or handled by humans. One reason for leaving raccoons undisturbed is their susceptibility to numerous diseases including canine distemper and parvovirus, in addition to zoonotic diseases (humans can get from animals) such as rabies and raccoon roundworms. Even though raccoons may be carriers of rabies, not all raccoons have rabies. Typically, rabid raccoons will exhibit aimless wandering and lack of coordination, or they will exhibit aggressive behavior that can include attacks and self-mutilation.

from GeorgiaWildlife

[orthodoc]

We've had a young raccoon hang around the backyard for 18 months now. Last year he/she sat on our back deck in the sunshine, leaning back against the full-glass door into the dinette and scratching his (I'm going to use the male pronoun here) belly, oblivious to six cats who were climbing on top of each other on the inside of the dinette door, goggling and hardly able to contain themselves.
The young'un came back and did the same thing repeatedly in the afternoon sunshine.

This year, he's back and trying to reach the birdfeeder in the cherry tree outside the dinette. He reaches, stretches, doesn't quite make it, and finally gives up. He seems quite comfortable in our backyard in full daylight, and after all this time he can't have rabies ... but we just watch and enjoy ... and are happy that he scampers back into the woods, and not onto our roof!

[xoxoxoBruce]

The reason they're primarily nocturnal is the danger to them from all their daytime predators. They'll come around during the day if they don't feel threatened.

[BigV]

This morning it was a flicker breakfasting on some ants in approximately the same spot where the racoons had their discussion in the middle of the street.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Surprise!

[xoxoxoBruce]

Galveston shark bite.