You are not alone!
Under our platform feeder – ready to dig a hole.
You might be surprised at who your neighbors really are—especially after the sun goes down. If you look closely at the bird feeder live stream and examine the ground under the feeders, you’ll see small holes. Raccoons.
I know for sure there are two, but there could be more. You can’t see it from the bird bath cam, but there’s a good-sized hole at the base of that large birdbath. We’ve filled it in twice. My guess? The groundhog buried gold and the raccoons are robbing him. Seriously, I think these animals are digging holes to get at the grubs that live down in the soil. And this activity happens at night.
Jane caught them late afternoon – they don’t always wait until dark. Brazen!
Digging holes is dirty work and paws must be kept clean!
Jane F., who lives near Chicago, sent me this photo of an adorable family of three who visit her deck each evening—and look at her through the sliding glass doors! Maybe checking out what she’s watching on TV? Jane does watch animal programs from time to time—maybe they’re spotting friends who’ve “gone Hollywood”?
A very enterprising groundhog!
With the sweetest face!
Two of the smaller trees. Snapped and mangled. We think the groundhog may have said something like, “You have got to be kidding! This yard is not for me. I don’t care how much birdseed is on the ground!”
Those of you who followed my blog last summer will remember this guy—a young groundhog. He never dug a burrow in our yard. We think he was here about two weeks and made himself right at home. But then that big storm hit, we lost all those trees, and the cleanup was rough on everyone living here. We think he may have wisely moved on.
This is the female with one of her three kits. They were all born in Mark’s neighborhood. It often takes time to learn to live right next to wildlife—but if we can make the effort, our lives will be so much richer.
The female. Fox photos by Mark R. in central Illinois.
And my good friend Mark R., from here in central Illinois, sent me this photo. He has foxes! An adult—which he and I both think is “Mom”—and three kits. He lives in a neighborhood of houses with good-sized lots and mature landscaping. Not all of his neighbors are thrilled about this. And neither is Mark’s cat, Hazel, who is an indoor-outdoor cat.
He and I talked about Hazel months ago. Mark didn’t want to keep her inside all the time, but also wanted to protect birds and small mammals from her predatory ways. She’s fed quite well by him and his family. I posted the video he sent, and if you look closely, you’ll see she wears a collar with a bell attached. The bell gives prey an alert—a head start. Mark also sent videos of the foxes—click on Videos in this website’s menu.
I was amazed to learn that red foxes can run up to 30 mph and jump as high as six feet. But even with these talents, they often lose out on dens and foraging areas to coyotes. More and more foxes are moving not only into neighborhoods like Mark’s, but also into urban areas. And here in central Illinois, we have plenty of coyotes.
When the sun has set and darkness has fallen, why not take some time and sit outside on your deck, patio, or balcony? Sit as quietly as you can. Just watch and listen. You may be surprised at who your neighbors really are!