I did not react fast enough but ……
We have a ground hog! We saw it a few days ago, but could not identify it. It was hard to get a good look at it as it was at the shore of our lake and some distance from where we were standing. A friend of ours thought it was a mink. I thought maybe an otter – there are some in the large lake close to us. But we were both wrong, Just now, it was eating safflower seeds under the platform feeder and I got a good look at it. But before I could snap a photo – it was gone! If I get a picture of it, I will post it. But keep an eye open for it. You cannot miss it – large, chubby, brown, covered with fur that stands up a bit, and with a short furry tail that has a darker tip.
Cleon and I are from southeastern Pennsylvania and so ground hogs were part of our every day life. Out here in central Illinois we rarely see them – years go by without our sighting them. So this is a real treat for us! And as we do not have a vegetable garden, hopefully, he or she will fit right into our little wildlife refuge!