Wildlife around your house

One of my XBILs would find, & surprise, them on the outdoors staircase. He would pickup the playing dead opposums by the tail & toss them into the brush. After seeing their teeth & claws up close (a rescue opposum that was brain damaged to the point of being completely docile) I want nothing to do with touching one.

As a young kid I used to hear the stories of how opposums would burrow deep into the ground to chew into caskets to feed on dead bodies. Even back then I didn't believe it .

 

Do you have any bird feeders?
That hawk is looking for winged prey.

 

The Gingers and the Bandit - a Toronto Standoff. My cats, my yard.

 

Be careful. A raccoon can kill a cat w/o very much effort!

 

I’ve heard unwary hunters have been disemboweled by a not-dead raccoon they picked up.
My cats understand raccoons, we’ve had litters of kits raised in the backyard for always, and the cats know to give the families room. The one in the photo has 3 super cute little puppy-sized kits that like to bumble and stumble and chirp all about the property.

 

The father of my herd of 7 that live in my yard !
xoxoxoo

 

My wife took this picture in our driveway about six years ago. We get them all the time.

That one in the lower center has NO respect!

 

I don't have photos .

A couple of weeks ago I was hearing strange noises on our patio late at night, but couldn't figure what they were. This went on for two or three nights.

One morning I was standing in breakfast nook & heard the sounds clearly. I went outside, listened, & tracked the sound to a rain barrel (actually a medium sized rolling trash can) I set up to catch runoff from the valley on our roof.

In the barrel was a grown opossum, who looked totally miserable. I called my wife to come see the trapped opossum. There was water in the bottom of the barrel, which most likely kept the opposum hydrated & reasonably alive. I rolled the can to the edge of the patio & laid the can on its side. It took the opossum a few seconds to crawl out, then it headed directly to a woodpile in the corner of the yard.

Periodically I check the backyard hoping to see an opposum holding a sign reading Thank you!.