Early this morning, out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of something in the backyard that I don't expect to see during daylight hours. I ran to get my camera and saw it rounding the corner, heading for the front yard.
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| I headed out the front door and caught a glimpse of my target - can you see him? |
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| Maybe this helps? |
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| He turned to face me when he reached the driveway |
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| And he chose to stand his ground and stare me down as I got closer |
It's unusual to see a raccoon foraging after daybreak. Juveniles are more likely to break the daytime curfew but this appeared to be an adult. His gait also seemed a bit unsteady. After our stare-down in the driveway and my retreat, he rambled away, walking down the street. Perhaps last night's rain delayed his foraging. Or perhaps, he was intrigued by the water I'd collected off the roof during 2 brief downpours. Raccoons love water.
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| I filled a bucket and a small trash bin with water sheeting off the roof - we got only 1/10th of an inch (0.254 cm) of rain in total but an amazing amount of rain comes off the roof when the rain comes down hard |
Other recent wildlife sightings include:
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| Sparrows of some kind (possibly Zonotricia atricapilla, the golden-crowned sparrow), enjoying the backyard fountain |
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| A roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)! Sighted in San Clemente when we had dinner with family on Sunday |
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| Felis catus - this one answers to the name of Pipig and enjoys long naps in well-padded surroundings |
That's it for my local wildlife report. Although there are literally zillions of Western Fence Lizards (
Sceloporus occidentalis) about, they move faster than I do so I have no good photos to offer. What's flitting, running, or rummaging about in your garden at present?
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© 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
