One of the most surprising things about living in urban South Bend is the variety of wildlife we find visiting our yard. We live on a double lot so we have plenty of yard space that seems to serve as a thorough fare for critters. We have enjoyed the antics of baby raccoons as seen in this photo. She was the runt of a litter of five so she was always last in claiming face time with food. She's trying to get the last smears of peanut butter her siblings left behind. She's not stuck; just enjoying what little peanut butter she can!
Half-tail came to us in winter 2005. She lost part of her tail somewhere, but seemed to heal without problems. She has held the record of being the squirrel with the most personality. She regularly found her way into the house via a crack in the front doorway to feed from the bucket of peanuts we kept in the kitchen. We mourned when she no longer came to visit. Her fate remains a mystery.
This little guy also decided it would be quicker to come into the house to feed rather than waiting for someone to throw peanuts out to the deck!
One day I looked out into the yard and spotted this groundhog. We never had one before so this was quite thrilling. He was quite tame going about his business without a care towards the squirrels who showed much curiosity towards this visitor to their yard! He stuck around for a week.
The animals have added a dimension to our lives. We do not pet them nor do we feed them everyday. They need to retain their wits about them for not all humans see them as neighbors. Sitting on the deck watching the All Critter Channel is a wonderful past time we enjoy more than once a day.
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