Siblings - sheesh!!

Move over!  Let me look too!

I was here first ... sheesh!

Ow!  You're squishing me.  Quit pushing and MOVE OVER!

Ha!  He's gone.  (No way was I going to move over).

I'm baaaack!  Maybe this side will work out better.

Ok, I guess we can both look ...

Pesky photographer!

Two days ago I went up to Mount Royal to see what might be out and about and came across this young Raccoon as it was descending a tree.  Here is what transpired and I felt like I could read his thoughts.

Oh, oh!  What is she doing there?!

Maybe if I climb back up a bit and hide my face she will go away.

Hmm ... she's still there.  Ok, I'll hide more of my face.

Oh well, I might as well pose and get this over with ...

I took a few more shots and then he clambered back up the tree and into a cosy cavity where he waited for the intrusive human to leave.

A few photos from last week-end

A couple of pictures of a raccoon being cute (head tucked in tree cavity and dipping its paw in a container of rain water). A flower with an iridescent green fly and a Goldfinch on a thistle. Another post of few words! :-)

A special raccoon

In September 2007 I came across a lovely "mask-less" raccoon on Mount Royal. The next season I was lucky enough to see her again and with three normally masked babies!

This Saturday I came across what I believe is the same raccoon and she is bigger and her face is whiter! Perhaps the pigment fades with age. However she was quite agile and climbed a tree to sit on a large branch and groom herself.

It was wonderful to see her again and to know she is fine and healthy. I checked into the lifespan of raccoons and from various sources found a range of 3 years to 10 years in the wild and up to 20 years in captivity. I hope she has a long, happy life.

Woodland denizens

Well, I posted about my sightings of last Friday and then another post of Saturday's adventure, so here is a sampling of the creatures I crossed paths with last Sunday. If you look closely at the wide, narrow photo you will see a Vole looking at a Sparrow. And what about the smiling Squirrel!?

All together an amazing holiday week-end!