Posted By RichC on June 11, 2021
When Annalyn and Ellerie were visiting in May, she helped me get out my live trap to “relocate” a raccoon or two (or more?) that has been climbing up on our house. Annalyn is so inquisitive and a real thinker when it comes to learning about something. 
She was so attentive when I showed her how the live trap worked and what I baited it with … then watch Drew and I put it up on the back porch roof.
I’ve also learned from past experience to use a rope to lower the cage off the roof as the frustrated and sometimes angry critter (be they raccoons, possums or skunks – don’t ask, but click link if you need an explanation!) Anyway, I had a red rope on the trap and she could see this from the ground, but unbeknownst to me, her imagination ran wild and the next day she though the long red rope was some kind of long critter tail from an animal she couldn’t see in the cage (it was still empty). As an adult, I assumed she understood it was just the rope, but according to Katelyn, the “red tail” continued to haunt her after they returned home.
The trap has been doing its job, unlike the smaller one that can’t seem to outsmart the chipmunks, as the second raccoon of the week has been trapped. They seem to enjoy the chunk of corn on the cob and peanut 
butter crackers. Which reminded me of doing this trapping up in the attic once upon a time. Little did I know how fierce they were in a live trap and how those little claws can grab through the trap screen while I tried to figure out how to navigate on a ladder through the tiny access hole with a 20 pound hissing and grabbing raccoon wiggling around in a trap. Even my welding gloves were not enough to make me feel safe!
Since I’m on the subject of critters, the robins are growing and the mourning doves are still posing for the Canary cam every day.
EDIT 6/11/2021: Since I wrote this post a few days ago, there have been attempted flights by the baby robins on our back porch. One has left the nest and made it to a window sill … but refuses to move or try flying again.
Category: Nature, Personal, Photos |
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Tags: annalyn, critters, drew, ellerie, family, katelyn, possum, raccoon, red tail, skunk
With human intelligence and adaptive learning being what it is, one would think knowing which end of the trash bag to open when pulling one out of the box or roll would favor me getting it correct? I’m here to tell you that this is not the case … even after a lifetime of doing it. 
