While I was working in the garden recently, I heard a ruckus coming from a tree near the river. Grackles were making a big fuss about something. I walked down to the tree to check out what the commotion was about. Smaller birds often mob owls or hawks that invade their territory, so I thought I might have an opportunity to see an owl, but I was wrong. It was a raccoon that had the birds so upset. It was difficult to see the raccoon amongst the branches, high up. I couldn’t tell if it was raiding a nest or not. It seemed to be just resting there. Or at least trying to rest, as the birds made brave attacks on the alien.
Having taken in the situation, I returned to work in the garden. After a while, I noticed that the birds had settled down. I walked back to the tree to see if the raccoon had left. Sure enough, there was no sign of the big raccoon. However, as I circled the tree, three heads popped out between two stems of the tree. A family of little raccoons! Perhaps the bigger raccoon hadn’t set out to rob a nest at all, but was simply looking for a break from her own nest full of half-grown youngsters!
Willow House Chronicles 