Wildlife

It's raining again... which reminds me of a Supertramp song from the 70s. But it also means there are no new photos today, no new blooms today, nothing to really talk about. I guess it's a good day to tell the skunk story. (This all took place nearly a year ago, on the Labour Day weekend last September.)

THE STORY -- One morning, our neighbours had a skunk in their garage. That same morning our front garden had been really dug up (all my freshly planted icicle pansies!). The back was also being dug up. Mike kept asking me, "Do you smell a skunky smell near the shed?" and I would say, in denial, "No, it's just the composter."

We spotted the skunk near the shed at 7:30 one evening. We tried trapping, but the skunk was too smart to be caught. So we hired the professionals, the ones who charge a lot and don't use traps. They skunk-proofed the shed and installed a one-way door that would allow the skunk to leave but not re-enter. Meanwhile that same night Mike worked frantically to block off the spaces under the deck to all access. In the middle of doing the work he noticed that the one-way door was closed. After that, he whistled while he worked (just to let the skunks know he was there so he wouldn't surprise them).

Apparently the skunks moved away and spent more time at their secondary den. In the meantime, they kept showing up and digging up the garden for a while, but at least they no longer lived under our shed. (And we were better off, because they did not end up having babies under there when spring came along).

We have other wildlife in our garden. Snakes, for example. Other than that, there have been regular visits by a family of cardinals and a blue jay, occasional sightings of chipmunks, hummingbirds and hawks, annoying visits by voles, and one memorable visit by a young robin (see photo) and its mother.