2008-02-03

Raccoon Fight

I just heard a raccoon fight in my backyard. It's the first time I've seen a raccoon here in the winter.

I didn't know it was a raccoon fight at first. When I heard the ruckus, I looked out from the second floor porch, but couldn't see anything. I went downstairs with a flashlight and looked out from one of the back bedrooms. I saw what I thought was a cat hiding behind one of the Adirondack chairs.

I went back upstairs to the back porch. Then I heard the screeching and screaming again. Decidedly un-catlike. I could tell it was coming from the corner of the yard, but I couldn't see anything. I thought it might be just beyond one of our neighbors' fences.

Then I saw it, lumbering into view. One of the big mama-jama raccoons. Unhurried and unconcerned. Probably the winner of whatever altercation had just ensued. In the beam of my flashlight, it turned to look up at me, then stood on its back legs to get a better look. Satisfied, I guess, it went under my back neighbor's deck.

It was all over in less than five minutes, so no photos from tonight's squabble. You can find photos in my related posts.

Related Posts

Flatbush Wildlife Report: Raccoons and Opposums, July 9, 2007
Midnight Photo Blogging: Raccoons in Brooklyn, July 31, 2006

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a dog owner who traverses Flatbush at all hours of the day and night, throughout the seasons, I have been seeing raccoons and opposums for a while, regardless of the season. My dog loves raccoons in particular and quickly learned to look up into the trees, where they often nap, or hide from overly interested dogs.

Chris Kreussling (Flatbush Gardener) said...

That's so cute! What kind of dog is it? Is it a hound or other hunting/tracking dog?