Skunked!

Granpa was on call yesterday and had to go in about 4 p.m.  When he got home about 6 p.m. - still plenty of daylight left - he came in the house, grabbed his camera, and went back outside for what I thought was a long time.  When he came back in, he seemed very pleased with himself - but not for the reason I suspected.  He was pleased because he got lots of pictures of a new critter - and came away unscathed - or should I say, un-skunked!

 

Now, that's a pretty big skunk!  But, what's it doing out in the daytime?  I thought skunks were nocturnal critters.  Being rabid makes animals behave out of the ordinary.  Jeepers, I hope that's not the case.  So I do a lil' research...

Yup.  They are nocturnal.  Yup.  Rabies makes them mis-behave.  What's this?  As baby skunks realize that they have a built-in defense mechanism they run around squirting stink at anything and everything just because they can.  That's just like a bunch of teenagers, eh?

But why is this rascal coming around here?  We don't put out cat food, or dog food, or leftovers.  What else do they eat?  And the websites say:  bird seed.  Uh-oh.  Who?  Me?  With a bird feeder?

"Now, let's see.  Exactly how do I go about stealing some bird seed???" says the little squirrel.

"Mmmm.  I think this will work."

"Yeah, yeah.  I think so...."

"That's a stretch!"

"No sweat!!"

We attract every kind of bird you can imagine:  Bluejays, Cardinals, Purple Finch, Chickadees, Nuthatches (They're fun.  They don't move like normal birds do.), Woodpeckers, Dove, Brown-headed Cow Birds, Mockingbirds...

They all knock seeds on the ground so we also get:

I don't even KNOW what this is!

But this is one of many cottontail rabbits we have hangin' out.

 

And the cutest lil' chipmunks!

The big ol' turkeys are attracted by the bird seed, too, but also the deer corn we put out.

I call this one, "A Lady In Waiting."

Which brings us back to the skunk, because I think the corn brought it in, too.  So, at bedtime last night, I suggest Granpa go out and at least bring the bird feeder in overnight.  He dutifully grabs the spotlight and heads out the door.  In a flash he is back!  Hehe.  The spotlight only worked long enough for him to see the skunk standing underneath the bird feeder.  LOL!  No, ROFLOL!

Eventually I got hold of myself and suggested he turn the car headlights on and make a lot of noise to scare the skunk away and then go get the bird feeder.  Granpa is such a hoot!