The New Family & other sightings.

I'm happy to report Belle and her new family are doing great. She is taking VERY good care of her 2 new babies. I got a quick peek at Bella and Macy before she scooped them up and turned them away from my view, putting herself between myself and them.

Popeye is doing OK. He's a little under the weather, apparently due to a slight infection from his injury. He is now on antibiotics and should be feeling better soon. He certainly has no problem avoiding us when he know it's time for his shot though! Plenty of energy then!

The coon cam has been showing a regular visitor to the feeding station around 1:30 the past few afternoons. I popped out back this afternoon to check it out. I had a feeling it was my girl Ringer. She did this last year when she had babies....showed up most afternoons around 3pm. Then showed up with her 3 kits in tow one afternoon.

Sure enough I'm standing out there and she appears like clockwork from the woods across the pond. She came right over when I called her and had her favorite treat waiting for her......some yummy avocado! Ringer also happens to be Belle's sister. We had a little visit and I got some good pics. I'll post them when I get a chance to download them! She looks great and I have no doubt she'll take good care of her kits wherever they are!

Red was out as usual last night running around like a maniac. Ran into her sister Silly too! I thought it was Red at first...they look identical except for their tail tips. They are even moulting the same. I couldn't figure out why she walked up to me, gave me a quick sniff hello, then continued on into the bushes! She practically ignored me! Huh! Then I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and turned just in time for Red's usual assault....jumping all over me wanting to play! Ha ha She's such a love!

The rest of the gang still eludes me in person. They are not usually out until 2 or 3am on the coon cam! I am able to discern a few individuals out though and am confident of Feisty, Smokey, Sarge, Lexi and Goofball sightings.

Red, Lexi, Sarge, Dandy & fun in the rain.

I cannot be positive due to the quality of the pics, but I'm pretty sure this was Dandy on the right last night. The face is a little pug-like. She's obviously doing well since her surgery and hanging with the old gang again! Thank goodness!

All the rain we got in the early morning hours didn't put a damper on things for the gang. They are totally unfazed by it as they lounge and eat! I wish they would all come out earlier though! Most of them show up in the wee hours of the morning from like 2am on. It doesn't make it easy for me to run into them at all!



Ran into Red last night also. She's up to her old crazy ways! She was running around like a maniac last night wanting to play with me. The foot is obviously not slowing her down at all any more!

Lexi dropped in for a visit too! I haven't seen her in a while....she looks great! She's a little timid and would run to me, then dart off when she heard all the racket Red was making jumping around. I got a quick hello, she got a quick scratch under the chin and off she went to get away from the ruckus.



Shortly after Lexi left Sarge showed up. It looks like at some point he had gotten a nasty wound on his right ankle and heel. Looks like someone may have gotten the better of him in a scuffle. The leg was still a little swollen, but the wounds were already healing and granulating in. It looked good and is healing very well, plus he is using the leg with no problem. His appetite and condition are great so I let him be. I think he probably had a good sized abscess at one point that went through it's usual progression and all is now on the mend. I am always amazed at their tolerance to pain and their natural abilities to heal really well without our interference when need be.

Baby Bella is up to 175 grams and doing great. I am expecting her eyes to start to open within the coming week and then she'll start to really grow fast!

Raccoons & Squirrels & Sarge! Oh my!!

I haven't seen Sarge since the end of December and I was so excited to see him last night! He had a couple battle scars on his muzzle, but nothing major and he looked really good. He was a little skittish, but did come over and say hi briefly before snatching a treat and running off with it! He was one of my "mamma's boys" from this past summer. Goofball was the other mamma's boy and I haven't had any confirmed sightings of him in a long time either, not since the end of November. I hope he is OK. This is Sarge on the right, Goofball on the left... (Goof is also the baby holding the bottle on a blue fleece in the pics in the right margin,)


And another of Sarge....such a handsome boy!! It's amazing how different they look as time goes by.

Here one of the gang says "Cheese!" for the camera before heading home to bed.

I ran into Sarge around Midnight. I ended up with an adult squirrel that had been hit by a car while working, and by the time I got him home and stabilized it was about Midnight and decided since I was up.....I might as well check it out. I'm so glad I did or I wouldn't have run into Sarge. So I have a poor injured squirrel to thank for that.

I brought the squirrel to Tufts Wildlife center in Groton this morning since he did well overnight and seemed stable. He's in good hands, getting x-rays and pain meds and treatment. They will let me know tomorrow if he is in any condition for rehabilitation or if he has to be euthanized due to head trauma and a shoulder injury. I'll take him back to recover here should his injuries be such that he will be releasable eventually. Lets all give lots of good thought out to him and hope for the best!