Outdoor Tales and Tails!

Debi

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NATURE. WILDLIFE. THE GREAT OUTDOORS.
THE STORIES THAT GO WITH THAT!
HAVE YOU EVER HAD AN ENCOUNTER IN NATURE OR WITH WILDLIFE CREATURES THAT MADE YOU LAUGH OR TERRIFIED YOU?
I HAVE A NUT THROWING SQUIRREL IN MY BACK YARD THAT TERRIFIES MY DOGS BUT MAKES ME LAUGH.
I'VE ALSO HAD A RUN IN WITH A RABID RACCOON!
SHARE YOUR OUTDOOR TALES AND TAILS!

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Several years ago, I had a small fish pond outback that had a nightly congregation of frogs that would chirp and croak - in unison almost on a nightly basis. And I think I had a squirrel that briefly bombarded my roof with pinecones.
 
Several years ago, I had a small fish pond outback that had a nightly congregation of frogs that would chirp and croak - in unison almost on a nightly basis. And I think I had a squirrel that briefly bombarded my roof with pinecones.
I had one of the small decorative ponds out front for a few years right outside of my youngest son's bedroom window. Soon it became the Frog pond. My son can't handle repetitive noises well, and I kept hearing "SHUT UP!" at night, to which the frogs would quiet for about 10 seconds and then resume the chorus. Needless to say, the frog pond was removed!
 
I had one of the small decorative ponds out front for a few years right outside of my youngest son's bedroom window. Soon it became the Frog pond. My son can't handle repetitive noises well, and I kept hearing "SHUT UP!" at night, to which the frogs would quiet for about 10 seconds and then resume the chorus. Needless to say, the frog pond was removed!
Frogs are awesome, but they get a little overexcited. I remember turning on the lights to the back and stepping outside to tell them to 'shut it' and they would - until I turned the light back off and went back in. My pond was later removed itself after a hole was torn in the liner that couldn't be patched. It was a koi pond but the frogs took over and one of my dogs jumped right in.
 
Once we were out walking on a trail in a local park, and were starting to head back to the car. I noticed a skunk meandering down the trail, and alerted my husband. The way the skunk was moving made us nervous, because it wasn't acting shy at all. At one point, we noticed that all along the trail, an assortment of people were standing very still; a guy standing next to his bike, a woman and a little boy, an older guy, us. All playing statue because we didn't want this skunk to spray us! It made us laugh, after the danger was over.
 
I watched a group of baboons chasing people in the parking lot of Cape Point National Park in South Africa. The baboons associate people with food and are very aggressive. Also saw one of the baboons rip a car radio antenna off a car.
 
back many years ago we had a tree fall that had a squirrel nest in it, when i found it, it had one baby who survived. my wife thought it would be a good idea to try to raise it. if anyone ever says they make good pets, well they dont, they are crazy. (the squirrels, not the ppl, well, maybe them too)..... she bottle fed it and it grew up to be the most psycho thing ive ever seen, and very territorial. it would attack anything and anyone who came around.. it would jump on the dogs, cats, the pig (yep i said pig) anything that walked by... it finally moved outside into a tree that was about 20 feet from the porch, where it lived out its life attacking anyone who came to the front door. sometimes i still have flashbacks of opening the front door and that thing being on the screen staring in.....lol...(though it was often amusing to see ppls reaction when a half crazy squirrel would jump out of the tree onto their back and run up and down them squeeling and chirping...lol)
 
back many years ago we had a tree fall that had a squirrel nest in it, when i found it, it had one baby who survived. my wife thought it would be a good idea to try to raise it. if anyone ever says they make good pets, well they dont, they are crazy. (the squirrels, not the ppl, well, maybe them too)..... she bottle fed it and it grew up to be the most psycho thing ive ever seen, and very territorial. it would attack anything and anyone who came around.. it would jump on the dogs, cats, the pig (yep i said pig) anything that walked by... it finally moved outside into a tree that was about 20 feet from the porch, where it lived out its life attacking anyone who came to the front door. sometimes i still have flashbacks of opening the front door and that thing being on the screen staring in.....lol...(though it was often amusing to see ppls reaction when a half crazy squirrel would jump out of the tree onto their back and run up and down them squeeling and chirping...lol)
My first house had squirrels living in the two maple trees in the front yard. Over a period of a couple years, I got a grey squirrel to take food, usually a granola bar, out of my hand, then run back up to the lowest branch and eat it. When I'd come out the front door, he'd start barking if I didn't have food.
My fourth spring in the house he was gone, don't know if he got ate, run over, or moved on.
 
I was lucky enough as part of my career in the British Army to spend some considerable time in Canada. We had 2 weeks R&R once and decided to visit the Rockies, going to the Three Sisters, Banff and other places from Calgary.

We ended up at a campsite just off the Trans-Canadian one day and it was there that I saw for the first time ever, a family of Beaver building a dam.

Holy smoke - they are big! They only look like small furry creatures on TV!

We also got to see some Moose, Elk and a Black Bear (from a distance). One of the happiest times of my life..........
 
My encounter with a rabid raccoon, which may have actually been distemper, came when my mother in law was screaming from her front porch. I went running down the drive (LOOONG run) and found her armed with a broom beating back a raccoon snarling and hissing at her. It really wanted to get at her! It looked at me and I went running back home for the rifle. When I got back it had run up a tree in front and was still threatening to go after someone. I had no option but to shoot it but before I could the mother in law grabbed the rifle and shot it while yelling every obscentity known to mankind at it. I've never seen a raccoon or woman so angry at each other! Which, looking back, is understandable if you knew my MIL. lol Called DNR and they came and picked it up to test. Never heard back if it was sick or just really ticked off at her.