MORE THEIVESPrince built this birdfeeding station after the huge walnut tree which was hit by lighting had to be cut. The walnut tree had stood since the early sixties when the house was built. Prince's Dad took great pride in the fact that he placed the house in the middle of trees and only had to cut a few of them.
As you can see the feeders are more or less empty and we knew something was coming upon the upper porch at night eating the bird's food. Mainly, the suet would go missing plus the suet baskets would even be on the ground.
Last night as we were playing with Magster and watching television on the side, Prince saw a movement outside. We usually keep the curtains open so we can see all of the lights of Nashville.
Prince went to the door and turned on the outside lights. There were not one, not two, but three teenage bandits eating away. One was on the pole leaning over to the wooden feeder scarfing down striped sunflower seeds. Another was at the bottom near a square rock on the left eating the seeds that were falling on the ground. Then another came wadding along the rail from the right of the porch where we have four more feeders and another suet basket.
After the third one arrived, they all gathered at the rock and were conversing that this light and those big things in the doorway were not normal. Then from the left Number Four bandit appeared. Four raccoons!!!!!! No wonder we cannot keep the feeder full. Anyway, they looked at us and were trying to figure out if we were hostile or friendlies, Prince said "Aren't they cute". I said "Cute but mean little beggers".
Finally Number One said they are not hostiles and crawel back up the post and began eating from the wooden feeder again. Number Three and Number Four went down the porch and Number Two hung back trying to encourge Number One who continued eating to come down and run. Number One was hungry and had no intentions of leaving until his stomach was full. Prince tapped on the door. NOTHING. Prince opened the door and yelled "Get out of Here". A phrase we use quite often on the hill. Number One came lesisurely down the post and turned and looked as if to say "Spoil sports" and off he went to follow the others. I ran out on the porch and I heard their escape down the large holly tree at the end of the porch.
Now the reason I know them to be mean, was once in the 70's a baby raccoon was taken from the woods and I tried to get it to be friendly. It was not even half the size of those teenagers who are about the size of a good fat cat. Anyway, I lived in a duplex in the southern part of town with my East Tennessee roommate , Mz Repeat, and she is another story. Anyway, I kept my two Chow Chows in the basement and I named the raccoon, Rackey, and he or she also occupied the basement. Mz Repeat was disgusted with me because when we lived on the East side of town, I had tried to save this baby chicken hawk which had been kicked out of its nest. She thought I was completely NUTS and Rackey would stay on the landing of the basement steps. When she would open up the door to go do her laundry, she would yell "Come get your varmit".
I had these long leather gloves that I would pick up Rackey with and it hated me. It would growl and bite and never once act happy that I was saving its life as a baby coon does not survive in the wild without a Mother. Rackey would back my two big Chow Chows up and eat their dog food. Then when Rackey was satisfied Ming and Chu Bear could eat. Now you know why I said those teenagers were mean. If a baby, Rackey can back up Chows ( if you know anything about dogs you know they have a bad reputation) those teenagers had to be fearsome.
The kittyjustice is that the Bandits know we are watching and they can head to the neighbors feeder without the Hostiles running them away.
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