What Goes On At Night

I sat down yesterday to review pictures from the three cameras I have out. 

Interesting!

That's the camera that looks over at the flat feeder, on the left. 

I'm actually glad the raccoons and possums try to clean up the 

spilled feed.  (Note there is a raccoon ON the flat feeder) 

There comes one DOWN the feeder on November 19th.  It looks like there is 

someone at my gate in the background.  It may just be a car coming down the road. 

Here there is a possum feeding along with them.  I have noticed there is rarely any interspecies fighting. 

There are actually six raccoons in this picture, can you see the sixth? 

This, again, is why I always go out with Fritzi and Jester in the evening and at night.  (This feeder is about 25 feet from the deck) 

Twice in the last ten days, I have found the pasture feeder leaning perilously.  

I did not think the raccoons were climbing into it any more, because there was always at least a half bowl of feed left in the morning.  However, this picture proved me wrong.  I am going to drive 

two Tee poles into the ground to brace the feeder now.  It needs to be re-set. 

There's Rusty in the leaning cat feeder on the 23rd. 

(see his tail hanging out on the left?)  You see how badly the feeder was leaning. 

And there he goes jumping away from it the next night.  I wonder what that light to the right is? 

If it's the eyeball of an animal, it could explain why Rusty took off. 

Here he is Friday morning, waiting for me to put some food out for him.  He will let me 

get within six feet, but I don't know that I will ever be able to pet him. 

He does know "Kitty Kitty Kitty", and if I call him, he will stop to see what I am 

doing.  He knows when I lay his food down, and he has food in three places during the day. 

The porch camera shows him checking there three or four times a night. 

Rusty is the last of the four feral kittens I raised. 

I am regularly seeing four possums here, but these three were on the porch the other night. 

And yes, I do see some of this from time to time. 

I can honestly say I am not scared of possums, but would have to think twice before 

encountering these teeth.  I think he was just chewing here. 

I can tell you that I open the door at night and peek out before I ever open for the dogs, and I often have to convince Elvis to go off the porch and under the deck for the dogs to be safe to go out, 

because Fritzi would not be a bit scared to go after him.  I come out, talk gently to Elvis, 

who considers the matter and then turns and waddles slowly off the porch and under the deck. 

I watch to make sure neither dog tries to follow. 

Two nights ago, when he was trying to decide if I really meant for him to leave the food. 

I don't refill that food, when it is gone, it is gone. 

There is enough seed for them to eat, and Rusty usually tries to come early. 

I was outside at this point, talking to him and telling him to go hide so the dogs could go potty. 

The camera captures lots of things, here I come to check on the cat food bowl in the feeder, 

and I had a parade following me.  These four are the nosiest in the world!