Fred incident June 6th

The Freds continue to hang around. After momma led them away (teenagers: move out, find your own shelter?), they dispersed to four burrows. Two hang out together. Then they don't. Wed., Jun 10th, I could Momma at the shed burrow. Three kits were grazing in the wet grass. We had 14mm rain. About a half inch. 

She was unusually vigilant:

 

 More whistling.

   

 She led them to the septic bed burrow.

   

 I realized later that a coyote had taken a kit.

   

 This miniFred shadowed her.

 

UPDATE: on the released squirrels...

Our pregnant doe has been stealing the squirrel food! I laughed so hard. I didn't realize the squirrels came out at night. You can see the doe's eye reflecting the trailcam light, and a squirrel on top of the nest box, watching the doe. I thought squirrels were diurnal. Who knew?! 

We have to provide food and water for about a week, until they learn to forage.

We continue to get raccoons ambling by. I was reading in bed, Muskoka room door open, and heard one on the back deck. There was nothing it could get into, though. This one, with the skinny tail, has been out. It fished out some stones I had in a container. They rattled. It held paperwhites in the winter. 

And a fun one, a large male bear on the driveway. Video on Saturday's Critters!