Spring time brings baby nests...

Last year I painted a whimsical painting of a tree with owls, squirrels, birds, rabbits, foxes, and raccoons for a nursery.  I've never been up close and personal with raccoons...until now.  In the fun painting that I did, I painted the baby raccoons in the knot hole in the tree, with the momma raccoon waving from behind the tree.  I think they are so cute! So I was very surprised to find some baby raccoons in the eave of my storage building in my back yard.  I heard them making noise and assumed that it was a birds nest.  But when I decided to use the ladder to check it out, I found that it was not birds, it was baby raccoons!  At first I thought that the Momma Raccoon had been blocked out of our newly repaired storage building.  So I was worried about the babies starving.  The next day when I checked on the raccoons, I stuck my head up by the eave where they were, and saw a much larger mass move!  Momma Raccoon was up there and it really surprised me and I thought that she might jump at me to protect her young!  Startled by this new discovery, I jumped down off the ladder!  (causing me to lose my balance and fall...but I'm okay...bruised, but okay. I'm sure it was very amusing to my hubby to see all of this happen, after he knew I was okay. We had a good laugh about it anyway.)  After getting over the shock of seeing the Momma, I was advised to leave the door to the storage building open over night and see if the Momma Raccoon would take her babies and leave to find a quieter spot.  I left the door open and the next morning she and her babies were not in the nest.  Hopefully they found their way out safely and another quiet space to live.

Momma Raccoon

Here is the photo that I took of Momma from the other end of the eave.  I didn't see her in the photo until AFTER I saw her up close!




The last picture is of the babies when I first discovered them. There were three babies laying up there alone.  I didn't see their Momma and they were at the other end of the building where I found them with their Momma, the next day.

Maybe I'll come across a bird's nest next.
Have a great week!

Baby Racoons without Momma

Beth  ♥