Thieves in the Woods: the Four-Legged Variety

The woods seem peaceful … at first. A gentle breeze ruffles the oak leaves and sways the tops of the tall Ponderosa pine. But looks can be deceiving. Within the tangle of brush, the meadows of flowers and the tall grass hides the mischief makers.

Beware of bear signs are posted all over but bears aren’t the real problem. Far more prevalent are the crows. They’ve learned to hunker down in the tree tops to watch and wait. They know that plastic bags and aluminum foil hide food. If you don’t put these items away before you leave for a hike or walk, when you return what you find is a mess. Scraps of tin foil and bits of plastic scattered everywhere. Even if the crows don’t like what’s in the bags — such as dried pasta, they tear it apart anyway.

Raccoons are known perpetrators of robbery. Luckily they come out at night when most food has been put away. Alas, one leaving we forgot to put away the dog food. It’s kept in a plastic container. Well, Ricky raccoon couldn’t manage to get the top of the container off so he chewed right through it. We know this because pieces of the container were left on the trail. How did we know it was a raccoon? We placed the flashlight up against the netting of the tent wall and saw him.

And let’s not forget tree rats, otherwise known as squirrels. They’re cheeky little devils, chattering down from the tree branches. Why this one particular squirrel decided to make off with a container lid, I’ll never know. The lid was nearly bigger than he was. He made it to the nearest tree trunk. Did I mention that Brian was chasing after the squirrel? He, the squirrel not Brian, couldn’t manage to get the lid and himself up the tree. Yes, Brian retrieved the lid.

Dee

Note to Self: Too bad I didn’t have my cell phone with me – the video of Brian chasing the squirrel? Priceless.
Quiet Descends