Red

Until I think up an appropriate name for this male Red-Bellied, I shall call him Red. (Seems a little too obvious a name...Fred? Suggestions welcome...)

So....woke up to lots and lots of snow this morning.  Sadly, I had to go to work instead of the woods....bah humbug.  As soon as we were 'released', I took off despite the fact that the snow had stopped and the rain had started.

The first sight I saw was a raccoon on a path, licking at the ice.  I am thinking that he is blind and perhaps deaf as he made no movement to suggest that he knew I was beside him (and I went close enough to touch him if I wished to).  It was very odd behaviour but I finally went on my way. 

The highlight was getting to the usual spot where I see Red.  The extra with him on the mossy limb was when he first descended and I had no peanut out yet.  I love the look I got!  The second extra is when he landed by the peanut that I had put out and the main blip is when I caught him licking it!  He took it and gave me his usual pose before taking it up into the tree.  He got three peanuts for his efforts  ; ))

426 photos later, I was completely soaked and had to call it an evening as the light was quickly disappearing.  A sad sight on the path before I returned to the car....the raccoon was trying to curl into a ball to sleep on the path  :(  The first photo is a little blurry but worth it to see its feet and  how it was curling into a ball.  Before I left, he had completely tucked in so it was just a ball of fur.  How sad....I will be posting the video I took on Facebook and you will be able to hear how hard it was raining.  Broke my heart...but nature is cruel.

No snowy photos....but I am sure I will have tons soon enough!  Take care everyone.

D x