Two Raccoons & A Screech Owl - A Tale in Three Acts: Act II
Leaving a leg out for good measure
Near my home is a paved hiking trail winding along a small stream fringed by an assortment of hardwood trees, including white ash, maple, hackberry, and various oaks. There is always a natural surprise or two seen along this trail throughout the year.
From the burst of springtime woodland wildflowers to colorful songbirds with their symphony of melodies in summer, to the colorful display of autumn leaves, or the tracks of a roaming red fox in winter snow, it is worth keeping a watchful eye for what may appear along the trail.
For years I walked this trail, and it is an instinct of mine to check and recheck every tree cavity I pass by, thinking just maybe there will be a critter popping its head out. Often nothing pops its head out. But for a naturalist/birder such as myself, hope springs eternal. One day, the hope became a reality.
On a balmy Thanksgiving afternoon, I went for my daily walk along the trail. Since I could smell various takes of turkey dinner preparations in the neighborhood, I assumed no one else would be on the trail and yep, no one else was on the trail. Always a perfect situation for me.
Along the path stands one very impressive hackberry tree with an equally impressive cavity on the upper portion of its trunk. This tree remains on my visual radar every hike and as I pass by, I give it a good glance before continuing with my walk.
This day I noticed something was protruding out from the cavity. Was it just a broken limb ensnared in the cavity? A personal investigation ensued. Remember, hope springs eternal.
The closer I got the more apparent the “stick” had lots of hair on it! It was a leg of some creature. With my binoculars, I got an ever better look and discovered it was a raccoon taking a snooze in the cavity. The raccoon was snugly nestled in the cavity with only one leg hanging out.
I turned around and walked briskly back to my home about a mile way. I hoped the raccoon would remain in its deep napping state until I returned with my photography gear.
I grabbed my gear and this time, drove to the trail. Upon approaching the tree, I saw the hairy leg still hanging outside the cavity. I quietly inched a little closer, quietly set up my 600mm lens on a sturdy tripod, and just waited. The focal length of this lens would give me and the raccoon adequate space between us so as not to disturb the snoozing mammal.
Now my skill at patience shifted into high gear. After a half hour, the leg started stretching and then a head popped out of the cavity.
For two hours I was entertained by this young, masked bandit as it yawned, stretched, and peered out of the cavity. The raccoon would go back to snoozing and then about every 15 minutes, it would stretch and peer out to survey its world.
Half way through my experience with the raccoon, the flash batteries became drained. After calling my wife for a big favor, she drove to the trail with fresh batteries in tow.
Later that spring I would encounter another wonderful creature in a cavity tree along this same trail. More about that in Act 3.
Photography Note: I used a Nikon D850 with a Nikkor 600mm f/4E Fl ED VR lens with a Nikkor 1.4 tele-extender attached to a Wimberley WH-200 Gimbal Head on a very sturdy Gitzo 554 3XL Tripod. On some images I used fill flash via a Nikon SB 910 with a Fresnel Lens on a Wimberley flash bracket.
Camera setup for photographing the raccoon (c) Jim Clark
A few natural history tidbits about the raccoon: Native to North and Central America, the raccoon has been introduced to other parts of the world including Japan, Russia, and Germany.
Often associated with hanging around lakes, streams and rivers, this mammal is a creature of the forest environment, but it has also readily adapted to coastal and urban habitats.
Raccoons are omnivores, meaning they eat a variety of food, including berries, acorns, earthworms, insects, fish, mice, and bird eggs. Think hungry teenager and you’ll understand that raccoons will eat about anything they can grab with their paws.
One of the most common misperceptions about raccoons is that, due to the lack of salivary glands, they wash their food before eating it. But research revealed this habit only occurs in captive raised raccoons. They have well-developed salivary glands and there is really no need for a raccoon to wet their food before eating it. In nature, raccoons do not exhibit this behavior. Instead, what they are doing is searching with their extremely sensitive paws for aquatic critters such as crayfish and frogs.
Another yawn before going back to napping (c) Jim Clark
Raccoon sticking its leg out during an afternoon snooze (c) Jim Clark
Raccoon taking a peek outside its cavity tree (c) Jim Clark
Raccoon in cavity tree (c) Jim Clark
Young Raccoon in Cavity Tree (c) Jim Clark
Raccoon going back to snoozing (c) Jim Clark
Raccoon in Cavity Tree (c) Jim Clark