The Three Stooges

 You may remember that all last year we kept track of a little raccoon that we called Rocket J. We put out food each evening and she came every single night to eat and to watch us watching her. Earlier this summer she brought her three babies to the feeder. There was one big baby that was really into eating and the other two usually stood in the feeder watching us thru the kitchen window.

Well, several months have passed since our introduction and things have changed. Rocket rarely comes around anymore, but her three little bundles of joy come by every evening to see what's on the menu. They are no longer tiny little creatures that resemble kittens. They are now grown raccoons and each looks different and has an unique personality. Let me introduce you.

First is Shorty. She was the smallest of the babies and is still the smallest. As you might guess from her name, she's short. She also has a short tail, like her mother. Shorty is usually the first visitor each evening. She's afraid of almost everything and will run into the hedge at the first sound or movement. She will occasionally stick around to eat when one of her siblings shows up, but if both the others appear, Shorty usually calls it an evening. 

We set out a blue dog bowl and a clay platter with kibble. We also put kibble in the open bird feeder. Shorty loves the blue dog bowl and will sit with it between her legs and scoop kibble into her mouth with her front feet. When she finishes, she'll often check out the feeder. She's becoming more relaxed with the idea of us watching her and if not threatened by another animal, will spend quite a bit of time with us. She also likes to climb onto a chair and sit there observing the street. Twice she's stretched out for a nap on the lower shelf of the porch table. 

The middle sized baby is now known as Gabby. She is a very different looking raccoon. She has what I can only describe as white mutton chop whiskers which make her face about twice the size of the others.

 She has white fluffy fur on her chest and four white feet. When I first saw her I thought of Gabby Hayes, so Gabby she is. Gabby shows up most nights with one of her siblings. She is our neatest raccoon as she goes all around the porch picking up any spilled kibble or bird seed. She sticks her long fingers between the slats of the porch floor to recover any pieces that are stuck. There's never a mess when Gabby gets finished eating.

The third member of the group is Big Red. Big Red, as you've probably guessed, is the biggest. She is also unique in that the second stripe on her tail is double width and is a bright reddish gold color. She also has a short streak of reddish gold on top of her head. Red is the only raccoon that doesn't eat with her hands. Instead she sticks her head into the bowl and eats like a dog.

Gabby and Red are both good eaters. Unfortunately, they are both fat. They've gotten so fat that they can no longer run between the posts in the deck railing. There is one area where they can get through if they turn sideways and squeeze. It's funny to watch, but I sure hope they don't get stuck.

We've had a lot of fun watching these babes grow up but I really do hope they don't all decide to bring their babies to visit us next year.