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Skunk family!


Terabith
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I went onto the porch to water my tomatoes, and there was this whole skunk family wombling through the yard.  They went through a hole in the fence.  They were so cute and fluffy and the one in the back was all white.  I couldn’t tell if it was albino or not but I had seen it before but so dark I couldn’t tell what species it was.  The size from being a kid threw me off too.  So precious!  I’d leave them some cat food or something, but I worry about Obama getting sprayed. Otherwise I would kinda encourage them to stick around. 

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Very cute.  But definitely don't feed them.  Skunks coming by regularly to hang out in your yard are very likely to spray at some point, and you really, really don't want to have that long-lasting smell in your yard.   

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26 minutes ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

I can't help thinking that it's not a coincidence that you've got recent posts about your sinus infection and your enthusiasm for skunks in your backyard.  I'm not sure if it's that the sinus infection killed your sense of smell, or your fever addled your brain, but I'm convinced there's a connection. 

In my mind, skunks are one of those animals I prefer to watch on youtube.

They’re SO cute!  Especially the babies!  That said, I was VERY still once I saw them. 

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28 minutes ago, Terabith said:

I would probably be annoyed if they sprayed, for sure.  

I used to come upon them at night while walking. Somehow I'd get busy and not have my walk done, so there I was at night, tromping through the woods and trails, coming upon them by flashlight. Startling a skunk with a flashlight isn't the brightest thing. I never got sprayed, but I finally solved it by giving up walking. Now I just eat ice cream and go to bed. :biggrin:

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Yeah, a few days ago, I was walking at night and saw the white one.  I usually walk after midnight because I find it motivating to get up in the morning and already have a km or so done, and also the neighborhood dogs are inside.  I couldn’t figure out what species it was, between the darkness, being all white, and kid skunk sized.  

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14 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

You should take up cacti or fish or something safer. 

But an army of crows that recognize me and maybe could train to say, “Doom?”  Wouldn’t that be cool?   And could do corvid intelligence tests on?

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Baby skunks are sooo cute! I remember a frantic call from our duplex neighbors one time because there was a family of skunks on their back porch and my friends didn't know what to do with them. I watched them for awhile as they sniffed around, then left.

That said, I think we have a family living under our shed. One of our dogs caught one and dragged it out of our flower bed. The skunk was fine (it ran off once I corralled the dog), but the dog and the house and I stunk for a long while! The same dog was sprayed recently again. It was less potent, but still stinky! You would think the dog would learn not to mess with them!

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7 hours ago, Terabith said:

But an army of crows that recognize me and maybe could train to say, “Doom?”  Wouldn’t that be cool?   And could do corvid intelligence tests on?

And here I thought I was the only crow-obsessed boardie. 😄 

My ambition is to manage to construct (or hire some talented teen to construct) this crow feeder.

Quote

The sight of birds pecking at seed or nuts from a garden feeder fills many people with joy.

Now, a device called the Crow Box could enable bird watchers to make money from their hobby, as well as watch birds develop new skills. 

The training aid can be used to teach crows to collect coins in return for peanuts, or simply test the intelligence of wild corvids.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2982961/The-feeder-trains-birds-PAY-food-Crow-Box-teaches-corvids-collect-coins-return-peanuts.html

I downloaded the instructions once, but it looked pretty complicated by my far-from-tech-savvy standards. 

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Yep. It took a year to get the local crows to come to my feeder. They still won't come when I'm outside, except now when they sit in very tall treetops near me and caw, I optimistically assume they're asking for more peanuts and go put some out. So, *they've* trained *me* effectively enough.

Someday one will bring me a gift. Something really priceless, like an old bottle cap or a spot of carrion. A woman can dream.

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15 minutes ago, Dotwithaperiod said:

My mother feeds vultures and crows, she puts out all her old food in a pile. The crows come all the way up to the porch to peck on her windows. She says they are lovely. But it’s creepy as heck to drive up and see a few perched on the peak of her roof.

Hasn't she ever seen The Birds? Or maybe she *has* seen it and...oh, my! OP, baby skunks are so cute. I'd love to see a whole family "wombling" along through my yard.

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Aren't they cute?  We had a skunk family living here long ago.  Adorable to watch - they used to look in at us like "what are those humans doing on our property?"  But it all went south when a cat attacked one and it crawled into our foundation to die ....  Now I still think they are cute but better at a distance!

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