Skunk City 2020

Here we are in August and like the last few years, here come the skunks.  Two weeks ago we started out with one lone skunk staying up way past his bedtime.

He has been finding bits and pieces of food under the one bird feeder we have out back, which is filled randomly.  We really cut back this summer on bird feeding to help out pollinator garden grow without being overrun by birds and critters.

Watching him every morning has been a lovely distraction from the bizarre times we are currently living in.  He's so freakin' cute!

About 5 days later, a second skunk appeared.  Both of them have been making appearances morning and evening ever since.

I'm usually out of bed around 7:30 am most days of the week and they are out there in my waking moments.  They come and go over the next few hours although a few mornings I have seen one or both still digging around parts of the yard come 11 am.  Why do they do this?  To me, it's because they are young and don't know any better.  I hate talking with some people about this because they instantly declare the animals are sick, usually throwing the word "rabid" out and must be dealt with.  Rabies is a scary word and should not be thrown around so lightly.  That word alone spreads fear and misunderstanding to those not all that familiar or comfortable around wildlife.

Angie is lucky to be working from home as much as she is through the pandemic; she gets to watch them in the evening while I am at work Monday to Friday.  She texts me reports of when they appear and she will sit out back and watch them if it's not too humid and gross outside.  So come the weekend, I am happy I get to enjoy some extra time with them during the "golden hour" as some call it.

We leave numerous water sources out for all the birds and critters during the hot summer months.  Fresh clean water is harder to find than food.  Keeping the water fresh and clean is hard to do but I change all the baths and basins a few times each day.  The ground basins are great for the skunks and opossums who cannot jump like the squirrels or climb like the raccoons.  

What a face on him, eh!

Here they are at one of our other ground basins.  This one is deeper and I find the raccoons really like it.  I have seen adults sitting right in it some nights during the high humidity we've had this summer.

For nature lovers, morning sights like this are great!  A cute little skunk getting a drink in a flourishing pollinator garden.

Then this happened the other evening...  3 skunks!  The word must be getting out that our backyard is a safe haven for them.

The other backyard creatures don't really know what to make of the skunks.  It is comical to watch their cautious interactions with them.

The squirrels get a little too close and then quickly run away.  The pigeons stand further back and watch these newcomers.

We hope to enjoy many more weeks of seeing these animals like we have been.  As I mentioned earlier, they are a nice distraction from what is going on in the world.

Yes, the skunks dig a few holes in our lawn as they look for grubs.  We are okay with that natural lived in look of the yard over stressing about keeping it in pristine condition.  I am forever telling people who don't appreciate the wildlife that we live in our homes, the outdoors belongs to them.  You will have a better time accepting that and hopefully appreciating it one day.  Another thing I say is I would rather find a couple skunks in our backyard over a couple humans any time!

As for spraying...  respect them, give them their space, don't freak them out and you will not get sprayed.  Now if you have a dog, inspecting the yard before letting the dog out is vital.  Every dog I hear about getting sprayed saw a skunk and went right after it.  Then it got blasted.  Why some people get so angry at the skunks about this?  Sure it is frustrating and a pain to de-skunk a dog; just be proactive before letting it out to pee.  Here is a homemade recipe to try if your dog does get sprayed along with other useful information about living with skunks in your neighbourhood.

I hope to get some more skunk photos to share in the coming weeks.  Thanks for stopping by!