Dirty raccoon!

In order to deprive the squirrels of a perch on the bird feeder pole, Tom recently moved a suet feeder to a post on the deck. It attracts woodpeckers, including the pileated, and we wanted it placed where we could see the birds. The first night it was there, a raccoon discovered it, opened the wire box, scooped out the suet and proceeded to eat most of it and scatter the remnants. I realized what had happened and Tom eventually used zip ties to put an end to that. The birds are happy and the raccoons are foiled.

 



When it rained, we discovered that the raccoon's greasy, suet-covered paw prints all over the deck. They are invisible when the wood is dry, but just a bit of water brings them out.