Masked Marauders in the 'Hood

Yesterday after the farmers market I stopped by my mother's.  She lives in a mobile home park just out of White Rock.  She had mentioned a few times about seeing raccoons around, and how one of them had run under her neighbour's steps.

Now we live in a really rural area, large acreages and farms all around, large expanses of bush, and the times we have seen raccoons in the last 29 years could probably be counted on one hand.  Out our way, they are still truly wild, whereas in suburbia, they become habituated to humans, and are seen much more easily. 

Anyway, as I was mowing the lawn I glanced at the neighbours steps, and was quite surprised to see a masked face watching me out of the gloom.

After I turned off the lawnmower it got braver.  I was only 10 or 15 feet away.  When I looked at this photo later, it made me think of Jake:) (The little pointy nose and the intensity of the gaze, sorry Jake:))

So after lots of false starts, the raccoon headed around the neighbour's trailer

I find their feet fascinating, made me think of a sloth.

Around the back, and then up into and back down from the neighbour's cherry tree.  I heard later that they have stripped it of cherries.

Back over the fence and onto the steps.

Anyway, I finished mowing the lawn.  David showed up and did some weadeating.  And then this happened:)  There was more than one!

In the meantime grumpy old neighbour has spotted them, and is slinking around with his slingshot, gumbling about how he doesn't want them around and they are a nuisance.  I think we put a cramp in his slingshotting. 

They came out again, and went across the front of my mother's and then got scared by David weadeating, so all charged back.

After things had quietened down, they all left again, and then grumpy neighbour came and blocked off his stairs.  So the raccoon family will be looking for a new home.  Not sure I would be wanting them living under my house either, so I guess I can't blame him.