Visitors

Here's one of the recent visitors to our backyard - a fledging robin. It hopped around a bit while my children begged to keep it as pet. I pointed out the mother (or father?) robin fluttering on the eaves overhead, and argued that we should leave it alone. My 8 year old son found a worm for it, and both kids were delighted when it opened its mouth and swallowed the worm that I dangled it over its head.

The night before last I was awake long after everyone else, and heard coyotes yipping in the distance. When we lived on the north side of Ann Arbor, we started seeing them in the scrubby field by Arrowwood, but this year is the first we've heard them down here in Saline. I wonder if their population is increasing, or if these animals have been displaced by all of the new development along Maple, Textile, Michigan Ave., Platt, and South State.

An internet tidbit on urban coyotes with a great picture here.

Last night's visitor was either a chirping skunk, or a skunk and some unknown noisy chirruping screecher. My husband thinks it was a raccoon. The skunk smell was overwhelming, but luckily gone by the time we got up. It was a good reminder to check the backyard for skunks before letting our dog out at night. I don't want to have to drive to the all-night grocery to buy hydrogen peroxide and baking soda and spend half the night washing the dog again.