Brushes with nature...

One morning last week,after I had spent an hour outside taking care of the animals, I came in for just a moment.  When I opened the door to go back outside there was a fox just a few feet from my door.  It stared at me, then pivoted, and sprinted across the driveway, a red flash.  It even left a calling card of fox poo on the driveway.  With all the poultry I have in my pasture, that little red fox caused me some anxiety.

Then there was this.  For the past week I have noticed an odd smell around the area where the hay is stored.  It was an animal smell, musky and unfamiliar.  I had begun to wonder if I might have company there in the garage. And then Friday morning I went out to find that something had gotten into the trash, dragging full bags a distance and making a huge mess.  The plot thickened. 

This morning, as I was milking Ella goat, all was quiet. The milk hissed against the pail, and Ella crunched her breakfast grain, but everything else was quiet.  Then I heard a rustling behind me.  A little tickle of anticipation ran down my neck. I turned my head very, very slowly. And I was right, I had company. Company that walked right up to me, and sniffed my leg. Then it turned and shuffled away, ducking under the hay. 

There is a skunk. Living in my garage, warm and cozy under the wall of hay. 

We have set up a live trap (using marshmallows and bacon for bait! Apparently skunks like meat and sweets) and hope to catch and relocate the little thing, far, far away.  Nature, up close and personal, right here at FairWinds. 

(Note: these photos are taken from the web, not my own.)