I am up early to walk the dog before going to work. With the warm weather, I’ve had more encounters with wildlife. I’m sure part of the issue is that the Godzilla El Niño never materialized and they’re looking for the free water from the park. 

This last week, I’m been courted by a couple 3′ owls. I feel bad for them as they keep hooting at me and I have no tootsie pops. 

They also can’t seem to find each other even when I stop and point to where I encountered the other one.
There is also the tropical bird that someone has set out on their porch in the mornings. Honestly, the first time I heard it, I was certain velociraptors or a T-Rex was about to charge out from under the bridge and snabble me up.

There are the usual coyotes out and about, but for once they are steering clear of us. I suppose they’re saving the charging and surrounding us for later in the spring, or even summer.

But then there was yesterday. 

I walked up to my house intending to go inside when I had a bunch of seed pods thrown down on my head. I figured I’d scared one of the feral cats we’ve been feeding and they’d scampered up a tree. So I turned on my headlamp and sure enough two glowy eyes stared back at me. Except when I got closer, I realized it wasn’t a cat at all, but a raccoon. Black bandit mask and all. We stared at each other for a bit then I tugged the dog inside.

I don’t live in a rural area, but in an urban setting. Sure, the park in our neighborhood is part of the flood control for the area and so we are connected to a large riparian area but I’d never seen a raccoon before.

I don’t think my husband and daughter believe I actually saw one. But there you have it. A raccoon. It made my morning.