City Wildlife

I remember being a kid in grade school, here in Bellingham, nearly 50 years ago. In many ways Bellingham is more sophisticated, and certainly bigger, than it was back then.  While it was more rural, and more rugged, back then, one change that is interesting is the amount of wildlife I see in town. Few wild animals were seen back then, except maybe in the deep woods -- certainly not in the parks or neighborhoods. Perhaps this is an impact from homes having been built in those areas. Even ten years ago, I would see lots of squirrels when I visited Canada, but only saw them in parks around here. Now, I see them almost everywhere -- dozens in my backyard in the Cornwall Park neighborhood, and even downtown by the library. I even saw one on Railroad Avenue.  The other creature that has moved into town is the raccoon. I was a kid during the craze for coonskin caps and never saw a raccoon except at the Woodland Park Zoo. I own a duplex in Fairhaven, raccoons are abundant. And in my neighborhood they hang out pretty much all year round and not just at night either. I sometimes see them about noon just strolling by or looking for something to eat. Skunks and opossums are common place as well. Other parts of town have coyotes, but that is an animal I could live without and I have not seen or heard them in my neighborhood. While rare, sometimes cougars have been seen in the King Mountain area, where I used to have a piece of property. The photo below was taken in my back yard in November. A few months before these prowlers had been babies. They say that raccoons will attack cats but so far my experience is that the two species have a peaceful, if worried, coexistence. The cats seem bright enough to keep their distance if any food is involved and the raccoons are not overly aggressive.

Thanks for looking,

Steven L. Smith

www.kingofthehouse.com