A lady named Alicia wrote to ask if I still have little furry creatures coming to my back door in search of a meal. Yes, I do. In fact, about two hours ago, the above fella (gal?) came around to nibble on the Friskies buffet. I put a dish or two out every evening. When they're empty before dawn, it usually means at least one and maybe several raccoons have wandered by. You can also tell that there have been raccoons because they not only clean the plate, they fling it around the yard, overturn the water dish and leave wet raccoon prints behind. The cat and possums, on the other hand, just eat a few mouthfuls and leave.
I also throw peanuts out every morning for the squirrels and bluebirds. I suspect the reason the peanuts don't get eaten is that some mornings, my back yard is patrolled by crows the size of SUVs and while they peck at everything on the ground, they don't seem to like peanuts. In fact, the way they avoid them, you'd think they're afraid of anaphylactic shock or something.
And hey, what is it with these huge crows, people? Is this a symptom of Global Warming that Al Gore didn't warn us about? I don't recall the crows of my childhood being this large. Two more years of growth and they'll be carrying off dogs and small children. I'll try to get some photos of them one of these days but take my word for it. These are big damn crows. Since I got skinnier, I'm starting to get worried. The birds in your yard should not weigh more than you do.