SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

One evening as I was getting set up for more attempts at imaging, suddenly I found some rather distracting light in my area.
Looking around, it was a porch light on a side door of my neighbors house. Odd, I thought, because they both work nights (graveyard shifts) and are all in bed early. I swung around to see what might have triggered the light and was greeted by two glowing red orbs on the top of the block wall.
A small body with a tail about twice as long froze and took in this red eyed cyclops at the back of the bathroom staring at it. It turns and hightailed it back toward the front of the houses.

Later that night when I was going out to gather in my equipment, as I walked out the back doors something caught my attention across the yard and I thought, "What did the grandkids leave out that would reflect my headlight?"
Then the glowing objects reappeared on the retaining wall planter, moved South several more feet, moved again, at which point I remembered my laser in my pocket I use mostly to harass any rats I see about the back wall.
So I lased this hapless critter trying to evade the red eyed cyclops that had startled it.
Apparently I hit it in an eye and it crashed into the gate getting away with a clatter and a clang.

The next day I decided to use my covert surveillance camera that uses IR to catch movement in front of it. I was soon rewarded with images nearly every night.
Including who the culprit was that was leaving me little cat sized stools to clean up each day.
So, the mystery of a baby coyote on my neighbors roof bore out to be a traveling baby fox on her foraging trek hunting.
She's grown into her tail now. And usually only offers shots of her curiosity of the camera mounted to a small patio chair side table, and her offerings for her trespass across the yard. The only thing she carries with her...poop.

About a week ago now, she posed with 5 pictures of her proving her worth, her catch for the night, a nice big rodent. (Likely a rat)
So we have a new "Dog" in our yard, offering her poops as penitence as she comes and goes. I have no need nor desire to alter her travels, nor to trap and relocate her. I'm just observing this latest addition to my Astrophotography endeavors.

One of my neighbors use to complain our Ivy wall covering was a rat attractor. So while we were remodeling the back yard, I spent several weeks removing the "Ivy" that had grown wild from the drainage channel behind us.
Now, about a year later, I have only an occasional sighting of a rodent making it's way along the top of the back wall. But I have a natural rat control I never have to feed or water, but clean up a turd now and then.
She doesn't come around if I'm about at the telescope. And only has interest in a rat (from the neighbors back fence) for a meal.
These shenanigans have been going on for a bit over a month now.
I like to think Speedy (Sleepy Dog) would approve of this new creature passing through his domain if he was still here.
The Grandkids and I have named her Georgianna, lengthened from George before I could identify her sexuallity.
I don't mind sharing the yard with her. I suspect she will move on as she matures and becomes a more proficient forager.
But for now, something fun to watch for under the cold clear skies as the telescope works to bring down some heavenly views of the Universe.

Poop for you!

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Earning her "Keep".

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Hum, second course?

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And a daytime visitor...

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Marc G Loc: East Grinstead, West Sussex, England

Brilliant story mate, hope that you are well?

gekko11 Loc: Las Cruces NM

Love it! good to hear from you Sonny

stepping beyond Loc: usa eastcoast

Sonny , that's great Cosmo my Astro Dog has aged and no longer goes out with me . He rather lay down in his 360 cumfy chair and wait for me to get the Scope running out on the drive. Then we watch something on the 42" and smack some snacks and keep an eye on the progress of my channels.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

I am well, Marc.
Well, as well as I've ever been, I suppose.

Still struggling with the new camera. Which will be an old camera by the time I actually get the processing figured out.
But doing good.
I've taken up bicycling as a healthful activity. Basically to go riding with the Grandkids, but now I find myself going out for rides basically every other day.
Last night I was having USB troubles, and eventually gave up. I succumbed to the data gremlins. My main camera (ASI1600Pro) kept saying it was disconnected. Such nonsense. I did as much as I could trying to get good connections, but finally got disgusted with it.
So there is that to get sorted out.
Always something. Night before last I couldn't get my Polar Alignment. Finally it dawned on me to check my guide scope and it was fogged over from the humidity. Cleaned it off and zip! Away it went.
Tinker, tinker, tinker...
I find this sport quite entertaining.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Thanks! I drift about like a fart in an elevator. Just nothing worthwhile to post. (Obviously if I'm posting about a wild fox sharing the "Observatory" with me. LOL! )

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Hi Ronnie!
Yeah, Speedy got less and less interested in hanging out with me. Then there were a couple of instances where he walked into the pool. He would never admit he was going blind in his old age.
So he'd hang out sleeping inside where it was warm and less hazardous. He always hated water unless it was really hot weather.
Yup, you taught me how to operate remotely. I WiFi to run/monitor from inside after I'm imaging on something. Works great!
Yep, Cosmo is probably happiest staying indoors where it's warm and cozy.

Got to work on my USB connectors today. Last night my main camera kept dropping out. Such a booger! Always something to mess with, it seems.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Glad to see you have a canis vulpes friend. We also have several around the ranch. They and our Westies are sheer hell on rodents!

bwa

Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

Nice shots of the fox. We have them here also and they love to leave gifts all around the yard. It seems to be a way of saying my area. I have also found that they really like top leave a poop in the dish I use for ground feeding birds. Perhaps their way of saying thanks for the bird seed which they will eat. On the bright side they do help keep the rodent population under control.

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

My cat thinks that dining on rat in the house is the best thing going and she brings them in the flapper door. The last half dozen or so that she has brought home, I intercepted in the backyard fortunately!

And the poor dog, at 13 years old, has cataracts so bad that her vision must be like looking through waxed paper. We sometimes baby sit a one year old puppy, and the old dog just can't appreciate the puppy games like when the puppy goes by her at about warp 9 and pretends to attack on the fly. Gets her all upset at what she can't see coming.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

A long time ago, in a town far, far away...
I brought home a pregnant Siamese cat. She needed a place to have her litter of kittens, I had two mice in my house.
She dispatched the mice her first night, and we took care of her while she birthed and raised her kittens.
She was a wild cat, but had manners. She began training her kittens at 2 weeks by bringing home anything she caught and gently mewing her kittens to come eat the hapless victims of her prowess.
Her kittens grew up fast, and the biggest thing I saw her bring to feed them was a rabbit almost as big as she was.
At 6-7 weeks she and the last of her kittens disappeared, returned to the wild.
But it was a memorable experience.

Our fox disappeared after that night when she got that rat. My hope has been she simply moved on, but the sudden disappearance makes me wonder if she got a poisoned rat, or if the coyotes might have got her.
But the rat problem seems to be gone now. I think she cleaned them out.