The decks behind the units in my condo complex have, over the years, been home to many unpleasant burrowing creatures like groundhogs and skunks. Except for under my deck, where I have built an impermeable stone wall where the deck adjoins the cement slab of the back porch that the critters like to dig under. That was a long battle, but I finally defeated their digging projects.
I don’t like groundhogs. I even shot them as a kid. I like skunks even less because the stink just gets everywhere. If they spray nearby you have it in your house for days. So I was happy a couple of years ago when a family of foxes moved in and took over these ready-made dens. No more rabbits. Only a few groundhog sightings. But you can see the fox family out playing every morning and again at twilight. They are bold and very cute. Here’s one of the adults (not sure if it’s male or female) while you can make out a few of the kits hanging out under the edge of a deck close to me. I’ll try and get some better pics, as they are quite photogenic.
See here for an earlier wildlife sighting in my neighbourhood.
Alex Good 
Oh man, skunks are the worst! Glad the foxes are taking care of the issues. Now, just have to make sure they don’t get rabies and zombie-ize you all…
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Yeah, the rabies walk is kind of scary. If they keep down the skunk population it’s a net plus, though I don’t know if they actually mess with skunks that much. I’ve seen skunks back down foxes before. I know they’re responsible for the rabbits totally disappearing.
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One of the more inexplicable hits of the recent past. Though I guess kids liked it.
In fact, out in the country the foxes make a lot of noise, but these city foxes are very quiet.
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What’s his name?
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I don’t even know if he’s a he!
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More likely to be a Mrs I suppose if that’s the kiddies under the shed thing, she’ll be keeping an eye on them.
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Both parents do seem involved though. Every now and then one of them will come back with something to eat and drop it off for the kits to fight over and snarf down.
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Cute.
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How come you’ve got AUTHOR in big blue letters after each comment? Is it like a blue tick Twitter thing?
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Doesn’t show up on my screen. What are you seeing?
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Sent you a pic.
Incidentally, you and Booky always going on about your condos, I picture huge glass skyscrapers, yet any pics make it look like a crumbling shantytown. Just sayin’!
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Hm. Not sure. It doesn’t display that for me, though it does over at Alex on Film. Maybe it’s something in the settings. I guess it makes sense.
I’m not now, nor have I ever been, on Twitter. Did you get the blue checkmark?
Booky lives in the Hotel New Hampshire doesn’t he? Personally, I think shantytowns have a kind of rustic charm.
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There’s a set of cabins not far from where I stay, that’s where they found all the boa constrictors.
Are there shantytown condos?
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Are those the cabins in the woods? I hear that’s where they film a lot of horror movies. Didn’t know Scotland had such a snake problem. Isn’t it too cold for them?
There are shantytown condos but only in former mining villages. They’re constructed on piles of slag and are actually quite expensive because the generation that idealized “lofts” really took to their authentic aesthetic.
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I thought it was a shed!
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It’s actually a divider between that deck and the deck next door.
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Now it sounds like ships!
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Wooden ships. It’s very age of sail.
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Reminds me of the Bukalfrix.
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Ah, I had to look that one up. Yes, that’s exactly the vibe our decks give off.
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How lovely! Do you pipe your visitors on board?
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First Mate Eddie bagpipes them on board. It really wakes up the neighbourhood.
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Hah! bagpipes no doubt.
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I’ll have to ask if there are any videos of him playing the pipes online. Would be fun to give a listen to.
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That would be cool.
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