Raccoon: "Morning Climb"
What are you looking at?
(Raccoon - photo by Neil Barker - May 20, 2024)
An old tree, little remaining yet still standing upright tall.
Scarred by time and those seeking safety and a sanctuary.
For the old tree offers new life a chance to grow old too.
I took these photos on May 20, 2024. I heard some scraping noises several yards behind me and happened to turn around and see this raccoon climbing the side of this old tree trunk. Their claws on the wood of this old tree were making that scraping noise.
I stopped and watched them for a few minutes before continuing my hike.
This raccoon was also making a low clicking and hissing noise. I thought the raccoon was making noises at me.
It wasn’t until I got home and looked more closely at the photos that I realized something I had not seen at the time. Let me know if you see what I am hinting at! ;)
One of my earlier posts on the local raccoons at the area of hike:
Lovely captures, Neil. They really highlight the depth of the animal’s eyes. Maybe I’m just not looking hard enough or distracted by your wonderful poetry and photography but I couldn’t see what it was making noises at! It’s always special to find a raccoon on a tree. I shared a poem I wrote about finding one a while back. Great last line about the old tree giving other forms of life a chance to grow old as well.
Hmmm, something inside the hollow? Raccoons are so super-cute! We have a couple of frequent visitors who clean up the day's birdseed droppings. I never get tired of seeing their furry faces.
"For the old tree offers new life a chance to grow old too." So true & so beautiful.