Bob -- You aren't raising chickens or something, are you? Why is your yard such a Fox Central?

We have no chickens, but we do have about 9 acres, and many of our neighbors have even more. In the past when we'd let our Jack Russell, Spot, out to pee, he'd take off barking like crazy. I always assumed he was imagining things. Now that Spot is gone I've seen ample evidence that he was probably chasing something off every time.

Since we are members of one of the local fox hunting clubs, I really don't mind foxes in my yard. Especially if they chase off (or eat) other animals that might get into our garden.

There was one time when Spot was going crazy in the house, when I looked out the window I saw a large, black, shaggy, tail-less dog waddling away from our front porch. As it disappeared I suddenly thought, "Bear!" but it didn't see it well enough to be sure. However our neighbor up the hill did have a bear that repeatedly got into their trash cans, and someone else who raises bear-huntin' dogs claimed that the property line between us and the other neighbors is a local bear highway.

Oh, I didn't know you were 'landed gentry', Bob.

We're within our city's limits on only one acre, but live beside a creek that eventually feeds into lagoons and then the Chicago River to our south. The creek is a deer path that runs from Wisconsin down south past Chicago. (I really don't know how far an animal could travel along this greenway.)

We have seen lots of different 'critters', including a platter-size snapping turtle we nearly backed over in our driveway. Frogs and toads wander up -- and *sing* at night. There are coyotes, of course, and raccoons. We see the odd 'big cat' prints, but haven't seen the cougar 'in person'. No bears yet -- or EVER, I hope! Our single Serviceberry wouldn't hold one for long.

I'm thrilled to hear a varied chorus of birds this spring -- first really big year since the bird flu wiped out most of the population.