Hello Again, Thank you so much for the information I looked at them all long and hard. The mink really caught my attention, So I searched some more pictures of the mink and came upon one with the similar fur texture which I assume now it must have gotten wet by something " maybe from fighting with my cat??" I have also taken into some thought that maybe someones pet ferret got loose. At least I would rather say loose vs set loose considering large owls are all around here... I really wish I could have gotten a picture to compare with you all... I have been taking my camera out with me at night when I take my pup out or check on my cat... But this creature hasn't returned, which leads me to think ether my cat won dominance or this creature was what the large black caught a few nights ago... But none the less here is a picture of the fur texture on this mink that matched. Thanks again for all the help. Here is a link that might be useful:

HI, I found a book called Bird Tracks & Signs and on Google books you can read parts of it. I think I am going to order a copy. Anyway, one thing I read was that "pileated woodpeckers leave tubes of carpenter ants dipped in white at one end", often found at the base of trees beneath excavations with wood chips on the ground. Counldn't tell from your picture what kind of food this critter had been eating. The tube appearance and white on the end sounded like your picture and a pileated woodpecker seems large enough to make a dropping the size those you found.

Some sort of beetle larvae, I'd say, but don;t know what. I'll try to post the pic in the Oz gallery. Failing a proper ID, I'd just assume they were doing no harm as such in the leaf litter, and probably haven't invaded your compost heap, but if you were dubious just turn them out on the lawn and let the native birds have a picnic.

Hi, they look like cabbage worms (but could be rose slugs too). I would try BT on the leaves. You can get it premixed in a hand sprayer or a concentrated formula that you mix yourself and pour into a spray bottle. Spray it on the leaves every 2 weeks (or right after a rain). It's toxic to any caterpillars or worms that are eating the leaves and leaves everything else alone. I use it to keep skeletonizers off my grape vines and it works great.