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As much as everyone delights in summer, I have very little doubt that by the time fall arrives, most people would admit that autumn is the most enjoyable season for the outdoors. This past summer was brutal in its heat and humidity, and all told, I think I only ventured outdoors for about a week’s worth of walks.

Young cardinal actually using the birdbath!

Fortunately, our backyard proved to be quite entertaining. I had wanted a birdbath for quite a while, and I finally found one that was simple enough – a solid concrete bowl that rested on a pedestal, so it could be easily tipped and emptied.

The problem was the curiosity of the neighbourhood raccoons.

Rub-a-dub-dub...

Within an evening or two, we heard a loud crash outdoors. One of them had probably reached up and tipped the heavy bowl off its pedestal. Fortunately, my little raccoon friend had good reflexes, so no harm was done. And miraculously, the concrete bowl was intact. This meant, though, that it was going to be a grounded water receptacle.

Blue Jay taking a drink

The birds didn’t mind at all, and this also gave the squirrels and chipmunks a water source.

Chip'n Dale

Push-ups between sips

But the raccoons… well, they took over! Before I knew it, the raccoons and their puffball babies were engaged in water play, searching for imaginary crayfish at the bottom of the birdbath.

New pool for the kids

Whatever they found – peanuts, seeds, worms – they took them into the concrete pool for the instinctive feel of water in their tactile paws, enhancing their sensory understanding of the object.

Now that I know it's a peanut...

We have a lot of old trees on our property, and when one of the big old oaks close to the house had to be taken down, I requested to leave as much of the trunk as possible – both for the birds to perch on (as it was close to one of the feeders) and for erosion, as it was located at the top of a wooded hill.

Naptime

With a water source nearby, and the chance of stray peanuts, seeds and perhaps a grape or two, it didn’t take long for one of the raccoons to use the tree stump as a lofty perch for naps. The squirrels are quite fond of it as well; it’s an ideal lookout spot.

Notice her hind paws as this raccoon descends from the tree stump

What fascinated me was the endless observation of my backyard buddies. Not only were they amusing and entertaining, but absolutely nothing can inform a painter better than experiencing animal behaviour firsthand. Here's one of the results of this inspiration!

"Hangin' Out" - acrylic miniature debuting at the MASF show this January.

Raccoon sketch

As always, thanks so much for reading!

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