Cicadas are racoon's favorite snack!

Who knew?
We awoke one morning to find the western foundation of our house covered in cicadas. They couldn't climb up the slick vinyl siding so they stopped at the top of the concrete or, in some cases, found the steps and climbed up the screen door to hatch.
Fast forward to evening and when dark comes the racoons drop by to see what we might have provided for them. Except this night they weren't the least bit interested in the pizza bones we'd set out for them because they were too busy snatching the cicadas off the foundation. They even climbed up the hand rail to reach the ones that had scaled the screen door.
I'd never before observed them actually hunting but for the past few days, they go with their nose to ground all over the yard, stopping occasionally to grab something or dig in the grass to come up with a tasty snack.
Oh what we learn when we can watch (via cameras) the nocturnal wildlife.

a reply to: diggindirt

Raccoons are scavengers as are 'possums, and not particular about what they eat. Most any animals will eat bugs if they are in the offering. Raccoons will climb an apple tree to eat apples...and they love chicken. It is a daunting task to design a raccoon proof chicken house and yard. It's like a human heading to MacDonalds when it's time to eat.

Except this night they weren't the least bit interested in the pizza bones

Hold on, I'm still lost on what "pizza bones" are.....

originally posted by: Gazrok


Hold on, I'm still lost on what "pizza bones" are.....

Reminds me of this gem from Mel Brooks:

a reply to: diggindirt

And I thought us Kats were the raccoon's fave....!

a reply to: diggindirt

My visiting raccoon ate a whole plate of spaghetti that I put out for him, after I ran out of bread. I couldn't believe that he ate it! Who knew?

a reply to: spiritualKat33
Nah, our cats share the space with the coons on a regular basis without any friction. From what we've observed since we put up outdoor cameras, the wildlife in our area---at least the ones that wander in our yard---get along amazing well. One night we watched a fox "bother" a possum but even that behavior wasn't violent. Fox didn't want to wait for Possum to finish a meal so the fox kept circling behind Possum and "bipping", not biting, the possum's tail. After the second bip, Possum turned to Fox and bared his teeth in a big hiss. Fox backed off.
What has really amazed us was to see them playing chase, the fox chasing the coon for a bit then they turn and go the other way. Same with the male cat. He earned the name "Dances with Foxes" for his play with a young fox. The female feline doesn't play chase but sits on the back steps and welcomes the critters.

a reply to: Gazrok

Whatever remains after you've eaten your fill of pizza is "pizza bones." If you've never seen a coon eating pizza you've missed a real treat!