Critters

I wasn't happy when I saw this rat in our back yard last Tuesday. I know, rats have had bad press over the centuries. Nevertheless, its presence indicates to me that my attempts at keeping critters on the other side of the fence (climbers like squirrels and raccoons obviously exempted) have once again failed. A quick perimeter check found a hole under the west fence, halfway down the extended driveway, but my prejudice is that this was skunk dug. I expect the rats to come from under the back-of-the-property shed and/or the east fence (where I know Bodie smells them just on the other side). Anyways, I filled the passage with dirt, placed a small piece of concrete on top, and hoped for the best.

It isn't all bad news. This morning I spotted a chipmunk (a neighbourhood rarity) on the deck:

Next-day update: Bodie flushed a rat out from the hosta/bushes thicket in the backyard and I saw it run to the east fence where I had a large, heavy patio stone leaning against a leaning fence post (hoping to counterforce its lean). Moving the stone, I could see that the area at the base of the post had been compromised and that this was the conduit by which the rat was able to breach the fence. I stuffed the hole with rocks and a brick (to hold the rocks in place). I will still need to be vigilant over the course of the summer.