Not quilting related in any way
 

Yesterday I looked up in one of our willow trees to see a big, hairy animal asleep in the branches. Today I noticed it had moved to the next willow tree. DH says it's a raccoon, I thought a porcupine. Can anyone tell me if they usually sleep high up in a rather fragile willow tree. I actually thought it had passed away but when I hit the trunk of the tree with another piece of wood, it woke up enough to climb higher.

Great, now I'll have to worry about a raccoon falling on my head as I cut the lawn with the tractor in a few weeks.

I would have been worried it was a baby bear. Have you called a local Humane Society to see if they might know?

You hit the tree trunk?? I would have been afraid the varmint would have jumped on my head!!

I would borrow some binoculars. I know raccoons will climb high but not sure about porcupines. Would not want to get one of those quills in me.

No, porcupines will climb too. If it's not bothering you, and you don't have any pets to worry about, I'd say let the varmint be for a couple of days and see if it wanders away.

I doubt it will fall on your head while you are mowing. It will probably be startled by the noise and climb higher. Check with locals to see if porcupines are in your area. We don't have them around here.

Are you sure it's not a possum? I never knew we had them here until one showed up in our yard this winter.

Raccoons are hairy, usually brown or grayish. Your DH said it was a raccoon so it probably is.

I was corresponding with a man from South Africa and he mentioned the same sort of thing. His hairy animal was a very large baboon! LOL. I would take a porcupine any day!

just so you know raccoon ruin more trees and buildings than other animals
i personal myself would shoot it. sorry i know that seems mean but we have
many around here every year they are destructive little devils cute but destructive.

Happy to say my critter in the willow tree has left for a more comfortable perch. We don't have bears in the part of Maine I live, at least I don't think we do. We also don't have possum in my neck of the woods, too cold I think.

From now on when I'm doing yard work I'm make sure to look up before I begin. I wasn't afraid to hit the tree with a downed small branch because I made sure to step out of the way when I did. Two of my dogs years ago got a mouthful of quills in their mouth and snout that had to be removed by a vet who had to tranquilize them first. I sure don't want to go that route again.

All's well that ends well I say and how that not so little guy or gal managed to stay on that tiny little branch is beyond me :-)

I could never shoot them but I've harbored the thought when three of them come up onto the deck each night and raid my birdfeeders.

Out here in southern California, I have had to deal with skunks, possum and racoons. Skunks I don't think climb tree and you want to back away carefully from them. Possum look like a giant rat with a long tail. When we had one removed from a storage shed, they do act dead as the animal control personal brought it out by holding it's tail. Racoons can move very quickly and are the nastiest of the three. They have a distinctive fluffy furry body with a very pointed nose. Couldn't believe it but they move as fast as cats running along the top of fencing.

probably raccoon, don't put out any kind of feed and keep the pups in at night. They are nocturnal and very destructive

How about a coatimundi? We see them in the wild around Tucson.

One also must be very careful about disturbing wild animals. If they are rabid or sick in any way, their behavior can be very unpredictable and, yes, they can be nasty, in several senses! It is best to let professionals remove wild animals if at all possible. And not all possums will "play dead" when approached... many will snarl and bare very sharp teeth, especially when defending young. They are common carriers of rabies, too. Be careful!!!

if it is a porcupine then it can climb but it is slower than a coon. porcupines smell bad too. They also have quills an they are not to be messed with. Google a picture of each on the internet and you will have your answer. Porcupines can do a lot of damage to cars. They like to chew on brake linings etc.