that was really nice to read that... that was really great post.. it seem great...Keep Pests Away with Bird Control Methods and here are some methods enlisted…try out some bird control tools at http://www.usabirdcontrol.com

do u know where the babys were or was it a mlae or a female

raccoon rabies is hysteria. If you should ever come across a sick raccoon, chances are 10 to 1 that it is distemper rather than rabies. Anyway, mama coons OFTEN forage during the day when her babies are sleeping. Trapping and moving her will sentence her babies to a slow death by starvation. Leave it be, the coon and the crow will work things out between themselves.
As for coons being mean, only if they are cornered do they really fight. They are generally shy animals who, if they get a choice, will hide from you. I have a 4 yr old pet raccoon that is smart and friendly. If a stranger comes to the house, though, he is GONE hiding.....and won't some out til the company leaves.

When animal control is called and they trap a racoon they euthanize them, the way they do this is to drown them, it's a painful way to die, they do it like this because it is cost effective, that's why they prefer not to tell their methods. when they test for rabies they cut off the head and test it, 99 times out of 100 the animal did not have rabies and died a terrible death for no reason. If ya don't want them around don't leave food out. Great pics

Ok, people. The rabies thing is just plain hysteria, as blogger Crowley puts to rest with his accurate and informative post. Also, you can't just go around calling animal control simply because you see a wild urban animal on your street. The city is their habitat too. If you want to see less raccoons in your neighborhood, I will refer you to this old adage: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Option one: securely close your garbage cans, do not leave pet food outside, make sure that raccoons don't have entry points into your attics, chimneys, etc. where they want to nest. Option two: call a pest control company, pay a ton of money to have the animal cruelly trapped/euthanized (when I asked one of the companies how they did this he replied that he'd rather not say), and wait for another raccoon to come by and find your digs extra accommodating. The more you empower yourselves with knowledge about all of the species that share our urban ecosystem, and learn how to make your houses/yards unsuitable habitat, the better off all the urban wildlife haters will be. Oh, and to those of you who despise coyotes: they are about the only urban animal left to help control the city's raccoon population.

There's still raccoons in Ballard? I thought Greg Nickels' townhome ghettos with postage stamp yards that only dead birds fall into drove them out.

I think I know this raccoon :)
I was looking out my office window one day in Jan. and saw a raccoon sleeping in a similar tree but there was no nest yet. What cool photos these are - thanks for posting them!

Racoon + Headshot = Fun

Racoon is kind of stringy meat. I don't reccomend it.

if only we had car parks for homeless racoons they wouldnt have to resort to breaking into birds nests

My god...I love this post and the comments. Just sayin'...

I wonder how the neighborhood is reacting to the crawing by the crows. Around our area when we hear the loud sounds from the crows we look outside to see what is going on. After observing this we have spoted a coon many a times trying to distance hiself from the birds. They will dive bomb the coon or possums. They work in groups. Wonder what is happening over there?

Well, if the raccoon falls we can feed him to the homeless. In fact to make it go farther we could make a dish out of it. Something like Raccoonaroni. Yeah, that's the ticket. But first they should eat crow. Sorry, just couldn't help it either.

Thats what I do when I see nature. I try to wake it up.

As a side note, there is absolutely nothing uncharacteristic about a raccon taking over a nest. Why was he awake....rtfa, someone shook his tree.

Or go ahead call animal control so someone can laugh at your hyperactive paranoia. Sure someone there could use a laugh.

"Animal control"
"Yes Im calling becuase there is a raccoon in a tree"

click

What I want to know is what little creature is going to suffer the wrath of Crow's frustration.

Poop rolls downhill, and Crow is pissed!

I for one welcome our new raccoon overlords.

King County Animal Care and Control FAQ:

Does King County Animal Care and Control investigate and respond to nuisance wildlife problems or pick-up dead or injured wildlife?
No. King County Animal Care and Control has jurisdiction over domestic animals such as cats and dogs and livestock. Wildlife falls into the jurisdiction of the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. This includes wildlife such as deer, raccoon, coyote, cougar, and bear. Contact the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife at 425-775-1311 for wildlife-related issues or visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/ (external link) on the internet.

As far as I can tell, while Fish and Wildlife has lots of good information about raccoons and how to live with them, they don't send out a unit to deal with your raccoon either. They have links to animal rehabilitators, but I imagine in the city you'd call a pest control service.

ummm, whereabouts in east ballard is this?
( i just want to know so i don't walk by my house and have a raccoon, you know, jump on my head)

homeless bandit...home invasion...
I'm sorry for the crow...sort of...

Racoon - Old Ballard resident or new?

I for one welcome our new raccoon overlords.

I wonder if this is the same raccoon that was responsible for the assult last Fall?

http://www.myballard.com/2008/11/20/ballardite-...

Rabies is highly unlikely. From Te WA. State Health Dept. Web site:
Human Rabies in Washington State
Two human cases of rabies have been reported in Washington in the past 50 years, one in 1995 and one in 1997 (MMWR 1997;46(33):770–4). Both were due to bat rabies variants.

Bats are the primary reservoir for rabies in Washington State. Bats carrying rabies have been found in almost every county in Washington State. Current information on rabies in Washington is located at http://www.doh.wa.gov/EHSPHL/Epidemiology/CD/ci.... In other parts of the United States, Canada and Mexico, reservoirs include foxes, coyotes, skunks, raccoons, and dogs.

Rabies is almost invariably fatal despite treatment; post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) should be considered for exposed individuals.

Purpose of Reporting and Surveillance

* To assist in the diagnosis of human cases of rabies.
* To identify persons potentially exposed to a human rabies patient and provide counseling about postexposure prophylaxis (PEP).
* To offer PEP to others who may have been exposed to the same source as the patient.

Legal Reporting Requirements

* Health care providers: immediately notifiable to local health jurisdiction.
* Hospitals: immediately notifiable to local health jurisdiction.
* Laboratories: immediately notifiable to local health jurisdiction; specimen submission required.
* Local health jurisdiction: notifiable to DOH Communicable Disease Epidemiology Section (CDES) within 7 days of case investigation completion or summary information required within 21 days.

Last update
May 2008

Will animal control do anything about racoons? We tried to get possum help and it was a no go. Cost us $400 to a pest removal company, on a Sunday, to get it out of our house.

I'd like updates on how things play out between the raccoon and crow! A crow is unlikely to forget such a transgression!

Wow, that is quite the sight! But at least it isn't as bad as those pesky coyotes that have been spotted around Seattle: http://nwcoyotetracker.com/

kelly:
no worries.

As someone who lived on the East Coast during a real outbreak of rabies, the idea that raccoons aren't out in the day isn't true. Especially in the spring when they have young, mother raccoons will be out at all times of day looking for food.

And from a site about the animals that has a picture very similar to this one, "In spring and fall, they love to rest in empty nests of large birds or squirrels."

If you are worried about rabies, you need to look for more unusual behavior. Adult raccoons are very good at not getting hit by cars. So one that is crossing the street recklessly [a rabid raccoon was hit in front of my house in Boston at rush hour]. They will stay far away from dogs so if they are approaching dogs, especially large one that might be a sign. If they are out in the day and don't seem to have a purpose, that might also be a sign.

dont worry citizens. Me and my covert op team have been monitoring these squatters and have called the police everytime we spot them. But of course we itimidate them first. We need to drive them out so that the New Ballard Koala's can move in. Much more cute and cuddlier

Sorry Jules, I didn't mean to be "heavy." I simply figured that the homeowner wasn't aware that this behavior could indicate rabies, seeing that she shook the tree to wake the raccoon. I was not aware of rabid raccoon symptoms until a few years ago, when I lived on the East coast, and a raccoon was dumpster diving at my office in broad daylight and animal control was called. Just trying to be helpful to my fellow neighbors!

Hi I'm teh Stupid Hippie Troll. Every single post on My Ballard I repeat the same joke. I hope you never get tired of me because I never say anything new. Have a nice day!

i knew that was coming....

Raccoons are homeless. Who will care for them and give them shelter in these tough times?

you people. i never said not to call the authorities. things just can never be "light" on this blog about anything!

call the authorities. you did see it. there is a photo right here.

Could be (and might already have been) worse for the crow. Raccoons will eat young birds and eggs when they can.

As a resident of cherry tree laden raccoon infested east Ballard, I'm with Kelly on this one. Don't know about rabies, but I'll be calling animal control if I see it. Raccoons are MEAN.

yes, kelly, you are correct and i bet the owner of the house knows this as well. it is just fun to see something so cute & funny here on our streets in our neighborhood.

the coons have been in ballard for awhile now. we have a big one that hides from us down our alley.

I love that second picture!

nice story. yes those raccoons can be SO stubborn, tried to get one out from under the house once.

not such a little story for the crow- 'hey! my house!'

Hate to be a buzzkill here, but this could be a sign that the animal has rabies. A racoon doing something it normally should not, such as sleep in the top of a tree during the daylight (they usually stick to darker places), can be a sign of rabies. If I lived in the area, I would call animal control just to get their opinion on the matter.

This is so fun!

these are the type of stories i like to read on here! even though he is a rascal, that raccoon is really cute peering down through those cherry blossoms at you!

that crow cracks me up sitting up there thinking how in the world to get his home back.

thanks for the photos and the little story.