), all the while watching how everyone reacts. Momma is a little nervous (but then she is usually a bit nervous while the sun is up) and backs up as I approach. Three of her brood clamber up one tree. the fourth stands in the water dish and the fifth one stands up on his/hers back feet and looks at me. I get within three feet and momma gives a quick growl, I talk to her to let her know it is me, and then drop the dog food on the ground. As I back away she starts following me, not aggressivly so but more like "where's the food". It's funny, even though she has seen me drop the dog food she doesn't seem to know it is food until she smells it, which she does. Then she starts happily munching away. So as I stand there the three babes up the tree come down and start wandering around. Momma growls at them when they stick their noses into her food pile so I go in and get a handful of oily sunflower seeds and scatter those around.I then go back into the house to get a camera (alas my daughter has the digital and is gone) so I get the Nikon film camera out and go back to get a few shots (sorry but those will have to be posted later). In a few minutes momma hears something, the kids head for the brush line and she follows. So now I'm waiting to see if they return when it gets darker out. Will be curious to see how the family reacts when the other adult raccoons show up. Of course I will be standing there as protector...just in case.
