Skunk

When I have to kill time waiting for a prescription at Walgreen's, I usually drive about a half mile away to a little pond on Schoolhouse Road, where, over the years, I have seen quite a few interesting birds, especially ducks. Today, there wasn't much--3 Hooded Mergansers and a Turkey Vulture--but while I was walking toward the back of the pond, I smell a hint, a whiff, of skunk. Either that or someone had spilled a lot of Heineken beer, which wouldn't be too surprising back there where some of the locals like to go and "relax" out of sight. 

But walking back, after confirming that there were no more waterfowl hiding in the reeds, I saw to my right a large, almost all white mammal. In the harsh sunlight, I thought at first it was a groundhog, moving pretty fast, snuffling along the ground, but another look told me it was a skunk. I've never actually seen a skunk around here and with them being nocturnal, that makes sense. But this skunk did not look like Pepe LePew. Instead of the classic white stripe up the middle of the back, this skunk was all white from the nape of its neck to the tip of its tail, and the long fur hung over the sides. At home, Shari & I researched skunks, and at first we thought it might be an American Hog-nosed Skunk. But that is a southwestern and western species, so that seemed unlikely unless it hitched a ride here. With the scent, I didn't figure it to be an escaped pet. A little more research revealed that the skunk of these parts, the Striped Skunk, can be variable in coloration, and there were even some photos showing similar looking skunks, so that's what I landed on. 

The whole time I was following the skunk back toward my car was a push-pull experience. I wanted to get close enough to get some pictures with my phone (naturally, the camera was in the car) while at the same time, I didn't want to be close enough to attract its attention and get, you know...  In that I was successful, and as my car came into sight, the skunk made a left back into the woods. Pretty neat, and I hope those folks in that section of Crestwood Village have tight lids on their garbage cans.