Neighbours were wondering why there was a ladder propped up against the carport roof and a man spread-eagled on the building. It turned out that this was an attempt to foil a red squirrel from re-entering the attic of the house where it had been heard scurrying about in the wee small hours of the morning. The irate and disturbed squirrel was chattering away nearby with a butternut in his paws as the sizeable hole in the attic wall was efficiently repaired. He remained vigilant until the man had left the scene and then, after making a thorough inspection and realizing that his home was block- aded, he left in search of other viable real estate.

• A woman, who lives in a quiet wooded area and is privy to the sightings of different wild animals, recently had a visit from a young red fox. He was quite bold and seemingly unafraid and the woman threw him a small piece of bread. He seized it and trotted back into the woods and now makes a habit of returning each evening for his treat and human visit. He has a wonderful tail, one- third the size of his total length and a dark muzzle, black ears and paws and is obviously in good health. The other evening, while a friend was visiting, the fox was brave enough to take the piece of bread from her out-stretched hand.

In the meantime, a skunk appeared at the side of the house and the lady shooed it away, only to find a second black and white critter appearing on the other side of her car, daring her to shoo it away also.

• A man returned to his cottage after a few days absence and found that a robin had built its nest above his screen door, making it impossible to open without destroying the nest. He found a hanging planter, filled the bottom with earth and then, while the birds were away, gently removed the nest, with three eggs inside, and placed it inside the planter and hung it on a nearby hook. He made sure he was wearing gloves to eliminate the smell of human intervention and, incredibly the birds returned and raised their family inside the hanging basket.