The Slingshot Tree

“Stick ’em up!”

A friend once said that’s what comes to mind when she sees the remnants of one of our trees. She’s not the only one who wonders why we trimmed it in such an odd fashion.

For years, the tree was a nursery, mostly for squirrels. It was a source of terrific entertainment. Like when a mama squirrel tried coaxing her babies out of their nest cavity. When they refused, she grabbed their little bodies and yanked them out.

One year, a raccoon took squatter’s rights. We laughed at raccoon kits learning to climb up (and slide down!) the tree’s branches.

But eventually, the rot that created the cavities ate too much of the tree. Our tree guy said it was time to take the tree down, lest heavy snow or wind send it crashing. But I didn’t want to say goodbye to one of our best wildlife magnets.

We settled on a compromise: remove just the branches that would catch the snow and wind. The tree became a giant slingshot. After years of watching a broken trunk, I knew there would be plenty to aww and chuckle about as the tree continues to rot.

The slingshot has not disappointed me. It’s a frequent perch for various birds. My favorite visitors so far are this handsome pair:

The wood ducks have stopped by several times. I’ve seen the female poke her bill into the many entrances to the tree’s cavities. She picks the pair’s nest site, so I’ve been wondering: Would she choose my slingshot tree?

I also notice that the squirrels appear to be staying out of the tree’s interior. I see them on the top and running around the trunk.

But it’s been a good while since I saw a squirrel pop in or out of an entry hole. Why?

A few nights ago, this creature answered both questions.

The image is a little dark because the raccoon was getting ready to leave the tree for nighttime foraging. I’ve been watching this raccoon each evening. It seems to watch its surroundings, as you see in the photo, before climbing down the trunk. I can’t tell if it’s male or female. But either way, I don’t think there’s a nest inside the tree.

When a raccoon nested there several years ago, the tree still had its canopy. She left several times each day while nursing (which I could tell from her swollen nipples). I believe she needed extra food and water during that time. With each trip, the raccoon exited through the upper branches, moving from tree to tree before descending some distance away. She returned using the same route. I called it Mama Raccoon’s high wire act.

I suspect this was how that mama raccoon avoided leaving a scent trail up the tree trunk and into her nest. But today, our tree has no branches, so it seems unlikely it hosts the current occupant’s nest. My guess is that our tree is nothing more than the raccoon’s snoozing spot.

To my squirrel, wood duck, and raccoon neighbors: If not in the slingshot tree, would you please pick nesting spots somewhere else I can see? Pretty please?

A Related Kids’ Book

As a children’s book author, I like to recommend kids’ books that are related to my nature blog posts. Here’s a fun one:

Tails from History- A Raccoon at the White House. Written by Rachel Dougherty and illustrated by Rachel Sanson.

Who knew that a raccoon once lived in the White House? Not me! This book—an early reader—is about when President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace received a raccoon as a gift and let it live in the White House. The Coolidges loved animals and kept quite the menagerie in their home. The story tells about life with the raccoon, whose natural habits eventually led to being re-homed at the National Zoo. The illustrations are great, showing not only the raccoon’s antics but also giving us glimpses of the White House in the 1920s. It’s fun to read and a very entertaining bit of history. The publisher (Scholastic) recommends the book for kids in kindergarten through second grade. I think kids and adults of all ages will enjoy reading it, too!

Image Credits: Carol Doeringer.