Bam Bam and the Night Visitor – a Christmas tale

Today I am celebrating 4 weeks of living in Maine.   I’ve had little to report about my faithful feline companions Pebbles and Bam Bam.   For the most part, they’ve been adjusting well to their new home.      But Bam Bam got into the act and had one of his “adventures” last night.    Those of you who know Bam Bam, you know that he has a penchant for adventures.   He finds them or they find him.

 

Always looking for trouble

 

As with most house cats, one of their favorite activities in our previous homes has been to watch the local wildlife (for them birds, squirrels, and the occasional feral cat).   To that end, I have always strategically placed bird feeders near windows to encourage just such entertainment.

Pebbles: "The only thing I want for Christmas is for Bam Bam to leave me alone".

For our new location I purchased a recycled plastic  (to be eco-friendly) tray type feeder that affixes right to your window with suction cups.    This was two and a half weeks ago and not ONE BIRD has graced us with its prescence!!     In fact I see or hear very few birds in town.   I checked with the local naturalist only to learn that birds to not appear in Bar Harbor generally until there is more snow cover as there is plenty of food available to them in the woods and marshes of the island.    I am to “be patient”.

So I’m thinking “great, I’m gonna have to buy fish to entertain my cats”, because I feel guilty that they don’t have their normal form of entertainment.

Yesterday (as it was snowing), I think that I should put fresh food in the feeder (because I’ve got 15 pounds of the stuff), that maybe THAT would help attract some birds.

Fast forward to 11:30 p.m. and “not a creature was stirring” when there is a loud “Kerthump” outside.   Bam Bam is  sleeping on the bed and Pebbles is in her favorite chair.    I think “well, the wind has finally ripped the bird feeder off the window”, because it was very windy (again) last night.

Suddenly, with no warning Bam Bam SHOOTS off the bed at a high rate of speed sailing a good four or five feet into the living area!   I’m like what the heck………..I sit up and put on my glasses and “what to my wondering eyes should appear”,there is a large female deer peering in the bedroom window!!

Now when I say I live in town, I really mean town.   The buildings are very close together, there is probably only five feet between the back of the carriage house my apartment is in and the back of the garage next door.      The deer begins munching the bird seed from the downed feeder and  looks up several times to press her black tipped nose against the glass as if my window were some kind of drive thru (make that graze thru) service window ( “Hey lady can you pass out some more of this bird seed?”).

By this point Bam Bam is under the bed and I’m laughing so hard I’m about to fall out of the bed!  After a few minutes the deer ambles on and I’m just shaking my head in disbelief.    And here I was worried that the largest thing I would attract would be seagulls!!

After he had recovered sufficiently to come out from under the bed, Bam Bam spent the rest of the night perched on the edge of the bed looking out that window waiting for the return of the night visitor, but all remained quiet.    And where was Pebbles during all this commotion?    Sleeping, of course.   Missed the whole event!

I have yet to go investigate what has become of my bird feeder, but it certainly was the most excitement Bam Bam has had since we arrived!!

As you can see, he’s back to normal  now.

Bam Bam, "exhausted" after the night visitor incident.

Being so close to Christmas I can’t help but wonder ………..was that REALLY just a regular  deer we saw?!  OR…….”and I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight…………..”.

Merry Christmas everyone!!