Out for a Walk at Night

It is not uncommon for me to go on a midnight stroll in my neighborhood.  I like just taking a little walk in the quiet darkness and enjoying a little bit of nature.  I live in a suburban neighborhood, so I’m not like “in nature”, but I can appreciate grass and flowers and trees and little animals.

I often see skunks.  Personally I think skunks are pretty cute.  I don’t want one as a pet, as I do not like that smell that they give off. But if I understand correctly they don’t always smell bad, that’s one of their defense mechanisms. I’m guessing that because of all the dogs and cats in the neighborhood; that’s why their defense mechanism is going off so much, ’cause I can smell them even if I can’t see them around my neighborhood. But if I go walking at night I am pretty much guaranteed to see a skunk.

Last night I saw another little rodent, I’m pretty sure it was a vole. It definitely wasn’t a rat, and don’t believe it was a mouse either.  So I can’t particularly say that I am a expert at identifying rodents, but everything that I read about in Redwall (and other books in the series) and general zoological life experience just telling me that this was a vole!