Thief! (edit) Thievery and Destruction!

I've been having trouble with the bird feeder on
my second story deck. It keeps getting moved and was close to going over the edge a couple times in the last 2 weeks. I blamed it on the starlings that had begun coming to the feeder, so I scared them away when I caught them there.

Imagine my surprise when I got up early one morning and found 2 raccoons sitting on the rail eating from the feeder!

I called a friend and borrowed a trap. It took a couple nights but Monday morning I had my thief! It is quite small so I assume it's just a baby. It was very calm and usually they go crazy. I got it in the car before the girls came for the day and we went for a ride

I dropped it off in a wooded area by a creek a few miles away. Apparently they climbed up the post where the trumpet vine is. I don't want it to be lonely so now I just need to catch it's brother or sister.

The girls loved seeing it and were telling it goodbye! Click the picture and check out Jerzie's 'Punky Brewster' outfit! You do remember her don't you? Jerzie was in her footed pj's, lady bug rain boots, a pink jacket, her knitted blue and orange Mets hat and one light blue and one pink mitten! That's what vacation is all about, right?

EDIT!
And now for the destruction. I did catch another of the culprits but this one was a little feisty! See all the 'stuff' in the cage? That was a sheet I wrapped the cage in when I put it in the car. I guess I left it too close to the cage. I can't believe it pulled a sheet in the cage thru those little holes and shredded it during the night. What a mess!

The wind must have blown the corner of my rug into reach so it even shredded a corner of the rug. I took it to find it's sibling and I must admit it was calm by then. I think I'll keep the trap set for a couple more nights in case their parents come looking for them!