While I agree it is an evil invasive in your context, for some reason I’m oddly a bit tickled to find out about this one 
. I had no idea until you posted that some idiot(s) had introduced trash pandas to Germany and the rest of Europe. People just have no sense.
I have probably seen hundreds of raccoons, but the vast majority of those were urban/suburban. The clever little bastards adapt extremely well to humans.
It is mostly more complicated than one would think. In Germany, the spread of the raccoon initially began in 1934 with the release of four animals at Lake Edersee in Hesse. Further releases happened due to a bomb hit in Wolfshagen (district of Märkisch-Oderland) into a fur farm. Later, during the land campaign of the US forces in Germany, several racoons were brought as mascots and escaped during the fights, when soldiers were more busy suviving than taking care of them, and many were simply left behind when the war ended.
And then there is the common racoon dog, which was introduced from East Asia. Both animals look very similar, but are not related, it is a case of convergent evolution. The racoon is in a family of its own, the Procyonidae, while the racoon dog a canid.
Racoons hunted in Germany, 2003:
They reproduce exponentially, 2019 over 35,000 ware hunted just in Brandenburg. But I agree: they look cute. They are horrible pets, though.
I’ll have to ask my daughter about the structure. They were hiking a few hours from Vegas, one of their favorite places.
Raccoons aren’t native to St Martin. Their zoo actually had a raccoon display with several animals. Hurricane Irma destroyed the zoo, which was never rebuilt. No idea if they survived.
Looks like Gass Peak.
Closer to home - even though it is still cold at night, the pitcher plants are pushing up flower buds. They do this way ahead of sending up insect traps to avoid eating the pollinators.
The local eagle camera is still up and running. A new male has been entering our lone mom’s territory and whom she has found acceptable. We’ve had a couple of days of above freezing temperatures and bird activity has been on the definite uptick. Still no crows or cowbirds in the immediate area but other songbirds have joined the cardinal chorus. Now, we are heading back to cooler temperatures but spring is not far away. I’ll be waiting to see eggs in the nest.
I have the back door open and I hear the frogs singing their brains out. It must be exhausting to sing for hours on end.
We have had an invasion of finches lately - both house finches and goldfinches. Some stay here all year but others who don’t have apparently come back, so nest building is going to start happening.
The daffodils are up and blooming. YAY spring!
Yesterday, the otter came into the back yard. I went to get my phone, but it didn’t hang around for the photo op.
Saved a baby water snek from the office cat today. 
Over the past couple of nights we have heard a pair of tawny owls hooting (this is extra cool because we live in a town; there are quite a few trees around, but we definitely ain’t rural). And today, on the bike, I watched a buzzard working a field and mewing; and I could hear a second buzzard, more distant and out of sight, mewing back. I’ve been hearing the occasional woodpecker drumming as well.
Early signs of spring.
j
Oh man am I jealous! We won’t see or hear any of that until mid-April. 
The singing frogs are my favorite.
May be sooner @TRC4941, it’s been a weird winter.
I was moving logs to the back yard. When I came back with the empty wheelbarrow, a guy working on the house next door said, ‘Is that a pet otter?’ Missed it by a few seconds. Anyway, it went through both front yards (about three feet from where he’d been sitting) and around the side of our house, headed for the creek. The workman remarked how big it was. He made a five- or six-inch circle with his hands and said, ‘Its tail was this big around!’
I want to start birdwatching in the most casual, amateur, close to home fashion, mostly as an incentive to go on walks. My family started today with the Great Backyard Bird Count and the Merlin app and just a nice walk around the neighborhood. We have many parks nearby to explore, too. Is the app fairly reliable and a good idea to stick with for a while?
According to the app, we recorded: American robin, white-throated sparrow, Eastern phoebe, fox sparrow, Carolina wren, Northern cardinal, mourning dove, fluted titmouse, European starling, hairy woodpecker, and American crow.
Our eagle is incubating two eggs. The first one was laid on Feb. 15. Yay. Link to camera because the previous link in the thread is way up there.
Still no crows in the neighborhood. I wonder if our neighborhood will see them again.
About 20 years before I was born, I saw a unicorn trotting through my front yard. It had hooves of gold and the breath of a Frenchman.
Yes, it’s a great app, and the sound ID is especially good.
We are just back from St Martin. We normally see sugar birds, lesser antillian bullfinches, and pelicans all over the place. This time we saw some less common, cool birds.
A brown booby in flight.
An American kestrel. Birds of prey are uncommon on the island.
Obligatory iguana
Just saw eight deer walk through our back yard.
I’ve never seen an Obligatory iguana before. Is it a new species?