Raccoon
Procyon lotor · Mammals
Raccoon in a tree cavity
Prospect Park, 23 May 2026
A raccoon looking out from a hollow in a mature tree in Prospect Park, a daytime resting spot rather than a hunting one. Raccoons are all over North America, and a city park with old trees, a lake and bins is about the best country they have ever had.
A hollow makes a ready-made den, and raccoons use several across their range rather than sticking to one. They are mostly nocturnal, so daylight sightings are usually exactly this: one glancing out from a den rather than actively foraging. The hands are the thing - more sensitive than ours, and used to feel for food underwater, which is the "washing".
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
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