We work in the city, and not a particularly nice neighborhood, nor exactly rural (the sort of area whose most abundant forms of wildlife are the pit bull and cock-fighting chickens). However, we have a significant greenspace and a resident groundhog. One of my colleagues named it Snuggles (don’t ask…). Snuggles has been there a couple of years and even had babies last year. Baby groundhogs are pretty darn cute. Anyway, my coworker came down to my cube last night all excited to tell me a bird was riding on Snuggles. Civil servants are an odd bunch, but I thought, “he’s really lost his mind now.” So I looked out the window and, sure enough, there was Snuggles with a starling following her. Then the bird hopped up on the groundhog’s back and started pecking at stuff in its fur! And Snuggles just kept waddling along eating grass – just like those rhinos and tickbirds on the Serengeti!
Who knew you could have an episode of Animal Planet in the middle of the ‘hood! (Disclaimer: groundhog photo has been “retouched”.)
It's Always Phunny in Philadelphia 