Day 171: Rumbling Raccoons

Mr. E and I both woke up suddenly two nights ago when we heard odd sounds outside the bedroom window -- sort of low growling combined with yelping and chattering.  We looked out to see a cluster of four raccoons rumbling (think Sharks vs. Jets in "West Side Story") in the driveway.  They were lined up two by two and kept advancing and backing up in a little foursome, almost like a choreographed confrontation.  Eventually, they all ran off towards 9th Street. 

We figure they're the resident raccoons who like to skulk around our neighbor's patio and climb along the tops of the walls.  I thought it might be rival gangs, but Mr. E thinks it was all one family having a bit of a scuffle.

No images of the actual encounter were captured, but here's a representative picture of our local urban wildlife: