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If a wild animal enters your yard, prioritize safety for yourself and the animal. Remember to avoid direct contact and always keep a safe distance. Contact local authorities or a wildlife rehabilitation center if the animal is hurt or in distress. Both sources should be able to guide you on how to proceed and send help if needed. Please wait for the animal to leave naturally for non-threatening situations, as many will. To deter future visits, implement measures like securing trash cans, sealing entry points, and removing potential food sources.

Keeping your pool cover clean is a good way to keep smaller animals from running across it or using it as shelter. Small animals may use leaf debris on top of the cover to hide. Cleaning also removes nuts that may fall from a nearby tree that could otherwise be a tempting snack for some animals, like squirrels. 

Woodpeckers peck at the break of dawn and take a break whenever the sun is not shining. On sunny days, expect pecking from dawn to dusk. On cloudy days, expect sporadic pecking when the sun peeks through. These birds are most active in the spring; you’ll hear them drumming as soon as the weather turns warm. 

It can be difficult to know what type of animal is in your attic until you see it. But several clues can help you narrow down the suspects:

• Sounds: Smaller animals like rats and mice make scurrying and tapping/gnawing sounds. Larger animals like raccoons and opossums make louder clambering noises. Also, note when animals are noisy: Squirrels are active during the day, while rats are busiest at night.

• Droppings: Rats and mice leave small, rice-shaped droppings (the rat’s version is significantly larger). Bigger droppings belong to larger critters like raccoons. As long as you’re not squeamish, an image search can help you identify what you’re seeing in your attic.

When in doubt, take photos of damage or other evidence and show them to an experienced pest control pro.