Hoping someone will be able to offer some suggestions...
We've recently relocated fom the burbs to a country home with wonderful established gardens outside of Eugene, OR. The rear yard borders on a couple of acres of woods & blackberries and is deer fenced, so our local heard doesn't intrude. Front yard is fruit trees and pasture with a lawn & landscaping near the house.
Have recently noticed several well defined 2-3 foot wide circular depressions - as though an animal had been sleeping - appearing in tall garden foliage in the backyard, right next to the back deck. No indication that the beastie is eating anything in the area, no nesting materials evident, no tracks, burrows, droppings or access to area under house/deck. Plants involved have been borage & native geranuims. We've never seen anything inhabiting the depressions - either during the day or at night by flashlight.
I'd guess a stray cat, but our 2 Siamese sleep on the adjacent deck (in their own little house) & are very territorial when it comes to other house cats. The cats came with the house & are used to living peacefully with the local wild animals (skunks, opossums, racoons, squirrels, moles, & a wide variety of birds including wild turkeys). Our immediate neighbor reported hearing a very unusual ear jarring howling the other night, but had no idea what it was...we're not prone to coyotes, but do get reports of the odd cougar or bobcat. Did notice a lone limping deer a couple of weeks ago, but the deer have been strangely absent of late. I do have veggie beds in the same area, filled with radishes, lettuces, tomatoes, & broccoli which are untouched, so I don't think its bunnies. Would appreciate input - whatever this critter is, it's pretty hard on the garden & we'd sure like to know what we're dealing with.
Nancy