We might have set a record with Ted’s straw this winter, and he is still pulling it into his den. One of the pictures is from yesterday with the straw piled up mostly outside his den. The other is today with it pulled in and looking like a wall. The third picture, with Ted visible, is from last winter, taken on January 23, 2016.
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| Ted's straw yesterday | ...and now today. | Ted last winter 1/23/16 |
Here at the WRI, date mash gets a stream of deer, with a gray fox slipping in a couple times between deer visits. I wondered why we were down to one fox, but then Charlie Meyer called to say he has as many as nine just a half mile away and that I should come over and take a flash picture or two one of these evenings. We’ll see what happens.
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| Fox visitor | Fox visitor | Deer visitor |
Hairy woodpecker Looking out the window today we saw a beautiful blue sky but it was below zero. Not shown is the action in the treetops. Red squirrels showered down snow as a male chased a female all over a big white pine that started with snow-covered branches. Sometimes that female waits for the male to find her when she outdistanced him or took an unexpected turn. He will catch up and do something nice toward her, and the chase would be on—almost as if she was judging his agility and prowess as a climber.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center