Today, a red squirrel napped for several minutes on a red maple branch with its head on its paws and eyes half closed.
Buds were growing and on the menu. Then it fully opened its eyes and went for the second course—sap running and glistening from a twig that had all its buds removed. I hadn’t seen that before.I looked more closely at the lame deer that is now walking and running quite well. It still slightly favors the left front leg and the lameness apparently took a toll. His spine, hip bones, and shoulder bones are more prominent than any of the other deer, and he’s hungry. I could tell that because he does not tolerate any other deer eating near him. He is agile enough to chase after them now, and wants the food for himself.
More on the woodchucks next time.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center