And then there were three

The trail cams were checked this morning. One was completely empty with fox tracks going past it. I must have forgotten to turn it on. These raccoons were active on the 22nd. The bugs seem to be worked out on the HD video trail cam so hope to get some decent video when it is set up. I was almost ready to send it in again but replaced the batteries and it's working perfect. Now to find a good location and willing actors.

The most activity on Crex was on the W. Refuge Rd with a couple dozen sharptails in the trees near the west refuge gate. Only a couple wolf tracks were seen in the same area. With a full move tonight I hope they will be active and photogenic. No sign of the hawk owl this morning but it may not have been hunting in the -18 degree dawn.

Dale

Yellow Headed Blackbird

This summer Yellow Headed Blackbirds were present on Phantom Lake by Auto Tour #3. I'm just posting this as a link to my video posted on youtube as for some reason Dale B's videos posted directly into the blog are not working. I'm trying to figure out why sometimes they play and at other times they don't. Anyone have any answers for us newbies to blogging?
http://www.youtube.com/user/malawimom#p/u/7/Ap0tBFzpQSk

Note: A friend suggested a small change in settings so we'll see if that makes a difference.

Crex Nightlife

A trail cam was set up near one of the culverts to see if anything would come to the nearby open water. Over the course of a week these raccoons, a mink, an otter, and red fox visited. The animals notice the bright red flash but seem to react in a variable fashion, the otter was the most distracted by it and the raccoons are very curious. A video trail cam is currently in the same location and we'll see what happens over the next week or so.

Dale

82K is back!

As we were driving to dinner tonight we happened to spot Trumpeters in open water just a couple of miles from our house. It's such a joy to see them again, especially this one, 82K (with the green collar in the middle). She was hatched in 1989 so she'll be 21 years old this spring. She was captive reared and released as a 2 year old on a local lake. She's a Crex swan now but I don't think she's nested for a couple of years. She's lost a couple of her mates but was seen with her new uncollared boyfriend last year. It will be interesting to see if they nest this year.
Kathy J.

Porcupine Time

Slower than molasses in January is the old adage, replacing molasses with "porcupine" seems appropriate in this video. Sometimes watching wildlife is a reminder to slow down and enjoy life. I stumbled on this guy while snowshoeing one afternoon and returned the next morning with my remote video equipment. I wanted to film him walking to the tree but my sensor's narrow beam was aimed a little off the trail and I missed him going up the tree.

Nervous Coyotes

Nervous Coyotes from Dale Bohlke on Vimeo.

This is the best look I have had at these elusive animals. As you can see they are on high alert, even in the middle of the night. There seem to be more coyote tracks this winter than in the past, perhaps I am just recognizing them after taking the tracking class in December. Based on early morning tracks the night is alive with predators. As you can see in the video they have learned to avoid anything associated with man.

Dale

Hawk Owl Update

This guy was very active yesterday afternoon along Stolte Road, in the Corduroy Dike area. He was hunting along the dike and at one time landed about 20 feet in front of the truck in an unsuccessful attempt to capture a mouse. The photos only show a dark brown mass in the grass so not worth printing.

Two wolves were hunting in the are eariler in the day and after the snowfall. A couple of volunteers from the tracking class were following them along Stolte. Their car got off the main track briefly causing a little scare. Road conditions are treacherous and getting worse with each new snowfall. I'll probably keep driving it until disaster strikes and I need to get a tow. It is just too much fun to watch the owl and its behavior.

By the way, these are uncropped images taken with a 400 mm lens hanging out the truck window.

Dale

The St. Croix: A Northwoods Journey

The St. Croix: A Northwoods Journey from Greg Seitz on Vimeo.

January Wildflowers

The sunrise temperature has been in the -20 degree range all week. It has been hard getting out early for nice light but I finally made it today. Later in the morning the shadows were too harsh and the color was gone. This was taken near the historic overlook after walking a short distance in snowshoes to get a good background.

On another note, the hawk owl was busy hunting along the Corduroy Dike at sunset yesterday. Stolte Rd. is not plowed and is a single track of ice pack. I don't know what would happen if you had the bad luck to meet another vehicle.

The trail cams were empty when checked. One was ice covered. With the snow the wolves are staying on the roads and seem to be very active on East Refuge Rd and the Main Dike Rd by the pump house. Fox tracks are everywhere with an occasional pheasant wing signifying a successful hunt. This winter will be tough on pheasants, hopefully to the benefit of the few remaining sharptail grouse.

Dale