Still Waiting

Snow cover is still minimal but deep enough to follow some tracks. With the warm weather normally sleepy wildlife has been active. A porcupine walked over a mile on N. Refuge Rd this week. I followed what looked like possum tracks the other day. Wolves are on the hunt day and night trying to find a winter stressed deer. Single wolf tracks are being seen wherever there are deer tracks.

A Den

Another afternoon was spent exploring, this time around Grettum Pines. I was hiking with a college student from Chattanooga, TN and we were looking for tracks and other wildlife signs. On one of our track explorations we came across this den.

"Who is going to be the first to look in it?" I asked. Getting closer eliminated any mystery of its owner, not a bear, wolf, or bobcat, just a common porcupine. Porcupines live in their excrement. Is it possible that their droppings make good insulation for them. The floor of the den was covered with these droppings, definitely not the best housekeepers in the animal world.

Burnt Ridge

No snow means easy walking so I spent yesterday afternoon exploring recent additions to Crex Meadows. Last year over 300 acres of relatively untouched land were added. In contrast to the wetlands of Crex it is composed of oak savanna and sand dunes. The other notable difference is the number of easily walked trails. Stop at the visitor center and ask about Burnt Ridge when you are in the area.

Winter?

This is a tough winter to keep the creative juices flowing. Usually the cold dampens the creative spirit, this winter it is the constant November/March appearance of the landscape. I cautiously ventured onto Fish Lake last week to look for something at sunset. As I was checking out the ice at my feet some interesting patterns were discovered.

Best of 2011

For the past 4 years I have been using trail cameras to document predators on Crex Meadows. Relevant images are either donated to the WDNR or used for educational presentations. This year there was more variety with bobcats making several appearances. It is hard to determine unique individuals so there may be only one or two that are active. Wolves have changed their pattern during 2011. There appears to be a pack of 4 in the northwest corner of Crex and a pair that use the rest of Crex for their range. This is a drop in numbers from the two packs of 4 in previous years. Last winter there was lots of coyote activity but they are very wary and rarely photographed. Although I hear reports of gray foxes everywhere none were photographed this year. This may be related to my technique. Cameras are placed without scent attractants although occasionally placed on a carcass. The best of 2011 can be seen at: http://dbphotog.zenfolio.com/