tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13214637034625800632023-11-15T23:25:52.191-08:00Bob's Winter JournalBob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-28807131937628517582015-04-02T06:44:00.000-07:002015-04-02T06:44:30.639-07:00A Still Point Below the Blow and Bother of Winter: March 12 & 22, 2015We had to wait for a cold sunny morning after a brief thaw so that the snow would be icy enough to walk on. We were still on snowshoes. The snow in the woods is up to three feet deep. On a cold sunny morning after a brief thaw beaver ponds can begin to look rather basic. On the morning of March 12 the Lost Swamp Pond seemed to be losing it pretenses.<br />
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Hard snow merged into that wasted brown ice caused when the whole facade of a pond collapses into what pond water is left after the otters breached the dam. The beaver lodge gave no impression that the beaver or beavers inside ever climbed out from under the ice to have a look around. Not that I expected that since lone beavers or a kitless pair are never very venturesome. I hoped for signs of life at the dam because otters usually scat and renew their claim to their winter domain.<br />
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I could see a small array of scat, about where they had been scatting before. My theory is that two otters, mother and pup, have been living here since the first of the year. If that were the case, shouldn't there be a bigger pile of scats? And since the snow was softer during the thaw, why weren't there some fresh prints or slides? The scats did look like they might have been deposited in the last 24 hours. Had they been there longer they would have sunk deeper into the snow. <br />
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I tinkered with the photo editing and think I did bring out some urine stains and a hint of a trail in the hard snow.<br />
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Then I looked for a hole an otter could use to get out from under the ice. Walking behind the dam is always hazardous especially when you are trying to prove that animals have been swimming in the water under the ice which invariably makes the ice above weaker than it appears to be. So I didn't venture too close to three possible holes behind the middle of the dam. Staring at the photo below, I can fancy that I see several otter trails in snow up the dam but the two on the right could have been made by deer. And why wouldn't the otters slide on the hard snow? There were two pocky depressions in the snow behind the dam maybe caused by sinking otter scats. <br />
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But the most convincing evidence that the otters were still there was the water still rushing out through the dam. There was quite a flood in the small usually empty pond just down stream. The brief thaw we just had wouldn't have caused that. The otters must still be digging their hole in the dam deeper, but there will be no proof for that until the final thaw.<br />
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When we came back to check the pond on the 22nd, we saw that brief thaws had compacted the snow and the cold of the night before made it so icy hard we didn't have to wear snowshoes. At the Lost Swamp pond we could see more brown ice and the beaver lodge had lost its snow cover.<br />
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I didn't see any otter scats on the lodge. There was no evidence that any animal had been on the lodge, no coyotes, no beavers. There was some clear ice in front of the lodge and bubbles frozen under the ice.<br />
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Evidently the beavers broke the ice there, had a pool of water to swim in for the first time since December. The water froze again and as the beavers swam under the ice, air escaping from their fur left bubbles under the ice. Of course, the otters could have left the bubbles, or muskrats. I headed to the dam hoping to see otter signs or evidence that a beaver climbed out from under the ice. I went directly toward gaps in the ice behind the middle of the dam, but it was very difficult to see any otter or beaver tracks in the hard snow behind the dam. <br />
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But to the right of that hole, in the brown ice behind the dam, I saw otter slides but not at all fresh.<br />
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Tracks made in ice or wet snow on ponds can be preserved in the next freeze, covered by snow and then be revealed after a thaw weeks later. I can't be sure when an otter made these tracks, but they don't go far from the dam like the fresh tracks I saw there a month ago. Years ago when beavers maintained several ponds nearby, the otters I watched generally went from pond to pond in February and in March the mother otter tried to separate from her pups to mate and have this year's litter of pups. (The upshot of last Spring's mating, thanks to delayed implanting of the embryos.) But in 2010 when there was only one other pond nearby for otters to go to, as far as I could tell the mother and her two pups stayed together until the snow melted in April and I saw them together in the pond in May. So if these otters spend the whole winter and much of the spring here, I will not be surprised. There are no ponds within almost a mile that could sustain them. But the hard snow and old ice I faced today was hard to decipher. I only saw a few scats sunk in the snow just west of the dam in their usual latrine.<br />
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But this was a rather feeble array, possibly not otter at all, and I saw no otter tracks. But I did see an indistinct hole in the snow.</div>
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An otter certainly didn't climb out of it. If one had, the edges would be rounded. But I saw a round tunnel going from the hole toward the latrine.<br />
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Minks are the consummate tunnel-makers in the snow but minks seem lax about keeping up a latrine next to a dam the way otters do. The tunnel in the snow was wide enough for otters. Over the years, I've stuck my camera down holes in the ice, soaking one camera in the process, and now have a collection of photos showing the otters' world under the ice. Those photos also show the beavers', muskrats' and minks' world too. <br />
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I can't generally see what the camera sees, and in the bright sun can't see the images it captures. So I take several shots and hope for the best. When I got back home, I realized I had taken my best photo ever of the under ice world. It showed the canopy of ice above merging into the thick pond ice and a flat rock in the airy gallery formed as the water level dropped after the otters breached the dam. The rock was comfortably above the current water level. That water was frozen with the flaky look of thin ice.<br />
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The green stick was probably the remains of a beaver's meal. I zoomed in with photo editing and think I see fish bones left by an otter or mink.<br />
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If I am lucky I'll see all this when the snow melts, but probably not. The water in the pond will rise with the thaw and all this evidence will be washed away.<br />
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Back last summer I took a photo of some rocks near the one I accidentally photographed in March. Those summer rocks are about a foot higher.<br />
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This pond lost a lot of water thanks to the otters' hole in the dam. Too many naturalists think beavers will not accept such a catastrophe. In my experience, they always accept it, take advantage of it, and often breach the dam themselves. I admit usually the ice covered galleries I've photographed over the years look like dank refuges, but not this year. I found a winter paradise, a comfortable niche in the long airy tunnel formed under the ice that runs behind the dam and along the shores of the pond, all thanks to the otters' hole in the dam.<br />
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Good thing I didn't clearly see my under-the-ice photo until I got home. If I had known what I stood over, it would have been hard not to try to crawl under and enjoy that still point below the blow and bother of winter.Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-82027945244255561052015-02-26T14:06:00.001-08:002015-02-26T14:06:27.447-08:00February 18, 2015Four weeks since I last checked on the otters, that's how cold it has been. The snow has piled up in the woods. Porcupines reached that blissful state where they could walk to the trees they love almost completely enclosed in the troughs they had worn down in the snow. <br />
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Unfortunately the trough I made with my snowshoes went down another 2 feet in the snow. Half way to the Lost Swamp Pond I almost gave up and backtracked home. But slow as snowshoeing is in soft deep snow, I tried to think like the wind and avoid drifts. That hardly worked, so I walked 30 yards and took a break, again, and again. I crossed two porcupine trails but they always go from ridge to ridge, tree to tree, never to the swamps. I did merge with a deer trail conveniently heading in the direction I wanted to go. Usually they don't. Deer have a knack for heading to the low hanging thorns.<br />
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The deer saved me 50 yards of hard trudging, leaving me another 100 yards across the frozen pond. I could see tracks on and below the snow covered beaver dam.<br />
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Either the deer walked around the pond and found slush if not puddles of melt water to drink behind the dam or the otters had been out. Walking toward the dam, I passed the beaver lodge which didn't show any signs of recent life.<br />
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But it was not all smoothed over. Something had been on top of it a week or so ago, probably the otters. I soon saw that it was certain that the otters had been out behind the dam probably within the last 24 hours. They didn't slide on the snow. They leaped through it.<br />
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Their foray to the south did not go far. It looked like they almost nosed down to the pond ice and leaped back the way they came.<br />
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There is a hole where the pond ice meets the dam. Usually I crawl right up to such holes, stick my camera down it, assuming the water level is well below the ice as usual, and see what my camera can see. The snow was too deep for that. So I tried to figure out what the otters had been up to through the past few snowfalls.<br />
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Not an easy read. In February otters usually begin ranging around the pond, if not head to another pond. These otters appeared to have that inclination but kept being defeated by the depth and softness of the snow. But I'm probably reading too much into what little I saw. Judging from the close-up I took of the hole, no otter had been out that morning, though the hole looked well used.<br />
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Looking to the left, I saw more holes and the troughs from forays probably several days old.<br />
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The tracks at the west end of the dam looked almost fresh and gave the impression of otter pups following their mother up the slight slope to poop in their usual latrine.<br />
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As I took the photo above, I saw a hole in the ice low behind the dam but that didn't appear to be the hole the otters came out of, maybe one otter came out there a few days ago.<br />
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I trudged up the slope and saw that I was right. There were a couple of scats and, adding to the mystery, a tunnel that the otters made under the snow. Down along the dam I saw what might be a hole going down in the snow maybe to a hole in the ice.<br />
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But I didn't walk over to check. I am pretty sure no other human would come out to see this. Other than scatting to renew their claim on this pond and ward off any other otters from trying to come under its ice, the otters placed no meaning in their scampering about. But for the moment it was sacred to me. So I contented myself with taking a close-up of the snow tunnel and the scats.<br />
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Only half wishing I was Alice, I headed home and careful to retrace my steps made it non-stop.<br />
<br />Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-57477166442889376572015-01-29T19:35:00.001-08:002015-01-29T19:35:04.833-08:00January 24, 2015We headed off to check the Lost Swamp Pond on the 17th, a rare warmish day, just below freezing for the past 36 hours. Those conditions might get otters out of their holes. Despite their reputation for being playful, during a cold January like
we are having this year, otters only come out from under the ice every few days or so to
sniff around for a few minutes and poop. The amount of poop suggests how active they are under the ice. Meanwhile the pond changes, drastically. We noticed the hole in the dam on January 2. When we checked on January 11, the pond was just beginning to respond to its loss of water. On the 17th there was what looked like an open wound in the ice next to the beaver lodge. <br />
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Despite the day's warmth, there was ice under the original layer of ice. That original ice looked to be about 4 or 5 inches thick and it looked like there was a drop of well over a foot to the new level of the pond ice.<br />
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There were no signs of anything like a beaver or otter coming out of that opening. On the way to the dam, I picked up a mink's trail<br />
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Minks can manage to get under the ice without otters around, but minks can't resist taking advantage of the holes the otters make. I followed the mink to a hole just behind the middle of the dam<br />
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While the mink used the hole, it didn't level about a shovel full of snow just outside the hole. An otter did that and left a couple prints. But I had hoped for more and at least a scat left in the snow. Standing on the dam, I looked down and saw that there was still a good flow of water coming out of the hole or holes the otters made.<br />
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Looking behind the dam I could see that the pond ice lowered uniformly except where the ice was braced by the dam, an old beaver lodge and tree stumps. All the old tracks behind the dam were probably left by deer.<br />
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Usually collapsing ice leaves a more roly-poly surface so I was a bit disappointed. A week ago I saw the tracks and scats otters made when they came out of a hole high on the bank about 30 yards west of the dam. I headed down there and saw that the pond in that direction was a bit roly-poly but more like a gentle wave, not the slash of ice planes I expected.<br />
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On the 11th the hole in the bank that the otters used was a couple feet above any water under the ice. Now it had to be even farther removed from the otters' source of food and the otters obviously stopped using that hole.<br />
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I was sure that the otters would suffer no inconvenience if I stuck a camera in the hole. I've taken these blind shots for years and the images I got this time were not very good. It looks like muskrats took advantage of rotting tree roots to make a den. I had often seen muskrats swim out of the bank around here, never any beavers. My guess is that the otters found the muskrats' old den and then dug a hole out to the open air. More snow and ice will have to melt before I can prove that.<br />
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In January all the stories the swamps tell unfold slowly. On January 24 I hiked out alone, again taking advantage of warmer temperatures and mindful of a chance of snow. We have not had much snow this month. Usually after a general snowfall of 6 inches we keep getting in an inch or two of lake effect snow every few days so that snow mounts. But this year we are losing snow very slowly from melting and sublimation. That's bad for otter tracking but it's good for seeing how the pond ice responds to a hole in the dam. When I got to the Lost Swamp Pond late in the afternoon I could better see the conflicted ice.<br />
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The otters apparently didn't squeeze out what holes cracked open when the ice sheet of the pond collapsed around those dead tree trunks. But the ice held up by shrub trunks next to an old beaver lodge, which would be an excellent place for the otters' to den, told a different story.<br />
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Getting closer, I got one of my best photos of ice showing bubbles likely left by otters swimming under ice now locked in a block of clear ice hanging high and dry over the current level of the pond ice that showed air bubbles made by the otters swimming under that ice.<br />
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The tracks in the snow around and on top of this ice platform were harder to decipher and I didn't see any otters scats in the area. Behind the other end of the dam there was another ice platform where some animals messed around. <br />
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Otters did much of the messing in that snow because I could see an otter
slide in the ice between a gap in the ice right behind the dam and the
ice platform. <br />
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In the upper left hand corner of the photo above there is what I hoped was a pile of otter scats, but it turned out to be coyote poop. The otters latrined on top of the dam,<br />
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leaving a muddy choppy trail in the snow all the way up to a generous pile of scats.<br />
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I didn't examine the scats too closely but it looked like the otters had been eating small fish, shiners, pumkinseeds, not the bullheads that used to make many an otter's meal in this pond. Between the scats and the pond ice, I saw a thin stick that a beaver had nibbled. Perhaps a beaver used the holes in the ice behind the dam too and came out in the cold fresh air for a snack. <br />
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All the activity I saw looked recent but since what could have been open water was all iced over, and since the bubbles under the ice were white and not pulsing with fresh air, and since there seemed to be no water flowing out of the holes through the dam, I couldn't positively say the otters were still there. When there were several active beaver families on this end of the island, otters moved from pond to pond, often traveling in late January. But this pond is about the only sure spot for a meal of fish within a mile so the otters might stay here all winter. It looked like they were having a good time so far. I'll check the pond again after we have some snow that will whiten the slate clean, so to speak. Heading home through the woods, I saw spots of blood in the snow.<br />
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I followed a trail of blood but no prints to the underside of hanging log. Such light footed work in the dawn hard snow, a weasel probably made the kill.<br />
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Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-77233393410345926842015-01-16T18:21:00.002-08:002015-01-16T18:21:33.577-08:00January 11, 2015The foot of snow in the woods was deep enough for a porcupine to make a respectable trough.<br />
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That graceful trail came down from the rock dens half way up the steep slope on the east side of a wide ravine. At the other end of the woods there was another porcupine trail coming out of a den in low rocks completely covered by the snow.<br />
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Standing on the rock ledge looking down at the den has been my first sure stop in the winter woods for many years. Sometimes a porcupine was looking back at me. Not today. Then I faced the Big Pond. When it was indeed a pond, it was generally easy to cross in the winter because the west wind blew most of the snow off it. But now I faced a meadow.<br />
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The snow is always deeper in meadows and tracks are not easily seen. I miss the old days when I often saw tracks in the inch of snow spared by the winds that revealed the capering of coyotes. The Lost Swamp Pond was easier to cross. When I left the pond on the 2nd, I had the impression that the otters had breached the dam. So I expected the ice on the pond to have collapsed here and there as its water drained out. However, the snow was deep enough to smooth over any appearance of collapsing save where I saw a pool of slush beside the lodge which marked the new level of the water below the ice, perhaps a foot lower than it had been.<br />
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As I walked on I crossed the trail left by two deer as they investigated that low point, probably to get a drink of the water puddling there. Of course, I kept looking at the dam where I expected to see otter slides. I soon saw that there were none to be seen.<br />
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There was a depression in the snow behind the dam that went down to the new water level but it certainly didn't look like anything had used it to get under or out from under the ice. Because the beaver here doesn't forage for trees to cut, it hasn't had much interest in building up the dam and keeping the water level high. So the hole in the dam has been draining water out of a pond that did not have a high water level to begin with. For that reason, I expected the otters to live in the dam where muskrats over the years have fashioned dens. Several years ago otters breached the dam in December, went somewhere else and didn't return until late January, or so I recall without checking my journals. But otters keep sashaying around ponds and the river in December. When the cold hits in January, and we've had nights near 0F, otters get serious about settling down. I saw that water was still flowing out at the bottom of the dam.<br />
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Often the otters that made the hole keep tabs on it, but no signs of that. When this pond did have plenty of water and the otters breached the dam, they often found a den at the far west end of the pond; I suppose because the ice was thinner and easier to break through. So I walked down there. I saw deer tracks where I used to see otters coming out of holes in the ice. Not sure what the deer was after.<br />
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Then I saw a well used hole along the north shore of the pond up in the bank. I'd never seen otters here use a hole like that before but it immediately made sense to me.<br />
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Ideally otters like a den that offers them both access to the under ice world where they get their food and a place under the sun where they can poop and get a breath of fresh air for a few minutes. Since muskrats had often burrowed into the bank, I knew the otters could find a nice den there but with the pond so low, there was no easy access under the ice from there. However muskrats specialize in surviving in shallow water and they can mole their way under the ice leaving a nice little trench going from the bank out to a deeper part of the pond. Maybe the otters were taking advantage of that. No way I could tell until the next thaw, but I could document the otters' very brief dance outside their hole. There was a trough going a few feet along the bank to the west<br />
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And that's where an otter scatted.<br />
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Then there were two forays down the slight slope and out on the snow covered ice. The foray angling right ended at a small dead stump sticking out of the snow.<br />
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My hope is that a family of otters is using the den, which means a mother and pups born back in April 2014. It was easy to see the prints of an adult otter.<br />
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Only in the foray angling slightly left from the hole could I see evidence that there was a least one pup with the mother. One trail was too narrow for an adult otter to have made.<br />
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There was enough jumping about in the snow to suggest that there are two pups. At the usual otter hole in the ice, I used to thrust my camera down in it and get a look see that way. But this hole might lead directly to their den which should be kept a bit more private than their running room under the ice. I'll get a photo later when I think the otters moved to another den, as they surely will, to get closer to the pools of water left under the ice as water drains out of the dam. That's where the fish are. But that comes later in the winter. Fishing under the ice is a new experience for the pups which probably takes getting used to, but once they master it, they have to learn more about the roving ways of the otter. Traveling in the snow is an otter's forte. The hike out on snowshoes had not been easy so I backtracked to get home. Next time out we might use cross country skies and pressing down again on the same trail might make skiing easier. I don't mind going back the way I came because I usually see something I missed on the way out.<br />
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Today I saw a tree bent down for a porcupine's dining pleasure. Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-38672883293857000452015-01-07T08:31:00.000-08:002015-01-07T08:31:35.953-08:00January 2, 2015I went out the day after hunting season ended. Not worried about being shot by a Nimrod in a tree stand, I could walk with my eyes down looking for tracks in the snow. So I missed the barred owl in the tree in front of me. He flew off to my right but didn't mind my following him. <br />
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Obviously there is no better way to begin a journal entry. I saw an owl. How wise is that. But I saw the owl back on December 15, two weeks ago and about 20 months after my last journal entry. I didn't come out looking for owls. I was checking on a beaver trying to tie up loose ends, or, rather, to see them tied up for me. Most of the beaver ponds I used to watch have matured into beaver meadows, a nice way to put a sad fact: the beavers that built the beautiful ponds that entranced me since 1994 were gone. Back in the summer I saw that a beaver was still in the Lost Swamp Pond. I hadn't been out at pond since late September. So I came to see if it was still there. <br />
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After the owl flew off, I turned and walked down to the Lost Swamp Pond and I saw immediately that the beaver was almost surely still there. All the pond was iced over except for an open pool of water behind the beaver lodge.<br />
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There were also enough thin branches sticking up out of the ice on one side of the lodge to pass for an adequate winter cache for a beaver or two. But I didn't see anything cut along the shore of the pond. For years chronicling the winter lumbering of the beavers fueled my journals. This beaver did nothing to chronicle. For the last three winters it had survived in the pond without cutting a single tree. But I was glad it was there. It meant that I might come out to the pond during thaws on chance that I might see the beavers and thus prove that it is there. Then I thought I saw a beaver floating in the pool of water. I didn't have my binoculars so couldn't be sure. I took a photo.<br />
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Then as I walked over to the dam, the beaver floating in the pool of open water slapped its tail.<br />
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Periodically this beaver had worked on the dam, especially when it had a companion. Unfortunately, I didn't see any activity along the dam but I took a photo so I'd have a before photo if something happened after worth writing about.<br />
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The few inches of snow we had soon melted. No white Christmas but it did get cold a few days later. Checking frozen ponds when there is no snow cover is one of the pleasures of winter, especially early in the season when the ice is not scarred and made opaque by the incredible contortions water is put through during a long winter. Unfortunately the ice was not thick enough to walk on. I tried and saw water seep into the long crack made by my tentative steps. So I couldn't go out and see how many bubbles were under the ice near the lodge.<br />
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I did see bubbles under the ice as I walked along the north shore of the pond heading up to the dam. <br />
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Under the ice and bubbles I could see sticks stripped by a beaver, but, of course, the sticks could have been stripped long ago and the bubbles under the ice might have been made by muskrats. A few feet farther along the shore, I saw a new muskrat pyramid of grass, an airy place for it to catch a breath and warm up.<br />
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But that white blob of a bubble was one big bubble for a muskrat to make. Bubbles primarily come from air escaping from the fur of mammals swimming under water. That leaves a nice trail of small bubbles in the case of a muskrat, larger for a beaver. That big bubble however looked like the upshot of a huge exhale of air. Up at the dam there were more big bubbles under the ice <br />
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and there were craters, if you will, of holes in the ice that had frozen over.<br />
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This certainly looked like an otter had been swimming under the ice behind the dam and cracking up for a breath of air. But beavers do that too. I checked the latrine where otters usually scat when they visit this pond, and saw a bit of scat, but it did not look that fresh.<br />
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I had a good bit to think about as I walked home but I didn't start writing a journal. I was excited enough to tell Leslie and after a fresh snowfall on New Year's Day she woke me up on the 2nd with the cry of "let's go see the otters." I pooh-poohed such boasting and off we went.<br />
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After 20 years of checking on beavers ponds both my brain and the terrain are wired with a circular route that takes me to each of the dozen or so ponds I used to watch. So even though the Lost Swamp Pond is the only one that still has a resident beaver, we had the Big Pond to contend with first. Though no longer "Big", it did have a few pools of water, freshly frozen, and the inch or two of snow gave some relief to the brown of the all the vegetation in and around the pond. I saw some muskrat lodges that I hadn't noticed before.<br />
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These whirls of dead grass generally last one winter. When the Big Pond was big, I once walked on the ice and counted 13 large muskrat lodges. Muskrats generally live in burrows in the bank, or in beaver lodges that are protected with mud and sticks. But they also prepare places to get themselves out from under the ice as they browse for greens to eat. Coyotes and minks invariably dig into these grass lodges. Indeed a coyote had already dug into the biggest of the four we saw around the pond.<br />
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The coyote left its prints and pee in the snow and probably got nothing to eat because the muskrat could escape out in the pond and swim to another pile or into a burrow in the bank. There were bubbles under the ice around the pile the coyote had dug into.<br />
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I have great respect for coyotes but mammals who operate under the ice are a higher order of being, muskrats especially. Beavers and otters usually make sure they can operate in relatively deep water. Their skill at swimming is well known to all who watch nature shows on TV. Ponds can freeze solid so operating in water too deep to freeze is important but not to muskrats. When the ice freezes thick down to the pond mud, they make trails in the mud under the ice. Sounds easy until you try to visualize it, and then you get a headache. As we walked up the pond we crossed a snaking crust of ice where water rushing into the shallow pond after some rain had bubbled up through a crack in the ice and froze as the temperature plunged.<br />
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We were able to walk on the ice of the Lost Swamp Pond but we stayed away from the beaver lodge, it being too early for my annual plunge thru thin ice.<br />
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Of course we didn't walk directly up to the dam either for the same reason. We went up on a roll of granite, just a billion years old, and from there saw the ephemera we longed to see. <br />
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In the snow all animals make tracks, otters write journals so enigmatic that the only way I can decipher them is by writing my own journal.<br />
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The wide deep troughs in the photo above prove an adult otter couldn't resist bellying down in the snow. Back in 1997 I saw two adult otters play in the first snow of the year but they didn't mess around like what I was seeing in 2015. We strained to see sure proof that a mother and two or three pups had just been up on the ice. The mother otter hunkers down with her pups in beaver ponds for the long winter and now and then they come out from under the ice usually at dawn and.... you look at the mess they left and try to figure it out.<br />
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We didn't walk over the tracks and look for small prints even though snow or thaw would soon cover or clean up the mess of slides. It had been so long since we had seen something like this that we didn't want to mar it. Since otters live off the fish in the pond, they don't look for anything to eat on the ice and rocky shore. But they do have to leave their mark to warn other otters away. We saw a huge black scat, two small brown squirts and generous pee stains in the snow.<br />
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That doesn't necessarily add up to a mother and two pups. Otters often do a dance before they poop, rolling around in the snow, then sniffing the spot first, then turning around and letting fly. In the photo above a big print is easy to see. I think I see a small one too. But Leslie and I were both struck by the shapes in the snow with lines left by an otter's fur. <br />
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An adult otter would flatten the snow. A lighter pup might caress it in just that way.<br />
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If adults made all the slithering slides, they might leave this pond and go anywhere, back to the St. Lawrence River, for example, where we have seen scats along the shore during the fall. But a mother and her pups will probably stay. We could hear water rushing through the dam maybe just from the freezing and thawing, but probably because mother otter is letting water out of the pond to make it easier for her and her pups to find fish. Time will tell. And with an otter making holes in the ice and draining the water out of the pond, we might soon see that beaver come out at the dam, not to repair the dam but to get some fresh air.<br />
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I was already writing future journal entries in my brain. I've watched this unfold many times over the years. I'm back being schooled by otters. As usual, with the senses livened up other things begin to fall in place. Leslie dared me to go home by a very old route up the grandest granite slope. At the base of it I stumbled over fresh porcupine poop and got a glimpse of its steamy den.<br />
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Up just beyond the crest of the granite, a flock a cedar waxwings were nipping buck thorn berries or sprucing their feathers in the cold wind.Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-10032690080818692732013-12-21T17:23:00.004-08:002013-12-22T17:36:50.060-08:00March 17 to 31, 2003<span style="font-size: medium;">March 17 It did not get below freezing last night and today, with 50 degree temperature and hazy sunshine, the snow crystallized into ice balls. When that extended deeply there was a pleasant slush as I walked, but too often there was a collapse through layers of snow below. A weary walk even with snowshoes but worth it for the livelier dripping today, though the ponds have not opened an inch, even old holes through the ice aren't expanding. And worth it to see evidence that the animals are still going about their business. The lump of deer "fodder" under the tree had been smoothed out</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and the carcass begins to look depleted. I was surprised at how little has been ripped apart from this carcass. The scapula begins to appear but remains attached, and not one leg has been ripped off. Are small animals the principal diners?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Once again it was easier to say there was no sign of fresh activity at the otter hole on the side of the Big Pond, though the thaw reveals more scat and another hole into the snow bank and a subtle one at that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">How reliant one becomes on fresh snow to elucidate what's going on. To conserve energy I didn't go down to the dam today. I went straight across the deteriorating pond onto the bepooled Lost Swamp Pond, a bepool being water on top of the ice. I walked down to the beaver lodge, but could see no signs of beaver activity. Too wet to walk out of the lodge. I walked down to the Second Swamp Pond, into the wind, and reasoned that if the snow on the knoll behind the lodge was soft, I might get up there quietly enough to sneak up on a beaver. Well, the snow was not quiet, indeed rather deep. A bit exhausted I sat on a trunk up on the knoll below the cedars. Chickadees visited but no beavers. I did admire the work they did on a large white oak branch that seems to have assumed a perfect height after falling.</span><br />
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<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">I pressed on up and over the ridge to the East Trail Pond hoping to keep upwind and thus see the beavers. With spyglass I did see a beaver lumped outside the new hole, head down, nibbling, but as I struggled down the hill, the noise I made must have sent the beaver into the hole which my previous harassments had probably inspired the beavers to build. When I got over to the hole, I could see that the log of yesterday was stowed below</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq44znDGZcpPs_4DzFcL__pXmEBbubUjsGyPQ3AGSffRXgKP0h2FWzeVXQT2xz-P8ClSOt8RaiEqyuI_AQ4H14fuE1pppNhD3KYpAM2qPD_fJ3DyKdMiHAYEUN-ck_5Na9xpXGni3Z_5g/s1600/etnewhole17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq44znDGZcpPs_4DzFcL__pXmEBbubUjsGyPQ3AGSffRXgKP0h2FWzeVXQT2xz-P8ClSOt8RaiEqyuI_AQ4H14fuE1pppNhD3KYpAM2qPD_fJ3DyKdMiHAYEUN-ck_5Na9xpXGni3Z_5g/s400/etnewhole17.jpg" /></a></div><div align="left"><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then I checked for otters. Still no new activity at the lodge. At the hole below the mossy rock I was perplexed by a white mucousy scat that did not look juicy fresh, but I am sure I would have noticed and photograph such a scat if I had seen it before.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzoEdH0qsYb8C2FV1eakOXnuooAXFOwFjgS4rLhOoHkJ7_-ABECeE3cwkJzftGoE-G1yEIGLr-FQFug38ShuHsOJTd99S6UxbNDZA-TiGld4jrjJtNux5uD-mCBqZzGHDZIlCcaSO-WQ/s1600/whitescat17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzoEdH0qsYb8C2FV1eakOXnuooAXFOwFjgS4rLhOoHkJ7_-ABECeE3cwkJzftGoE-G1yEIGLr-FQFug38ShuHsOJTd99S6UxbNDZA-TiGld4jrjJtNux5uD-mCBqZzGHDZIlCcaSO-WQ/s400/whitescat17.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">I saw a fresh track going down into the hole but it looked more like a raccoon print than an otter's. There was nothing new at the middle hole into the dam. At the hole on the east side of the dam, the old lava of scat continues to reappear, but the mud outside the hole looked moist and fresh beyond what the thaw might do.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeZ50IfdAHVG5vKWgJEg5HxwuhQCAPftNqlOsaTCi2NDD6IzXPlyLGRvx5PcdreKJDABlGH6GF4CaZy8aGxklBt-W9ug9SyB6y8s4N5vFjCyJwkvm2GvjfTquuST0pF1k1nJaemjQziQ/s1600/etothole17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeZ50IfdAHVG5vKWgJEg5HxwuhQCAPftNqlOsaTCi2NDD6IzXPlyLGRvx5PcdreKJDABlGH6GF4CaZy8aGxklBt-W9ug9SyB6y8s4N5vFjCyJwkvm2GvjfTquuST0pF1k1nJaemjQziQ/s400/etothole17.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">Plus on the scat that may well be old was goo that I think is fresh. So I think otters are still here. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CaZmIaG2TUGgSl_sKz1uDVwVfj-uSAv4YpyYi_UAuL67wVS-1o3powWvsWlwhkOM0tihXPfwlDaG0ptoeYToD_EB-8joV2s6o_bdfV-GXNT4yKravb563BLONSbvb1_k4IkWHiDENXc/s1600/scat17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CaZmIaG2TUGgSl_sKz1uDVwVfj-uSAv4YpyYi_UAuL67wVS-1o3powWvsWlwhkOM0tihXPfwlDaG0ptoeYToD_EB-8joV2s6o_bdfV-GXNT4yKravb563BLONSbvb1_k4IkWHiDENXc/s400/scat17.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">I decided to go home the way I came. The idiots at Thousand Island Park were once again burning in the dump and going back toward that meant almost choking smoke. And there is some safety in using the holes one has already put in the snow cover. I checked the Second Swamp Pond dam on the way. Enough water is gushing through the dam now to form a small stream below it. More scat appeared in the area, but I think it is old. The snow is so soft there, an otter moving about would have to leave more of an impression. Going up that pond along the edges of the melt pools, and then across the other ponds seemed to save me much effort. Going that way also gave me another perspective on the deer, seeing it from below.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8J5L09uDeTHH2HYyJFMD20SY-_XYNbPKaGXwDg5uW2zz6I2696TLD76GxgqzDjQVBVx-HjXlZ3WAghnXVL9SZzo2SAHCsnhgfPZ56Zpqyx2KiW_mNsvjn8yGwTFTurE5G7cAdxxcikU/s1600/deercar17b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8J5L09uDeTHH2HYyJFMD20SY-_XYNbPKaGXwDg5uW2zz6I2696TLD76GxgqzDjQVBVx-HjXlZ3WAghnXVL9SZzo2SAHCsnhgfPZ56Zpqyx2KiW_mNsvjn8yGwTFTurE5G7cAdxxcikU/s400/deercar17b.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">How deflated it looks, and how strange the remaining ball of fodder, as I call it. Then what made the slogging ordeal worth it after all, was the spring-like dripping of water onto the lush lichen wall of a granite rock face</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNM3ANdf_EcZ2ErOjB7_m-yLDQky_j-bsR8m0cMqaTRI1yVgVilp559x1SNgrR7R8oGeNvOdp90yDiDKaEXK3eoEMkFwKi5D3-0ZN4Ozch3x1G4vIlOxveK-o48yorETpseIDy_2lmLnU/s1600/cliff17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNM3ANdf_EcZ2ErOjB7_m-yLDQky_j-bsR8m0cMqaTRI1yVgVilp559x1SNgrR7R8oGeNvOdp90yDiDKaEXK3eoEMkFwKi5D3-0ZN4Ozch3x1G4vIlOxveK-o48yorETpseIDy_2lmLnU/s400/cliff17.jpg" /></a></div><div align="left"><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Almost tropical</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbVj3RGZdIDzCFaU8qwLG-Noxu5urLvqYZXiJ5IvNhdptFsOFERU40Q5ms-n9AzKnU-JDe53UI9FR815N2ORQbrfZ0vOXyt85MFd-hLiYnKJicYeDRBOkhAX99JwqGodXd_-EUiTPgRU/s1600/lichens17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbVj3RGZdIDzCFaU8qwLG-Noxu5urLvqYZXiJ5IvNhdptFsOFERU40Q5ms-n9AzKnU-JDe53UI9FR815N2ORQbrfZ0vOXyt85MFd-hLiYnKJicYeDRBOkhAX99JwqGodXd_-EUiTPgRU/s400/lichens17.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">New bird arrivals: killdeer and, out on the river, ring necked ducks. By later afternoon the channel was opening in front of our dock -- c'est l'aviron!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 19 it went well below freezing last night, so I set off to the tour the ponds a little after 8am so I could take advantage of the firmed up ice and snow. And if I hadn't been detained waiting for otters to appear, I would have managed brilliantly, but at about 11 am the snow started collapsing with each step. Back to the beginning: the deer carcass was rearranged, curiously. Parts are gathered in rather than pulled apart. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fIMJChu5qUR69PECY-4Gun9HSLpcmC3dCkSpi05ZYShbEDgOTvL1OYFVRQm_FdzLYmaLAnK0sO_hDTkCkrdtCNJ0lPDY9ZByy1WG20HobIyDBgaPcC8B4GHInpDIf_4ZsYqQbtZbI8Q/s1600/deercar19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fIMJChu5qUR69PECY-4Gun9HSLpcmC3dCkSpi05ZYShbEDgOTvL1OYFVRQm_FdzLYmaLAnK0sO_hDTkCkrdtCNJ0lPDY9ZByy1WG20HobIyDBgaPcC8B4GHInpDIf_4ZsYqQbtZbI8Q/s400/deercar19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I still envision a large bird in-gathering, but I think the eagles have left the area. Three muddy trails radiating from the widening pool near the old beaver lodge that the otters had been using forced me to pause.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbTr6JN_k9TLtHLCBUVf1Nhx41MAOeIQWsViZ_qXe9M8vMoK0ZS-grpX923QNL3OOlabDbfVtsUmfARClbytS0V6aCg8Oy7lIONP6I5foyf0t_J5NFBqezXgKSkc_wnqqqXO3QbNELvw/s1600/bphole19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbTr6JN_k9TLtHLCBUVf1Nhx41MAOeIQWsViZ_qXe9M8vMoK0ZS-grpX923QNL3OOlabDbfVtsUmfARClbytS0V6aCg8Oy7lIONP6I5foyf0t_J5NFBqezXgKSkc_wnqqqXO3QbNELvw/s400/bphole19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Raccoons might not have dragged so much mud, but there were no scats. And the trails looked methodical, like a raccoon's. Down at the dam, there was a rush of water going through and snow had collapsed where the hole had been. Yet there was a trough from what remained of the hole</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBVJNG9G9zE4cazvrl45yglG6G_0tb588hD5MraXuLQiG0FPoqBR4LiZncIXb7u6z9iXJRPW0Vz623Jio2G_cV48L1c2uvz8s9ONV99n6tWPvNG9GNfCFXul-KKxOMGSJdw1qeBX2F0o/s1600/bpdam19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBVJNG9G9zE4cazvrl45yglG6G_0tb588hD5MraXuLQiG0FPoqBR4LiZncIXb7u6z9iXJRPW0Vz623Jio2G_cV48L1c2uvz8s9ONV99n6tWPvNG9GNfCFXul-KKxOMGSJdw1qeBX2F0o/s400/bpdam19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">leading to one whitish scat that I usually pin on otters.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnt7nYzmAiVkJb0750vOgBkinzok8aXba8qi_dcDqChhkK2S6KOP3cHUbDaYJaHnIfLRcghTGLUfvw6Hu4XKrM4NVgPk2sYVfwTPr6Ezh-sTjDTLG4xT8Khh3gkj7_kBn073dv4ZR1Og/s1600/bpscat19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnt7nYzmAiVkJb0750vOgBkinzok8aXba8qi_dcDqChhkK2S6KOP3cHUbDaYJaHnIfLRcghTGLUfvw6Hu4XKrM4NVgPk2sYVfwTPr6Ezh-sTjDTLG4xT8Khh3gkj7_kBn073dv4ZR1Og/s400/bpscat19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">At the Lost Swamp, the beaver lodge way up pond looked changed, and indeed, when I went up to it, I saw that the beavers had broken the ice and luxuriated in a pool.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FkeE_Ft_j0Ku2vUf50yz74ZMw375pCGbdxfFtOloB-Zgwmy8EAmaNadY8bC_d7TuyD3RAqcYBv7wDmmaB1GsDBPwmgCWokAExmq6EYnMJ40x2E1K6Ht-mOMQQToJURHBRTc-PFGR5kk/s1600/lslodge19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FkeE_Ft_j0Ku2vUf50yz74ZMw375pCGbdxfFtOloB-Zgwmy8EAmaNadY8bC_d7TuyD3RAqcYBv7wDmmaB1GsDBPwmgCWokAExmq6EYnMJ40x2E1K6Ht-mOMQQToJURHBRTc-PFGR5kk/s400/lslodge19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I didn't see the remains of much work and all was refrozen and quiet. Then back down at the dam, I was startled to see otter scat, sunk in the snow, but looking old.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv69nCbrcHlZBA8sWT4ADPFJIQchGyQkxldT0q0DLvIALdb0PZAULfRDidZCKtSGee_M8e8GEGRaLu3b8TGhoY1Tgh2EWSDSGigYvRjuwkswgwQEiuLrJQ2a2K1lba4CpXsqgD3EXww5g/s1600/lsdamscats19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv69nCbrcHlZBA8sWT4ADPFJIQchGyQkxldT0q0DLvIALdb0PZAULfRDidZCKtSGee_M8e8GEGRaLu3b8TGhoY1Tgh2EWSDSGigYvRjuwkswgwQEiuLrJQ2a2K1lba4CpXsqgD3EXww5g/s400/lsdamscats19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There was nothing else on the pond ice that struck me as otterly, but there were three trails on the dam coming up from the little pool of water below the dam. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P-3BLqUCkR8FBBtAYIbWsgzKpPQ4mXoC8DwcwOil4dHVnCscpYo3TyJcg-R5zDWp36WkgErJsX66xboCue5e6S3jMW5MvBbB5RizeX3R2ee0HhL7Ue0qJiLIR2lZgm3oLeyRtjT9o58/s1600/uplsdam19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P-3BLqUCkR8FBBtAYIbWsgzKpPQ4mXoC8DwcwOil4dHVnCscpYo3TyJcg-R5zDWp36WkgErJsX66xboCue5e6S3jMW5MvBbB5RizeX3R2ee0HhL7Ue0qJiLIR2lZgm3oLeyRtjT9o58/s400/uplsdam19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I would think that if the scats were old, they would not be sunk in the snow the way they are and the trail up the dam in the middle certainly shows the energy of an otter, and not of a mink or raccoon. Down at the Second Swamp Pond dam I saw more otter activity.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh007k-yNZc7kILKP_gByU5GfQ29C3f3osGr3-kZBfPAKigwHbV6Q12sHC5uhBotG4xX5tmuoHuJAB-oakIK9fmqcyzX8keJ2G6f91KsSI6WqayOo3KGIU2lg28eBrXOziwEhBIaSDJGRY/s1600/spdam19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh007k-yNZc7kILKP_gByU5GfQ29C3f3osGr3-kZBfPAKigwHbV6Q12sHC5uhBotG4xX5tmuoHuJAB-oakIK9fmqcyzX8keJ2G6f91KsSI6WqayOo3KGIU2lg28eBrXOziwEhBIaSDJGRY/s400/spdam19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Not only were scats in the snow, but the snow on top of the dam was churned up;</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheT6lOzYnFZM-FPv7gCHwyhTA_rc1xmcboRl9Zlma7sIZSa1DtbKEIovtPnFLxSAk97LjFdMysBltA6tFuF-i5FbcoVJ-XiEgqJWGXr2yKCvDTA9z-9-7sGRbUkADQVtCAgemKH4WU2Rs/s1600/spscats19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheT6lOzYnFZM-FPv7gCHwyhTA_rc1xmcboRl9Zlma7sIZSa1DtbKEIovtPnFLxSAk97LjFdMysBltA6tFuF-i5FbcoVJ-XiEgqJWGXr2yKCvDTA9z-9-7sGRbUkADQVtCAgemKH4WU2Rs/s400/spscats19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">there was a new tunnel in the snow, and there had been a small hole in the ice of the pond behind the dam. Below the dam water continued to gush out. Of course the flooding and refreezing on the ice behind the dam precluded seeing where these otters might have come from or gone to. I expected it to be too cold for beavers to be out, but I saw much evidence of rather long forays in the wet snow yesterday. A beaver went to the foot of the ridge to get several small alders.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnTmEA-le1vn5yySoLiHnr9ht9r_AeJ0d_Y-ZObpD-cm92YCCHwA6YekhliVmyJ73Er6MpNB-YgbOhdEmLLr3bNmNiFWrEdEXOk_fp1z1MSUoDcTeQCqwlOw_KSIWpUwyJViInVfQuj8/s1600/alders19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnTmEA-le1vn5yySoLiHnr9ht9r_AeJ0d_Y-ZObpD-cm92YCCHwA6YekhliVmyJ73Er6MpNB-YgbOhdEmLLr3bNmNiFWrEdEXOk_fp1z1MSUoDcTeQCqwlOw_KSIWpUwyJViInVfQuj8/s400/alders19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">And near the hole in the pond, the beavers cut the elm they had sampled a week ago, </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mXZbacMBDcWhvxQzg7VUSQn5QqYWeiaTPpIZlGT_f_cJoWef-WzpyBnssTx3L_qi4rq5VpjBdfKggU0e27AkMFY8eLpsPM7BBkhnO_ciyLTT52egcMyQC3FbutxAzcnWtYSHBkrcGU4/s1600/elm19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mXZbacMBDcWhvxQzg7VUSQn5QqYWeiaTPpIZlGT_f_cJoWef-WzpyBnssTx3L_qi4rq5VpjBdfKggU0e27AkMFY8eLpsPM7BBkhnO_ciyLTT52egcMyQC3FbutxAzcnWtYSHBkrcGU4/s400/elm19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and seemed to be ready to cut it again in order to get it down. A pool of discolored water had collected around the lodge but I didn't see any evidence that the beavers tried to break the ice below and make a pool of water to swim in</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXXxjlix0oR2X1Jzn1gl-0mYQukP8zgvJabbqx54nrcjW9l-dQsbimc_Ko09ABUpkSkBASci-nxeVVT33vRmpCPp-IUhbbEKvQUSTY_sJNo5NmI0O2cEZCfsMwX4RsYFE-1nI3NNfAI8/s1600/splodge19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXXxjlix0oR2X1Jzn1gl-0mYQukP8zgvJabbqx54nrcjW9l-dQsbimc_Ko09ABUpkSkBASci-nxeVVT33vRmpCPp-IUhbbEKvQUSTY_sJNo5NmI0O2cEZCfsMwX4RsYFE-1nI3NNfAI8/s400/splodge19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">As I ducked under two trees on my way to the East Trail Pond dam, which I'd been doing all winter, I suddenly noticed a tree in front of me that looked as if the beavers had just cut it. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrs_XXnzhIP4lGuS6D3s6VOiEdoLdSDjNrRzW4EQLu11qyuxc2XXFuQdisjOCVcZrSJKi5BWQYiMLjtJxSIFDSAcwvsCQ2qSrNXtjpm-tt7kf9xpodxXf7bblXt3M0jeIELc4xo59sEc/s1600/etbvwk19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrs_XXnzhIP4lGuS6D3s6VOiEdoLdSDjNrRzW4EQLu11qyuxc2XXFuQdisjOCVcZrSJKi5BWQYiMLjtJxSIFDSAcwvsCQ2qSrNXtjpm-tt7kf9xpodxXf7bblXt3M0jeIELc4xo59sEc/s400/etbvwk19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I saw a plodding trail to it and wondered if my feet could be so small and choppy. Then as I moved forward toward the dam above me, I looked up and saw a beaver, wet and disheveled sitting on the crest of the dam.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Oij4jmu27_qWa-MT5u3QNGXXIsi2KExZe1YRrEC0iTRi6EqZT_460GMzGcZi2YJ1AP4n1H_LYwpc57Htq9hgmuia_V-XdluaLGhL3Re6moPNSRwDjHm4JL5Y4vXEL1wPQtnNohNaxj8/s1600/etbv19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Oij4jmu27_qWa-MT5u3QNGXXIsi2KExZe1YRrEC0iTRi6EqZT_460GMzGcZi2YJ1AP4n1H_LYwpc57Htq9hgmuia_V-XdluaLGhL3Re6moPNSRwDjHm4JL5Y4vXEL1wPQtnNohNaxj8/s400/etbv19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I took some still shots and then got out the camcorder and recorded some grooming. Then the beaver waddled forward and then turned, giving me a profile as it nibbled some wee thing on the dam. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAZgZjzVy29myNqBwAlLnCAx730Mt27NH_EH8gX2UyA5S4z72TcUYR4kRPJNzu0ZLaVJn_FDXr0b9aUe8Fmobwx3GxvYGNPmlOtm8j5WoXYUSB-0YBgnutolE25vw8wJcbcRPsZoc2tc/s1600/bv19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAZgZjzVy29myNqBwAlLnCAx730Mt27NH_EH8gX2UyA5S4z72TcUYR4kRPJNzu0ZLaVJn_FDXr0b9aUe8Fmobwx3GxvYGNPmlOtm8j5WoXYUSB-0YBgnutolE25vw8wJcbcRPsZoc2tc/s320/bv19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">It didn't seem to notice me in particular, but seemed to notice that things weren't exactly right and it waddled back over the dam and disappeared. When I got up there I saw that it had made a near hole angling up through the ice, above five yards from the hole the otters have been using. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9PWBVhOlBD7N2BW9C3kyYpUNuK8qUCqwMwasMP2JzcAhW6Z5iwZ4H-ZHd7E9hvtqaVr0q_EU0EG87YTVFbjUJIsN7npSoE5Jt9KiDiAtrPvb6OqQHwdO_rulpAjygW77UKsltC-yBcGE/s1600/etholes19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9PWBVhOlBD7N2BW9C3kyYpUNuK8qUCqwMwasMP2JzcAhW6Z5iwZ4H-ZHd7E9hvtqaVr0q_EU0EG87YTVFbjUJIsN7npSoE5Jt9KiDiAtrPvb6OqQHwdO_rulpAjygW77UKsltC-yBcGE/s400/etholes19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">As I stood near the holes I heard otter screeching from below the ice. My first thought was that the otters were reacting to the beaver. I moved up the hill slowly and quietly and sat on a dry birch trunk and waited for otters to come out. I waited a half hour, in vain. Then I moved up higher on the knoll to see where a beaver trail coming up to it ended, and I noticed a hole in the snow where the old beaver lodge is and perhaps a hole down into the pond from that vantage. Then I noticed a head moving in the hole.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJcp8eddwv5O8nbb2CK4-Q5xTzRU2hPyvaNyZ_YzLvrLIeCn0QCe0Elzm_CKWj4xVmKNdhXkRxorNlin7CWSiEFtiuLsCXK4rBSeXNLNcqQg3OVd0MxOpo7Llb0_cjLC6Hm-JHStqClo/s1600/critinhole19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJcp8eddwv5O8nbb2CK4-Q5xTzRU2hPyvaNyZ_YzLvrLIeCn0QCe0Elzm_CKWj4xVmKNdhXkRxorNlin7CWSiEFtiuLsCXK4rBSeXNLNcqQg3OVd0MxOpo7Llb0_cjLC6Hm-JHStqClo/s400/critinhole19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I thought it was an otter's head, but there was no noise and the video is not good, but from the video it looks more like a beaver's head! Still, it would be a move more characteristic of an otter and it came to the hole from the direction of the otters. So.... I decided to go to the other side of the pond to get the wind full in my face, I eased down the way I came up, trying not to disturb the otters, but when I eased passed their hole, I elicited a growing chorus of screeches. They were upset at me not the beaver. My vigil on the other side of the pond was in vain, but on the way and back I chronicled several scats and many prints and slides.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFUHjQgQKb3rCJHIg6zhniiUPR2a2Q38JYH0qVaTO6TLrir-djgPbxqylsyjljRYvyKcgy4UdLEGWq-KL490CqZ9HnPvtyizVzLCgB4oSA90UBMSxY274W38G5fVqeHMRA7vgPkemb7A/s1600/otslides19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFUHjQgQKb3rCJHIg6zhniiUPR2a2Q38JYH0qVaTO6TLrir-djgPbxqylsyjljRYvyKcgy4UdLEGWq-KL490CqZ9HnPvtyizVzLCgB4oSA90UBMSxY274W38G5fVqeHMRA7vgPkemb7A/s400/otslides19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">My guess was that the four otters who left a while back had returned. I went down stream to Otter Hole Pond and found activity at Otter Hole dam, including a rush of water through a new hole. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36D3MdyVB0ZWTM2lhZESSjm5eRhezBw9k1enetk7xcioD_4lVDD6dLOCm4ReB9_td18s1QWLHtIHAFNg20AWQUQexMu9-iayaIz9XpVjqO1uhkfpI4HrWMpo5heLMUfLp9clGEPIhWNA/s1600/ohdam19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36D3MdyVB0ZWTM2lhZESSjm5eRhezBw9k1enetk7xcioD_4lVDD6dLOCm4ReB9_td18s1QWLHtIHAFNg20AWQUQexMu9-iayaIz9XpVjqO1uhkfpI4HrWMpo5heLMUfLp9clGEPIhWNA/s400/ohdam19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">All winter there had been more leaking from the hole on the north side of the dam. Today there was no leak there and all the water was coming out from the middle of the dam, below the fresh otter scats. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhg-IQKbA5S8luCp1WE4Y2GG2feLQEbTT1-jwXB50Y8ZfHOkaZZvBR_ENtoqpW5z71_e5EYSifFLXSwALMRuZzqZi60gexi1Xul7ZYjad-G7gYoWE0N3kP-eS89TnPAJ94U53jKjI6Aw/s1600/ohdamscats19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhg-IQKbA5S8luCp1WE4Y2GG2feLQEbTT1-jwXB50Y8ZfHOkaZZvBR_ENtoqpW5z71_e5EYSifFLXSwALMRuZzqZi60gexi1Xul7ZYjad-G7gYoWE0N3kP-eS89TnPAJ94U53jKjI6Aw/s400/ohdamscats19.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There was also otter activity on Beaver Point Pond dam, including some bloody remains, and finally down at South Bay, where there was a great rush of water down the creek, I saw four otter slides coming up out of the bay. Once again I am juggling a great many otters. Two were in the East Trail Pond and now I have to add four more again. Perhaps the two went back to the Second Swamp Pond and then from their up to the Lost Swamp Pond. And there seems to be at least one otter in the Big Pond. I saw three hawks, perhaps the same one twice, but my mind was under the ice so I let them fly over without much scrutiny. I need a fresh snow. Instead, rain is in the forecast for tomorrow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 21 the rain came yesterday and last night and this morning dawned in a fog. I knew there was still much snow in woods and swamps, but I girded myself. I had a plan. I drove over to the TIP dump and walked in on the impression in the snow made by heavy equipment brought in after the recent ice storm. Then I trusted I could cross a bit of Beaver Point Pond and get up on the south-facing ridges and have easy passage to the East Trail Pond. I soon discovered that the ponds were impassable. Where water had not pool a foot deep over the ice, the deep slush gave way to a foot of water below. I made my way across the dam, which did not have the look of a recent otter visit, and then tried to follow where I remembered high ground and tree trunks to be. A pretty good memory got me to the ridge in pretty good shape. There might have been otter activity on Otter Hole Dam, but I saved that for my return trip. Gaining the ridge I tried some photos of the pond below.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nRaWrfDaO011L6gAU3YcZLtqOmoOjsbzHabjY_lXw3NOhntXB3jtGiCsqidkrZMPXT_CZsKit2_vzK9xGKaPv-KqomMP-Y188icVDlsdt1sOrOo9Vwp_2sd1GixcTZefdGUPU63q-0w/s1600/ohpond21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nRaWrfDaO011L6gAU3YcZLtqOmoOjsbzHabjY_lXw3NOhntXB3jtGiCsqidkrZMPXT_CZsKit2_vzK9xGKaPv-KqomMP-Y188icVDlsdt1sOrOo9Vwp_2sd1GixcTZefdGUPU63q-0w/s400/ohpond21.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and then I tried to stitch together a panorama</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBo-crO5K2hd2olq6QA0f9RyYWxGciSagWhJ1_dHP__CO9hU6QE_dI4oXetQGEVaC7BGrucXMDaRL8cl-Ne2-kz3go2Xp-42zVK4X67f-qPwXVrB3QiMz8oZUdB20Q-XeOHT9lb8uIQKU/s1600/ohpondpan21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBo-crO5K2hd2olq6QA0f9RyYWxGciSagWhJ1_dHP__CO9hU6QE_dI4oXetQGEVaC7BGrucXMDaRL8cl-Ne2-kz3go2Xp-42zVK4X67f-qPwXVrB3QiMz8oZUdB20Q-XeOHT9lb8uIQKU/s400/ohpondpan21.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Not bad; it was that dull a day. The ridge was easy walking, and I even found a glove I dropped back when the snow was only six inches deep. And from the ridge I soon saw a beaver up on the East Trail Pond dam grooming above the hole into the pond where I saw a beaver the last time I was here. And soon after that, saw that there were two beavers.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBG59JCeyiAqaj8RKMUZhJ8PCXJrFfbytIG5chMNv0TEi3GbSZmYmt3kH4fKnbfQUoxuAvVpWz2if_JlkjET4Dlc8F6VqhT9WwJCCiWXbs-g4otyk8-kSU1y4BlqSLnv4c4VVTEJxA0Q/s1600/bvsatdam21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBG59JCeyiAqaj8RKMUZhJ8PCXJrFfbytIG5chMNv0TEi3GbSZmYmt3kH4fKnbfQUoxuAvVpWz2if_JlkjET4Dlc8F6VqhT9WwJCCiWXbs-g4otyk8-kSU1y4BlqSLnv4c4VVTEJxA0Q/s400/bvsatdam21.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then I saw that a beaver had cut some trees along the creek below me, and then I saw a beaver, about 30 yards down the creek, nibbling sticks. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqy4cpwBbIQ9BQBzIPG6ayIBYjybwJBHc3Zcxf-kp_LpygKbk1taATWu40t784f6lp7dOun5_NXpmSO3dxqGubDisp-gGN392NDyL8ak8SFlVKc4dt2gv0Epi_6A1_ElitQVTN_4kU3C8/s1600/bvincreek21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqy4cpwBbIQ9BQBzIPG6ayIBYjybwJBHc3Zcxf-kp_LpygKbk1taATWu40t784f6lp7dOun5_NXpmSO3dxqGubDisp-gGN392NDyL8ak8SFlVKc4dt2gv0Epi_6A1_ElitQVTN_4kU3C8/s400/bvincreek21.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I tried to sit in a relatively dry spot up on the ridge to see what might happen. The beavers at the dam seemed immovable as they groomed, but the beaver by the creek ambled another few feet down stream and nibbled more sticks. Then it ventured closer to the creek and fell through the ice into the rushing drink. It managed to turn around, swim a little upstream, and climb onto to ice, which broke, more ice which broke again. And then it marched on through the deep wet snow, heading up the ridge. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZfLFlNXTUj_FgBuwlbVvdY2WhXKqDydDS3dXwrmvterd0TY4yzIEtIsZziNqYqgbNiNkOt9aAoapJvPGAKNXkkUD2nPPxAldwhdqhOY0WnV1wLReLYsvFFqvzSE3anRemgFvL_8QRc8/s1600/Mar22%2302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZfLFlNXTUj_FgBuwlbVvdY2WhXKqDydDS3dXwrmvterd0TY4yzIEtIsZziNqYqgbNiNkOt9aAoapJvPGAKNXkkUD2nPPxAldwhdqhOY0WnV1wLReLYsvFFqvzSE3anRemgFvL_8QRc8/s400/Mar22%2302.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">This astounded me. I've watched beavers in the snow for three winters now, and before they always had traction, if not a good angle to get back to safety. This beaver was chin deep in snow, really swimming in it, going further away from the safety of the pond as it went up a ridge. To get back to the pond rapidly it would have to go back to the firmer ice and snow along the creek, which is really too shallow to offer safety,) and then go up hill to the dam, and then up and over a six foot high dam. As it went up the ridge it seemed to be shopping for the right tree, found a good one, skinny and tall, easily cut it and then laborious took it down to the creek and then instead of nibbling it there, as it had with the other sticks, it dragged the stick all the way back to the pond.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5FeDLY_ez11AHtGtc6ckVXdqv7PlTzqZ-PlZLritx9NAZQPKBeLT_Z6TaqjbKffbO9aN9DzoiIM3TfBYQiViwgkaTIR9kzR8uTz9rMVqnSGoKZFqOLSgCXIcwAhUikwG2x38pUJTNHI/s1600/Mar22%2303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5FeDLY_ez11AHtGtc6ckVXdqv7PlTzqZ-PlZLritx9NAZQPKBeLT_Z6TaqjbKffbO9aN9DzoiIM3TfBYQiViwgkaTIR9kzR8uTz9rMVqnSGoKZFqOLSgCXIcwAhUikwG2x38pUJTNHI/s400/Mar22%2303.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The bigger beaver hunched at the crest of the dam didn't seem impressed, and the other beaver hunched in the hole seemed in the way, if the industrious beaver wanted to take the sapling into the pond water. That worthy retreated a bit, cut the sapling in half and started nibbling the more tender part, for which, of course, it didn't have to bring the sapling all the way up to the dam. The other problem was that these beavers were right in the way of my self-appointed rounds: checking the holes for otter scat, going over the relatively snowless ridge to the Second Swamp Pond to check on those beavers, and then to get up to the Lost Swamp Pond where I thought otters had moved. So I went down to the dam, hoping to get a good still photo of the trio and gently scare them back into their hole. I did noticed as I got closer that the bigger beaver had deigned to nibble the industrious beaver's offering.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4keDi1xyMgjGYVL9kaqQADdd69gmZTyrdGk4FU51pdq44ewWSdAMQDQnOp0prYbw7e8WVJiCVpomsQpXgyP43dL0Y_30vNDvmBfpWk8KQ26JISbxzuR8RHgodVPNZjtsTaTS6GJcY-iU/s1600/threebvs21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4keDi1xyMgjGYVL9kaqQADdd69gmZTyrdGk4FU51pdq44ewWSdAMQDQnOp0prYbw7e8WVJiCVpomsQpXgyP43dL0Y_30vNDvmBfpWk8KQ26JISbxzuR8RHgodVPNZjtsTaTS6GJcY-iU/s400/threebvs21.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I had paused at a place on the dam that gave me a good vantage on the hole in the ice behind the dam, which otters seem to have been using because there was a good bit of fresh scat on the snow above it</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjftnB_fkHjfAHzGQbFmXB-5CLoIccZRknSxoxXeb-S-kdVPcn1IlpzZmVhwTCxKwjCIU8_YLqqAJn0P2cAevI0b2SS2Fcwn7zfi-bYoMa1J786Q_9LBlyoH9sMG6ApMQfZELrtAMSnZs/s1600/etdamscat21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjftnB_fkHjfAHzGQbFmXB-5CLoIccZRknSxoxXeb-S-kdVPcn1IlpzZmVhwTCxKwjCIU8_YLqqAJn0P2cAevI0b2SS2Fcwn7zfi-bYoMa1J786Q_9LBlyoH9sMG6ApMQfZELrtAMSnZs/s400/etdamscat21.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">And then a beaver surfaced at the hole. Fortunately I was taking video of the three beavers, so I trained the camcorder down on the beaver below me. I wondered if it would slap its tail when it noticed me, but it didn't notice me.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38kP4lJFkKSANVfQRUljw5g-Af2K2YxwzZfla1cEzrswytaMo0V3WGhIApA6xEF6Rk_qU9u_t2PJbTCVxmP6SHCndOT6YGd4v-gfKGGzF0aXxAzDq2A3105ykBO4waG63ppz3_SU2tH4/s1600/Mar22%2304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38kP4lJFkKSANVfQRUljw5g-Af2K2YxwzZfla1cEzrswytaMo0V3WGhIApA6xEF6Rk_qU9u_t2PJbTCVxmP6SHCndOT6YGd4v-gfKGGzF0aXxAzDq2A3105ykBO4waG63ppz3_SU2tH4/s400/Mar22%2304.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">It even climbed out of the pond onto the ice ten feet in front of me and started grooming.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt4NbxdgU5odFMcWxXWofP89WtqfrJzutRp70hj_FT38-hckI8VlT9fxipMcKqXMhIYuiXdrWYpHBhu9sQgtTCeAzYDHnyutX6Kp4ZmQSVYvpEuKIJoa4nWJc_SLgTl_gyk_tGyiNFWRA/s1600/Mar22%2305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt4NbxdgU5odFMcWxXWofP89WtqfrJzutRp70hj_FT38-hckI8VlT9fxipMcKqXMhIYuiXdrWYpHBhu9sQgtTCeAzYDHnyutX6Kp4ZmQSVYvpEuKIJoa4nWJc_SLgTl_gyk_tGyiNFWRA/s400/Mar22%2305.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The beaver groomed as beavers always seem to groom, methodically, often with two front paws going at once, pushing away the folds of its belly fur, and at times bringing the big back feet into play one at a time. But I was so close that I could see its fingernails.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AwW4hhryclT1Sl3-SAKnXDlhaRW7H7u63UMKU8ZfKvMD5JmYSBpuzIC66SzJV2fspamQtX0U5G0q0-yfzE6pgnjJc_jZsNPL9m-s4DwTzw1kHMzBUyE1x0sU1GQVwOEHsZJf2Gb1f50/s1600/Mar22%2307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AwW4hhryclT1Sl3-SAKnXDlhaRW7H7u63UMKU8ZfKvMD5JmYSBpuzIC66SzJV2fspamQtX0U5G0q0-yfzE6pgnjJc_jZsNPL9m-s4DwTzw1kHMzBUyE1x0sU1GQVwOEHsZJf2Gb1f50/s400/Mar22%2307.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7xGO3moIBBiZsz-NXYZ09lTqwvvijL2fP74OJFthXJlaAeVgvHFBfO_R8P_PhOFfboh11gtKBYClKNIS_Wp2eF4S9RzTlFp8VEcHOuAtSD4yvEjS2nWsoG3pDozg8motW0mEh-vCZgw/s1600/Mar22%2309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7xGO3moIBBiZsz-NXYZ09lTqwvvijL2fP74OJFthXJlaAeVgvHFBfO_R8P_PhOFfboh11gtKBYClKNIS_Wp2eF4S9RzTlFp8VEcHOuAtSD4yvEjS2nWsoG3pDozg8motW0mEh-vCZgw/s400/Mar22%2309.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOiezr9hjoj1eVdCLK0BCQ_zKx2Hp40DrjyQ66HBRZdFDmkxA3MWBS07XfRvgpaaLBiS3Y7rFyHXOM_GWg9UO-eGSNxu9krimbx2BARJ_JlHuNBlYegI5TaHvGMOG0lbcaTy0EsOUI7k/s1600/Mar22%2310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOiezr9hjoj1eVdCLK0BCQ_zKx2Hp40DrjyQ66HBRZdFDmkxA3MWBS07XfRvgpaaLBiS3Y7rFyHXOM_GWg9UO-eGSNxu9krimbx2BARJ_JlHuNBlYegI5TaHvGMOG0lbcaTy0EsOUI7k/s400/Mar22%2310.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I also noticed that its tail seemed to missing a piece. A curious thing about a grooming beaver is that it seems to become a ball of fur without personality; its eyes seem to disappear; its head and nose seem to shrink. How different from a beaver nose up floating in a pond. Because of this disappearance of personality, I lost any sense of what pleasure the beaver be getting out of this. The only indication of that was how it kept going over the same places -- a true massage; only now and then giving the impression of worrying repetition, though some spastic scratching was evident, especially with the back feet. I wanted to sneak out my camera and get a good still, but I dared not move. Twice snow collapsed into the creek below us and each time that happened the beaver stopped grooming and assumed an alert pose. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWZZEufUbkdZIaBHaGE4PvmBlb61nlCjgn9xcfr2jndMu1CIXMgkKAwU2dzskhdtDpUX5dQTUJoSfTPvQvodrb_KyaPsbK1bZtc8_g0t6380G6XYtMh5FlXKuMydOnPsE38ZRAWRKfBo/s1600/Mar22%2311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWZZEufUbkdZIaBHaGE4PvmBlb61nlCjgn9xcfr2jndMu1CIXMgkKAwU2dzskhdtDpUX5dQTUJoSfTPvQvodrb_KyaPsbK1bZtc8_g0t6380G6XYtMh5FlXKuMydOnPsE38ZRAWRKfBo/s400/Mar22%2311.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/--qtFFUkW0k?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Then a few moments after the second alert it plunged back into the pond and disappeared. So I resumed my debate over disturbing the beavers as I moved on. The three beavers were still on the other end of the dam, then I saw a beaver come up at the hole atop of the old back lodge (pretty good evidence that it was actually a beaver I saw in that hole the other day.) I assumed it was the beaver that had just been grooming before me. Four beavers persuaded me to retreat, and I did. Of course I turned back to see if I was after all disturbing them, and right in front of me, a beaver came out of a hole I couldn't see up on the dam and slid down the dam into the pool of water over the ice. Obviously the beaver I had been watching hid in the dam. It half walked and half swam through the pool</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqKWVUjj-W405fYlkkbWK9iKPsqIA8GRjajnCjsEsWMMPOobfk12Yiitrgw-72QS5aCK-eZFFQnsOOAV8Q2FF4PIG-CU4X_Y8ElHeuD0oQW7bDyVroxjnZjOdgiW0qjpWrnkbkB8e9U4/s1600/Mar22%2312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqKWVUjj-W405fYlkkbWK9iKPsqIA8GRjajnCjsEsWMMPOobfk12Yiitrgw-72QS5aCK-eZFFQnsOOAV8Q2FF4PIG-CU4X_Y8ElHeuD0oQW7bDyVroxjnZjOdgiW0qjpWrnkbkB8e9U4/s400/Mar22%2312.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">until it gained the water over the true hole through the ice. I could tell it was looking for me</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsggQvsohq_QsmWfGl9YpF6FZgiS0xb2E0Gr2RrBi_PznKmXnLdHhwyz722QObOpmbF-eEaN76H0F112m5yM_zHdiwfpHFJWvFijJgK4EswlxHOUnDt2LPQYo5czHupLetBHDQs275S5U/s1600/bvinhole21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsggQvsohq_QsmWfGl9YpF6FZgiS0xb2E0Gr2RrBi_PznKmXnLdHhwyz722QObOpmbF-eEaN76H0F112m5yM_zHdiwfpHFJWvFijJgK4EswlxHOUnDt2LPQYo5czHupLetBHDQs275S5U/s400/bvinhole21.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Well, now five were arguing me away, so dared myself to cross the rushing creek, and after securing all my cameras, made a successful dash across a slippery log. Now I was all anticipation: what would the Second Swamp Pond beavers be up to? Nothing. They weren't out. I didn't go up to see if they had been out and instead went across the dam. Going was tough and I had to conserve my energy. There was an intriguing rush of water through the high hole the beavers made. Swooshing eddies on the other side of the dam gave the impression that fish were running. The hole through the ice behind the dam was larger</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ecDF7qNZ-wlzQA7zAgnRnwWWDa3hez535nxIQ9NfsdVovVzE9IkJUTHSOlGYLtbkBT1fUtzp0HayEBT9PEcAuUH8sitZ6jAoNYOESChdazA-CZ2VaqySL4F_f2hIPyH7g7wIfI1fgWE/s1600/spdam21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ecDF7qNZ-wlzQA7zAgnRnwWWDa3hez535nxIQ9NfsdVovVzE9IkJUTHSOlGYLtbkBT1fUtzp0HayEBT9PEcAuUH8sitZ6jAoNYOESChdazA-CZ2VaqySL4F_f2hIPyH7g7wIfI1fgWE/s400/spdam21.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and it looked like two gobs of fresh otter scat on the dam.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4Y82urkWZwEEbMiPJ2k-DPPHewM63WWT-rVqebRhMaUGkak74C0Dnocg0gq4vdmaY6mCGG_Ul4Zlz7xcf4Gvv2rSi3U3hQpnRNRepYHwA5QKDsQivBRRV1pmm0o0HwSZcm0ERDjo5Bk/s1600/scat21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4Y82urkWZwEEbMiPJ2k-DPPHewM63WWT-rVqebRhMaUGkak74C0Dnocg0gq4vdmaY6mCGG_Ul4Zlz7xcf4Gvv2rSi3U3hQpnRNRepYHwA5QKDsQivBRRV1pmm0o0HwSZcm0ERDjo5Bk/s400/scat21.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">That inspired me to go up to the Lost Swamp -- very tough trudge, and largely in vain. I could see a beaver in the pool outside the large lodge way up pond, but there had been no activity near the dam. No otters had been there.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LRIxjHoSNE5xhk8fOgMpt1TQJbSr5px-GX8d1sc1B-e-f_bKl8mVMCuYjk2a1sIKeBnULXLwZwICEsfOeI9hq-p6aoWJMw2Z_vFvMCVDItRIyqvixROn1Ilan3fvjxtNRqEuhHSgEfk/s1600/lsdam21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LRIxjHoSNE5xhk8fOgMpt1TQJbSr5px-GX8d1sc1B-e-f_bKl8mVMCuYjk2a1sIKeBnULXLwZwICEsfOeI9hq-p6aoWJMw2Z_vFvMCVDItRIyqvixROn1Ilan3fvjxtNRqEuhHSgEfk/s400/lsdam21.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">As I went along the south shore of the Second Swamp Pond, I got the impression beavers had been out there unbeknownst to me because some beech trees were gnawed. At first I thought porcupines did it, but one at least was gnawed in beaver fashion. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6Y0l8CJl0xbWSu4CmEphwL976nw3FbiWdlZrLbg0fjo8RXD-089KCDjUhFdg2za5BUUSg4h_6csBc56PJpFMZ9_R1nBzKsCX2sOCNx5fI_Wb_DZFfqANdbV3W8yT7l4s5M-kri3-Pu0/s1600/beechgnaw21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6Y0l8CJl0xbWSu4CmEphwL976nw3FbiWdlZrLbg0fjo8RXD-089KCDjUhFdg2za5BUUSg4h_6csBc56PJpFMZ9_R1nBzKsCX2sOCNx5fI_Wb_DZFfqANdbV3W8yT7l4s5M-kri3-Pu0/s400/beechgnaw21.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">So I huffed and puffed and slushed and sludged my way back to the car and to home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 22 rain in the morning but it cleared up at about 11 am and the sun made a beautiful day. We tried to get out on the river, chasing the swans around the island,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWz-RwzZZPs95uT2C0Im3PVJX6h0gY6HUkg3gF6hK8PVqMgnYPGhdQMKcVTyx4OlI0BkB4WijO-VJ6CYWNcmWlNOmZVCUt4WF_H0iHlwH6z1khM4obtKi6nhurUFuHOHgWm6xQYQlYqa8/s1600/swans22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWz-RwzZZPs95uT2C0Im3PVJX6h0gY6HUkg3gF6hK8PVqMgnYPGhdQMKcVTyx4OlI0BkB4WijO-VJ6CYWNcmWlNOmZVCUt4WF_H0iHlwH6z1khM4obtKi6nhurUFuHOHgWm6xQYQlYqa8/s400/swans22.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">(the geese are also back, with two pairs vying for the nesting space on our side of the island,) but the wind picked up and we only went as far as the ice bridge to the island. The better part of it remains 6 inches thick. Then I set off on a hike to the Narrows to see if otters might have been there. Yesterday when I walked along the little causeway of the first South Bay cove, I saw a pale pile perhaps a scat with an almost whole fish in it </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5K_JGiZZMhdi_fXjL2KEbNZTYpS4BhZklO0ub_pSKvXX6iHdW9LNgwy_JD7-KVb6pAffkQ2JG8j80ysnVY1MnWNf-U0bVhk1u2iXY45Y_Tg64iGbNdTDmWkAtL4cx2PeEQWDwax9w-Dg/s1600/whitescat22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5K_JGiZZMhdi_fXjL2KEbNZTYpS4BhZklO0ub_pSKvXX6iHdW9LNgwy_JD7-KVb6pAffkQ2JG8j80ysnVY1MnWNf-U0bVhk1u2iXY45Y_Tg64iGbNdTDmWkAtL4cx2PeEQWDwax9w-Dg/s400/whitescat22.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">which I thought might have been left by an otter. Today I saw a black scat that was definitely otter. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NRmKRUE-_dgGYd4e7bQDHXZ9cmQvjBx6aZ5N3-sI9cLRm5YzpivX18fOeo6rH2lXoaRZwYlpXUMoM3maN6AAj8D-Hy_ZJeaFKQXyUm1-qngHULKYSQzXdZH6rWdNINlEiQ7yBXK6tbo/s1600/blackscat22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NRmKRUE-_dgGYd4e7bQDHXZ9cmQvjBx6aZ5N3-sI9cLRm5YzpivX18fOeo6rH2lXoaRZwYlpXUMoM3maN6AAj8D-Hy_ZJeaFKQXyUm1-qngHULKYSQzXdZH6rWdNINlEiQ7yBXK6tbo/s400/blackscat22.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">One must be fishing in the small opening in the bay caused by the water rushing out of the first swamp ponds. There was more dramatic rushing water at the second cove,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOazGH-D6mK9hUbioqxDyqLzU1BZA5BxOnAJJcnBDM7SDEsrKhAOOoHo34FH705-6prnPuvmssTzNywNd0hcutznGNFfE6cst8yQtBuQkLinOwNf-sDo5bopfHBjy4BQOg9H2H205wbUU/s1600/runoff22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOazGH-D6mK9hUbioqxDyqLzU1BZA5BxOnAJJcnBDM7SDEsrKhAOOoHo34FH705-6prnPuvmssTzNywNd0hcutznGNFfE6cst8yQtBuQkLinOwNf-sDo5bopfHBjy4BQOg9H2H205wbUU/s400/runoff22.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">but no otter signs there. It was easy walking up the north shore of South Bay. I paused to look at the deer carcass on the ice. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5rjTxcQ0GIdHYp813olG5tOXpNiCuUr8JN7b_yUvfG0MbK0Gy5OK7vC3E4m4boCTahrI4jO47_g9ip8m1SFkFJAs-Eu-IRmDiJUFIBBvFqFQbQvn-qu5OO83bfJZTkx3JcnFp1aKiKU/s1600/sbdeercar22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5rjTxcQ0GIdHYp813olG5tOXpNiCuUr8JN7b_yUvfG0MbK0Gy5OK7vC3E4m4boCTahrI4jO47_g9ip8m1SFkFJAs-Eu-IRmDiJUFIBBvFqFQbQvn-qu5OO83bfJZTkx3JcnFp1aKiKU/s400/sbdeercar22.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There was open water in the creek channel and holes along the side for a ways, but then it was solid ice most of the way. So I figured the Narrows would be completely iced. I went up to Audubon Pond and found some otter scat on the embankment above the drain.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_c-imPFxjtRnx_qvJKPKwdXe-Nr1mbeLVx3v5kgmagw4vuNL4uz-Bnjn1j-rIi047xzPbU2Ro5XctBakhSSwctqdeqFEc1hwVzTHjH-sE_9j3PsPrKP7-PIcQ7YZ6KEBJpP3D6KZtyZ4/s1600/apdrain22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_c-imPFxjtRnx_qvJKPKwdXe-Nr1mbeLVx3v5kgmagw4vuNL4uz-Bnjn1j-rIi047xzPbU2Ro5XctBakhSSwctqdeqFEc1hwVzTHjH-sE_9j3PsPrKP7-PIcQ7YZ6KEBJpP3D6KZtyZ4/s400/apdrain22.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Otters had been there a few days ago, but it didn't look like they stayed. And as far as I could see they had not come out from under the ice any where else in the pond. While I was there two hawks flew low over the trees. One had something in its clutches, both were rather vocal. I headed for Meander Pond, enjoying the south slope of the big ridge to the north. The Meander Pond beavers were not out. The pool below the dam was completely opened.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-6IoHLoUD2SvYtaeDQq5ZRgboHer9pebeXlBQhbao-UHdVjAh0mPuEYYo_zSZvBNbh8fVP_KQsz5anrCJkwKT45moMDZGgpCPuwHOXkEh0OIkzFMJTHAqsuHMTsPM1t3mo5CRXD7H5U/s1600/mp22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-6IoHLoUD2SvYtaeDQq5ZRgboHer9pebeXlBQhbao-UHdVjAh0mPuEYYo_zSZvBNbh8fVP_KQsz5anrCJkwKT45moMDZGgpCPuwHOXkEh0OIkzFMJTHAqsuHMTsPM1t3mo5CRXD7H5U/s400/mp22.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">During the spring thaw almost all work looks fresh, so I suspiciously eyed the work along the north shore. I doubt if the beavers have been there but judging from the open water, they could be swimming over from their lodge. Going up the East Trail to my favorite otter viewing rock (in warmer seasons) I saw what kept an eagle around the East Trail for the second half of the winter. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXKUZxwDhIcY3_XJ5akda1eC9sskdGXO2gucaVS3PrZ8mI0VF99KBq9wfbFAX2HLPbol0YsrF1b88VjSBKSuMve7PpXbh8SgZpeBof0828a-kTTmwMAGtg8DT-Qz3cwv86n6d4uHukOI/s1600/deercar22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXKUZxwDhIcY3_XJ5akda1eC9sskdGXO2gucaVS3PrZ8mI0VF99KBq9wfbFAX2HLPbol0YsrF1b88VjSBKSuMve7PpXbh8SgZpeBof0828a-kTTmwMAGtg8DT-Qz3cwv86n6d4uHukOI/s400/deercar22.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I was struck by how much the arrangement of this carcass was like the one in the second valley to the Big Pond. Even the scapula was pulled out in a similar fashion. I found a place to sit that afforded a good view of the East Trail Pond dam, and in a few minutes I noticed a beaver on top of the old bank lodge. It soon disappeared and didn't, as I hoped it would, reappear in the holes behind the dam. Then I checked for otter scats. I am almost certain there is fresh scat on the ice above the hole in the center of the dam.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILzF9rDGD66tJk1_hcWrHaza1P18TIRj3q2-VIINBIlQpmngLeFWTAOTN7kQCbNyNTIg5I3sW69ozqEoP1BysfqO5Vht5JUy4sctULHHM0mfwMoSUYvMohrjVCskSG996RVKW8lC1g74/s1600/otscats22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILzF9rDGD66tJk1_hcWrHaza1P18TIRj3q2-VIINBIlQpmngLeFWTAOTN7kQCbNyNTIg5I3sW69ozqEoP1BysfqO5Vht5JUy4sctULHHM0mfwMoSUYvMohrjVCskSG996RVKW8lC1g74/s400/otscats22.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">It is right where the beaver was grooming yesterday and I surely would have noticed scat there. Also suspended in the water below were what looked like a half dozen beaver scats,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdKkEoxnG1A0L3G-0jVMqFNXA6dDOC0kvpOiT73taRmc-dAr-TDqqo07103T9koJPIqNWRMQA2fhq07Y2GadMUwu4447Rj_DMBrLOgtD_8c_o3NloJcqaleLt2M5uCqUGxO96zEbBrR8/s1600/bvscats22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdKkEoxnG1A0L3G-0jVMqFNXA6dDOC0kvpOiT73taRmc-dAr-TDqqo07103T9koJPIqNWRMQA2fhq07Y2GadMUwu4447Rj_DMBrLOgtD_8c_o3NloJcqaleLt2M5uCqUGxO96zEbBrR8/s400/bvscats22.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">first I've seen this winter. I am wondering if the beaver on the dam yesterday is an outcast, actually living in the dam, which might account for its nipped tail, and somewhat strange behavior. But, on the other hand, there are plenty of empty beaver ponds around. Over at the hole where I heard the otters screech, I found that a beaver put a small stick and some grass in it. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTshA4xLENfJNRiL8Pezul8jzs0ag1_mFmcHdNIoVGiXdps9smaEgVsMEPixr8Bfc3vB4Y6eG626eii4rVebFzvuMsmgcwfj-q7k8NqFcL2PdTERgnewktREcDETsW8UlH69bsNYjMzc/s1600/etothole22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTshA4xLENfJNRiL8Pezul8jzs0ag1_mFmcHdNIoVGiXdps9smaEgVsMEPixr8Bfc3vB4Y6eG626eii4rVebFzvuMsmgcwfj-q7k8NqFcL2PdTERgnewktREcDETsW8UlH69bsNYjMzc/s400/etothole22.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Surely the beavers have taken over this corner of the pond -- it was still too hard going in the slush and snow to check and see if otters might have moved into where the beavers spent the winter. With the pond refilling that might be a good place to find fish. When I stepped on the bank above the hole, I heard a beaver swim out into the water. There is much scat arrayed around the hole and some looks fresh. There are other places for otters to den here, even four of them. I took the dry ridge back to the South Bay trail and so avoided other confusions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 24 It got below freezing last night. The river was calm and I herded two swans out of the cove,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrRoPk8__WlQ5HTK4fq-mRU-iB6sJ2GqM1nC081nsEss9gLUdOZ2ufZXM60JMmieRmfetq4uMBufLLrEuXj4aCRC-MzLhxDaye-BnnSKfE2ZN3Pwnl5mE-zdJdPQBqYdqFqxwL0MRCD0/s1600/swans24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrRoPk8__WlQ5HTK4fq-mRU-iB6sJ2GqM1nC081nsEss9gLUdOZ2ufZXM60JMmieRmfetq4uMBufLLrEuXj4aCRC-MzLhxDaye-BnnSKfE2ZN3Pwnl5mE-zdJdPQBqYdqFqxwL0MRCD0/s400/swans24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The geese more or less stayed put, plus a little honking at one another. I saw a channel clogged with floating ice, and saw ring necks on the other side of the ice bridge to the island. Then I headed for the ponds. The snow is mostly gone. To minimize slogging through what remained, I headed directly up and along the TIP ridge and then came down at Double Lodge Pond dam which was leaking like a sieve. I noticed several dead fish, all small, and a dead frog along the dam. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBJhm7oibwaM6UwDLsWINrqkPptZv-DFK_rtARqguq-G1WpVJKMGqScqJMGMoL81JUB2LKc85psTFDBvZwk1Ie7W4kau0upUjZHU36NlJgbI7QPJ6joOWQV25KeXWlgY_emgfNvvTp_g/s1600/deadfrog24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBJhm7oibwaM6UwDLsWINrqkPptZv-DFK_rtARqguq-G1WpVJKMGqScqJMGMoL81JUB2LKc85psTFDBvZwk1Ie7W4kau0upUjZHU36NlJgbI7QPJ6joOWQV25KeXWlgY_emgfNvvTp_g/s400/deadfrog24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Up at the Big Pond dam all the gush out came mostly from one hole. I saw old otter scat, and I think we can blame otters for putting the hole through the dam, but I didn't see any fresh otter scat. As I stood there pondering that, I saw a muskrat swimming up Double Lodge Pond</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPDBvi79xE68voBZ_lGVb-TkjZXVAlLPYppe9LDHuw93ImpE-tSobPSX9yfixEi0mq_Fy0_2elQmdsQhjkFZswLQFptr-m4_3kS-qWK_D7SXs3q-S4wCqi-1dqEctGmhn3b-fcyRzx-e0/s1600/muskrat24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPDBvi79xE68voBZ_lGVb-TkjZXVAlLPYppe9LDHuw93ImpE-tSobPSX9yfixEi0mq_Fy0_2elQmdsQhjkFZswLQFptr-m4_3kS-qWK_D7SXs3q-S4wCqi-1dqEctGmhn3b-fcyRzx-e0/s400/muskrat24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">With the wind in my face and the rush of water to distract the muskrat's attention, I thought it might swim up to my feet, but it veered off into the grasses. The torrent coming out of the dam was impressive. The hole was three to four feet below the top of the top, looked circular and unimpeded.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtpXFxLQpeZ5_LEdqgd4a0n4LmrvhUJzi-NTBRYD4CqyXMkLd4rT7WZ5FTIkjT_atOk_atQm2iK3ncnRy7JpPGzmiSIq-p_CmZuSLjgDklvp6xpG_jdA6AGy-UN-J-AglKbQPKYaMzzA/s1600/bphole24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtpXFxLQpeZ5_LEdqgd4a0n4LmrvhUJzi-NTBRYD4CqyXMkLd4rT7WZ5FTIkjT_atOk_atQm2iK3ncnRy7JpPGzmiSIq-p_CmZuSLjgDklvp6xpG_jdA6AGy-UN-J-AglKbQPKYaMzzA/s400/bphole24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">A machine could not have drilled a better hole. I saw old scats on the dam, though at this time of year, it is more difficult to distinguish old from new. The pond remained mostly frozen even along the dam</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfCbvPytIl4K4U8sPHV1Qcwzkq38lE5qkGwt74Yb1c3t-g9Gnkc0S3H7ATBLUrgA9UzqBGAJglxY2DlN-SzCWMTn_VnyhyMBzk1J8WmJ6Dy2KFGmFR9YDYrFJpfTjFXtOV8t-3oBfSyg/s1600/bpdam24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfCbvPytIl4K4U8sPHV1Qcwzkq38lE5qkGwt74Yb1c3t-g9Gnkc0S3H7ATBLUrgA9UzqBGAJglxY2DlN-SzCWMTn_VnyhyMBzk1J8WmJ6Dy2KFGmFR9YDYrFJpfTjFXtOV8t-3oBfSyg/s400/bpdam24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">It was easy walking since the water had been low for so long, the mud of the dam was dry. There are no beavers in the pond. Almost at the north end of the dam I found a hole in the ice with a black scat beside it which looked a bit like otter scat. However there was no otter prints on the ice and snow</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwJs0wlgqbIewR0jw_wA2DaO1Vp8ljYupuyG2502K_t8iFluOBWKcznXLY7qJ2Kkt3CkmtgM5OT6hAq6oXoktx1IyAlxUcHTeHm0r02dgDXGXnQYJl1xGK55gnWAFyOwuMAm30FYfASE/s1600/bpicehole24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwJs0wlgqbIewR0jw_wA2DaO1Vp8ljYupuyG2502K_t8iFluOBWKcznXLY7qJ2Kkt3CkmtgM5OT6hAq6oXoktx1IyAlxUcHTeHm0r02dgDXGXnQYJl1xGK55gnWAFyOwuMAm30FYfASE/s400/bpicehole24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">As I walked along the Lost Swamp Pond, I marveled at how it had not changed all winter, no collapsed ice at all. Then at the dam I heard a rush of water. There were two holes in the dam, high up but low enough to send a torrent of water below.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1ZEyTpe0YuzpAASClTHPZtcHVDLtcRPgrBhORj0fL5eCnMecs0cbvy_pK6JspNN8Hr3CbCEJRN73-wQNIotIlp5g0mZF5NySLWOlglV8ZGz-g9cyzkoRTSMvhR8CwbzZHfGwrrAk6iM/s1600/lsdamhole24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1ZEyTpe0YuzpAASClTHPZtcHVDLtcRPgrBhORj0fL5eCnMecs0cbvy_pK6JspNN8Hr3CbCEJRN73-wQNIotIlp5g0mZF5NySLWOlglV8ZGz-g9cyzkoRTSMvhR8CwbzZHfGwrrAk6iM/s400/lsdamhole24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtG_TO47cr-P69lGI2ul-7EXNrMW8gwQCm_bOcQi7tO6UypkH8ZY1eSUCSbKaYdEKnGB3n7En1KUqGIlBV8WbBBA09mJ_Ti2RuTQKCsl-OJdhXt9112nrd8n3DMln53RFjOmOePZ8JHr8/s1600/lsdamhole24a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtG_TO47cr-P69lGI2ul-7EXNrMW8gwQCm_bOcQi7tO6UypkH8ZY1eSUCSbKaYdEKnGB3n7En1KUqGIlBV8WbBBA09mJ_Ti2RuTQKCsl-OJdhXt9112nrd8n3DMln53RFjOmOePZ8JHr8/s400/lsdamhole24a.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There was no fresh otter scat on the dam above the holes and all the scat along the dam was floating in the water, which I take to mean that it was old -- though that is at tricky assumption.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOb5vGNjdXXe36-eSmLmhyoZNY4l5aoLpF0Q-8TB2pzxsxvHfPaPbxdkVDT_eZSGFdAqvKZziYm3Aiknfvcz-1gzneXrxbC2zsr9lE5Eu7tfc4coPRjVfom1hVOxzx1NmD-pIdrpftks/s1600/damscats24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOb5vGNjdXXe36-eSmLmhyoZNY4l5aoLpF0Q-8TB2pzxsxvHfPaPbxdkVDT_eZSGFdAqvKZziYm3Aiknfvcz-1gzneXrxbC2zsr9lE5Eu7tfc4coPRjVfom1hVOxzx1NmD-pIdrpftks/s400/damscats24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">especially when there are white scats, which I associate with this time of year. However, at the lodge, on the rock I found one runny fresh scat,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnj7tfkCIgZu_qgbf-fM7I5ccfmp2LkSpHvSDM3k7qMACzjkYeYzkhGKRKRCgoDQBW8yper8H5T6OWNF2V8qHL1qISvTwjo2hzY2mYXo-jQ9-7_xVoqC-0cHNxHyZWJU_kHTr3b06sQgU/s1600/scats24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnj7tfkCIgZu_qgbf-fM7I5ccfmp2LkSpHvSDM3k7qMACzjkYeYzkhGKRKRCgoDQBW8yper8H5T6OWNF2V8qHL1qISvTwjo2hzY2mYXo-jQ9-7_xVoqC-0cHNxHyZWJU_kHTr3b06sQgU/s400/scats24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and there were holes in the ice around the lodge, though they did not look well used.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHIw9jvEwNzq5RnOWx_wujjb6_PW7FOvvFFzcoZaF6t387vcG3CNVLVurHyx944ffZz4302ZHIW7fNUTMirFudsqYMKjcY6Dah1p-ekph-LuVncmRGjRYHSCeBT01cQQmnIN_y92N3gs/s1600/lslodge24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHIw9jvEwNzq5RnOWx_wujjb6_PW7FOvvFFzcoZaF6t387vcG3CNVLVurHyx944ffZz4302ZHIW7fNUTMirFudsqYMKjcY6Dah1p-ekph-LuVncmRGjRYHSCeBT01cQQmnIN_y92N3gs/s400/lslodge24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There were no remarkable signs of muskrat activity or of the beavers coming the long way under or over the ice to the dam. So I assume an otter breached the dam. My next trip out I should see more scat and perhaps a fish head or two. On the side of the dam near the new holes I did see a well clipped bullhead head hanging on the side of a rock, lately exposed by the melting snow.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirz1U8GAV2ppM9PhZnc7pnYlxsMH2EPbO1Vwc9aejmtIKxcn_yzeHCccjjbyakh_bl5kh0XFJqY1r8L94uZ3MPvEthBmeiaGN1LHKXubHLbkeINp2AQpUAs8XZo9bvQWB5JDcB5s-yt10/s1600/bhead24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirz1U8GAV2ppM9PhZnc7pnYlxsMH2EPbO1Vwc9aejmtIKxcn_yzeHCccjjbyakh_bl5kh0XFJqY1r8L94uZ3MPvEthBmeiaGN1LHKXubHLbkeINp2AQpUAs8XZo9bvQWB5JDcB5s-yt10/s400/bhead24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Down at the next dam, the small one patched with grasses by the beavers last year, I was reminded of the hazards of blaming a critter for holes in dams at this time of year. Water was rushing under the dam through several holes. But the holes in the Lost Swamp Dam certainly looked like they did not just happen from thaw and water pressure. The snow had melted enough around the Second Swamp Pond so that I could easily and quietly get up on the knoll and hopefully see beavers in the sun. Well, they certainly had been out. There was a pool of water opened around lodge with sticks floating in the water,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4cNUkiOEoV-1rYtdTtFW0m1Z4I5olhtMz80ZMxpT0viOP1qfOCl7RNYA-wX1UuBicYH951kwskWeYviNPgT_jCXF_FuJ3drGaIBQ42j-eSEh2u1O1MG7eQ_zsweXFxHGkYEmjChz7EY/s1600/splodge24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4cNUkiOEoV-1rYtdTtFW0m1Z4I5olhtMz80ZMxpT0viOP1qfOCl7RNYA-wX1UuBicYH951kwskWeYviNPgT_jCXF_FuJ3drGaIBQ42j-eSEh2u1O1MG7eQ_zsweXFxHGkYEmjChz7EY/s400/splodge24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and the hole they had used during the winter still seemed serviceable, and necessary if a beaver wanted to avoid a chilly walk on the ice and take a "warm" water route</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigx-zCvQRKFLhIdjc7AwPQJtRk6A3maY3YUsIBpnZcnpKvCbzat8LDoDF-9HQqspZ3bEZFKzZz7DTiNBj-6RmpQGUmdxS1ESS1Y8-4CDv0_usX08vM-Z7OzKz29A5V_QGaY_SofDlJGAE/s1600/sphole24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigx-zCvQRKFLhIdjc7AwPQJtRk6A3maY3YUsIBpnZcnpKvCbzat8LDoDF-9HQqspZ3bEZFKzZz7DTiNBj-6RmpQGUmdxS1ESS1Y8-4CDv0_usX08vM-Z7OzKz29A5V_QGaY_SofDlJGAE/s400/sphole24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">but no critters came out for the half hour I sat there, nor did I hear any humming from the lodge. I also lounged above the East Trail Pond dam </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzLIjbbb9E8RvobVCCsIb9JiR42JvxFrDZ4wsRHeV0GV0ybsbn9sAJ5vsckzETdTPOjvGM4py6WASiQjRdrSc-ztOqZJHDYk3x23LRxoB0TnWVr4KzPkXohKU3QlEF13uum-o8MtY0Ww/s1600/etdam24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzLIjbbb9E8RvobVCCsIb9JiR42JvxFrDZ4wsRHeV0GV0ybsbn9sAJ5vsckzETdTPOjvGM4py6WASiQjRdrSc-ztOqZJHDYk3x23LRxoB0TnWVr4KzPkXohKU3QlEF13uum-o8MtY0Ww/s400/etdam24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and no critter came out to entertain me. I walked over to the bank lodge they used during the winter. I'll have to go back again in order to know if they are still using it -- no more seeing tracks in freshened snow.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6AW9dBojuI2OULwqz06xls3sylo_NoHTo6bJLA6Kvl_jbH81Xjn3M2YFZJ0dt8iMYa0DUJOQzu9XFKCLFu-ZwvhMb1CQlk7SgKPYzPGZKsgiS3mYzq6xmpcTZXyYy1zhH0r3bSusm7ZI/s1600/etlodgehole24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6AW9dBojuI2OULwqz06xls3sylo_NoHTo6bJLA6Kvl_jbH81Xjn3M2YFZJ0dt8iMYa0DUJOQzu9XFKCLFu-ZwvhMb1CQlk7SgKPYzPGZKsgiS3mYzq6xmpcTZXyYy1zhH0r3bSusm7ZI/s400/etlodgehole24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The hole along the shore that had looked so impressive in the snow and ice when the beavers used it now seemed, well, rather insignificant.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVx2gJJf2vaYG0hcTBNvT5guAe0lJ3lzR1PpQ5hAo8PNdpG2cqZIG4l_fo4chajbgOb9H-DsPOREFAVKCB-y21JwzyFyqAV2KrONyZ-5lqZuC0GJKkLL4SfKFCGMKu6Uiw-KMCBlF7oI/s1600/eticehole24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVx2gJJf2vaYG0hcTBNvT5guAe0lJ3lzR1PpQ5hAo8PNdpG2cqZIG4l_fo4chajbgOb9H-DsPOREFAVKCB-y21JwzyFyqAV2KrONyZ-5lqZuC0GJKkLL4SfKFCGMKu6Uiw-KMCBlF7oI/s400/eticehole24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">As I crossed the dam, I saw another ball of beaver scat suspended in the water.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTVVpM3la3MbthxV_WtvwIlI2IgsSYw0NTYDg3gXNjJz6_2oheYbrMtIv0TOKP72c5LGP3bs-0UvpwHbo4Yf660_3LagGGO788FUBOIxUzDZPNRrncoqy_dx48cDR2TBKIbORJMUifT9A/s1600/bvscat24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTVVpM3la3MbthxV_WtvwIlI2IgsSYw0NTYDg3gXNjJz6_2oheYbrMtIv0TOKP72c5LGP3bs-0UvpwHbo4Yf660_3LagGGO788FUBOIxUzDZPNRrncoqy_dx48cDR2TBKIbORJMUifT9A/s400/bvscat24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Plus there was mud pushed up on the ice which I blame on a beaver, and wonder if it might not be investigating how to repair the dam where the otters put a rather low hole back in late January. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0eHoH6KyjsA5jNTVCzLQArnR3i_O4Tm2nZpQXo-EFGkfrRya-0qmCd90mAfLtIiGE4sesIoOgIDhcpY5ykF62C5CLiKXCfHXwe9w1A5Z45RyDHS3ZND7KkymHqvHHUj3_Xrjo86Ahco/s1600/etdammud24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0eHoH6KyjsA5jNTVCzLQArnR3i_O4Tm2nZpQXo-EFGkfrRya-0qmCd90mAfLtIiGE4sesIoOgIDhcpY5ykF62C5CLiKXCfHXwe9w1A5Z45RyDHS3ZND7KkymHqvHHUj3_Xrjo86Ahco/s400/etdammud24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I couldn't be sure there was any fresh otter scat. However, The otters have to scat in a new place in order for me to be sure they are still in the pond, but I am disposed to think that the scat piles are still growing. I eyed the inlet hole they used during the winter, through the binoculars, and there did not seem to be otter activity around it. On the way home I crossed Otter Hole Pond dam which has its low hole with water rushing through,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNfLv1za9m_YkxHSlFSjOa5OIqYUhHS8EfkZGerbHBYBsFTJe6cwbWShww3J6BxjJy0UkpOIbWFgWMbT3uHxKPAhF6ZwdAJRBy1zGdEqjAMCdsGjhiaZh3kSJhmfRvrfHXcIlg0U4eeg/s1600/ohdamhole24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNfLv1za9m_YkxHSlFSjOa5OIqYUhHS8EfkZGerbHBYBsFTJe6cwbWShww3J6BxjJy0UkpOIbWFgWMbT3uHxKPAhF6ZwdAJRBy1zGdEqjAMCdsGjhiaZh3kSJhmfRvrfHXcIlg0U4eeg/s400/ohdamhole24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and it has old otter scat on top of the dam, but nothing fresh. Our friend Walter reported seeing an otter resting on the ice along the bay of the river near the main channel where the ice is melting rapidly. Yet, I hesitate to say that this is the time for otters to forsake the ponds that have sustained them during the winter. Depends on the pond. In a mid-sized pond well stocked with fish about four miles from the river, the otters are doing well not only leaving lavas of scat but intriguing fish innards on the ice</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfQX1bjR0RbstTuUERguSDGg7RKeMxsYWmn_6BZ8igbmkgytHTVxkydC-T-UFGNDu75v3SfMOTr9wkSQtqSqIYwjmpYoOB6OzopQicOaneN7Lov3-QOr4kJAezz93dWIuP_AF0_4CRlI/s1600/fishinnards25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfQX1bjR0RbstTuUERguSDGg7RKeMxsYWmn_6BZ8igbmkgytHTVxkydC-T-UFGNDu75v3SfMOTr9wkSQtqSqIYwjmpYoOB6OzopQicOaneN7Lov3-QOr4kJAezz93dWIuP_AF0_4CRlI/s400/fishinnards25.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I'm afraid this might be the insides of the female pike who won't be laying eggs this year. The otters got one last year in this pond, too. Up on the TIP ridge I saw a pileated woodpecker and tried again to gets its portrait with a digital camera.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRPt7k9u50jkZkLauHHMaOdu5DXYhwX6Qwpu0rIMA6Ei0qFO9Uu2y6aqzPkUKcog1Bo1OfUUaENJCbUSUCnw9q_u8EL5GO0xnX_cvXUG1u_WW9-G0TE0hPY8CWnKjNo2U-4tsys04jRg/s1600/pileated24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRPt7k9u50jkZkLauHHMaOdu5DXYhwX6Qwpu0rIMA6Ei0qFO9Uu2y6aqzPkUKcog1Bo1OfUUaENJCbUSUCnw9q_u8EL5GO0xnX_cvXUG1u_WW9-G0TE0hPY8CWnKjNo2U-4tsys04jRg/s400/pileated24.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">March 26 cloudy damp morning in the low 40s but the sky presaged clearing. I decided once again to go to the Narrows and this time I made it, with a brief pause to look in vain for fresh otter scat at the South Bay cove causeway. The ice in the Narrows is breaking up, and looked rather ideal for otters with plenty of platforms to dive from and climb back on with dinner.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGPlI4ej3RaWOt1p6Sfyn81dVqtSmt41yh-4UEp4IWI0DbVXOPzn0j7xb9gLtwldFq8mpuc2yMl-rvo9Lqs47vzxaZRJFIiEPYCWgd5zceNIxTg6VHznm5n3ruqP8e0jnfFN3o6T96uY/s1600/narrows26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGPlI4ej3RaWOt1p6Sfyn81dVqtSmt41yh-4UEp4IWI0DbVXOPzn0j7xb9gLtwldFq8mpuc2yMl-rvo9Lqs47vzxaZRJFIiEPYCWgd5zceNIxTg6VHznm5n3ruqP8e0jnfFN3o6T96uY/s400/narrows26.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The river is still low enough to allow me to walk along the rocky shore most of the way. I found one possible otter scat, not especially fresh, but probably recent. I found more raccoon scat, and fresh goose droppings. I also scanned the ice blocks floating in the river looking for imprints of otter slides but found none. There were no fish parts along the shore. I did see two muskrats, one well out in the river coming up on the edge of the ice, </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HLdcYFkBBmRU1O_0e3v8iOIwP0F0tUJxdzRBItR6TEpL0d2Zh1jtMtdFONxWV-S-ZQvxYQ4aotEXfduAAh3J_CJbebOHbbQlVEbP8d36bpzCMNo2u_dpMAXthNTHYp3Mga0o2tveUKw/s1600/ratnarrows26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HLdcYFkBBmRU1O_0e3v8iOIwP0F0tUJxdzRBItR6TEpL0d2Zh1jtMtdFONxWV-S-ZQvxYQ4aotEXfduAAh3J_CJbebOHbbQlVEbP8d36bpzCMNo2u_dpMAXthNTHYp3Mga0o2tveUKw/s400/ratnarrows26.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">In the photo above the muskrat is a tiny black dot roughly in the middle of the photo, and another under the dock in the Narrows, both hunched over something to nibble, and both rather far away. I walked up the hill and onto Audubon Pond. In other years the otters foraging in the Narrows seemed to den, part of the time, at least, in Audubon Pond. The western shore of the pond is opening up, especially at the bridge.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbjcaZCwFLCPTafsj88qwrkeDdtu-cyIlMfp1HuGQ2GKUPT-2Ouob8V0Xe-5weWxubvpKbO07d3X_XBNgC7dwAntNbrJcmtXDsSEheR11sdZuDDZ3p2-l-1BXPvCHB-fdJ6zJCS8JzIw/s1600/ap26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbjcaZCwFLCPTafsj88qwrkeDdtu-cyIlMfp1HuGQ2GKUPT-2Ouob8V0Xe-5weWxubvpKbO07d3X_XBNgC7dwAntNbrJcmtXDsSEheR11sdZuDDZ3p2-l-1BXPvCHB-fdJ6zJCS8JzIw/s400/ap26.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I saw a pile of scat there, but I think it more likely left by minks. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGB1KBYSWdwXEl1u1fdOY2xJfULYRNvMKC0TfBUNh6s4lIG-7_kJJQLG6pDO7StR4b-_SEV8aUEr_JY1V7gqfLJwSFazU-PYiBQM5JB5emXYX819B238JrqVnaizE_Lnrtl3rR3NEHKOc/s1600/minkscats26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGB1KBYSWdwXEl1u1fdOY2xJfULYRNvMKC0TfBUNh6s4lIG-7_kJJQLG6pDO7StR4b-_SEV8aUEr_JY1V7gqfLJwSFazU-PYiBQM5JB5emXYX819B238JrqVnaizE_Lnrtl3rR3NEHKOc/s400/minkscats26.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">On the embankment above the drain I saw an otter scat, but I have seen it before, and there were no marks in the remaining ice and snow indicating that an otter had been about. I went back down to the South Bay trail and headed to the East Trail Pond that way. That pond is breaking up nicely in the upper end,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDV0S-hjX4qAmRN1d4zkLuoPIxIUBtQmKRsSIklSJlIxGDuJPHSj8ws4EPYW03se7n_ZMdItTu6LDCAbK2nOu2Em1kw7wVZVr4gC2eeD-4PQK_bZ-zHRZlcqzCkuISMndYw6BNxgxu98/s1600/etpond26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDV0S-hjX4qAmRN1d4zkLuoPIxIUBtQmKRsSIklSJlIxGDuJPHSj8ws4EPYW03se7n_ZMdItTu6LDCAbK2nOu2Em1kw7wVZVr4gC2eeD-4PQK_bZ-zHRZlcqzCkuISMndYw6BNxgxu98/s400/etpond26.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and this too looked like a good place for otters; no so just behind the dam, and of course, that is where I had to look for otter scats. On a cold day I might trust the ice and walk around and check old holes, but not today. And once again I thought I saw fresh otter scat in the middle of the dam above the hole.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeN6qKwVxzyk7D6n1vdoimS7QgCRSZS_sEt_AEznjWvNNEnw2OD26a0nhV7A3yRx-3z4jBi-mBkY31rD80Q3qaQu_ESLDrQ7Wb2tEK1cX0Xc5YDxxexMrZPDXE2tMI7vthx14gNjjUIw/s1600/etscat26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeN6qKwVxzyk7D6n1vdoimS7QgCRSZS_sEt_AEznjWvNNEnw2OD26a0nhV7A3yRx-3z4jBi-mBkY31rD80Q3qaQu_ESLDrQ7Wb2tEK1cX0Xc5YDxxexMrZPDXE2tMI7vthx14gNjjUIw/s400/etscat26.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">though it is very hard to tell. There was also more mud and more sticks pushed into the gap below, </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0lQvQhdAezYIg_Use9y37R8h2YNp37eRU7qtXy4WdoL3QcQ4SkZMa2JyisWf3KiVqncfAI8A5dMslHBNbAJL32-hTA_1uVIj46-1Oz5l1I3U4e0Q-ixwucPFyoUGWRoU4oM5tPFoAxo/s1600/etdam26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0lQvQhdAezYIg_Use9y37R8h2YNp37eRU7qtXy4WdoL3QcQ4SkZMa2JyisWf3KiVqncfAI8A5dMslHBNbAJL32-hTA_1uVIj46-1Oz5l1I3U4e0Q-ixwucPFyoUGWRoU4oM5tPFoAxo/s400/etdam26.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">but the water is still gushing out. As I approached the east side of the dam, a beaver torpedoed out from its burrow in the bank, only one. The ice is deteriorating there and the lavas of otter scat are being washed away. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7QFpHsXEFZVkItQ1D8AIaBR_pEj8dT72JeEo0yYX9MwhECF6hJPpY_es7YMEW3uJCXz-0k63XZQM3pEWLsi7w7_LINTW9w1hEtPrYojs-i6ini6nFpHhuXGH88962a01ZCxVz1Sid_I/s1600/ethole26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7QFpHsXEFZVkItQ1D8AIaBR_pEj8dT72JeEo0yYX9MwhECF6hJPpY_es7YMEW3uJCXz-0k63XZQM3pEWLsi7w7_LINTW9w1hEtPrYojs-i6ini6nFpHhuXGH88962a01ZCxVz1Sid_I/s400/ethole26.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">With a beaver lurking there full time, I doubt if the otters get to this corner of the pond anymore. On my way to the Second Swamp Pond, I noticed much beaver work along the creek, especially, to my surprise, girdling of large trees, especially red oak.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6BSPX6mSw1UL2Igtt7Eh9MywrQ1mrsQT3cZqE3b0oBDcXps1V5iA9gH5ybLNqTyWAm8BNNiWG1AtxHusapPDhW3IMas-ibTY2N8KXRbT6COzqaW4MePx5INcq12HpyogB8ohrrPvOYjc/s1600/etbvwk26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6BSPX6mSw1UL2Igtt7Eh9MywrQ1mrsQT3cZqE3b0oBDcXps1V5iA9gH5ybLNqTyWAm8BNNiWG1AtxHusapPDhW3IMas-ibTY2N8KXRbT6COzqaW4MePx5INcq12HpyogB8ohrrPvOYjc/s400/etbvwk26.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">With the alarming gap in the dam, with water rushing out, I'd expect beavers to be looking for trees they could fell so they could get branches for the patch job on the dam, or to make a smaller dam below to back up water to ease dam repair. Once again the Second Pond beavers were not out, and I walked along the dam, instead of checking to see if I could tell what they've been up to. There is a hole in this dam too, but the dam still holds back a comfortable portion of water for the beavers. Here again I was squinting down at old scat seeing if I could conger it into something fresh, but I don't think otters have been here in the last day. I had great expectations of otter activity at the Lost Swamp Pond, but all seemed the same, save for one moist and fresh scat on the dam and possibly some fresh white scats on the rock. I did see a collection of whole dead fish behind the dam, but nothing that an otter ate. And two geese were on the dam and two mallards in the pool below the dam. All flew away when I came. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLdWNY1PqLjiHsMLKbIlbgDUine0FkaH3aJdXVHjTCgsIkQUIXfQM5wrUV79Qe4YJcZWr-_t8quOe9vTGtM5NLwta6VpOpZm2lp40gpO9kamtTjRmoHP18qYOk6Q3Sd6HOATUwbe7KIQ/s1600/geesefly26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLdWNY1PqLjiHsMLKbIlbgDUine0FkaH3aJdXVHjTCgsIkQUIXfQM5wrUV79Qe4YJcZWr-_t8quOe9vTGtM5NLwta6VpOpZm2lp40gpO9kamtTjRmoHP18qYOk6Q3Sd6HOATUwbe7KIQ/s400/geesefly26.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Finally to the Big Pond, which is the big story this spring. This always steady pond has lost most of its water. I didn't devote enough time to studying the curious things on the breaking ice and in the mud below.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1T83mkX-cMIigHwmaP653BR4EBZSoN8w7G9Hm8lbWmYa-qbqOeKToTYkC2UYWaha8kDxy8WzPjTi263ayIYH3KPX1SnuHDkBEilDo3znQQXjBHcFgH4rsWVtrbf6YP39t5HbgJyxKitI/s1600/bpdam26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1T83mkX-cMIigHwmaP653BR4EBZSoN8w7G9Hm8lbWmYa-qbqOeKToTYkC2UYWaha8kDxy8WzPjTi263ayIYH3KPX1SnuHDkBEilDo3znQQXjBHcFgH4rsWVtrbf6YP39t5HbgJyxKitI/s400/bpdam26.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">It struck me that with such a loss of water, it might have been more of a paradise for minks than otters, and lo and behold as I walked on along Double Lodge Pond, I saw a mink in the pond fishing out things and quickly gobbling them.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-NdQb8V7CKI83Gqq9vZAjsCzGrGdERJOeirBk9WM91kVn3sSnfNVhQrGjO6ihlFojYAV2ZZcVjIvAYRcQzFztCtEU__zj_9W03EPZd4Zuw9rWPugWF1eJsKkrKOMVz5-FV1fJ-ZXBno/s1600/mink26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-NdQb8V7CKI83Gqq9vZAjsCzGrGdERJOeirBk9WM91kVn3sSnfNVhQrGjO6ihlFojYAV2ZZcVjIvAYRcQzFztCtEU__zj_9W03EPZd4Zuw9rWPugWF1eJsKkrKOMVz5-FV1fJ-ZXBno/s400/mink26.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I've never seen a mink acting so much like an otter. Then it swam across the small stream -- looking more like a muskrat than an otter.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAlFH5Bw__4Ay75ixtZDXy3GWDbNn_9kS69n0m-rbPn8B3uvdxeeoeeKU8wG_KYsbEXKFjmitZKMherlBF48g03yb8cEzLP3R6sSHYVxF2ApoIytZtOQnh3dSoefEPzfuTLelpFkh6cM/s1600/minkswim26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAlFH5Bw__4Ay75ixtZDXy3GWDbNn_9kS69n0m-rbPn8B3uvdxeeoeeKU8wG_KYsbEXKFjmitZKMherlBF48g03yb8cEzLP3R6sSHYVxF2ApoIytZtOQnh3dSoefEPzfuTLelpFkh6cM/s400/minkswim26.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then it danced out onto the ice and went behind a clump of grass. With a few shakes the tail looked bushy again. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqX4KOUpC8NJSnimfGA5RIEKCN3ypmkbyWu60Se1rQK3tBIQFeKG6A_qeVk-Uw_9yB0x7kDokmeBXS4cK-6bwq1Wl_eGCjpeUFpni0iG5CCbVWxk1KbZPLqwB18dFSayoIn4eTMs0UCq8/s1600/minktail26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqX4KOUpC8NJSnimfGA5RIEKCN3ypmkbyWu60Se1rQK3tBIQFeKG6A_qeVk-Uw_9yB0x7kDokmeBXS4cK-6bwq1Wl_eGCjpeUFpni0iG5CCbVWxk1KbZPLqwB18dFSayoIn4eTMs0UCq8/s400/minktail26.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">And the delicacy of a mink was never clearer to me. Just behind the big rock overlooking all the valley, I saw a strutting grouse, but it got into the brush before I could get a picture of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 28 warm breezy day with hazy sun. I decided to take my winter route to the ponds. The first strange sight was two globs of what looked like tar or plastic on the golf course. I touched one and it felt hard, but not like plastic. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjglzF-AnyWh1M7rV3nCEqT1LXKUwH_c1CqlacIAGDhRW4e1j_-yyZgO3m6R3bMk1Mf-e26b25kXJ67hoWmn0nvZ1zM9U9eO8TAy5yEiDG2lop2bAsY4oX2-c_q1d83BzOrWsb9qYsZRk/s1600/poop28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjglzF-AnyWh1M7rV3nCEqT1LXKUwH_c1CqlacIAGDhRW4e1j_-yyZgO3m6R3bMk1Mf-e26b25kXJ67hoWmn0nvZ1zM9U9eO8TAy5yEiDG2lop2bAsY4oX2-c_q1d83BzOrWsb9qYsZRk/s400/poop28.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then I poked it with tweezers and uncovered smelly brown feces -- from geese? </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJyip8TkgFxpx4ZE5A1T93_pxZ-DTHGLjBuVFUjYX7zQi8EphLNO-KVgZAx4GS6fCTxg2ArlOSsu3zRfY3xwvdGWQa73li71EkwZzaLHf4WVgqfvcfafMzIlIntuPaSoh3ttoqpLlMhoE/s1600/poop28a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJyip8TkgFxpx4ZE5A1T93_pxZ-DTHGLjBuVFUjYX7zQi8EphLNO-KVgZAx4GS6fCTxg2ArlOSsu3zRfY3xwvdGWQa73li71EkwZzaLHf4WVgqfvcfafMzIlIntuPaSoh3ttoqpLlMhoE/s400/poop28a.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then the first thing to check on the ridge was the trunk where the porcupine had denned much of the winter. As I approached I saw quills, so I cocked the camcorder, but nothing moved. The porcupine was dead and buried in its own pellety scat.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1w864FGFd3-88E-3Gte0OtZ3-m40mAprFz1_HgKSYjNhjX2tMJpcj0LCm8SuhZ2mBkxnbw1TuJBjmnqFJKkKX88e3kTQLKjiYgsFoUXEoniynPrwXdY2Ch7haCFobpKOnC0JXEYTZO4/s1600/deadppine28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1w864FGFd3-88E-3Gte0OtZ3-m40mAprFz1_HgKSYjNhjX2tMJpcj0LCm8SuhZ2mBkxnbw1TuJBjmnqFJKkKX88e3kTQLKjiYgsFoUXEoniynPrwXdY2Ch7haCFobpKOnC0JXEYTZO4/s400/deadppine28.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Next stop was the deer carcass, and while rearranged a bit, it was mostly as I remembered it. Walking through the woods, I heard a strange sound up in the pines which I soon decided was made by trunks rubbing with the wind. Meanwhile I was startled by the view I had up a dead birch.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbm-ASFsszQGRlo1OvzzIkxIuks3z7pPuwvCvNwaz5NOGlLNzoQxzsPFz-hMn0iwXNZcVyM6N_008JdyE3DAcP7ZFmHHW5zQFBpcgKlXIQsN_1BtrEO7bH0P8mwVadR3_1Ihgh7uOPbkQ/s1600/mroombirch28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbm-ASFsszQGRlo1OvzzIkxIuks3z7pPuwvCvNwaz5NOGlLNzoQxzsPFz-hMn0iwXNZcVyM6N_008JdyE3DAcP7ZFmHHW5zQFBpcgKlXIQsN_1BtrEO7bH0P8mwVadR3_1Ihgh7uOPbkQ/s400/mroombirch28.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">As I approached the Big Pond, I could see that it was rapidly shrinking into a creek. However the old beaver channels still had water and it was possible to get some idea of the otters under ice world from the hole out from under the ice, to the old beaver lodge,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBt5UIoLkwKPfGx2u0CV_jsAhu9AXT7ynJymRw3H-lyxIck4YZzuQUYXvzLm8sWSAPj1FP1zysPXR-xnFU-XbL7OtDG-qo4RqixbIK5E8vdM_lwE3Go8OC9OELfnEd_G5XZXM_giRP3bY/s1600/bpchan28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBt5UIoLkwKPfGx2u0CV_jsAhu9AXT7ynJymRw3H-lyxIck4YZzuQUYXvzLm8sWSAPj1FP1zysPXR-xnFU-XbL7OtDG-qo4RqixbIK5E8vdM_lwE3Go8OC9OELfnEd_G5XZXM_giRP3bY/s400/bpchan28.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and then down the channel to the middle of the pond</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkaAxTMrcIY_XJHEJvBZPbcLdVQ5H4YWUMcilwIgVD0Gn-tHKxqVkorbTUq33OXq3xrjOS1i4BmhFqe7P2PY42TliReJfKjBuwELuTq3ir7CwUdvYY7hiM1falfAiGFPy9w6rXDWC86c/s1600/bpchan28b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkaAxTMrcIY_XJHEJvBZPbcLdVQ5H4YWUMcilwIgVD0Gn-tHKxqVkorbTUq33OXq3xrjOS1i4BmhFqe7P2PY42TliReJfKjBuwELuTq3ir7CwUdvYY7hiM1falfAiGFPy9w6rXDWC86c/s400/bpchan28b.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">where there seemed to be much room under the ice. There was scat along the channels the otters used, but no fish parts. No signs of recent otter activity. Down at the dam, there was no otter story remaining under the ice, just a grim prologue to what might be a dry spring in what has been the most constant of ponds </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwmD1EGbKtmDheMW49UE2sAwvRjNgMxEV3qqeBw_EKW0_PbSB4-rj_HQb8gmxLaVxbwrZjyIGgDfyZlUkNZuHrj-6piHAc6ywQsHyLdgI304yosX0JP521sIBhy-hsnXl7LClhn0QHH8/s1600/bp28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwmD1EGbKtmDheMW49UE2sAwvRjNgMxEV3qqeBw_EKW0_PbSB4-rj_HQb8gmxLaVxbwrZjyIGgDfyZlUkNZuHrj-6piHAc6ywQsHyLdgI304yosX0JP521sIBhy-hsnXl7LClhn0QHH8/s400/bp28.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">-- even the blue flag irises are high and dry. The retreating ice revealed mud showing what smaller animals were up to. I walked around past the lodge, which still has a slight pool of water around it. Tucked into the shore was another deer carcass. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAMuoXpAMJKv6LyZ0PBGGJFNhg8EeakMrNiqIEakbBaThlzIjRwf-9sdKkhyOHkkMsLwDWvg450D99YcRdeWVF-_QvVx9tfqR_bEVj57yzeuGVXmFtzIExen4okcvkHARveG2VNo_xSA/s1600/bpdeercar28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAMuoXpAMJKv6LyZ0PBGGJFNhg8EeakMrNiqIEakbBaThlzIjRwf-9sdKkhyOHkkMsLwDWvg450D99YcRdeWVF-_QvVx9tfqR_bEVj57yzeuGVXmFtzIExen4okcvkHARveG2VNo_xSA/s400/bpdeercar28.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Lost Swamp Pond still has water, much opened around the beaver lodge, but I could only see a pair of geese taking advantage of it. Going around the pond to the dam I was entertained by more geese. One pair left the edge of open water and sought refuge on the ice. Slow going -- they kept sinking into the deteriorating ice.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzYpOVYOHsqhzRu4cFbvm9mslAVaz5_UxW2uo0bYAW5V9u8WD93QbyhUPBhEmwNyxXpHfIlXVd4zUPF8kkBeCquEwZwn1bL6a2AV1HJIqcyZqQnT_Q2JhoVtcDWuZmktuFQ6AdZS2yIY/s1600/geeseice28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzYpOVYOHsqhzRu4cFbvm9mslAVaz5_UxW2uo0bYAW5V9u8WD93QbyhUPBhEmwNyxXpHfIlXVd4zUPF8kkBeCquEwZwn1bL6a2AV1HJIqcyZqQnT_Q2JhoVtcDWuZmktuFQ6AdZS2yIY/s400/geeseice28.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">This is a sport I use to enjoy but not this year. The poor geese flew off, as well as another pair. Up at the dam I was gratified to see that the two holes in the dam had been patched. I sometimes hold out a suspicion that muskrats can make holes in dams, though I've never thought of a really good reason why. This time, I think, the muskrat left evidence that it patched the holes -- tiny scats on a flat rock by the dam.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8fs1vyWlCJhqN1Fhhh5ursUpvLMmsTCcXDlK6ORV_bRSMMIGXJcesGIZ5Tmh5OPGdW7nMyuQSWg89xnLQ5ZBarnPj3w-F-LZkI7BTe5Ui6fwu9qz_AWf6wlHaNvCh5V09PtgDzmI2-s/s1600/dampatch28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8fs1vyWlCJhqN1Fhhh5ursUpvLMmsTCcXDlK6ORV_bRSMMIGXJcesGIZ5Tmh5OPGdW7nMyuQSWg89xnLQ5ZBarnPj3w-F-LZkI7BTe5Ui6fwu9qz_AWf6wlHaNvCh5V09PtgDzmI2-s/s400/dampatch28.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I checked the dam and rock by the lodge for fresh otter scat, and save for a white honeycombed blob in the water, which I think otters leave, </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaacpyM2_VaCYzddHCrjLYhV64QK4GJ-CGPcba1xNrBpgoj3EXyZPEFTluKlLzRiIdO8lAZbLgcNenEtEFO573kZB0LOuR_MS_rFNECHGjjcBPQ2_JXyJmm75-_PFmgpLR8krs_sC3dw/s1600/whiteblob28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaacpyM2_VaCYzddHCrjLYhV64QK4GJ-CGPcba1xNrBpgoj3EXyZPEFTluKlLzRiIdO8lAZbLgcNenEtEFO573kZB0LOuR_MS_rFNECHGjjcBPQ2_JXyJmm75-_PFmgpLR8krs_sC3dw/s400/whiteblob28.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I didn't see any otter signs, so I think they or it has left. Down at the Second Swamp Pond the beavers were not out. The channel to the shore was muddy so I think they had been out.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94hBrEa4Fc8noMyas8TszK3zl3I_9VUqrdSq51kZD9UqHruNcbk64ZtYL-0L4ScL3HvP8BvQhQftmIzj6ujOnSJH3FktWrNea1Rniqd76pRMJR8js-i_oJR7mzWF06qtLdWYK4z9kkb8/s1600/sp28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94hBrEa4Fc8noMyas8TszK3zl3I_9VUqrdSq51kZD9UqHruNcbk64ZtYL-0L4ScL3HvP8BvQhQftmIzj6ujOnSJH3FktWrNea1Rniqd76pRMJR8js-i_oJR7mzWF06qtLdWYK4z9kkb8/s400/sp28.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I sat for a while, and sat for an even longer while on the bank overlooking the East Trail Pond. No beavers out today. However, as I walked down the slope toward the hole the beavers use, I had my camcorder running in case one of them torpedoed out. Nothing. I stopped over the hole and noticed a stick in it twitching a little bit, so I kept the camcorder running and out came the beaver swooshing below me. I also noticed some fresh otter scat, </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpOtjUgjtrnMxlGgBwhm8LUxrZcU7WhmXJfX9qc_cxFMeqTBVD9nX9JB99xQ8U44U-H1-I4doMlRXMkSKWutNilIfBcED0IoZI7PK8sOf2JYFWSZflQ5By72Dl3vwnIOeBy21IFtkfOU/s1600/scat28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpOtjUgjtrnMxlGgBwhm8LUxrZcU7WhmXJfX9qc_cxFMeqTBVD9nX9JB99xQ8U44U-H1-I4doMlRXMkSKWutNilIfBcED0IoZI7PK8sOf2JYFWSZflQ5By72Dl3vwnIOeBy21IFtkfOU/s400/scat28.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">which I didn't expect because I thought the beavers had taken over this corner. Then I am sure I heard an otter snort and it sounded like it came from the ground under my feet! Needless to say, I waited another 40 minutes,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30fPWEvbe1U87fUTPhMEf7v2k3hbYUOuVQ27S2UKEHzI7c7gAf5Q0XmI0lbPFDIXwaAVe7gz-uE8EJsl6WZLx5OZUA9ZFviqOJ2eh9ObDPYmwFh5bIh-bfB_Max5L6vK_IblOfQC13Z8/s1600/etpond28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30fPWEvbe1U87fUTPhMEf7v2k3hbYUOuVQ27S2UKEHzI7c7gAf5Q0XmI0lbPFDIXwaAVe7gz-uE8EJsl6WZLx5OZUA9ZFviqOJ2eh9ObDPYmwFh5bIh-bfB_Max5L6vK_IblOfQC13Z8/s400/etpond28.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">but no otter came out. I couldn't see any fresh scat on the dam, but there was a tiny green blob on the mossy rock. I went home via Otter Hole Pond which is another sad tale. Both it </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1W4nMcfLBXCGjgB3Bz0x89MYtgMxJm6Adgrx_wA-wMYcr5BnWG1c5YYlToxhMGIOAIhhi3xGkMuV1NQNP33OoXiLZfPLxCkb5wSTBnYC3oe4Iwc6BbpsOSP_iCrjnQKR7RFPQV1N-EVQ/s1600/ohpond28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1W4nMcfLBXCGjgB3Bz0x89MYtgMxJm6Adgrx_wA-wMYcr5BnWG1c5YYlToxhMGIOAIhhi3xGkMuV1NQNP33OoXiLZfPLxCkb5wSTBnYC3oe4Iwc6BbpsOSP_iCrjnQKR7RFPQV1N-EVQ/s400/ohpond28.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and Beaver Point Pond </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0wKbgwTNGR5eAtpjVIP0iwO555ak-4NkEdHEi21jZVOINpBvg7CBfpUywBuhobFQ2QHTtujjgnI_VOQbfeeErdd4F42KHE1wyx9sKRho93ibh2LW-P-jJj4RSlRVAlXmomXmAu3fS0E/s1600/bpp28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0wKbgwTNGR5eAtpjVIP0iwO555ak-4NkEdHEi21jZVOINpBvg7CBfpUywBuhobFQ2QHTtujjgnI_VOQbfeeErdd4F42KHE1wyx9sKRho93ibh2LW-P-jJj4RSlRVAlXmomXmAu3fS0E/s400/bpp28.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">are largely confined to their small central channel. Since beavers from two colonies can poke into these ponds from up stream and this is an easy first stop for beavers coming from South Bay, I hold out some hope that these dams will be repaired. The water is still gushing through the holes deep in these dams, not that I think that I could necessarily absolve otters if I could poke my head through the dams. However, given that this was our most constant winter temperature-wise, with no thaw to speak of, it doesn't seem that natural forces did this. Also I'm thinking now that the beavers might have left the Big Pond because the dam was breached late in the fall, and then the breach was widened, I think, during the winter. The major new appearance today was garter snakes.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThCf5So92lFcxDL1mDYOJ05gCzmnWLJqVnHsLyOlSN70ZIwyy2NDOLxXKnu8_mjX6MVnGxlDHq1djofJbZ3rYjVmFx-1KkdG7DRh7R50s-7XEERuwQG5BKSZsACKPyLhuph29nndzN44/s1600/gsnake28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThCf5So92lFcxDL1mDYOJ05gCzmnWLJqVnHsLyOlSN70ZIwyy2NDOLxXKnu8_mjX6MVnGxlDHq1djofJbZ3rYjVmFx-1KkdG7DRh7R50s-7XEERuwQG5BKSZsACKPyLhuph29nndzN44/s400/gsnake28.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I saw four of them. The birds were singing in the warmth, but not many of them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 31 some good rain two days ago, and then a flurry and well below freezing last night. Sunny and cold this morning -- back into mittens at 25F. As I expected nothing wanted to toy with that sadly positioned porcupine carcass</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcbPngavexjukfr26EeBLdepfEP6FpkoGfLUqDMFzvUDO5HA4QXkX3UmHvjT49Ly4kUTZCAPTiAMhjLVokGSMgcg2tYZP0u28g0SQ_RIwBINX_4s750LpHtrT-bg9IfthB96QjTF1JFo/s1600/deadppine31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcbPngavexjukfr26EeBLdepfEP6FpkoGfLUqDMFzvUDO5HA4QXkX3UmHvjT49Ly4kUTZCAPTiAMhjLVokGSMgcg2tYZP0u28g0SQ_RIwBINX_4s750LpHtrT-bg9IfthB96QjTF1JFo/s400/deadppine31.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I didn't touch it either. I thought to measure it, but trust that its youth is apparent in the photo. For the first time I could pass the deer carcass at the foot of the valley without taking a photo. The "dying" Big Pond was another story. First it didn't look as badly as I feared; there is still a semblance of a pond. The area where the otters stayed proved more interesting than I had at first thought. A few yards further into the pond from the old beaver lodge there was a mound of old grass with a hole on top and one on the side leading to the beaver made channel.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjn8NboKS_6bLpW4hmZ1luey5WWH-tjJ5sBzJDHBfGZt-7JUDt7RYobsiy9vMTo0IuaanRkKQsQoGWJYcXg3Urq5PbZOUm_YgE59szRIY7etUEx1LDkDq3k_6vQ-JYCwElUZmjRxp-vcA/s1600/bpchannel31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjn8NboKS_6bLpW4hmZ1luey5WWH-tjJ5sBzJDHBfGZt-7JUDt7RYobsiy9vMTo0IuaanRkKQsQoGWJYcXg3Urq5PbZOUm_YgE59szRIY7etUEx1LDkDq3k_6vQ-JYCwElUZmjRxp-vcA/s400/bpchannel31.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">An old scat was near the hole.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhogvgKjYNdEEKJYSkOqm62TaAH-m3KlU4a3Po1RUjvxLQvZkJSnf8c2FIZ3ltBauVYjYJHCym_XAIvrhNrjc-AfcQM8S1AplLERx0RqZmIKC0_cb0hZMjkO7iNbzXUYfFVMMqcD1a3U-E/s1600/bpden31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhogvgKjYNdEEKJYSkOqm62TaAH-m3KlU4a3Po1RUjvxLQvZkJSnf8c2FIZ3ltBauVYjYJHCym_XAIvrhNrjc-AfcQM8S1AplLERx0RqZmIKC0_cb0hZMjkO7iNbzXUYfFVMMqcD1a3U-E/s400/bpden31.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I walked a bit in the newly exposed ground but it got too squishy. The next large beaver channel was also interesting, with the beginning of the canal flanked by piles of old beaver gnawed sticks.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzNmULKaUbn1XwmRDGgM1MQA6bPgEzZtguz_LbsOlhJme8_EPd-P5Bl5dwF1CVK0LwZo-drKWusWoG-OnVEF8xZ2UWaougGRM9I0xUgJdQvwsf0JbtWnxEClirAg8j2GtmFPJ6x7vMV4/s1600/bvcanal31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzNmULKaUbn1XwmRDGgM1MQA6bPgEzZtguz_LbsOlhJme8_EPd-P5Bl5dwF1CVK0LwZo-drKWusWoG-OnVEF8xZ2UWaougGRM9I0xUgJdQvwsf0JbtWnxEClirAg8j2GtmFPJ6x7vMV4/s400/bvcanal31.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">On our land a beaver moved into a vacant pond yesterday, no such luck here.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9JgYYfjjYfPS9lsRb3GK4nlH0XiNlvI_7pT54cXS8ADodhXywV-bEwZA4H_xqaoLABAZPXLKfRggBNusI8FVuBaykj7W2UTaS4jBa8mudQBGgZ0Vfji-LE_3FNLykPbyT3CHLrO9yDk/s1600/bpond31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9JgYYfjjYfPS9lsRb3GK4nlH0XiNlvI_7pT54cXS8ADodhXywV-bEwZA4H_xqaoLABAZPXLKfRggBNusI8FVuBaykj7W2UTaS4jBa8mudQBGgZ0Vfji-LE_3FNLykPbyT3CHLrO9yDk/s400/bpond31.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The dam still leaks, but much slower. No sign of muskrat or mink activity. The Lost Swamp Pond was a complete contrast. It is brimming with water, and at least one heron was taking advantage. I carefully checked the north slope for otter scats and did find two fresh ones -- one a gooey brown.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThgfH37ywZtd1ZlkSZcHQM0PvOUtYSaORmLotp9l-DZYxevjoVs8iGh5_1s06fk_USqn-MZo_pP0EQl4sw2W5oWc6OPr7pMWGS7GszQtg2KfIMVbxAqKgCYIEvlAka8wKuCUoMjYt20U/s1600/scat31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThgfH37ywZtd1ZlkSZcHQM0PvOUtYSaORmLotp9l-DZYxevjoVs8iGh5_1s06fk_USqn-MZo_pP0EQl4sw2W5oWc6OPr7pMWGS7GszQtg2KfIMVbxAqKgCYIEvlAka8wKuCUoMjYt20U/s400/scat31.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">At this time of year otter scats are at their most strange. I didn't see any more as I walked up to the dam, but I did see bubbles under the newly formed ice. However, judging from a tug of fresh greens on the shore, a muskrat probably made them.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw623lP6Ki1qEhz0-65UfkN1h8UCfVhqca1X_te_Fi6uiWoaiFDC6pUygv-t4gxwNO6-z9vWWP7w6dejWk2wEXImjv3XclxFszVnzoYODKOSZRQzJO3_9y1KUDf9WMgBIJMxLETGijjko/s1600/ratwork31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw623lP6Ki1qEhz0-65UfkN1h8UCfVhqca1X_te_Fi6uiWoaiFDC6pUygv-t4gxwNO6-z9vWWP7w6dejWk2wEXImjv3XclxFszVnzoYODKOSZRQzJO3_9y1KUDf9WMgBIJMxLETGijjko/s400/ratwork31.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I laid down by the dam, quietly enough so the geese stopped being alarmed, but I didn't fool a duck -- perhaps a wood duck, that flew in and then flew right out. A pleasant lie down, and warm in the sun and out of the wind, but no spectacle, save the scenery.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhab9pwedI5ORquXLBD54Lo9hmGByUsDu4ieHPHLDMzv0E_SwJ9nwq_0EAUsqa1K_1aaIw_FDHWp0n_1cFuxbAKq33HmEQTYPZ9dlJKuArHPjVZYYhGFOF59D21oPLhyznBQNmhfSaXKgs/s1600/lsdam31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhab9pwedI5ORquXLBD54Lo9hmGByUsDu4ieHPHLDMzv0E_SwJ9nwq_0EAUsqa1K_1aaIw_FDHWp0n_1cFuxbAKq33HmEQTYPZ9dlJKuArHPjVZYYhGFOF59D21oPLhyznBQNmhfSaXKgs/s400/lsdam31.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">To save the geese from honking I didn't cross the dam and check the rock by the lodge for scat. While there was some mud on the dam, there were no other beaver signs, so once again I am crediting a muskrat for doing the beaver's job. But, I confess to be a little surprised that I didn't see a muskrat. They are usually so encouraging on a cold morning in early spring. I walked down the south side of the Second Swamp Pond so I could cross the dam. The beaver channels along that shore were frozen over, but also muddy. Perhaps beavers came over. If they did they did not leave any sticks by the shore. Down at the dam, the beavers had been active. The dam was patched and repaired. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFcbcIVDSaqo23-XbzCXsox3oZAhU8asTUr99DbAgU_XuD7I-S5_9QC1no8zejLrD9j-QxIfDFcJVEkUf7vQsnnPe24eiVAU5MQLccb-VrKlF6zMq2INoorSjCPsBCca5Lp6qb1YNZKw/s1600/spdam31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFcbcIVDSaqo23-XbzCXsox3oZAhU8asTUr99DbAgU_XuD7I-S5_9QC1no8zejLrD9j-QxIfDFcJVEkUf7vQsnnPe24eiVAU5MQLccb-VrKlF6zMq2INoorSjCPsBCca5Lp6qb1YNZKw/s400/spdam31.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Few fresh sticks there, but much work on the north shore behind the knoll behind the lodge. It actually took a while to see. I took a photo and a cut birch hung up in an elm, as an apt comment on the frustrations of a beaver's spring. Then I saw that there second cut of a huge poplar had brought the tree down</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQAKB_3TqXT7TPCfuuH_L9aHwoPN6rvGJ2X04tR_vvzWXSMHw1pm80I7y4-y3ifd6afJmDh8w2T5-f8g-79nAjqaqOcL-57YX91y6VX5INY-CA9bWNTkfr334ZEzA6CaTHEapO41Vibk/s1600/pop31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQAKB_3TqXT7TPCfuuH_L9aHwoPN6rvGJ2X04tR_vvzWXSMHw1pm80I7y4-y3ifd6afJmDh8w2T5-f8g-79nAjqaqOcL-57YX91y6VX5INY-CA9bWNTkfr334ZEzA6CaTHEapO41Vibk/s400/pop31.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and they dug in to segment another huge log, a real armful for me, probably two and half feet long and a foot thick. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CeCjtq4FKn_Qg1bUhC28EKAZlxur0LJ3LBV_Fq7bxdbjTqc1zBSD8wf61AoN9dDklgWd96-GkpEwNvS-4A2-Z0WZ7fAfUJQHqVvqnCbinJe5r4HIjot_IzbBg6PpS8qM56Lc7k3uttw/s1600/poplogs31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CeCjtq4FKn_Qg1bUhC28EKAZlxur0LJ3LBV_Fq7bxdbjTqc1zBSD8wf61AoN9dDklgWd96-GkpEwNvS-4A2-Z0WZ7fAfUJQHqVvqnCbinJe5r4HIjot_IzbBg6PpS8qM56Lc7k3uttw/s400/poplogs31.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">We'll see what how the beavers manage it. The East Trail Pond was difficult to read. There was a swath of old ice behind the dam, but it soon became clear that it had been raised up higher by more water in the pond. I thought that would make for ideal conditions for a beaver to torpedo out from the hole by the dam. I walked down, camcorder running, but nothing came out. And there the water level looked low. Did the thawing ground collapse a bit? No fresh otter scat atop the hole either. Out on the dam, with the water a foot or more higher, I couldn't tell if the beavers had patched more of the dam. It continued to leak but not as lustily as before. The water level was up to the wooden beam that used to be two feet above the ice level of the pond. There were no otter scats on the mossy rock. So perhaps the otter here has moved to the Lost Swamp. I headed for Meander Pond and up in the pines, where it is always good for birds, I happened into a small flock of golden crowned kinglets</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtarhDTvCSPqdXJU4jCqvbsnYD5nqn_h1FO6Vu-aWWTsMyrIQrNI5mVk8FibbahRBxdjTDJPub9iEQm_Gx4jTK5WQPaJiP-Vra3UdOMEq0Ldv3u4LhYz2gpyG1_1TpWOI4WG-sCLUQ_6w/s1600/kinglet31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtarhDTvCSPqdXJU4jCqvbsnYD5nqn_h1FO6Vu-aWWTsMyrIQrNI5mVk8FibbahRBxdjTDJPub9iEQm_Gx4jTK5WQPaJiP-Vra3UdOMEq0Ldv3u4LhYz2gpyG1_1TpWOI4WG-sCLUQ_6w/s400/kinglet31.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The deer carcass remains in place and in a pose still with character.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKWY0KB6MRe4rVDjL5f7wrhrqMMHUGN2R0n49UsuiYivfH4-DFJ5AhVGOltTZ6yg9mJtxincCChdL8zYEPSHTkVbS860fAO2CT_tQCKMspvUWhdvWsyRKyTle1nbmbpdDSM0dBPDGiP0/s1600/deerskull31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKWY0KB6MRe4rVDjL5f7wrhrqMMHUGN2R0n49UsuiYivfH4-DFJ5AhVGOltTZ6yg9mJtxincCChdL8zYEPSHTkVbS860fAO2CT_tQCKMspvUWhdvWsyRKyTle1nbmbpdDSM0dBPDGiP0/s400/deerskull31.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Soon it will just be a sad heap of death. Meander Pond is quite full, quite like a real pond, not merely two dredged channels crossing, as it was in the fall. I didn't notice that much fresh work on the trees but there was a small dam in the outlet stream</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFJf9aZHOePvlY3vXgFjrve0PKvsXXPzRdiYW5XmqllmqcbCoGkbhmDY96yY_SJgPAmy9k5AdP0TbHLb230IHGh8VgsFnD2ZLYjw_Lpq2ZhQ7SoIXDpPtdqIktx0e2_6JrBznbIhoxzA/s1600/mpoutdam31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFJf9aZHOePvlY3vXgFjrve0PKvsXXPzRdiYW5XmqllmqcbCoGkbhmDY96yY_SJgPAmy9k5AdP0TbHLb230IHGh8VgsFnD2ZLYjw_Lpq2ZhQ7SoIXDpPtdqIktx0e2_6JrBznbIhoxzA/s400/mpoutdam31.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">so there are two small low ponds below the main pond.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOK3vvF1LfwjnXnHhgcNKs7iK4aJ6G64-vHXdIhLnBHyFHaPvcJM98-vb-UlsiSOjx3pkz385egKNMQBri99vqvzeJEUPQdIsTDKvgMHwaRPITgHeNCURK_-JBq5q8EsiMmF1Nx6YS6Y/s1600/mpdam31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOK3vvF1LfwjnXnHhgcNKs7iK4aJ6G64-vHXdIhLnBHyFHaPvcJM98-vb-UlsiSOjx3pkz385egKNMQBri99vqvzeJEUPQdIsTDKvgMHwaRPITgHeNCURK_-JBq5q8EsiMmF1Nx6YS6Y/s400/mpdam31.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Audubon Pond remains lifeless, and mostly ice covered -- old ice. Going around South Bay, I flushed another heron.</span>Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-34292065007939546952013-12-05T19:16:00.000-08:002013-12-05T19:16:14.042-08:00March 9 to 16, 2003<span style="font-size: medium;">March 9 last night we had a spike of warm temperatures and some heavy rain showers, then cold and an inch of snow by morning. While relaxing on the porch before taking a hike to see what the brief thaw and rain had done, I saw four mute swans out in the river and the ice shore -- catching some winks. At one point an eagle flew over, scaring all the goldeneyes and mergansers. The swans looked up and resumed their nap. Of course, on my way to the ponds, I went to Sheldon's rock first to get photos of the swans</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvu1x0l_7agI7Ui2m5RYzsx-zeSE3oMpe4eh8OHGVLlfjOE17vHy1UExiD6jWRL3J8YiileAu1IQzQl7O4xOpiUf5kiVkZbaOVl3xRvA7zYOfxcJK14tChFr9qgG-UYpOA_GYoX9RPoc/s1600/swans9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvu1x0l_7agI7Ui2m5RYzsx-zeSE3oMpe4eh8OHGVLlfjOE17vHy1UExiD6jWRL3J8YiileAu1IQzQl7O4xOpiUf5kiVkZbaOVl3xRvA7zYOfxcJK14tChFr9qgG-UYpOA_GYoX9RPoc/s400/swans9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Most enjoyable were their curving golden necks. Then as I was there the eagle flew over again</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskZA5ihD0hABZEj7EzOIip3GzXa45Thlckx8Jnz_3aPn0YyuZGr_3LBQGjIbkJIxiRxUh9G-gBatVWVyW3NqfCoQSj53UN0cqiWl8_6SQC2BWXNnR8bv-8-j9qMEYVYwz3ZKAj3gTwx8/s1600/eagle9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskZA5ihD0hABZEj7EzOIip3GzXa45Thlckx8Jnz_3aPn0YyuZGr_3LBQGjIbkJIxiRxUh9G-gBatVWVyW3NqfCoQSj53UN0cqiWl8_6SQC2BWXNnR8bv-8-j9qMEYVYwz3ZKAj3gTwx8/s400/eagle9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">which sent the ducks flying again</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXM_VdelS9Ci8QnW3hHsBREtN8B_yUaQbMhn7s_wcZFCC7WqxxtlW5WG86U4VNphWSHJ1rx-AEhyphenhyphenSHBbmPT3817uEur6zaaADlKmOfQq1qWaYRtLTgH2kzDwaE1sEcg5Dlcr46MjaRsQ4/s1600/swansducks9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXM_VdelS9Ci8QnW3hHsBREtN8B_yUaQbMhn7s_wcZFCC7WqxxtlW5WG86U4VNphWSHJ1rx-AEhyphenhyphenSHBbmPT3817uEur6zaaADlKmOfQq1qWaYRtLTgH2kzDwaE1sEcg5Dlcr46MjaRsQ4/s400/swansducks9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and the swans had the river to themselves</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNSyB4PDavPCuUZfUW0umHIifUrzU446fD_XOXFdBuq90r6E8KGbX-298juLGpMsUe9o05l1FWWA-e22FBRdcuHtHeklzGKqCjyH4d_PxsouKiyLWLK3gHS5HEUlTKk3RnQi1zUy__Ak/s1600/swans9a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNSyB4PDavPCuUZfUW0umHIifUrzU446fD_XOXFdBuq90r6E8KGbX-298juLGpMsUe9o05l1FWWA-e22FBRdcuHtHeklzGKqCjyH4d_PxsouKiyLWLK3gHS5HEUlTKk3RnQi1zUy__Ak/s400/swans9a.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then off across the golf course, this time with just my boots. Perhaps a mistake. The first twenty steps I went knee deep in the hard snow, it was somewhat of a charge, but the last fifty steps was a bit tiring. There was more picking at the deer carcass -- crows I suppose.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdC0Dlf5R83S8blfUjw5Gpboo00us7ZaSNomFthutrUyNecGoY0XUQ74mpjcC3alsb1U5wFyIRujnbdnYrtcdqCr3Svq1hE2anCns26kKM84rY30OuEBcrXUY0yS8hPq4gL2x8WNHeXT4/s1600/deercrow9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdC0Dlf5R83S8blfUjw5Gpboo00us7ZaSNomFthutrUyNecGoY0XUQ74mpjcC3alsb1U5wFyIRujnbdnYrtcdqCr3Svq1hE2anCns26kKM84rY30OuEBcrXUY0yS8hPq4gL2x8WNHeXT4/s400/deercrow9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Neither of the otters came out at the Big Pond, though the light snow had drifted and was drifting a bit. Still I think I could tell.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-ZRzaIOvPSXT2-KRX5BM5Fq-AXeFMhqM1vL7NuqUjBytIqao3lz-JJIwlkmfoA3UJFNNeS1NqhrAyOFkrmDtGPv7O2LoahDZ2uoIYhpc78xJnf8vLJTJifTwFMqi9eWlsdkADpCyChQ/s1600/bpothole9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-ZRzaIOvPSXT2-KRX5BM5Fq-AXeFMhqM1vL7NuqUjBytIqao3lz-JJIwlkmfoA3UJFNNeS1NqhrAyOFkrmDtGPv7O2LoahDZ2uoIYhpc78xJnf8vLJTJifTwFMqi9eWlsdkADpCyChQ/s400/bpothole9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I expected more from the Lost Swamp Pond otters. Indeed wondering if they might breach the dam, in part, prompted me to come out (I am due for a day off from this touring.) But there was absolutely no sign of otter activity, nor any sign that the beavers came out, nor did I hear them humming. It was brisk and getting colder. I sat for a spell, pondering how different the world must seem under the ice. I had hardly snapped a photo on this day. Then down at the Second Swamp Pond beaver lodge, I saw that the beavers had come out again, making two trails up into the snow,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1c0fJFHjb3bHRURrT_Qcew4udyTSl-oxnA4VD27OliHqEk1QtqQZk80nfcs1MDwo6u-avetLrmlL8SkeJhxZO7au4wrZ1amfwUgnGrztCqbEvssDuPk0TuEtp31F-s5y8AhWeU8Q2Mw/s1600/spbvhole9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1c0fJFHjb3bHRURrT_Qcew4udyTSl-oxnA4VD27OliHqEk1QtqQZk80nfcs1MDwo6u-avetLrmlL8SkeJhxZO7au4wrZ1amfwUgnGrztCqbEvssDuPk0TuEtp31F-s5y8AhWeU8Q2Mw/s400/spbvhole9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">one toward some birches, and the other up to the downed maple and oak on the rock. There were marks of lumber being dragged down, but none was left on the trail. And I thought it interesting that a beaver gnawed on an old standing project with no hope of cutting that during a winter's interlude.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DWGAeG-nGT4IezIuqan6ffLJ_d_E0f7ZapBK8Qg56yVA-niqq8lma-eFxHBHgCEJsoo-9ZhG_ngh4pskKQxFh7CHaf5LV9Ny8hXM-rsGSveBOjKDLYMnC99aN2IiAYovsw9amYW30kk/s1600/bvwk9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DWGAeG-nGT4IezIuqan6ffLJ_d_E0f7ZapBK8Qg56yVA-niqq8lma-eFxHBHgCEJsoo-9ZhG_ngh4pskKQxFh7CHaf5LV9Ny8hXM-rsGSveBOjKDLYMnC99aN2IiAYovsw9amYW30kk/s400/bvwk9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Not having snowshoes or skis on enabled me to get<br />
on my belly and extend my arms all the way down the hole they used. There was a bit of muddy water at the bottom of it and I held my camera just above that and fired away</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUBdBSoacjAdrRwelWoajIFcX-WlXNkVs5hlPpUcHH7Qk17hKmHwCOqISQvlZ_rFLgyaMw0qtXV9DPKtk_NY0F_exlEvbDFULmoaUizFwTYrXZEUgp7XpHd66aPiafw_4jlNK_0YpdgE/s1600/underice9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUBdBSoacjAdrRwelWoajIFcX-WlXNkVs5hlPpUcHH7Qk17hKmHwCOqISQvlZ_rFLgyaMw0qtXV9DPKtk_NY0F_exlEvbDFULmoaUizFwTYrXZEUgp7XpHd66aPiafw_4jlNK_0YpdgE/s400/underice9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I continued up the ridge toward and East Trail Pond and an pileated woodpecker entertained me, and let me get somewhat close. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTFiPnu-lzUkgzV0oNJ5Ni0b9rbJbFbDKSpLFTgSyG8t_Rn7aoVfII00t8aD5ak9-jdgxSEnXZxVnN4khN9pyjS74W1WazfytLtwUyQDR05I4iqjM-a1xClZiLXGxxG0QAaSUjBGLIL8/s1600/pileated9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTFiPnu-lzUkgzV0oNJ5Ni0b9rbJbFbDKSpLFTgSyG8t_Rn7aoVfII00t8aD5ak9-jdgxSEnXZxVnN4khN9pyjS74W1WazfytLtwUyQDR05I4iqjM-a1xClZiLXGxxG0QAaSUjBGLIL8/s400/pileated9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">And that turned out to be the extent of the day's activities. All was quiet at the East Trail Pond and on the way home through Otter Hole Pond. I did see two interesting tracks: dusted over snowshoe hare tracks</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-B3Lm3EpeTrfK4ju_fhpduer8r9xj-F_p353OwhsywshldRY0vDxxDPdjVGcy5dtI_eQZdnYRqQFwdysUvjR5gZUCL1UC6iXlM6xNJyMvbmIXo_ltTQ6nobrrlXWAPtK0RqerJtlP9Ec/s1600/haretks9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-B3Lm3EpeTrfK4ju_fhpduer8r9xj-F_p353OwhsywshldRY0vDxxDPdjVGcy5dtI_eQZdnYRqQFwdysUvjR5gZUCL1UC6iXlM6xNJyMvbmIXo_ltTQ6nobrrlXWAPtK0RqerJtlP9Ec/s400/haretks9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">in the usual spot between the Big Pond and Lost<br />
Swamp Pond, and fisher tracks.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RSAqU0PaLBSKou7LIEExBssLpiaOCW9NQOXvzPs_rvOASx1Fhdp08e_AgzDuR48by9zbaKGT88mGIy6ZR5Apn21pmP8XjXljt0FkaMBXme7sZWwL8sqr7mPwPzrmPyYx5Y3gTmMneAM/s1600/fishtks9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RSAqU0PaLBSKou7LIEExBssLpiaOCW9NQOXvzPs_rvOASx1Fhdp08e_AgzDuR48by9zbaKGT88mGIy6ZR5Apn21pmP8XjXljt0FkaMBXme7sZWwL8sqr7mPwPzrmPyYx5Y3gTmMneAM/s400/fishtks9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">As Leslie drove on County Route 100 near the crossroads she saw what she thought was an otter crossing the road. Perhaps that's more likely at those fields than a fisher, but fishers do cover territory and maybe I saw the tracks of the same animal, two miles from the crossroads.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 11 I took a day off from tracking, 15F and 20mph winds were bad enough, and I also needed relief from the glare of the snow in the bright sun. Today it started snowing a little before 8, so I hurried off on snowshoes to see tracks before they were covered with fresh snow. Since January 19 when I first saw the otter family in the East Trail Pond I have been in a "zone" with this tracking, almost as if the otters and I were communicating with each other in some way. Today, all the otter signs were so tentative and equivocal that I entertained the thought that a chapter had ended. However, at the hole near the old beaver lodge of the Big Pond there was a stain in the snow but no discernible tracks to it, and only the slightest brush of activity out of the hole still half closed by the old snows. I restrained myself from walking in front of the hole to see how solid the ice along the shore was. My initial reaction was that nothing had been out, but the more I think about it, I'm not so sure. I didn't take a photo because the snow was falling thick and in my face. Rather than going down to the dam, I hurried to the Lost Swamp Pond. My expectation of dam breaching was again disappointed, and at first glance there was no look of otters being out. However there was a small hole freshly open that is between the two holes they used the other day. The tracks from it appeared to be the old tracks going to the next hole. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8x3xChdHWv_neSlTdxV44OQNC-0vfYTuZEL-f9jKgx-Fe1p_vuP1pmM3Fp2zmjP7RqyPKs6w_PXR9SF86d4JZ_dGA4CrgN88AKNgDBitlqph07JR1gUx1Yr6EyqRq4vdB1BQTjts26Iw/s1600/lsotsign11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8x3xChdHWv_neSlTdxV44OQNC-0vfYTuZEL-f9jKgx-Fe1p_vuP1pmM3Fp2zmjP7RqyPKs6w_PXR9SF86d4JZ_dGA4CrgN88AKNgDBitlqph07JR1gUx1Yr6EyqRq4vdB1BQTjts26Iw/s400/lsotsign11.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Activity, I guess, but an amazing lack of it for a 48 hour period. Down at the Second Swamp Pond there was no evidence that the beavers had been out again. However, at the East Trail Pond, the beavers had almost finished the meal they had stuffed into their hole two days ago.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwRHlamScReyQGkV1hUHlwRce7HulXKiyJ5NdH6L5reHW8XnIqY3E2s8ceCvnKjrNtRe7o-8YLs7Sd3DVwQxCxYbLvMONp9pimzgADCf2Nh7hbFjshf4mEcK7V7FG9pklOFuHm2IH4xmA/s1600/etbvhole11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwRHlamScReyQGkV1hUHlwRce7HulXKiyJ5NdH6L5reHW8XnIqY3E2s8ceCvnKjrNtRe7o-8YLs7Sd3DVwQxCxYbLvMONp9pimzgADCf2Nh7hbFjshf4mEcK7V7FG9pklOFuHm2IH4xmA/s400/etbvhole11.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I couldn't be sure if they had done any more foraging but it didn't look like it. There was no activity, nor hint of activity, at the otter holes. Then I went back to check the Second Swamp Pond dam and saw nothing but an old mink trail going into Otter Hole Pond. I took the short cut otters had taught me long ago between upper Otter Hole Pond and the little ponds below the Big Pond. The snow was quite nice falling amidst the cedar and pines there. And I noted a grove of poplars just situated far enough from too beaver ponds to have survived during the last decade of intense beaver activity. At the down stream side of the small dam holding back Double Lodge Pond, there was what appeared to be a hole used recently by an otter.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHiIlG72Dmp2KyoBmtwbavhyb1s7N1d63gLxC_rKr5Midsw6QSqeJ7-yVjeLhwpz_L3Av5HJihSUuAc2BHfJZ2Beb8Tw2lZqee6xFYYa2fcdYdp84963B8ERMFrsaAfy5g8HWulDqbj8Q/s1600/dlponhole11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHiIlG72Dmp2KyoBmtwbavhyb1s7N1d63gLxC_rKr5Midsw6QSqeJ7-yVjeLhwpz_L3Av5HJihSUuAc2BHfJZ2Beb8Tw2lZqee6xFYYa2fcdYdp84963B8ERMFrsaAfy5g8HWulDqbj8Q/s400/dlponhole11.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Just a short jaunt as befits the juvenile otter I think is here, and no scat. This otter has been timid about advertising his presence. I came home up the first valley to the golf course, and saw some nice porcupine work along the creek below the big rock.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The tips of branches and the tiptop of the tree were gnawed bare in three red oaks.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXIJecxTW5_2WX2QeCPKYu8Jk5FZkI4IjJjDyA0sPlYs2iuvr_eDn3-fbHYBQsCuOt8xvK5NMdN1N8h7OWjW4arityO3oMuTPl-v2rIGLjC1JWiUnxyxer6ITrK1LV3MaChoX_5yrc7w/s1600/ppinewk11a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXIJecxTW5_2WX2QeCPKYu8Jk5FZkI4IjJjDyA0sPlYs2iuvr_eDn3-fbHYBQsCuOt8xvK5NMdN1N8h7OWjW4arityO3oMuTPl-v2rIGLjC1JWiUnxyxer6ITrK1LV3MaChoX_5yrc7w/s400/ppinewk11a.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">A young maple had been liberally tasted. No fresh tracks though. The snow stopped when I got home, and the wind will probably soon blow it off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 13 last year I saw beavers and an otter swimming in the commodious pool of open water behind the Lost Swamp Pond dam. This year everything is locked in ice. As I hiked out in the morning, it was 15F and cloudy. Yesterday the temperature stayed around 34 and there was wet snow in the morning. The snow was now icy, so I hoped to be able to discern tracks made yesterday in the wet snow, and those made today on the ice. Good luck. I did see some day old tracks, either fisher or coyote, that I hoped would lead to the deer carcass at the foot of the valley but I don't think they did or they were swallowed by the stomping around the carcass. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48B837C4yROYn351ymaZJ7LY8HlK2htX9luhysz3qZUxHQVrOOBZcpjIBXqg5PKSTap_gQ-uVf1WFreAB-xAttCPt45P6UwpsX8-T0YEU2oqftAjRCs-C7-RpNi8tIQUbUKMoYCZlFUI/s1600/deercar13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48B837C4yROYn351ymaZJ7LY8HlK2htX9luhysz3qZUxHQVrOOBZcpjIBXqg5PKSTap_gQ-uVf1WFreAB-xAttCPt45P6UwpsX8-T0YEU2oqftAjRCs-C7-RpNi8tIQUbUKMoYCZlFUI/s400/deercar13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">No doubt meals have been had off it, including some scraping on a leg bone</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">And, as always, the head seemed most popular</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dT1FTxadlBczrro31WEA3j6qVZUn9mGkW-VMfVaFiQebOP-FOZcmsgEFPd0NwcYoEG0UOmlEopMLzO-8cSgtHuRi40LXVemrJp_Z51YnJPzZSLYGh7-OHam_aXUCtNO9Jf-qZ4r4JBQ/s1600/deerskull13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dT1FTxadlBczrro31WEA3j6qVZUn9mGkW-VMfVaFiQebOP-FOZcmsgEFPd0NwcYoEG0UOmlEopMLzO-8cSgtHuRi40LXVemrJp_Z51YnJPzZSLYGh7-OHam_aXUCtNO9Jf-qZ4r4JBQ/s400/deerskull13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">But I couldn't isolate any tracks around all this. I'd like to show that eagles have been here, but I suppose they would land on the carcass and pull apart the meat without having to touch the surrounding snow. The porcupine returned to the den in the rocks just up from the Big Pond, and it peed as it went down into the den and then, I think, it came out and went I know not where. I did not notice any fresh gnawing in the trees nearby. I should note the lack of activity in the second valley, where we had actually seen a porcupine. Is it possible the usually popular cliff of fallen rocks became too snow encrusted? At the hole where I expected signs of otter activity, there was only a slight hint of it. There was some muddiness and muss</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOBEdQjhgiDjYsFy3B6lDYHg8_NsfdOumCWzIcaPdYY3-REnlmgUpg0wVqrJ4fbHxX9T8oSqus38_3VyP2o6c0isy_LFa3uzhHlARxqCBL3Tj8zqWoSc-D98FoOntIWGzUZ9AYzCUuS4/s1600/bpothole13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOBEdQjhgiDjYsFy3B6lDYHg8_NsfdOumCWzIcaPdYY3-REnlmgUpg0wVqrJ4fbHxX9T8oSqus38_3VyP2o6c0isy_LFa3uzhHlARxqCBL3Tj8zqWoSc-D98FoOntIWGzUZ9AYzCUuS4/s400/bpothole13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">but no scats and no prints that I could see. If an otter had come out, it was this morning. Down at the dam, I hit pay dirt. The most generous otter scats that I've seen down there in a while</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9IBwAO9KibE3iN8yf2OTSzYS1Rsyt7XBw-PA0kkGTayLlA0sK9t9xZq_S4-CPJD4rHkkvrN3z3uMc7q4VcpRhJ83FD1hrVWkIQXJo6Dk7B0R9yABxb9t-wAKOqfOVth9vQpPdCW7spI/s1600/bpdamscats13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9IBwAO9KibE3iN8yf2OTSzYS1Rsyt7XBw-PA0kkGTayLlA0sK9t9xZq_S4-CPJD4rHkkvrN3z3uMc7q4VcpRhJ83FD1hrVWkIQXJo6Dk7B0R9yABxb9t-wAKOqfOVth9vQpPdCW7spI/s400/bpdamscats13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I stuck my camera down the enlarged hole which seemed to lead to two forks. The photo taken in the direction of where my guess is the leak in the dam is, shows an interesting view</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipM4TtSkO6PjuFFhVJ5W7az3x4BLEojsMvL_DIXcPQIfVCsM0H-bWUMIGUgwzan5GNtc5t1dylxtv4uesr2-oCbHOTLV1-fcCJXHWdVO34gX4K3Jp0dkLlnho41872JrbsR3ovmIyB2hM/s1600/underdamice13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipM4TtSkO6PjuFFhVJ5W7az3x4BLEojsMvL_DIXcPQIfVCsM0H-bWUMIGUgwzan5GNtc5t1dylxtv4uesr2-oCbHOTLV1-fcCJXHWdVO34gX4K3Jp0dkLlnho41872JrbsR3ovmIyB2hM/s400/underdamice13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There is water there and the appearance of room to maneuver in. I reset the settings of my camera and now am able to get better quality in the scat shots</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2eMU8o3xTGO2FXQyGzocqZdbbGshl92tveFDhxRCUEVROs3PI48ffmw_gLSUJ0AQc_ECgvEwajdyWZCJdKqR5V8HMmZ05rfL2aVy5jZSqs3yUJ8Dib35EHcvpdTawsH2WG3RwM8gZ2g/s1600/scat13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2eMU8o3xTGO2FXQyGzocqZdbbGshl92tveFDhxRCUEVROs3PI48ffmw_gLSUJ0AQc_ECgvEwajdyWZCJdKqR5V8HMmZ05rfL2aVy5jZSqs3yUJ8Dib35EHcvpdTawsH2WG3RwM8gZ2g/s400/scat13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The bones and scales are what I expect. The large yellow item is a mystery, and there looks to be tiny snails that survived the otter's digestive tract. There were some muddy slides going down the dam to the hole the otter had made before. There were no slides on the ice that I could discern. I went to look at the hole below Double Lodge Pond dam which had the look of being used and then there was a hole ten yards down into the water, and muddy slides from that, </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHg_SJfbLiyDNkBjXbzaSZTpUGZoGP0jzSDNwAspZGsPGDhMjgn_7YYBUgQ-_xQUReeSWlSZ4mAliqQaFMdiPE_RYiIuBaL9ukX2PLISuXy2JTnbDrSGgvTbdX7AZaWFnoNHIpYsxmK1o/s1600/belowdlpond13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHg_SJfbLiyDNkBjXbzaSZTpUGZoGP0jzSDNwAspZGsPGDhMjgn_7YYBUgQ-_xQUReeSWlSZ4mAliqQaFMdiPE_RYiIuBaL9ukX2PLISuXy2JTnbDrSGgvTbdX7AZaWFnoNHIpYsxmK1o/s400/belowdlpond13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">but they led to a smaller hole the next dam down which I think only a mink could use. No sign of anything going down farther. Off I went to the Lost Swamp Pond, expecting to see signs that otters had been out there, and I saw absolutely nothing but maybe a small raccoon coming up the dam. Then to add to the confusion, at the Second Swamp Pond dam I found otter scat, and blood, outside a hole in the snow leading down into the little pool the beavers had fashioned there in the late fall. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0S6fqh0pqSxPufegN0bx0JkkL3FqehjMh0-h3FkVl1CIpSIhwEMxG4A1VRT2lbdhCGy2RFzfHMrz5q8gCR90sT9Wh-YrFeUGlJAvJckaqFhJThzqX6iilIaM2DfihC0i2IGqUTXo9mE/s1600/spdamhole13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0S6fqh0pqSxPufegN0bx0JkkL3FqehjMh0-h3FkVl1CIpSIhwEMxG4A1VRT2lbdhCGy2RFzfHMrz5q8gCR90sT9Wh-YrFeUGlJAvJckaqFhJThzqX6iilIaM2DfihC0i2IGqUTXo9mE/s400/spdamhole13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">This was a small pile of scat, and I walked away from it, but this line of thinking brought me back for a close up: This pond had been bone dry two summer's ago and rather depleted last summer. What were the otters eating?</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcl6i6R3FQAi-73GRctcGn5IvQRjQ6c1eWa7Uc35scgjuvjoxiN7MohKfI-jDHc4-MrEcuQqAG7uTiQvhiGIOFmINGtuJQwYmZWqzl8tkDJhe3W1HfA2oGxbAZVCq-f82U_glyfZf3MM/s1600/scat13a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcl6i6R3FQAi-73GRctcGn5IvQRjQ6c1eWa7Uc35scgjuvjoxiN7MohKfI-jDHc4-MrEcuQqAG7uTiQvhiGIOFmINGtuJQwYmZWqzl8tkDJhe3W1HfA2oGxbAZVCq-f82U_glyfZf3MM/s400/scat13a.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">And this scat seems to have few scales and bones -- more pollywogs in the diet? The bigger question was: who are these otters? There was a hint of a trail over to the hole the beavers were using near the lodge and shore, but the beavers had been out so much there was no evidence of otter activity. Then to follow this otter thread, up at the East Trail Pond, I found a hint of activity on the ice around the east hole at the dam, and, flecks of blood, that hardly register on a photo, around the hole and leading to it! Two years ago, at about this time, I found blood and otter slides and could trace the outlines of a fight between otters in the pond and one that came into the pond. But I couldn't deduce a fight from just the blood I saw today. As for the beavers, they came out again at the Second Swamp Pond. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2wilbjMmG_FzyXvE_6K1lbYWhQlcnMAOQBM7ltJ4_mjTtJ-gf35mgQ_nVDsBlhdiOOdE47XA8fZQ1Qgq4n7kWDfYNPZb6VbQQw97o8yWvG7qKNYntalB8XixWdvmHttaU8CPCNgRVII/s1600/spbvhole13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2wilbjMmG_FzyXvE_6K1lbYWhQlcnMAOQBM7ltJ4_mjTtJ-gf35mgQ_nVDsBlhdiOOdE47XA8fZQ1Qgq4n7kWDfYNPZb6VbQQw97o8yWvG7qKNYntalB8XixWdvmHttaU8CPCNgRVII/s400/spbvhole13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There were enough trails leading to disparate areas of gnawing so I think it safe to say that more than onebeaver came out. They continue to gnaw on an old cut of a tree still standing, seemingly ignoring the easy branches of trees already down. And they worked in an area they haven't been to in a while. It looks like they gnawed an elm briefly for openers, and then worked on an ash with more gusto, and then cut a birch and then cut it again.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yodAdjnjHPc4TR3fXY4ZUkcIFTZlwzr8ScxolMYkOArbZPunDZIHzsYMmfcszQ_SkhIQfHMPKhd3dDpuPfowsrrp5HCqY8Csyt-44vu1p5yQctGz3Ft3TOFXjVlMJON5CZZdgY_C78o/s1600/spbvwk13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yodAdjnjHPc4TR3fXY4ZUkcIFTZlwzr8ScxolMYkOArbZPunDZIHzsYMmfcszQ_SkhIQfHMPKhd3dDpuPfowsrrp5HCqY8Csyt-44vu1p5yQctGz3Ft3TOFXjVlMJON5CZZdgY_C78o/s400/spbvwk13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">As I stood next to it, I remarked to myself that their cutting the ash just above the level of the snow was worth noting, but looking at the photo, it seems likely that they ignored the low cut, which may have been made a while ago, and began anew with a higher cut. The East Trail Pond beavers have also been out. At the hole next to the lodge a log wedged into it has been stripped. And leading from the hole at the shore of the pond is a trail of nibbled and gnawed sticks.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtpiw7nLmXjK2FbsIIZmceLgBwSuH-D7H_hdwSjy1aakTFBorOPw-9byAaCQIx2O19uA2l8BBBPiKVHbjLbewNVYICS5Uax-uA6MJ2C-q7mSo9FzUFaZ_OKlQ9KaX6kAqhPckrArDdSI/s1600/etbvhole13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtpiw7nLmXjK2FbsIIZmceLgBwSuH-D7H_hdwSjy1aakTFBorOPw-9byAaCQIx2O19uA2l8BBBPiKVHbjLbewNVYICS5Uax-uA6MJ2C-q7mSo9FzUFaZ_OKlQ9KaX6kAqhPckrArDdSI/s400/etbvhole13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">which presents a contrast to the clear approaches to the hole in the Second Swamp Pond. I pressed on to Meander Pond and at its head found the largest patch of bare ground formed over what must be a warm, if not very proficient, spring. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIGo2Xqvo5ljReMHjD1mzeEztjTrKuFPPQJBMjQI_FS-aJ0AhprFOu_TKpqLpUw-6d4uiNUyqxij3b5LSme-Li4d9j4OR5DMb-WwxTE5hRgiJTPltk6mHCVvLXMi569PPQ-pL-Y6lBafI/s1600/bareground13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIGo2Xqvo5ljReMHjD1mzeEztjTrKuFPPQJBMjQI_FS-aJ0AhprFOu_TKpqLpUw-6d4uiNUyqxij3b5LSme-Li4d9j4OR5DMb-WwxTE5hRgiJTPltk6mHCVvLXMi569PPQ-pL-Y6lBafI/s400/bareground13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I've seen robins here and many deer tracks, and today a raccoon's tracks. Down at the beaver bank burrow, I found a bouquet of branches around the frozen hole the beavers had been using.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLx5f_7LpcgX9b912zUxfvgbJp7fc2Wp5fCdjSr400dEh3CCbgtReVTgDjYSaBKtaOevfS2vuHlTbed8YWg3T92O3dds23VU1tLoc1GYaRYsBJrAIZ1rRtlWueURMEvTsFdpQ82qx6_9k/s1600/mpbvhole13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLx5f_7LpcgX9b912zUxfvgbJp7fc2Wp5fCdjSr400dEh3CCbgtReVTgDjYSaBKtaOevfS2vuHlTbed8YWg3T92O3dds23VU1tLoc1GYaRYsBJrAIZ1rRtlWueURMEvTsFdpQ82qx6_9k/s400/mpbvhole13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Otherwise I didn't spy any major new activity around the pond. In the past Audubon Pond has been popular with otters in March, but, so far, not this year. Still no signs of activity. I walked around South Bay and was rewarded for avoiding the boring trek across the Bay ice. Down in the cove a dead deer frozen in the ice near the shore was partially revealed,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wWP0oLRFrgFApSkdID0UwY4lam6myn1TYacM369L7abec_KKaDxfAxV21B1y-XRWLxeuOmM7qsiIesgWD6uLGdD4EZ9J7zfov9UVV4Z8JsoXGdMfE99QhP0Y66B0v6pzvioYPVcuU7I/s1600/deercar13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wWP0oLRFrgFApSkdID0UwY4lam6myn1TYacM369L7abec_KKaDxfAxV21B1y-XRWLxeuOmM7qsiIesgWD6uLGdD4EZ9J7zfov9UVV4Z8JsoXGdMfE99QhP0Y66B0v6pzvioYPVcuU7I/s400/deercar13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and its head cut off and posed elegantly on the ice a few yards from the rest of the carcass.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTccegQsv0V8O_e0kIDxdMUbHpKx0iDRDIkfD1USmolBAtgrgStdYeooH5VRuXWVMz97XWhsYLmsP_R-sAAMhmrSq9LRChXqXkSBKsEjhrTJWi-d8lcAoH8Fc2YTX_7bCelpp3-ze-JmY/s1600/deerhead13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTccegQsv0V8O_e0kIDxdMUbHpKx0iDRDIkfD1USmolBAtgrgStdYeooH5VRuXWVMz97XWhsYLmsP_R-sAAMhmrSq9LRChXqXkSBKsEjhrTJWi-d8lcAoH8Fc2YTX_7bCelpp3-ze-JmY/s400/deerhead13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The only scavenger's tracks I could be sure of was from birds, though obviously fox and coyotes have paid their respects. I also went up to Otter Hole Pond, and scared an eagle off its perch on one of the dead trees. There was no sign of otter activity in those ponds, though a mink had been out below Beaver Point Pond dam. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 14 According to forecasts, this is the last day of winter. A thaw starts tomorrow. So I took a photo of the Lost Swamp Pond dam as seen from just beyond the beaver lodge by the rock</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexicbfmEuGs3V4Ftp1HfBtGfzCvRyr5W_lzKD3x7s5i0NdurNbvusZ-f-jdzjKgJw_yQy5bLnHgCgGClWosi6ghzIXO7R-9BUFz83kMbUB2yhosMGG5jey4qGaD6MG9TzkHMPXgeyM7w/s1600/lsdam14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexicbfmEuGs3V4Ftp1HfBtGfzCvRyr5W_lzKD3x7s5i0NdurNbvusZ-f-jdzjKgJw_yQy5bLnHgCgGClWosi6ghzIXO7R-9BUFz83kMbUB2yhosMGG5jey4qGaD6MG9TzkHMPXgeyM7w/s400/lsdam14.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">an eloquent testimony to the strength of the winter. What will it look like in a week? To back track, we didn't see anything new going down the valley or at the otter hole in the Big Pond. Nothing new at the spring pool, nor at the dam above the pond. I saved the dam below for the return trip. Once again there were no signs of otters in the Lost Swamp Pond. This is perplexing, especially if it is a mother and pup, as I theorize. Not a combination to lay low for too long. I carefully checked the stream below the dam, thinking they might be favoring that bit of running water, but there was no sign of fresh activity there. However, down at the Second Pond dam, there was a fresh scat, albeit a small one.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjd5WBE0wVLbs5x_XfeZ3HBikf1q8jW5VH8xD2hQkc2X_UeCnTK7cXI0mwRtHiUdSumr8HYqPODmOjZUacDKdHkWnnnnApsk2pW52ZU9mh5wK7DNmvXzObrqK7GveJDFaTkfOBo5e464/s1600/spscat14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjd5WBE0wVLbs5x_XfeZ3HBikf1q8jW5VH8xD2hQkc2X_UeCnTK7cXI0mwRtHiUdSumr8HYqPODmOjZUacDKdHkWnnnnApsk2pW52ZU9mh5wK7DNmvXzObrqK7GveJDFaTkfOBo5e464/s400/spscat14.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and an otter had been out of a hole further below the dam.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoBEFWJBUwEJn4CzJZAaiQBMwj2lONcE6hPtgEhhiQXjPqlui8-uF2w_df6OkRhlvsx4sTyDcbhh_OLEpwOBNSHBhzDavWwy1-6kku4AaOQw-ScB0PPjNaKzBHbS1yVrcLv0uPlQ5ixo/s1600/othole14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoBEFWJBUwEJn4CzJZAaiQBMwj2lONcE6hPtgEhhiQXjPqlui8-uF2w_df6OkRhlvsx4sTyDcbhh_OLEpwOBNSHBhzDavWwy1-6kku4AaOQw-ScB0PPjNaKzBHbS1yVrcLv0uPlQ5ixo/s400/othole14.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">However, there were no signs of activity at the next dam down -- the little upper Otter Hole Pond dam. I took close-ups of the scats. The old one, what seemed remarkably gooey yesterday, now showed many fish scales in it. Compare the photo below with the one I took yesterday. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkcCSWcz8vw-OfGEQfILRPQx6UFG1F_JfNnaAyRAilN_cHMs9Hn7X5iaRHxnrw939D-2Mvu1K0hBcBFDMBBGrga3gOVYjrv4f5-D_4a2DJMnwOLmGWx3iUNeKt7f9M68I0fi6Fsb5_lyk/s1600/scat14a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkcCSWcz8vw-OfGEQfILRPQx6UFG1F_JfNnaAyRAilN_cHMs9Hn7X5iaRHxnrw939D-2Mvu1K0hBcBFDMBBGrga3gOVYjrv4f5-D_4a2DJMnwOLmGWx3iUNeKt7f9M68I0fi6Fsb5_lyk/s400/scat14a.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The fresh one looked completely gooey, today.... </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimndf60dN6rPxW_OLngSkpS5apSiYdRXzMCJb5eP6j11vVKln8gsxY0CEuYjHZHJLvu2TaCn5dJBdgjyXtqws2lKVGMUjaaTRe4zFps7-9_eknJlkumOeQohfJ5wGhzrHXnlLA-SNBpDQ/s1600/scat14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimndf60dN6rPxW_OLngSkpS5apSiYdRXzMCJb5eP6j11vVKln8gsxY0CEuYjHZHJLvu2TaCn5dJBdgjyXtqws2lKVGMUjaaTRe4zFps7-9_eknJlkumOeQohfJ5wGhzrHXnlLA-SNBpDQ/s400/scat14.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Over at the beaver hole there was no sign of activity. We didn't go on to the East Trail Pond, but cut back to the Big Pond -- the same route I took yesterday. At the Big Pond dam I got on my knees to see if I could see any tiny snails in yesterdays otter scat. I used tweezers and magnifying glass but couldn't see anything like tiny snails among the smelly fish scales. It smelled over the scat and parts of it looked freshened. So perhaps an otter had been out. Meanwhile Leslie was seeing a flock of 50 white birds circling high in the sky. I couldn't see them, and they flew off to the north -- hawks? snow geese? Too quiet for the latter, I think. Going up the first valley to the golf course, we saw fisher tracks, </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iMR_g3al7YEZSE3HENS87SDSO0fsMd_hYNtWQeAboXya69ZHTf17KjYBuvp-vOofgkNKBJ6X76sdQfMupAGGUrZCi-Jbq4SzCcNWo857j7Yvorn50Cm7ekF-mXc0QKIrr6eJgj7sbIc/s1600/fishtks14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iMR_g3al7YEZSE3HENS87SDSO0fsMd_hYNtWQeAboXya69ZHTf17KjYBuvp-vOofgkNKBJ6X76sdQfMupAGGUrZCi-Jbq4SzCcNWo857j7Yvorn50Cm7ekF-mXc0QKIrr6eJgj7sbIc/s400/fishtks14.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">probably made by the same fisher who went down the second valley. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 15 the thaw arrived with bright sunshine and with discretion: it slowly crept over the freezing mark. So we could still walk on the snow and ice. Ottoleo went with me and tried to climb up the ridge to see the porcupine den he discovered a few weeks ago, but it was too icy. By a small opening in the creek, we saw some bloody prints, rather small. And then down at the deer carcass, there was blood on a ball of ice under the tree five yards from the carcass. Halfway between that and the tree was part of the lower jaw of the deer.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwlhII8vwK-BVMKBKbnbFjVmLrUhfdfcVrKCOxssW9hxviSeW8F4t6WSUSlR6qOhhSsW083dyJkJidX1yq6JG6fwD1OY_AfNnKwGkuocA-a7HLP82bne9-BbQKcjGAwLIlNStxpZf0VA/s1600/blood15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwlhII8vwK-BVMKBKbnbFjVmLrUhfdfcVrKCOxssW9hxviSeW8F4t6WSUSlR6qOhhSsW083dyJkJidX1yq6JG6fwD1OY_AfNnKwGkuocA-a7HLP82bne9-BbQKcjGAwLIlNStxpZf0VA/s400/blood15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Was the blood from the thawing carcass, or had there been an attack on one of the scavengers during the chilly night? Probably the former, but shouldn't visiting a deer carcass be somewhat dangerous for smaller animals? As usual as the old melted tracks began to look lively again. However, even with that I couldn't conjure up any otter activity at the hole down by the old beaver lodge. And there did not appear to be any fresh activity at the dam hole, save for one scoot from hole to hole into the creek below, but that freshness could easily have been from the melting. At the Lost Swamp, I was momentarily excited to see that the first hole the two otters had used when they entered the pond was open again, and there was scat near it. However, the hole was small, the tracks leading to it were much like mink tracks and the scat, though of generous size for a mink, was stringy like a mink's. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhff7uvuL-74ROtp4Cn2Q6IQbUOGdun0Lu573WTjcrTy6BMGUpp4MLKrU4Bx_YdaPs70zctJdmWCj_ipOA6B7HF51JMPtk6TaQefS0cLK4kkFvKEySy_lLio_nVl8bjBLbZ4xutvCXY1zo/s1600/minkhole15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhff7uvuL-74ROtp4Cn2Q6IQbUOGdun0Lu573WTjcrTy6BMGUpp4MLKrU4Bx_YdaPs70zctJdmWCj_ipOA6B7HF51JMPtk6TaQefS0cLK4kkFvKEySy_lLio_nVl8bjBLbZ4xutvCXY1zo/s400/minkhole15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">So I think a mink was around. I crossed the pond where the otter had been with high hopes but there was absolutely no fresh activity. The beavers in the pond still hadn't broken out of the ice either. As I walked down to the Second Swamp Pond dam, I saw a dark brown lump in the hole by the north shore. I was pretty sure it was a beaver, so I gave Ottoleo the camcorder and asked him to take video if the critter moved. Meanwhile I went down to check for otter scat. There was nothing fresh. I got on my belly to take a photo of the day old scat, but it had sunk too deeply in the snow to get a good image, but it didn't look scaly. Meanwhile, Ottoleo had seen movement, but back down into the hole. He thought the animal might have been a muskrat. Down at the hole we saw a wet spot on the ice where it had been,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfyL_IpDioV8hhKhkoxSn3L408BhoAOP3Lwsvs06Y9ubHbFc9m3SrtVOS9ubyhX_uMBbeRQjHH5MxU7ja4ZF1UFWTDAHqdQD9YoCnrByydpIHoUCEmLqgp5Dzt_d0RC_HuCM7ygZ8S8Q/s1600/spbvhole15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfyL_IpDioV8hhKhkoxSn3L408BhoAOP3Lwsvs06Y9ubHbFc9m3SrtVOS9ubyhX_uMBbeRQjHH5MxU7ja4ZF1UFWTDAHqdQD9YoCnrByydpIHoUCEmLqgp5Dzt_d0RC_HuCM7ygZ8S8Q/s400/spbvhole15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">but no leftovers such as a stick or some grass. I looked around and saw that beavers had been out. They had gone further up the rock knoll, and in the other direction where the birch they had double cut had been cut again and the trunk pushed along several feet from where it originally stood. That effort still didn't bring it down so the beaver began to cut it again.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6ZcIuPQproAiVISB5WWfZOVVzvZkZWDe2-LItkz5xsXIIIEEN7DoSzym2M0YNYd2J8OoaJgdkcyQ_pmZkfE1WApkML8km8-MepvmwPKNNFSektmSLTe0VUWr7I49SG2d1cWh-O3kJp8/s1600/spbvwk15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6ZcIuPQproAiVISB5WWfZOVVzvZkZWDe2-LItkz5xsXIIIEEN7DoSzym2M0YNYd2J8OoaJgdkcyQ_pmZkfE1WApkML8km8-MepvmwPKNNFSektmSLTe0VUWr7I49SG2d1cWh-O3kJp8/s400/spbvwk15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Also some more gnawing on the nearby elm. These beavers don't leave a trail of nibbled sticks to their hole, only big logs out in the field that they haven't moved! As we went to the East Trail Pond, I told Ottoleo that beavers would probably be out. So I sent him up toward the lodge with the camcorder. I was busy taking photo of otters scats at the three holes behind the dam. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKMazSxZU3d6ONUzMq9r5vksfpE4w6LR00ohuuWD2QHXtjY7kM3CsaMNDp3GC2WlhKpozyGUOCgWGfJJbL-7sqHpW62HX2QR4rSCCgB04x78vBQ5HYWpkC3FBBg9qm0kFlOGvwhdKlMk/s1600/etdamhole15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKMazSxZU3d6ONUzMq9r5vksfpE4w6LR00ohuuWD2QHXtjY7kM3CsaMNDp3GC2WlhKpozyGUOCgWGfJJbL-7sqHpW62HX2QR4rSCCgB04x78vBQ5HYWpkC3FBBg9qm0kFlOGvwhdKlMk/s400/etdamhole15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">This was perplexing because I could not see any otter slides into the dam from any direction. However, the prints I could see on the icy snow were very faint.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgej7MfSCiYhbfgXmThAC_sIBWh5VemnugF-AH1SAQ36lwujmVSTei2AjKQx2_LlX65MbwApR0qCYtj-RaI71K4FeXryIAY543S78oEzRFqGfmxRsblEfbI_bs1V15WiQS6kpm9f2Ylk_o/s1600/ottks15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgej7MfSCiYhbfgXmThAC_sIBWh5VemnugF-AH1SAQ36lwujmVSTei2AjKQx2_LlX65MbwApR0qCYtj-RaI71K4FeXryIAY543S78oEzRFqGfmxRsblEfbI_bs1V15WiQS6kpm9f2Ylk_o/s400/ottks15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Given the choice between assuming two otters had been here for a week without showing themselves, or that somehow the otters I had been watching elsewhere had made it to this pond unbeknownst to me, I choose the latter choice, I guess. Since I'm losing the snow, this may remain a mystery unless one day every otter in all the ponds dutifully comes out to scat on the snow. I took a close-up of the very black scat, usually associated with dining on frogs, and in the close there is something looking like a very small part of a frog's leg in the scat. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZd0xO4rQtyJZWf4EN9RL6jLAJ2SH-bb3OrdMmlE5EuzOut0TBO_qlVmSKvpc8m0_WmvQrA6x8J3JPelgm5FUQSADoD6w2w1n5MzIKUsSfbnzt9rrLOt9m7tz22FJck4b0rWsZt-TSnsc/s1600/scat15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZd0xO4rQtyJZWf4EN9RL6jLAJ2SH-bb3OrdMmlE5EuzOut0TBO_qlVmSKvpc8m0_WmvQrA6x8J3JPelgm5FUQSADoD6w2w1n5MzIKUsSfbnzt9rrLOt9m7tz22FJck4b0rWsZt-TSnsc/s400/scat15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, when I joined Ottoleo he reported that he saw a beaver just outside the hole by the edge of the pond and that it went into the hole as I walked up. I opined that the beaver shouldn't be that touchy about our presence at this time of year. We walked up to the hole, but heard no gnawing below, but there were more leftovers than last time I saw the hole. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Ab9uku2cLnjtPbjXCyyjdrWo6Ea4I1IEsbmjJQYbUCAdPKPebRkDtfA-pZ6S3RxsenQiXsBoo7C7Nu4_ox1IcCiluA0VEfFrlSgEuL3hETwwaOqNYNXB2urrDNZXqz_BC_dQ5zC8dmc/s1600/etbvhole15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Ab9uku2cLnjtPbjXCyyjdrWo6Ea4I1IEsbmjJQYbUCAdPKPebRkDtfA-pZ6S3RxsenQiXsBoo7C7Nu4_ox1IcCiluA0VEfFrlSgEuL3hETwwaOqNYNXB2urrDNZXqz_BC_dQ5zC8dmc/s400/etbvhole15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then we went up to check the hole by the lodge, and after I took some photos of evidence of fresh work there, Ottoleo pointed up on the ridge and there was a beaver dragging a pretty good sized sapling, or small tree, down the hill.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0L1PQgvrh8xzJjF_lZpszTpyNy_aroVhXeytlkvym-PvgEJ4JY9MmOCJvlLajed8Lynz3Y4bU0MVxeIFww0vYsfZhUlYWSwPZTOmWOZaoYeqPLjBFFfeWd052zNmZypzrVIEfQQDsMw/s1600/bvdownhill15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0L1PQgvrh8xzJjF_lZpszTpyNy_aroVhXeytlkvym-PvgEJ4JY9MmOCJvlLajed8Lynz3Y4bU0MVxeIFww0vYsfZhUlYWSwPZTOmWOZaoYeqPLjBFFfeWd052zNmZypzrVIEfQQDsMw/s400/bvdownhill15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">It was headed for us, and even though we were a few feet from the beaver's hole, I advised standing still and taking pictures, which we did. The beaver paused a couple of times to adjust its jaw grip on the tree.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtrr6pxQHv_DH_GwDD5LzEWvxa6Q16Mc_SqIrKlDlStzxIqZM1UQGiTNb_QUKUMdUNKZlM3aRHZtdGGWIny0a0P4-L7IxFAW89zBZwZMydZYg70SxU4y3xmZwHMmHH6YuPIZBxDeszJc/s1600/bvdrag15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtrr6pxQHv_DH_GwDD5LzEWvxa6Q16Mc_SqIrKlDlStzxIqZM1UQGiTNb_QUKUMdUNKZlM3aRHZtdGGWIny0a0P4-L7IxFAW89zBZwZMydZYg70SxU4y3xmZwHMmHH6YuPIZBxDeszJc/s400/bvdrag15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then it paused because, I think, it knew we were there. Still it took up the stick and moved closer to us. Then it dropped its stick and came down toward the hole, obviously alarmed and thinking to make its escape into the hole.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXiBnVbs_uukURxvH8N0jRb0XynKDCStYwNjyKIP7RBjmhx1RVRV4Qij8PRI62ybRVoagMY-LZJfgx8xONEnV6UvsiimOoTEzkHYhSgG_8B0QmmQeHICQPO4QUmAntr9ccsmUJX_A10g4/s1600/bvstop15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXiBnVbs_uukURxvH8N0jRb0XynKDCStYwNjyKIP7RBjmhx1RVRV4Qij8PRI62ybRVoagMY-LZJfgx8xONEnV6UvsiimOoTEzkHYhSgG_8B0QmmQeHICQPO4QUmAntr9ccsmUJX_A10g4/s400/bvstop15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">It hissed at us, </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fhifbClOWyU7HIf_vdJuRpYFtUo9Iv6W7728U3oFg-QxbDE1jqVBTq1nkh1dBOsOdmdnKabxOp1SJz1MfBcNJOrbSEgTaKQa8NC4whjADwXg-3huiC6Oxt-7wkEKvsj2a0cuijTq0Z0/s1600/bvclose15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fhifbClOWyU7HIf_vdJuRpYFtUo9Iv6W7728U3oFg-QxbDE1jqVBTq1nkh1dBOsOdmdnKabxOp1SJz1MfBcNJOrbSEgTaKQa8NC4whjADwXg-3huiC6Oxt-7wkEKvsj2a0cuijTq0Z0/s400/bvclose15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">scampered almost to the hole, then backed away and ran in its hippity-hop fashion up passed the lodge and along the trail to the other hole,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamKbryxXitIKPwQStvD6xYw7_gUIbl0u3PiFrj9yD53MdhRlFOWtyh-vZGDGtznxjRGrc7Cni4JIa7Vh9ufAV6rAUHYuAPtK8K2lbx8gEA0gGfNkSFTAjy8DMC4DMjrWhOnVNKedAXOE/s1600/bvescape15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamKbryxXitIKPwQStvD6xYw7_gUIbl0u3PiFrj9yD53MdhRlFOWtyh-vZGDGtznxjRGrc7Cni4JIa7Vh9ufAV6rAUHYuAPtK8K2lbx8gEA0gGfNkSFTAjy8DMC4DMjrWhOnVNKedAXOE/s400/bvescape15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">where the other beaver had gone, and dove in the hole. A brief wave of the tail was the last we saw off it.</span> <br />
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<p align="center"><font size="4"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/03aME24LCJo?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></font></p><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">We had backed off a little -- Ottoleo from apprehension and me just being polite. I thought the beaver looked quite beautiful and healthy, and displayed strength and speed. We went home via Otter Hole Pond, looking in vain for signs of otters having been down there. Of course, we talked about that beaver most of the way home. What if we had been coyotes? Well, we weren't. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 16 It got down almost to 20 last night but it warmed up rapidly, and save for a few hours around noon, it was sunny all day. 50 degrees is a shock. I needed snowshoes today. Because of the snow becoming honeycombed and collapsing, tracking was impossible. However, curiosities can still abound. When I first saw the deer carcass at the foot of the valley, there was a major urine mark on the tree nearby. Amazed by the blood, I forgot to photograph the pee. Since then parts of the carcass have periodically been left under that tree. First parts of the skin, then a ball of blood, and today two balls of stomach fodder</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkf-xeDiutAY-DWVj0uLikjbzi6KtiS3MZh9jX0QNmSghbVpiS9P5cwhg8yRtmROyTGLzZAyP3TXE1-sRXkZnK3Q3t-yfZK88zrNw4WmhkeKrpzSnHpHrm6KhR4gPJ3HuxjAckeHKHnUM/s1600/deerball16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkf-xeDiutAY-DWVj0uLikjbzi6KtiS3MZh9jX0QNmSghbVpiS9P5cwhg8yRtmROyTGLzZAyP3TXE1-sRXkZnK3Q3t-yfZK88zrNw4WmhkeKrpzSnHpHrm6KhR4gPJ3HuxjAckeHKHnUM/s400/deerball16.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">Is a fox or coyote trying to call attention to its claim on this meal? Usually the fodder, as I call it, and intestinal innards are dragged away from the meat. Not so this time which increases the contrast in the destruction of the deer. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs2hbQXethQZzDhb6jFV21EhJDOvAb6j36Is7yd0NhlA1af1NCHnDE9fv1htb2a2MUD6raQqCxu_g5pqCU1BPKyrSCQot3xWvZaVr8SoU-TyoeLhozxhp79_Kb2mOglUAzEpVdL6K2aVM/s1600/deercar16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs2hbQXethQZzDhb6jFV21EhJDOvAb6j36Is7yd0NhlA1af1NCHnDE9fv1htb2a2MUD6raQqCxu_g5pqCU1BPKyrSCQot3xWvZaVr8SoU-TyoeLhozxhp79_Kb2mOglUAzEpVdL6K2aVM/s400/deercar16.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">As I feared, with the melting of the ice, old scats reappear and the task at hand becomes making sure what I see is not fresh. With the deteriorating ice not registering any prints, the whole enterprise is a guessing game. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxW8mUGoz1l16CGa54vENs3Ibf_ViC9JFoS4931vrFuTLdnXi7DhmCejhO2Jt8vzdavKQcAbc3RuoIw5UZVz0XnEYmWpL4auPEgCEfuxSzMbS95O-JtlHxJZ2jPoQZZGyHip-EG3YxArs/s1600/bppond16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxW8mUGoz1l16CGa54vENs3Ibf_ViC9JFoS4931vrFuTLdnXi7DhmCejhO2Jt8vzdavKQcAbc3RuoIw5UZVz0XnEYmWpL4auPEgCEfuxSzMbS95O-JtlHxJZ2jPoQZZGyHip-EG3YxArs/s400/bppond16.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">For example, I had not noticed the white mucous on the scats at the Big Pond hole, and they look moist. But in other years I've noticed how such things take a while to dry out. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5v33jvnRzKD22IfSf94U9BV7Ryfs-AnyWLB6X6mebAGZQhghcgRZ2k7OU1THEvKc5C3CqdNdHh31e9_31x0k3evFWMd85mpyG-qzBQ1FqFdLlOOh7EHsl6943YL46RyH3fHTk6vbKwk/s1600/scats16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5v33jvnRzKD22IfSf94U9BV7Ryfs-AnyWLB6X6mebAGZQhghcgRZ2k7OU1THEvKc5C3CqdNdHh31e9_31x0k3evFWMd85mpyG-qzBQ1FqFdLlOOh7EHsl6943YL46RyH3fHTk6vbKwk/s400/scats16.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">However, since the pond is getting water back in, I suppose any otter emerging from the hole must have wet feet. Wouldn't they leave muddy prints? Same story at the dam hole -- old scat re-emerging, I am pretty sure. However, I think an otter may have come out of the other hole. I've given up on otters reappearing at the Lost Swamp Pond, but I thought this would be day for the beavers to come out. It didn't look like it, and it looked too wet to go check up close</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDqTC0iJu1ImppzA7WDd9jF_YT2SLTVcLWHvzwM_oW9H-Mdy6C0ZMxmbXAKS_5fPx_4ppFWsssMlj7fJZvGiQvtQvWJ8Sc0Phl4PWnIctReA5kCxTKpsnZ-kbISTWlc3WUr_OYRC86PE/s1600/lspond16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDqTC0iJu1ImppzA7WDd9jF_YT2SLTVcLWHvzwM_oW9H-Mdy6C0ZMxmbXAKS_5fPx_4ppFWsssMlj7fJZvGiQvtQvWJ8Sc0Phl4PWnIctReA5kCxTKpsnZ-kbISTWlc3WUr_OYRC86PE/s400/lspond16.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">plus why would the beavers want to come out at the lodge. They must make a hole along the shore, but I didn't see any. Down at the Second Swamp Pond, the beavers had been out, and the wet depression near the lodge, underlines the point I made above. There is no comfort in just a hole near the lodge. They want a pool, and it seems they let the heat create it. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25yyqnZF_8kSwicum2tu6QS1xXPuNegD2U3UIiNTesho2v-6-u0ERyhVqNBkJ3kYsC3kCx2uRDxx5TDilFJILnfj97QjtxxTjhnM5HCGRTUy9eXP_HCbmT9lx-tGCSzVsSo6-2k1jMYg/s1600/spond16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25yyqnZF_8kSwicum2tu6QS1xXPuNegD2U3UIiNTesho2v-6-u0ERyhVqNBkJ3kYsC3kCx2uRDxx5TDilFJILnfj97QjtxxTjhnM5HCGRTUy9eXP_HCbmT9lx-tGCSzVsSo6-2k1jMYg/s400/spond16.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">They seemed to be collecting food in three areas, the knoll, small saplings to the north and their birch work where they cut the trunk down finally, and segmented logs and removed some</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9FjcI7oZadqnkdyK4dWk53RFoEM4Nwoylx-M7khSAyLvBcN7qVpUFGt1lkk6Oe2yJBPBe38o3dKDPYZNU-y7u_HUvxD_kMfqJpUhpHysvUrQ5fa55787Qrx_CZ1dVDtD-kVfNVDdlvc/s1600/spbvwk16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9FjcI7oZadqnkdyK4dWk53RFoEM4Nwoylx-M7khSAyLvBcN7qVpUFGt1lkk6Oe2yJBPBe38o3dKDPYZNU-y7u_HUvxD_kMfqJpUhpHysvUrQ5fa55787Qrx_CZ1dVDtD-kVfNVDdlvc/s400/spbvwk16.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">While I was certain the scats I saw at the East Trail Pond holes yesterday were fresh, the growth in the scats today seemed tied to the melting. Anyway, no fresh activity that I could see, but it would be very hard to see. I hoped they might pop out at the lodge, but they didn't. There were scats at the inlet hole but they seemed old. A bad time for tracking -- not only do I see all the old otter scats, but a month of my walking and skiing around is re-emerging. The beavers were a different story. It crossed my mind that we might have traumatized the beaver we saw yesterday, but not only was the stick it had dragged down processed in beaver fashion, but the beaver made a new hole in the ice about ten yards from the lodge, and five yards from the shore, above the channel that they had been using to get to the hole on the shore.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKedTs-hWOWpraeQQuIz6a6y6f6LhuF7uA0-2mhduZprC129W4F3-zzWNQCXY25md1E5fDI8gt5fzFEwGT-N3DeTyAgTHdnGKRsWEt8xTjdPtX0AitMuBMhSWW6LbVbDiwEEvXMZcC9ns/s1600/newetbvhole16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKedTs-hWOWpraeQQuIz6a6y6f6LhuF7uA0-2mhduZprC129W4F3-zzWNQCXY25md1E5fDI8gt5fzFEwGT-N3DeTyAgTHdnGKRsWEt8xTjdPtX0AitMuBMhSWW6LbVbDiwEEvXMZcC9ns/s400/newetbvhole16.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">Looking beyond the log jammed into the hole about 18 inches deep, I could see water with innumerable sticks, most gnawed, floating in the water.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzvvRwwusm1lXLEc3Pbj-yO0-LQyX2dffoy2ZUc1cWHHAjoamJnG2BB9dOXoIRuGLvtTlil6OkYL7ePdBIlCBjWnddibpLofMhhczdCZhI6LHouimeWoKUbrBoK5TFhURHZCkeIgAfbQ/s1600/newbvhole16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzvvRwwusm1lXLEc3Pbj-yO0-LQyX2dffoy2ZUc1cWHHAjoamJnG2BB9dOXoIRuGLvtTlil6OkYL7ePdBIlCBjWnddibpLofMhhczdCZhI6LHouimeWoKUbrBoK5TFhURHZCkeIgAfbQ/s400/newbvhole16.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">I went to Meander Pond via Shangri-la Pond. In other winters, I frequented this route, but since the critters haven't been up there, neither have I. I tried to capture the moist rocks of the canyon wall in the golden setting sun</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpK1IVKbcRgid1lwNPDaayrkI4WYZD35KIIXNkYH4QVAuELiSR9l2P5M1l53bP1EJH4yrPnMhqieAA07uelQEfbc7q_2PIdBDQbDaiY0EC-n2cJG6zV6bMhpA1PKDDI_fAkcKz52VoE7M/s1600/shpond16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpK1IVKbcRgid1lwNPDaayrkI4WYZD35KIIXNkYH4QVAuELiSR9l2P5M1l53bP1EJH4yrPnMhqieAA07uelQEfbc7q_2PIdBDQbDaiY0EC-n2cJG6zV6bMhpA1PKDDI_fAkcKz52VoE7M/s400/shpond16.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">From where I stood in the middle of the pond, I could hear and see the dripping water at the cave.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMc9jFUVZ36b6-XyQXUAIE8C-gx_ctzePxAwev_warvExmD8FFP7D9uKql2NfUXoVQZJuDnSw4K3OsAlvE49xlZVjpy65A9ZiOzX2278aRK7WewC9BcSxBCMn9dccW23Ecy0uJva8M7iI/s1600/shpond16a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMc9jFUVZ36b6-XyQXUAIE8C-gx_ctzePxAwev_warvExmD8FFP7D9uKql2NfUXoVQZJuDnSw4K3OsAlvE49xlZVjpy65A9ZiOzX2278aRK7WewC9BcSxBCMn9dccW23Ecy0uJva8M7iI/s400/shpond16a.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Meander Pond beavers have often entertained me at sunset, but not tonight. They have been out, of the same hole, working on branches on the north side of the pond. I crossed the puddles of South Bay and heard, but did not see, several redwing blackbirds in the marsh. I also heard and saw some gulls, flying high in the sky. And heard, but did not see, some geese. </span></div><br />
Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-23320533696820487702013-11-16T13:31:00.006-08:002013-11-16T13:31:40.085-08:00March 1 to 8, 2003<span style="font-size: medium;">March 1 just below freezing when I headed off across the golf course. I went on snowshoes because so much ice has fallen off trees that I feared with just boots it might be like walking on marbles. And the "marbles" were still falling but I made it unscathed -- one major hit about six feet away. Because of the falling ice, tracking wasn't easy -- especially of porcupines who weave in and out between the tree trunks. And the area around the dead deer was a bit pocked. There might have been a bit more pecking at the carcass but nothing major. Because we have not had any fresh snow for almost a week, the best way to tell if an otter has been out of one of the holes is to see its prints or slide are on top of mine. At the Big Pond hole, I didn't quite see that, but I think there was a fresh scat. The amount of activity is consistent with my current notion that there is only one otter there, and as far as I could tell, it still is there. Down at the dam otter tracks came out of the hole it had used about three days ago, and crisscrossed the dam,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">almost slid down behind it, and then headed down stream across the ice of Double Lodge pond. There were spots of blood on the dam, so the otter probably had a bite of something. However, there were also crow tracks on the dam and pond. The otter tracks went down to Double lodge pond dam, and it looked like the otter tried to dig two holes into it,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">then went below the dam and perhaps nosed into a bit of open water there. Then the tracks showed that it took a brief foray into the grasses along the side, came back, went back up and over the dam and found a hole in the ice </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">at about where the inlet creek comes in, not far from the old lodge and burrows over there. I walked circles around the hole </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and the little pond itself and as far as I could tell the otter was still there. Both the otters in the Big Pond seem to have been acting like juveniles. I was also impressed with the bird tracks on the pond, crows I assume. One even seemed to have pecked my old prints. I walked up to the lodge of the Lost Swamp Pond beavers again, heard some beaver noises in there, but still no sign they tried to get up on the ice. While in the woods I didn't tarry to look at the ice about to fall, on the pond. I noticed how the ice separated from the trees as it melted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">About half way down the Second Swamp Pond, I saw an otter slide coming out to my old trail and then turning around once it hit the trail. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I tracked it to the edge of the pond, heading from and back toward the East Trail Pond. I went down to the beaver lodge on the Second Swamp Pond, no activity there, and as I braved the barrage of ice up and over the hill to the East Trail Pond, I picked up the otter slides again. I saw that the otterhad come over the rocky knoll about the dens just east of the dam. Before checking that out I eased over to see if the beavers were out. They weren't but they had been. I sat on a bit of their recent work </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and waited for them to appear. No such luck. Even when I sneaked up on the hole by the lodge, with camcorder running, a beaver didn't scoot through the hole heading for pond water. There was fresh work in and around the hole.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I always find these arrangement of sticks and gnawings fraught with meaning. I noticed that the ice fell off the trees markedly faster when the sun was out. There was no fresh otter activity at the lodge, but even from there I could see that there had been major activity out of the hole east of the dam. There were mud stains radiating from the hole,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and when I got closer I could see that there was a wider array of scat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Unfortunately the slides up and around the hole and dam were very light and hard to read. There was more scat at the hole in the center,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">none at the hole to the west. And I could see browned slides below the dam, as if the otters went out that way. I went slowly down the frozen ice covered creek, and while I could see slides going down the creek, I could also see prints coming back. Still, through the shards of ice, I thought I could see three slides down until about half way to Otter Hole Pond. I went down to that pond which, of course, was free of the falling ice, but saw no fresh slides there. The otters probably went back, but they could have gone up on the ridge, or cut up to the Second Swamp Pond dam, though I should have crossed their trail if they did that. Snow is predicted and I certainly could use a clean slate of snow for tracking. So, it seems, the three otters who came into the pond the past few days have rattled the otter that had been there. That otter left the pond, thought better of it, and returned. I still suspect the dramas I am watching are the efforts by the mothers to separate from their pups. The otter that left the pond and returned did not take the route the family that had been there earlier took, which might mean something. Of course, it took a more direct route toward the Lost Swamp Pond which is where, I think, it had been before. The maddening thing is that I will never see evidence, let alone see the otters themselves, that will straighten this out. There should be even greater dispersal in the near future. I went home via South Bay, to avoid the falling ice, and walked up on the cattail marsh. There I had the perfect angle on what the ice had done to the cattail heads</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I've been seeing the seeds wafting in the light breezes for the past two days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 3 yesterday the temperature hovered in the mid-30s with a kind of drizzle now and then. I should have gone out, but snow was forecast and I imagined the delights of tracking after a fresh snow. Early in the evening a cold front roared through sans snow, and by dawn the temperature was minus 14F, and when I headed off a little before one, it was up to about minus 3. While the snow was hard all the ice from the trees had crashed down on it and never had a chance to melt. So for peace of mind, I strapped on the snowshoes. The ice made tracking almost impossible. It seemed that the porcupine up on the ridge above the golf course had been out -- there seemed to be fresh work and more scrapping of scat out of the tree trunk, but I certainly couldn't see any tracks. And there evidently was more digging into the deer</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">especially into its chest</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">almost as if some small animals dug in there to keep warm. Because of the circle of ice around the carcass, I couldn't see any tracks. I despaired of being able to tell if otters had come out, but I am pretty confident there was nothing new at the holes in the Big Pond and the pond below. I walked up to the Lost Swamp Pond beaver lodge again -- no sign they had tried to get out during the brief thaw, and today, I heard no mewing inside. I did see fresh tracks at the dam, a muddy climb up from the bottom of the dam. I am pretty sure a raccoon did that. I decided to cut directly across the Second Swamp Pond and head into the East Trail Pond where the beavers are active. I kept thinking I was seeing fresh beaver tracks, but because of the ice it was as if they were tiptoeing. None of the smears I associate with beavers. Yet judging from the different lay of the lumber outside the hole, there is no doubt beavers had been out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I heard no mumblings or rumblings from this lodge either. Over at the lodge where the otters stay, it looked like new scat, but not especially fresh, nor did the hole into the ice looked squeezed through. However, up at the inlet hole, there was unmistakably fresh scat</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and almost certainly from just a few hours before, because the scat was still moist in the cold air</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I take these close-ups, hoping the technique might enable me to identify what the otters are eating without touching the stuff. A close up of another pile next to the one above</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">suggests to me that there might be bones of a small mammal or bird, in the scat, though most of it looks like fish scales. I also got on my belly and thrust my camera in the hole. With a trickle of water below me, and the smell of the pond highlighted by the definite odor of otter scat, I felt as if I were plumbing otter-worldly mysteries. One photo is of poor quality but does show the levels of ice that had formed along the edge of the grasses</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and then one shot showed the protected galleries under the thick ice that remains</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I will continue trying this until I get a photo of an otter below winking at the camera. Down at the dam, an otter had been out at the hole near the mossy rock </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">-- the scat was moist and in a new spot. But I couldn't be certain if the other holes had been used. The lava at the east hole was working its way to China. A better indication of recent use was how the hole had been widened into the grass on one side. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Now I went back to the Second Swamp Pond, angling for the lodge, to see if the beavers had been out and then to check the dam and ponds below for the otters. The beavers have not been out, but going just behind the dam I saw four otter slides!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I was only expecting three. The two below seemed older, but there was no sign of otters coming back, so</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">so I don't know. They went to the area where the beavers made a hole in the dam and it seems that got under the pond there. No scats, and no sign that they came out. However, as I walked down over Otter Hole Pond dam I saw some muddy slides coming out of the a brief bit of open water below the dam</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">However, the prints in front of the slides seemed tiny</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I was convincing myself that a very wet mink might make a big muddy slide, when almost bubbling up out of the low ice along the main channel through Beaver Point Pond, I saw what looked like otter scat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and half muddy trails coming from it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">However, at Beaver Point dam, the old otter hole into it did not look much used. Then, yet again, there looked to be scat in the creek below. This scat could be very old and revealed by the thaw, but it does look moist. Still, I have trouble thinking that even with the icy freeze up, that the otters who wrote so legibly at the Second Pond dam would turn so inscrutable. The New Pond was filled with ice shards, but I scowled at it and scowled down the outlet creek which was mostly frozen. I saw hints of mud, but how could otters leave an area with such stealth, and four otters at that! Yet, I have difficulty explaining how four otters could be galavanting about, with at least one otter remaining in the East Trail Pond. I need fresh snow. If I ducked low enough when I looked at the outdoor thermometer at home, it was one degree. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 5 The temperature warmed and at last, beginning last night, we got some snow. With about 4 fresh inches in the morning I headed across the golf course on skis -- with a good bit of icy snow blowing into my face. Once in the woods I was quite comfortable, and skiing conditions were almost perfect with the fresh snow over the ice. There was a deer in the flat at the top of the second valley. Of course deer was about the only tracks I saw. The deer carcass presented a curious sight blanketed by the snow save for a hole in the snow leading down to the hole in its belly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Probably the heat from putrefaction kept the door open, but it's nice to think of say a chickadee getting down into the deer's chest to keep warm. There was no sign that otters had been out either at the Big Pond or Double Lodge Pond. Then just as I was beginning to think that I was just out for the exercise, I saw a deep trough in the snow just off my usual route to the Lost Swamp Pond. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The snow was just getting deep enough for the deer to make a trough in it, but I could see this was not made by deer. It wound in and out of trees and eventually to the big rocks next to the Lost Swamp Pond. On the pond the snow was drifting so the trail became less distinct, but I saw it duck into one possible hole, and then get into a hole, and come out of a hole nearby, and make a brief foray away from the hole and back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, the otters had been here a few weeks ago so there was no mistaking who made these tracks. I didn't notice any divergence, but the trough was so smooth I think at least two otters made them. I went around the shore of the pond, suspecting that the otters who came into it might have left it earlier. But there was no sign of that. At the dam, I saw a robin flapping above the pools of water below the dam. As I went down the Second Swamp Pond, the snow seemed to be letting up. I saw two otter slides coming into the holes the beavers had made near the shore just below their lodge</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and the hole they made for was quite open, and dry on the bottom</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, I did not expect to find two otters going from the East Trail Pond to the Second Pond, unless I could find evidence of otters leaving Beaver Point or Otter Hole ponds and going back to the East Trail Pond. So I checked and saw nothing but faded mink tracks along Otter Hole dam. Though it certainly didn't look like it, I thought it might be possible that one otter made a round trip between the East Trail and Second Swamp ponds, but the trails heading up from the hole east of the East Trail Pond dam disproved that</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">At least two otters made them. There were no signs of otters at the hole in the middle of the dam nor on the west side. As I went up to the lodge, I watched a raven gurgling and bobbing in the air, and just then, an eagle flew up from one of the trees. It landed on a tree below the ridge to the northeast, and as I moved closer, thinking of a photo even though the snow had picked up, it flew off over the ridge. Of course, I looked hard for carcasses, but saw none. There was no activity at the lodge. Then I went up to the active beaver lodge, and there was no activity there. Beavers seem disinclined to come out while it is snowing. There was also no activity at the inlet hole. Skiing down to Audubon Pond was easy and uneventful. No activity at Meander Pond, nor, save for a mink trail, at Audubon Pond. When I got onto South Bay I saw what might have been a trough, but it was short, and though I skied down the shore to the rock the otters favor, I saw no more hints of a trough. So, I don't know from where the otters going to the Lost Swamp Pond came from; and the recent subtractions from the East Trail Pond, four otters and then two otters, don't balance with the number of otters I thought were there to begin with -- four. So the usual March otter confusion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 6 cold cloudy morning, and even a wind in my face heading up the golf course. My fingers froze on cue as I reached the edge of the woods, then I was distracted by a bounding trail to my right and an apparent trough to my left. I had to investigate, for otters have come to the golf course. The bounding was probably a mink and the trough was definitely made by the porcupine coming down off the ridge and it had walked down to the golf course pond for a drink. Up on the ridge, the porcupine den I had been watching was unused. So the thirsty animal could be the one I had been watching. No porcupine action down through the valley, and the only thing to sniff over the dead deer was another deer. Down on the Big Pond, I was gratified to see my conception of things confirmed. An otter came out of the hole beside the pond, scatted, and made a short foray of about ten yards, toward the upper dam</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The prints around the urine soaked scat were firm in the snow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Then down at the lower dam, an otter came out of the base of the dam, made a short foray down the stream, also about ten yards, and then returned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I think these are not the same otters, and that the siblings abandoned by their mother have stayed in different parts of the pond. I simply can't picture a young otter going the hundred yards or so between the two holes under the ice. As I was going over the Big Pond dam, I saw an eagle fly off from a tree just above the Double Lodge pond. As I moved on another eagle flew off. Both went behind the trees to the northwest. Then after I checked the holes down there for otter activity, the two eagles reappeared and one, a mature eagle, flapped, hovered and spread its white tail. Then another eagle flew over higher than the first two. I snapped away with the camera, not expecting to get a good photo,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">but one has to do something. Then as I moved off toward the Lost Swamp pond, a half dozen crows flew along the tops of the trees. I decided to take my summer route, up and over the ridge, hoping to cross the otter trail I saw yesterday. No such luck. There were many deer trails and perhaps one of them used the otter trail and obscured it. But that was not my only disappointment. There were no fresh signs of otters at the pond. I did see a robin again flying out of the pool of water below the dam. I was also hoping to see fresh signs of otters at the Second Swamp Pond, to where, by my calculations, two otters came yesterday from the East Trail Pond. There was nothing new at the hole they entered, nor at the dam. Only deer had come to bust a hole in the ice below the dam to get a drink. As I came up to the East Trail Pond, I saw two trails coming out of a hole in the snow behind the dam. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The slides were made by a large mink or small otter, and whenever I entertained that debate before, I've always, upon further investigation decided the slides were made by otters. But before investigating, I checked the other holes. While there was no typical otter activity, there was a look of something using the hole to the east of the dam, and the hole in the center, behind the dam. Then I looked up, drawn by a raven's call, only to see an eagle fly off from the top of one of dead trees in the pond. The eagle flew to one of the trees just off the dam. Then the raven flew right over me, gurgling and doing a tilting dive and lilt almost right above me. Then the raven flew off and seemed to harass the eagle, or at least prod it to roost in a different tree. Adding to my confusion when I looked up later, I saw a large hawk right above me. Back to otters: There was no activity out of the holes at the lodge or the inlet creek. Of course, I went up to see if the beavers had done anything, and indeed one at least had been out. The trail to the left of the bank lodge ended abruptly about ten yards out of the pond. A trail to the right went up and over the slight bank of the pond. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I could see the fresh work in the hole, and judging from the disposition of the snow, it looked like the beaver had come from the pond side of the hole, not the lodge side, but that's a tough call. Anticipating that I might have to follow a fresh trail down to Otter Hole Pole, I went back to the East Trail Pond dam. I looked again at the old otter trails above the hole east of the dam, and realized that there was another slide, fresher, that came down the slope directly into the hole. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So an otter came back to the pond. Then the tracks going down from the dam only went down about twenty yards and then turned back, returning to the dam I continued on down the stream and found nothing but deer tracks the remainder of the way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 7 it was ten below zero in the morning but almost 20 when we headed off. I chose snowshoes today, anticipating a wild otter chase. Going up to the valley we crossed one porcupine trail in the upper flat, none down in the valley. A fox or dog visited the deer but didn't make any headway on the frozen corpse. Down at the Big Pond, the otter had been out at the usual hole</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and it made another foray out, much like the one it made yesterday. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I take this tentativeness as an indication that I am dealing with one juvenile otter. At first thought, it seems like a daunting situation for a young otter. But on reflection I reason that having access to relatively small pools under the ice, where fish might be easily had, might be just what an otter wants. There have been no great thaws to complicate things under the ice, and judging from what it looks like above, plenty of spacious galleries to operate in. Down at the dam, there was no unequivocal fresh evidence of otter, and the sunlight made everything seem more lively.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile Leslie had gone up to the spring pool and saw some strange tracks there, which, after some discussion, we decided might be a snowshoe hare coming for a drink. There was also muss over a gap under the ice, but no otter signs. However, I did see an old trough and soon realized that this is the trail of the otters who came into the Lost Swamp Pond two days ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">We tracked the old slides as best we could, and though we couldn't definitely connect them, it seems they must. Now fresh otter signs at the Lost Swamp would have been nice, but there were none. Ditto for the Second Swamp Pond. Before tracking the otter who went up the slope east of the dam, we checked on the beavers. They had been out, </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">which is remarkable because after I had seen them yesterday, temperature about 20, the thermometer plunged to a night time low of minus 10. So between two periods of the supposed maximum temperature for out of pond activity, the beavers had been quite active, even dragging an ungainly log half way down to the pond.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">At the top of that trail, there were more trails away from the pond. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">And this time they came out of the hole they had made at the edge of the pond.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Rather warm looking on a cold day. Then it was back to otter problems. Having someone else along is not always a treat because Leslie says, looking at the slide on the hill, that the otter went out of the pond. Impossible, in my view, but there was a gap in the slide. Anyway before arguing, we tracked, and the slide simply went up to a tree on the ridge, sniffed it, and doubled back on itself. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So we were both right. We went home via Otter Hole Pond where there was no activity. We crossed the South Bay marsh as a shortcut -- perfect conditions for that and I got a photo of the small patch of usually inaccessible phragmites out there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">March 8 a thaw begins, but 32 degrees and cloudy is rather visually dull. No matter. I was going out to let the otters finish a few stray thoughts I had been having. I had decided that the otters who came into the East Trail Pond probably left the area via South Bay. And, still remembering how big the print of one of the otters was, I think this was a group of males. And that while at the East Trail Pond, that almost two year old male I continually accuse of lurking around these ponds, joined them on the romp to Otter Hole Pond, but didn't continue on with them, but came back to the East Trail Pond. But first things first. Thanks to the thaw a fox got some red meat out of the dead deer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Not any new porcupine action, and then the otter. At first glance nothing seemed new, but then I saw prints in the snowshoe tracks I left yesterday; no new foray nor much new scat if any, but the otter had been out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I got down on my knees and took some photos as I held the camera in its hole. One shows the icy way to the other hole, well mudded by the otters</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Turning the camera to the left, you can see the edge of the sedge and a path that might lead to the old beaver lodge nearby</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Down at the dam, it looked much like before, </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">save that there was a new hole into the pond along the old trail. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So an otter had come out and followed its old tracks, and then entered that hole. I didn't go down pond, because I had another mission: see if the slides going from the pool up pond also came into it from the east. I had no luck finding any old slides. Refusing to think that otters had been up at the pool without me noticing, my guess is that the otters came in the pool and took refuge there during much of the snowstorm, so their tracks in would have been covered. Then it was on to the Lost Swamp, where, if otters have not come out, I would have a bit of explaining to do. But since I was a way east, I crossed over through the brush to the upper Lost Swamp Pond and checked on the beavers. They have not made a move to come out, but I could hear harmonizing hums and gnawing inside. At first blush nothing seemed new on the Lost Swamp Pond. Then I saw some action over on the ice below the old rolling area, and sure enough two otters had left the hole, and left a good sized scat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">However, I soon noticed that two otter slides came in from the dam. I went to the dam and saw how the otters came up the creek and up the dam.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So these might be two different otters, unless.... I tracked them as they sniffed all the old holes and opened one more, </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and then they went up and over the ridge, the north shore slope as I always call it. They slid down onto the Second Swamp Pond </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and then to my utmost gratification they went up pond, broke the ice of the creek thrice, left some muddy tracks,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and then went up to the Lost Swamp Pond dam. The otters had laid low for two days, managed to get to the other side of the pond under the ice, come out, made a tour, and came back. Plus I think one slide was larger than the other. Could this be the mother and pup that had joined the other family in the fall? So one mystery remained, was there an otter in the East Trail Pond? The beavers in the Second Swamp Pond hadn't used the hole an otter made, but as I stared at it, I saw that something had come out of it since I last was there. However, it gave the light impression of a mink, and as I tracked its two by two prints back to the East Trail Pond, its trail remained mink-like, though large for a mink. Indeed at one point there was a slide almost as big as my snowshoe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Again this was a trail that left the East Trail Pond dam and then returned. So confusion remains, because there was absolutely no fresh signs of otters in the East Trail Pond. Only so many otter mysteries can be cleared up in a day. The beavers had been out, and I waited for sticks in the hole by the dam to shake but they didn't. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">They hadn't come out of the hole at the edge of the pond. Since it was thawing, I decided to check on the Meander Pond beavers, on the way I saw evidence of deer browsing the lichens. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">at one of the most beautiful stretches of rock along my usual route</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I had my camcorder cocked as I approached the Meander Pond dam, but the show was over, and, amazing as always. Once again they made a new hole, cutting the ice at an angle not far from their burrow lodge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">This is the fourth different hole they have cut this year. And their work was like petals of a flower, going in all directions: a branch,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">a trunk hanging in the air, </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">a trunk just below the snow</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and, of course, some long trails.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">There was nothing new at Audubon Pond, save for a mink to hit some of the old hot spots, who, perhaps, like me, was perplexed that they are so cold. </span><br />
<br />Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-47653835249276546462013-10-29T17:54:00.005-07:002013-10-29T17:54:47.173-07:00Fe bruary 18 to 27, 2003<span style="font-size: medium;">February 18 The cold snap ended. It was in the mid-20's as I skied up the golf course, with no wind, and now and then a gentle snowfall. The porcupine I discovered on the ridge above the golf course had been out again, leaving a fresh trail of pee. However, the porcupine trails crossing the second valley had not been freshened. And I now I think what I took, at a glance, for a porcupine in a tree, the other day, was indeed a<br />
porcupine in a tree. Nothing was up that tree today and I'm kicking myself for not getting a photo the other day. When I got down to the Big Pond, and by the way skiing was excellent and easy, I was greeted by the remains of a good old fashioned otter<br />
run around.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I enjoyed the spectacle which included holes on both sides of an ice ridge</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and looping trails that went no more than ten yards from the holes. There is an old beaver lodge under all that ice and snow where beavers had wintered two years ago, and we had found the dead otter last year around here. Now the problem became, which otters are these and where did they come from? There was no trail coming into or leaving the area. I checked at the spring pool and the upper dam, and no sign of otters there. So I trusted that there would be something new at the lodge on the other side of the pond, but there wasn't. The dam, however, presented a startling picture of collapse</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">But there were no otter tracks or holes on the back side of the dam. On top of the dam there was a smudged trough going up to fissured ice, but no sign that anything went down that fissure</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Most humbling was what it looked like on the other side of the dam, collapsed ice and a dry bottom. This most reliable pond might be largely bone dry!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I held fire on my judgment about the otters until I got to the Lost Swamp. Meanwhile the gentle weather provided other amenities. I saw an adult eagle hovering over the woods I had just skied through, and then it flew off toward the river. Then I looked up in a tree behind me and saw some cedar waxwings, zeeing quietly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">And then on my way to the Lost Swamp along the surveyor's blaze, I heard a cardinal singing in the distance, and saw an eagle fly off from a tree on the south shore of the pond I was heading too. Meanwhile, at my feet were snowshoe hare tracks, but all a day or two old. It didn't take me long to ascertain that there were no otter signs on or around the Lost Swamp Pond. Plus the beavers had not been out at their lodge. I also saw the eagle roosting on a tree far to the northeast, a good half mile or mile away. I moved closer for photos and as I did two eagles flew off. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Although I haven't seen any, there must be deer carcasses about. Indeed during the coldest days, we began seeing some eagles. One on a tree north of County Route 100, and one flying over the ducks on the river in front of our house, yesterday. But back to the otters, according to my past tracking there were two or three otters in the Lost Swamp Pond. Did they move over to the Big Pond, and if they did how did I miss it? Or did otters I tracked onto the Big Pond about five days ago, who were at the dam, finally pop out for a romp (after perhaps digging a deeper hole into the dam.) Perhaps time will tell! Going down to the Second Swamp Pond, I shifted my sights to beavers. I did see a small hole near the beavers' first hole out of the pond, but on closer inspection it looked like an otter did that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">As I stood taking the photo above I didn't notice that there was a hole right below me</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">There were many deer tracks around and for a moment I entertained the theory that an otter had come in from the East Trail Pond which deer tracks obscured, but on closer scrutiny it seemed that the otter tracks were going out of the pond and they were suspiciously like the tracks I saw the other day. Before following those tracks, I went over to the dam, where there was no sign of otter or beaver activity. So back to the otter trail out -- at one point I thought I saw two slides sides by side, then realized the deer had made one. Then a little ways further on I saw two slides again and no deer tracks in sight! But then up at the East Trail Dam there were no slides as fresh as the slides I saw on the Second Swamp Pond either coming in or out, and only one old slide. However, at first glance it didn't seem like an otter had been out on the East Trail Pond -- so maybe the otter I knew was there, moved to the Second Swamp Pond. Then over at the hole below the mossy rock, I saw a fresh print and fresh scat, and at the lodge, an even fresher scat</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">There was no action up at the holes the otters had made up pond. So, it seems, there is one otter content in this pond; a good chance that there is an otter in the Second Swamp Pond; perhaps two otters in the Lost Swamp Pond; and definitely two or more otters in the Big Pond. Too many otters? Perhaps, but this is about how many I saw in these ponds in the fall. I didn't forget the beavers, and skiied up to their lodge. I soon saw that there was a beaver trail coming out of the hole they had made a few weeks ago, heading up the ridge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I moved close to the hole, which didn't have fresh work in it, and the pattern in the snow left by a beaver's tail was so well sculpted that I guessed that a beaver had gone out but not come back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I strained to follow the trail with my eyes, and then saw another trail coming out of one of canals dug toward the trees. I went over there, saw how the trail going up the ridge came back down to this point, and I saw a huge hole coming out from the ice. Trails from that led to fresh work on standing trees, and logs dug out of the snow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Not only were their logs lined up ready to be taken down the hole, </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">but I could hear humming and gnawing almost under my skis. These beavers had been less active before, so it is not surprising that they were anxious to get out and eat. It was warm enough to tarry a while and see if they might come out, but they didn't and I moved on to Meander Pond. As I inspected the snowed over otter holes near the inlet stream, I saw two, then three, stunning porcupine trails. The curves in the snow were so delicious, I had trouble connecting them with a spined animal! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I followed the trail over to the ridge south of the pond -- two porcupines had come a long way, from dens about twenty yards apart, to get a drink of water. I also expected to see that the beavers had come out at Meander Pond, and, indeed, as I skied down the pond, I soon saw two beavers out just below the dam, one gnawing downed trunks and the other collecting small branches from the oaks they cut down the last time they were out. I saw each beaver walk below the dam taking branches to the hole in the ice</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">First one beaver sensed me and disappeared. Then the other, and the scent of me put it into a trot. Still, it poked its nose out of the hole to make sure something was there</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Needless to say, at the sight of that pose, I had my camera snapping, and after a a few seconds of that, the beaver plunged into the hole for good. So, under a gentle sunset, I skied across South Bay and to home, quite pleased. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">February 20 about18F at dawn, but with sun, and a southerly wind, a warm-up was obviously in the works. I went off on skis which worked fine until the end of my trek when the temperature got above freezing. Not only had the porcupine in the tree trunk above the golf course been active, but it looked like it had tried to free up some room inside by pushing out some droppings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">A porcupine had been out at the bottom of the second valley and also at the den near the Big Pond, but no porcupines to be seen. Down at the Big Pond, it was easy to see that otters had been out since my last visit -- there were otter prints on my ski trail. There was more scat, and a bit of mud tracked around,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">plus they dug a hole, a little over a cubic foot in extent, into the snow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Their slides, like before, didn't extend far from their hole, not much more than ten feet. I went down to the dam. Thanks to the thaw of yesterday -- above freezing for five or six hours, there was water trickling out of the dam. The bird over the pond today was a raven, hovering and gurgling quite near me. And then as I headed toward the Lost Swamp Pond, I heard a cardinal's song again. I toured the Lost Swamp Pond and was flattered to see raccoons using the trails I broke, but no sign of otters. The raccoons did veer off to dig into the bank here and there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I saw raccoon tracks on all the ponds. I also didn't see any fresh evidence of an otter in the Second Swamp Pond; plus, no sign that the beavers tried to get out. Up at the East Trail Pond dam, there was some muss at the central hole into the dam, but clearly raccoons did it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">At the hole by the mossy rock there was only a hint that an otter had been out. However, at the lodge, there was fresh scat, and evidence that an otter made a point of sniffing my tracks from the other day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Then I knelt down and inserted my camera into the hole through the snow and ice next to the lodge, and got two interesting photos</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">This next photo probably gives a better look at the otters path down into the pond water</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I thought I heard some stirring in the lodge, as the camera beeped. I could see that the beavers had been out too. Two days ago it looked like the beavers were going to favor a hole they fashioned at the end of a canal, but it was easy to see that they had made a third hole, closer to the lodge, which was to be the focus of their activity</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Indeed, as I took a photo of that bouquet of sticks in the hole. I heard a beaver dive from the hole into the water. I waited to see if it might peek out. No such luck. These were the beavers I thought might be most anxious to get out. But I had high hopes that I might see something at Meander Pond. However, the hole the beavers used the other day was frozen over. I got close enough to notice that this was a new hole, gnawed out of a good six inches of ice, and brimming with, now frozen, water. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">There was no evidence that they tried to open their old hole, snow covered, and, undoubtedly frozen over, a few feet closer to the dam. Rather than go to Audubon Pond and the boring way home across South Bay, I skied over to Beaver Point Pond Dam. Not expecting to see much more than deer and porcupine tracks, I was delighted to see the distressing sight of a small caterpillar on the snow. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Then on my way up to the Second Swamp Pond, I saw holes and old slides, likely made by an otter in the dam of the upper part of Otter Hole Pond.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">This revives suspicions that there is an otter lurking in these ponds. Tomorrow should be warm too, most of the day, and then there is rain in the forecast after that. With water flowing in the ponds, perhaps the otters will be on the move again. I'll be more careful with this shuffle, as it seems they finally moved from the Lost Swamp Pond to the Big Pond, and I missed it. But maybe not....</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">February 21 with temperatures almost 40 degrees I couldn't resist slogging out on snowshoes to see if any beavers might be out. It was indeed slow going. At first it seemed like I had the right idea because there were at least a dozen deer on the golf course, but that was the extent of my seeing any live mammals. No porcupines were out, though their fresh work was much in evidence. I found some interesting tracks, large in the melting snow, </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">but they went up the ridge and I was headed down. Because of the melting snow, the otters' world on the Big Pond seemed more indistinct and old looking. But on close examination I think at least one otter had been out, but nothing like the activity of their last two forays. With such slow going I didn't check the dams. I was about to take a photo of waxwings high in an oak, but they flew away, much more skittish in the warmth than they were in the cold. The Lost Swamp Pond remains inactive, not even a sign of beavers being out. And the beavers didn't come out at the Second Pond either, and no sign of the mysterious otter there. A pileated woodpeckers call kept me hoping for action. I approached the East Trail Pond so that I could see the beavers who I was certain would be out. My first look was not promising and I distracted myself by taking a photo of fresh porcupine work,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">hoping for things to develop where the beavers are. No. Not only were they not out but they had even cleaned up their hole. The bouquet of branches was gone, leaving one large ungainly branch out on the ice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">If these were starving beavers one might expect an orgy of eating until the next deep freeze, but these beavers couldn't be that hungry -- not even a sound from them under the ice or in the lodge. It did look like that they had used all three holes since yesterday, but that is a tough call. And they had a tree almost cut and ready to fall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So maybe they had been at it constantly for 24 hours, and finally had to rest. With the melting of the snow, old otter scats often reappear, but I think the spread I saw outside the hole by the lodge was mostly fresh. I took close ups of the scat, hoping that would provide enough clues about what the otters were eating so that I won't have to take the next step and start analyzing this stuff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">There were scales, some large soft innard parts, no hair, but the mass was small, black and moist. I went down to the hole they've been favoring near the dam, and there were very fresh prints there, </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">but not too much new scat, if any. Though the handwriting was on the wall, I pressed on to check on the Meander Pond beavers. At one of the many clumps of stumps on the pond, I saw a hole made by otters, but not used that day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I thought it would be interesting to see what the view was down in this hole, stuck my camera in and took some wild shots.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Not uninteresting. This shows the extent of the galleries, as I call them, in the middle of the pond; how the remaining water refreezes and how easy it is to break that ice. It is not hard to imagine an otter foraging in this damp darkness finding fish in the pools of water. I can't remember if a channel goes through this area, which is where most fish would probably be found. As I eased down on Meander Pond, I noticed some birds, principally robins taking advantage of a small pool of water where the spring drips in. As I feared, the Meander Pond beavers were not out. But their hole was ice free. Here again there were no sticks and logs jamming it. It was getting late, and since slogging was slogging, I took the beeline over the ridge to South Bay, where a beautiful sunset accompanied me across</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">How strange the contrast: visions like the above help humans get through the winter, the chaos under the ice succors the otters and beavers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">February 24 It began raining just before noon on the 22d, and the temperature not only did not get over 32, but it began dropping, with the rain continuing even as the thermometer dropped to 27. So we had an ice storm with accumulations of from an inch to an inch and a half depending on how a branch or stalk was oriented to the northeast. These two stalwarts out on the Big Pond got the brunt of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Then in the afternoon of the 23d we had light snow as the temperature dropped down to the teens. The transition from rain to snow also helped. When I went out on the evening of the 22d it was slicker than a skating rink. The morning of the 23d, sleet pellets made most surfaces manageable. When I went off to tour the ponds on the morning of the 24th -- with temperature a little below 10, I went on snowshoes even though most of the snow, with all that ice, could bear my weight just wearing boots. Where snow had blown off I appreciated the teeth of the snowshoes. So we generally had 10 inches of compacted snow, an inch of ice, and two inches of fresh snow. Really that's a recipe for easy travel, and once out of the wind, indeed it was, save for dodging the many overhanging icy branches. Comfortable myself, I set about to see how other animals adjusted. The porcupine up on the golf course ridge had been out more than once, and made the point, for me, that climbing up trees into the branches after an ice storm is not easy. It feasted on the a pine just a few yards from its tree trunk den</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">evidently starting from the bottom, where there was less accumulation of ice, and not really relishing the cold fare higher up. The porcupines in the second valley were also active. The crisscrossing of some of their trails gave me the impression that they were eager to get about and ascertain that the ice had not covered everything. I looked for examples of low eating and finally found one down at the rocks just above the Big Pond</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I also saw possible fisher tracks in about the same place as I did before, heading in the same direction</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">There were also coyote and fox tracks, and, of course, deer. By lowering and breaking branches an ice storm provides deer some benefits</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">though on the whole, I'm sure they'd rather do without the ice. Going down to the Big Pond, I saw an otter slide coming up to me, coming down out of the woods. I also saw fresh scat at their latrine and slides heading in other directions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I followed one going up pond which strayed into the grasses and then, not 20 yards from the hole, turned and returned to the hole.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Then I followed a slide heading toward the dam. It veered up to the tree along the pond, sniffing a large spruce,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and then continued close to the grasses but still going toward the dam, then, about two-thirds of the way there, it veered up into the grasses, under a pine and then onward until it made an abrupt turn and angled up into the icy brush, say, 45 degrees off course if it wanted to get back to the hole.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I left that tracking for later and went down to the dam, where I was surprised to see that an otter had been out, and scatted, but didn't seem to go or come from anywhere else. I walked along the dam -- with the depth of snow and collapse of the ice, you can be a hundred yards away and not see that the otters have been about. I took the surveyor's trail to the Lost Swamp Pond and saw much rabbit activity,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and one grouse trail. Save for the trail of a fox, the Lost Swamp revealed nothing. Nothing indicated that the beavers up pond had been out so I didn't go up to check. I'm waiting for the return of skiing conditions to tour up there. To my surprise the Second Swamp Pond beavers had not come out either, nor did I hear anything. They have plenty of room under the ice to roam about without having to get wet. The creek below the dam was frozen over. However, I did find a good example of how the ice segmented as it collected on the trees</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">which must help trees from breaking in the wind. As I came up the East Trail Pond dam I saw that an otter had been out of the hole to the east of the dam, </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">which hadn't been used for a while. I soon saw that an otter had been out of the middle hole and scatted in front and above it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I knelt down and stuck my camera into the hole, but didn't quite have the camera angled right to get a good photo. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Then I went to the hole that an otter had often come out of in the last week, and there was no activity. The prints of the otter around the dam today seemed large, so I formed the impression that a new otter had come in. Up at the lodge, there was some stamping around</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">without the large prints nor the yellowing brown to reddish brown scat it had been dropping.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So I think the "old otter" was in the pond too. Then as I went up to check the beavers, I saw an otter trail leading from their hole and sure enough soon saw a trail coming down the ridge behind the lodge, just as an otter came down early in the winter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">It went into the first hole of the beavers, out the second and then continued on top of the pond toward the dam. The beavers here had also been active, though not in a major way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">As I was determining this a beaver hopped below under the ice, going from the lodge, toward the water. I saw it dash under the hole! I was sure it was a beaver because of the clop clop of its panicked hoping. Perhaps the otter coming through had it on edge. Then I followed the otter, becoming even more impressed with how big it is. It had opened a hole at the end of a canal, went into it, came out </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and then went to the hole to the east of the dam.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So, if my romantic view of this is correct: the mother separated from her pups back at the Big Pond, and now the male who rules this territory has come. I noticed much clearing of the areas around the holes as if the otter were trying to read the messages left by the scat there. If my romantic view is wrong, then the dominant male has happened upon the young male who has been lurking in these ponds since abandoned by mother after his sister died last winter. Back at the Big Pond, my romantic view got some confirmation as the trail of the otter into the woods proved tentative, and, in my opinion, showed inexperience. It went to large oaks sniffing around them,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">didn't go up the hill, and eventually did back to the hole.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">It's hard to imagine an adult otter wasting energy on such exploration -- however, I suppose a pregnant female might want a warm hole at the foot of an oak! Never be definite with otters. However, I can definitely say that I crossed over an otter slide as I walked to the Big Pond. One trail went back to the hole, but another came out, through the porcupine rock, and I walked over the trail that continued up into the woods, around a big tree, and then back to the hole. The trouble with otters is that in your mind you think you are getting a clear feeling of what's going on, and then when you write it down that clear conception becomes quite clouded.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">February 25 Leslie dropped me off at the Nature Center and I hoped to find the tracks of the otter who came into the East Trail Pond from that direction yesterday. But first, not far from the Nature Center, I noticed many porcupine tracks and then the animal itself</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">up in a not very tall tree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">This looked bad for my theory that the ice would keep the porcupines browsing low, but nearby I did see some low browsing, and the tree it was in, the browsing was on the side of the tree away from the ice. Although it was a sunny day, it was only 10F. Still there was melting on the branches and perhaps a little on the trunks in the full sunlight. I was on snowshoes, noisy snowshoes on ice, and an owl flew off before I could get a look at it. I walked directly down to the East Trail Pond to eliminate the possibility that the otter came in from Audubon Pond. Then I walked along the slope to where the tracks came in and began back tracking up the ridge. I was encouraged by the prints of a fox also back tracking the otter. Suffice it to see the otter went directly up and down the ridges, and had no interest in the valleys through which one could go to get to the same place. This is a rather beautiful area with many pines and dramatic rocks -- and the ridges and valleys squeezed closer together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The otter was not unique in taking this rigorous path. It came down one of the steepest slopes on a deer trail which I imagine must have been hard on its belly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">It went across the broad ridge that really forms the broad backbone of this end of the island, and then had scampered up a rounded ridge on the south end of a huge old beaver swamp.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I expected it to have originated or at least to have spent some time there, but no. It slid directly down to it from the east, and then climbed up directlu to the south. So it took me back up to the broad ridge </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and then up yet another ridge that overlooks that -- I guess the highest point of this end of the island. All the way I was trying to appreciate the maleness of the slides -- no diversions. Though I began to wonder why it bulled up and down so relentlessly. Then just before I hit a frozen over bog (I could tell it was not a beaver pond because poplars were everywhere) I saw three slides!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">It soon became apparent that I was probably backtracking a female trying, like another mother I've been watching, to get away from her pups. The other two slides stuck together</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and even together they were smaller than the mother's slide. At points the pups diverged, like around a small tree. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">At one point I got a good contrast in the size of the prints.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The trail back began to ease down a gentle slope, not that it was easy for me because the otters thought nothing of going through thick stands of bushes. Then we reached some old fields. The otters had come up through the willows, I kept going around. Finally I reached the edge of the woods, saw a beaver pond with snow covered lodges, surrounded by cattails. The tollbooth entrance of the park was beyond on the road above the swamp.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The otters had opened a hole below the dam of this swamp -- here the drainage is to the northeast, not back toward South Bay. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">But the otters had not stayed. They went over the road, up from an active beaver pond.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I crossed the pond and went to the dam, where there was another hole, that the otters had been in, but no scats. I could see a hole at a small dam further down the creek,</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">but it was getting late. I more or less took the otter route back, but successfully skirted the thickets. I did by luck pick up the trail of the two smaller otters. They probably went down to some ponds to the east of what I call the Third Pond. I'll have to check that out. But it was getting late and I couldn't pause to explore or even take photos of the fresh otter activity at the East Trail Pond. An otter had been out at the old hole near the inlet creek, at the lodge, at the dam hole, and the hole east of the dam.-- much scat outside all areas, and from a cursory glance in the gloaming no sign that an otter had left the pond. This was a cold day with a predicted low of minus 15 for the night, so I wanted to get home to reduce worry. So I didn't try to sort out the fresh trails at the Big Pond hole, except it was plain to see an otter had back tracked my trail of the day before, and I saw a definite slide back into the pond. I did stop and take a photo of a dead deer at the foot of the second valley down to the Big Pond.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">My guess is that coyotes ran it down the valley and it slipped on the ice, but I'll have to check that out to. I got home at about 6:20, just before Ottoleo went out to scout for me! Amazing how easy it is to charge along on snowshoes in the cold.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">February 26 another cold night, but not as cold, and it was above 10 when we headed across the golf course, trusting our boots would keep us above the snow. We tried to figure out what killed the deer, and found blood on the rocks above him. So it wasn't run down the valley, There was blood, fur and tail at the foot of the rocks</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and the carcass had been dragged out into the valley. The fresh prints were all from birds - with one large print, but too thin I think to be an eagle's. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">With the carcass frozen, birds probably have more success with their picking than a mammal might have. There were fox and coyote prints.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Up on the rock there may have been two coyotes coming one way while the deer was coming the other.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Down at the Big Pond porcupine rock, there was fresh pee and some hair or spines on the trail. The other big news around there was evidence of rabbit tracks. The first we've ever seen them on that side of the Big Pond. Then I turned my attention to the otters. Coming back last night I thought I saw clear signs of a major otter foray over my old tracks, but today I couldn't see that. It looked like an otter at least had been out at the hole,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I certainly would have noticed that sweeping slide down to the hole before, but there were no new forays off on the ice. We also checked the dam and saw nothing new there. At the Lost Swamp Pond we noticed tracks around the old otter holes along the south shore, and perhaps two fishers had visited them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">There was such a discrepancy in the size of the prints that we couldn't help but conclude that a male and female had been through -- together? can't tell. Once again there was no activity at the Second Swamp Pond, except I got a video of a chickadee trying to deal with the ice,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><img dynsrc="chickadee.mpg" start="fileopen" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">but over at the East Trail Pond, Leslie's jaw dropped when she saw the largest spread of fresh scat ever.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">It was black and dripping in great gobs just below the hole on the east side of the dam. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">There were also two tracks coming to it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I immediately had an idea of what was going on, but first I checked the other holes near the dam, and there was fresh scat at both -- not great gobs though. Then as I turned to go the lodge, I saw a beaver on top of the bank lodge. I whipped out my trusty camcorder, for here was a beaver out in the cold.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><img dynsrc="etbv.mpg" start="fileopen" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">As I snuck up on the beaver -- to no avail, it did not come back out of its hole, Leslie tracked the otters. They capered around a tree and, as I soon discovered, two of them came in from the east,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">coming down the big slope where, I theorize, their mother came down two days before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I saw three tracks side by side, but since I couldn't see where the mother may have come out of a hole, I suppose it must have been a case of the pups picking up their mother's old trail.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Then I got close to the beaver hole and saw its back as it dove deeper therein -- camcorder not running. The beavers had been out, I think from the hole on the side of the pond. I could see fresh stick drag marks. The one at the lodge, however, seems only to have climbed on top of the lodge. As for the otters, the slides of the two new ones down from the ridge was quite striking. It was impressive how they made a beeline to the hole their mother had gone in -- except for one run around a dead tree! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">And then what is notable: even at this age the pups seemed to move as one. Of course, it's likely that they were not strictly together as they ran. But that they adhered so well to what becomes one trail speaks to their dependence on each other. There was also activity at the lodge </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and the hole the otters made at the inlet creek. Going home we went over Otter Hole and Beaver Point ponds, where there was no fresh activity. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">February 27 we walked across South Bay and along the Narrows. This use to thrill me, but now I want to be where animals do something. There were dog, fox, raccoon and deer prints, but not until we walked up the valley that cuts down to the Narrows did we see something puzzling: a bird poop, wing marks, squirrel tracks.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Did an owl try to get a squirrel? Then along the trail we followed a deer with a bleeding hoof -- ice can be hard on them. Nothing doing at Audubon Pond except as we sat on the bench a mature eagle circled above up enjoying updrafts from the frozen but warming earth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Leslie went home to bake her birthday cake and I walked up to Meander Pond where there was no evidence that the beavers have been out. But the vent hole of their lodge</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">is well steamed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">To my surprise, even though the temperature got above 20, there was little otter activity. Otters had come out of the inlet hole, swooping over to sniff the snowshoe track I left two night's ago. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">No activity, I think, at the lodge hole, and none at the dam except perhaps brief scats at the east dam hole and at the hole below the mossy rock. To the huge smears at the east hole there was an addition of a squirt of scat of a rich amber color up on the left hand corner. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Now what does all that mean? I suppose the migration of the past days took its toll, and the otters recouped and explored their new pond. I am surprised that there is no sign that the other otter left the pond. An indication, I suppose, that this is all one happy family. The beaver was not out, as I approached with camcorder cocked. However, when I got very close, I saw the hump of a beaver's back as it went deeper into its hole -- no video of that, again. Nothing doing at the Second Swamp Pond, nor Lost Swamp. I finally walked up to the lodge, which has been visited by canines. It has a generous vent hole, and from whence I heard mewing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So the beavers are in there. That these worthies have not been out more is a great strike against my theory that beavers organize themselves for winter foraging above the ice. Right in the middle of a large pond, these beavers are not positioned for doing that. All I can suggest is that beavers have not wintered in this lodge for several years and perhaps there is a wealth of edible sticks around this lodge under the ice. Seeing the other otters lying low, I was not surprised to see no certain activity from the Big Pond otters. I walked up to the spring hole, where birds and raccoons have been. I wasn't sure what the green stains along the edge were -- poop or juices from rotten fish being pecked by birds?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The porcupine near the Big Pond was rather active and took a trail near to my usual path. I saw its sampling of a few small trees and then some gnawing at the base of a poplar, which I've never noticed them having a taste for. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">And the trail ended there. Since it was not up the tree, I assumed it walked back the same way it came. After thinking sagely yesterday that mammals would not get much out of a frozen corpse, I was surprised to see much hair pulled off the deer,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and the deer's belly had been worked on </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">-- the skin pulled back and the scavenger uncovered red meat along with the offal. Another priceless day, though the sun bright on the snow becomes brutal. Today, the raven was gurgling about again. </span><br />
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<br />Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-86587807948518305522013-10-24T18:46:00.000-07:002013-10-24T18:46:58.038-07:00February 10 to 16, 2003<span style="font-size: medium;">February 10 we had about two inches of snow yesterday and maybe an inch this morning so if the otters had been out this morning, I should see some nice fresh tracks, and, if they had been out yesterday, I should see some old tracks. I<br />
went on snowshoes, anticipating tracking the otters into high places. The temperature was in the low 20s and cloudy, though the sun peaked through now and then. Not an inspiring day, and the porcupines in the second valley seemed to have the same opinion<br />
-- none had come out. I went directly to the Lost Swamp Pond and on the way saw no signs of rabbits, but a few more grouse tracks, snowed over, so probably from yesterday. When I got to the Lost Swamp Pond there were otter slides at my feet, but not fresh,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYoyC6TPWT5hzCy8f0pFqMiTa2bOYkRFM5ygjfO0VNWMqZBBe5MsfTE3YYEbAXIk069XhWqVQAHS7Mhvs8xbmB94mCVEN1IlCc6BWz44E52pDnPN7KnxqXG9SBOclkBSQ9cdAY90wf0E/s1600/southslides10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYoyC6TPWT5hzCy8f0pFqMiTa2bOYkRFM5ygjfO0VNWMqZBBe5MsfTE3YYEbAXIk069XhWqVQAHS7Mhvs8xbmB94mCVEN1IlCc6BWz44E52pDnPN7KnxqXG9SBOclkBSQ9cdAY90wf0E/s400/southslides10.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There are three distinct slides, but that doesn't mean three otters made them. They moved along the south shore and fashioned at least two holes in the snow, and ice</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXHcRHOSS-pOZB50lPJfg7UjdB9PzH4sShFBW2U_Wjxni5xrgZgp9xnS-k_bK9ArcI-wtknwNftIgpnfSiGxx0A697q0xOK856uimgR-V3wrcrskzx0jnFE4eS_NjumuHrDSq7dnxkwc/s1600/southhole10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXHcRHOSS-pOZB50lPJfg7UjdB9PzH4sShFBW2U_Wjxni5xrgZgp9xnS-k_bK9ArcI-wtknwNftIgpnfSiGxx0A697q0xOK856uimgR-V3wrcrskzx0jnFE4eS_NjumuHrDSq7dnxkwc/s400/southhole10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">This one had done enough stomping around for two<br />
otters. </span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIL5RmLdk2oeOxMtAorBQK5BHcZqgYTAJIttr9AaRhWkg4qhCV7bSdrqV-brByqImKGlNHajamGTjIEAOUIE9zJJ6yRJL0P7slv08f-ONOFStcGFeLyRhrH2cTj0jtB9cTqkbVL98C9EQ/s1600/southhole10a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIL5RmLdk2oeOxMtAorBQK5BHcZqgYTAJIttr9AaRhWkg4qhCV7bSdrqV-brByqImKGlNHajamGTjIEAOUIE9zJJ6yRJL0P7slv08f-ONOFStcGFeLyRhrH2cTj0jtB9cTqkbVL98C9EQ/s400/southhole10a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">But here, it looks like only one otter went in. They were heading up pond but I didn't see any more slides or holes in that direction. However, back down pond there was action at one of the spots favored by otters over the years. </span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQP3brHCUuUzTOvx4rCoZa-XVK_b8lUm3N07miO1r2JLY-56ZwzoNP5xHe3EsA1h1SNgUTRNLQlzIKkjleB-BkHKFcsbcv4jvBirf-aKQIW3zCiM7bQ9BZVXuf1f245ZIBZDUhQkyvTM/s1600/southhole10b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQP3brHCUuUzTOvx4rCoZa-XVK_b8lUm3N07miO1r2JLY-56ZwzoNP5xHe3EsA1h1SNgUTRNLQlzIKkjleB-BkHKFcsbcv4jvBirf-aKQIW3zCiM7bQ9BZVXuf1f245ZIBZDUhQkyvTM/s400/southhole10b.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">That hole looks as if it certainly got under the pond. And there was a tunnel under the snow to another hole</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdazbsyMGqwkL-aHDimPGvtJ6oEwnkBv7kN3xcxYwO4n0nEZD50rntzSAKJ8WySVMUQqowugFfhGxYQM_uGyNSWmjck_4zUVzDlRYfQ6MOQQCwU4Dn1pPk9b0D_QM3U5N5HNfdgHm9XA/s1600/southholes10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdazbsyMGqwkL-aHDimPGvtJ6oEwnkBv7kN3xcxYwO4n0nEZD50rntzSAKJ8WySVMUQqowugFfhGxYQM_uGyNSWmjck_4zUVzDlRYfQ6MOQQCwU4Dn1pPk9b0D_QM3U5N5HNfdgHm9XA/s400/southholes10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and then there were slides behind these holes going up that gentle ridge where I have so often sat watching otters</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyp0_MjlZjB-WXD3T6av1-9fz-zgPdDvyIRjQ6PAI208uImNLsPnpe_ywm9rvjVdMTeCvPm7dKr7Yad3CZrLUzYHi214sO76hYCrOYfvt5SyTLZyjA3j1SyQsgihEPociLOvwynYNZtlk/s1600/southslides10a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyp0_MjlZjB-WXD3T6av1-9fz-zgPdDvyIRjQ6PAI208uImNLsPnpe_ywm9rvjVdMTeCvPm7dKr7Yad3CZrLUzYHi214sO76hYCrOYfvt5SyTLZyjA3j1SyQsgihEPociLOvwynYNZtlk/s400/southslides10a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I didn't check where the slide went yet, because I wanted to see what was happening on the north shore of the pond. I walked around the pond shore, past all the holes they had made earlier, and none of them had been used. Then at one of their old holes, I saw some tracks coming out and about and then<br />
heading up pond. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihR8jWF5Coc8lmST4hxst216YHIbJF41N1NC0D4suGhPleB1Oon0m97OK3aHLwSph2NTqv-eobYVgYODEnAIepx9Gxfa5bWmhj22dgnWUsnSKoKWv1FvJFbO8_rhoQwJNGYCxQmNVKeTs/s1600/northslides10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihR8jWF5Coc8lmST4hxst216YHIbJF41N1NC0D4suGhPleB1Oon0m97OK3aHLwSph2NTqv-eobYVgYODEnAIepx9Gxfa5bWmhj22dgnWUsnSKoKWv1FvJFbO8_rhoQwJNGYCxQmNVKeTs/s400/northslides10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">At first look, they looked as old as the slides<br />
on the south shore, but I soon saw that they were fresher, indeed, probably made that morning. I took a photo to show how the hole came out from under the ice</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKPodSiVoZ-DmfkgTzVxQ4xiXQyy_EcjwxSrV3RtoAg4TlAt12tyly6CerdjHBG7qM-EVZcZWvIGPPD8CJJ6MrXFVsR0IMwlBQ0WZUrXL6KwTlPJxE5xQEKxJeFIw48Ppi7psip9_5hs/s1600/northhole10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKPodSiVoZ-DmfkgTzVxQ4xiXQyy_EcjwxSrV3RtoAg4TlAt12tyly6CerdjHBG7qM-EVZcZWvIGPPD8CJJ6MrXFVsR0IMwlBQ0WZUrXL6KwTlPJxE5xQEKxJeFIw48Ppi7psip9_5hs/s400/northhole10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and then began tracking them since they were heading in the direction I wanted to go in. It was easy to see that there were three otters, and frisky ones at that</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hwDT0JUEfLhBFRY6enXuxnyj0VGFIdF1vEWiyDrlwIv-utd5gA-P-SWDTfhlWBY8HbiuzXrxb1pyG6Xra9neEq34zI_-4WcuwR1Oe2NYACGnxa_w6E4LDSAwnPfQDG86gZ4UF4uduIU/s1600/trail10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hwDT0JUEfLhBFRY6enXuxnyj0VGFIdF1vEWiyDrlwIv-utd5gA-P-SWDTfhlWBY8HbiuzXrxb1pyG6Xra9neEq34zI_-4WcuwR1Oe2NYACGnxa_w6E4LDSAwnPfQDG86gZ4UF4uduIU/s400/trail10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">so I assumed this was the family I was tracking. One or two of them explored the top of a boulder, then they turned right and headed for the Second Swamp Pond</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hDJbkowAD_27tAgsNI85NaeVAHCQrl34wUVlSErEtQ6xB1m-HfAY6A3AM2p_FqxomFNZ_KUbcwpStyPlgMMLtXR1jWxiXU6HOyTzWdX1UnWgmez7t35wW6a36xblBjXLItMXzYSNILA/s1600/trail10a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hDJbkowAD_27tAgsNI85NaeVAHCQrl34wUVlSErEtQ6xB1m-HfAY6A3AM2p_FqxomFNZ_KUbcwpStyPlgMMLtXR1jWxiXU6HOyTzWdX1UnWgmez7t35wW6a36xblBjXLItMXzYSNILA/s400/trail10a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There they didn't go toward the beaver lodge, but toward the dam</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkvUaoG8ZXTS2B6dI8L61bbphJzqYel1Zvw62Go-0s2HXtBDmJ6jxS1NXiE0wjWB-iofbQK6wqc748ructatwOk88Z2ZWGIxr-0Y_Zj1R1DYtbe6eHXl3ln2gpQADQONb2AmrP03rl28/s1600/trail10c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkvUaoG8ZXTS2B6dI8L61bbphJzqYel1Zvw62Go-0s2HXtBDmJ6jxS1NXiE0wjWB-iofbQK6wqc748ructatwOk88Z2ZWGIxr-0Y_Zj1R1DYtbe6eHXl3ln2gpQADQONb2AmrP03rl28/s400/trail10c.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">favoring the south side of the dam, away from<br />
the beaver lodge on the north. They danced around the half frozen pool below the hole the beavers put in the dam,</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmwXma28gl2Gee3l-m9QyjWlqVRgxILJXnYlqgnaNtTLW0iq_FiTTlfrH-tMT-VGUyit_xkMlIp98xbjQOOOz1J_9KRQBbVSMMvGlD1yeZfonlHTCfUxRGk6s_g7Dw5mNzE5bY6T885U/s1600/spdam10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmwXma28gl2Gee3l-m9QyjWlqVRgxILJXnYlqgnaNtTLW0iq_FiTTlfrH-tMT-VGUyit_xkMlIp98xbjQOOOz1J_9KRQBbVSMMvGlD1yeZfonlHTCfUxRGk6s_g7Dw5mNzE5bY6T885U/s400/spdam10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and then headed down toward Otter Hole Pond. At the open water at the flooded over middle dam of the pond, they stomped about some more. There was a foray going up to the south slope, and I wonder if this activity is part of the mother's process of separating from the pups,</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil919AeZa_lzl2JuhP9I0lDd5J8Jji6SiuK6LeB0hbJzzXOtlHfDW_xtsWo0ShmxIymZhhfP8yEeW-VV6DodRePouYGvA6WGzqUpstmhUZZ0CkY-I84DtwCesVhkjSgWZQ3PDYLIGQaZ4/s1600/ohtrail10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil919AeZa_lzl2JuhP9I0lDd5J8Jji6SiuK6LeB0hbJzzXOtlHfDW_xtsWo0ShmxIymZhhfP8yEeW-VV6DodRePouYGvA6WGzqUpstmhUZZ0CkY-I84DtwCesVhkjSgWZQ3PDYLIGQaZ4/s400/ohtrail10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">but the trails of the three otters formed again and they didn't go down the pond, as I expected, but crossed it and then veered up toward the East Trail Pond. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4XGYX0RSgXdBeKg315nYrQsxldaXVyf2f0Z2_HpSj5Ma3Mfpsdb30Zakm9WyZoYXwfmfitqGqKAz6BEMwpDzb76IJ0VYXj-bq9oUZCiPzKFVmvNuzoP8TobhkYDHRrHjYda2FR2cJXM/s1600/trail10d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4XGYX0RSgXdBeKg315nYrQsxldaXVyf2f0Z2_HpSj5Ma3Mfpsdb30Zakm9WyZoYXwfmfitqGqKAz6BEMwpDzb76IJ0VYXj-bq9oUZCiPzKFVmvNuzoP8TobhkYDHRrHjYda2FR2cJXM/s400/trail10d.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">They ducked into and through the confusion left by an old fallen tree, making three neat jumps over a large trunk<br />
</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZ3_HBAtawtGwRFqM7F8hbMeQD3kUPV2CW5ND1CO8PdPCC75WO7nSgn9iRWIPDZy41_nCcrKS7zCgiFJLPS-7T4Kgv861dEBnPngjgWuhXS68GqQz6pJqu_zeVAQf9B_AbH0xxy4Bn60/s1600/trailtrunk10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZ3_HBAtawtGwRFqM7F8hbMeQD3kUPV2CW5ND1CO8PdPCC75WO7nSgn9iRWIPDZy41_nCcrKS7zCgiFJLPS-7T4Kgv861dEBnPngjgWuhXS68GqQz6pJqu_zeVAQf9B_AbH0xxy4Bn60/s400/trailtrunk10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and then went up the ridge, an ancient otter route, and slid down into the East Trail Pond. The trails seemed so fresh now that I got my camcorder out. Down at the pond they opened three of the holes near the dam. At the one below the mossy rock</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6C0D8-sBw7eNi4_mYOLgIxufaxyLcHZdwykVVVb51r2vpUdCq9MT7H2qtK6HeHu9tib6sgN7Sf6UjmbktcTc04iI9Llb1_n6RLjNaRsf2JGdffJfcRUuz85OU-vIBQ2DyOKEK-tftuM/s1600/etholemr10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6C0D8-sBw7eNi4_mYOLgIxufaxyLcHZdwykVVVb51r2vpUdCq9MT7H2qtK6HeHu9tib6sgN7Sf6UjmbktcTc04iI9Llb1_n6RLjNaRsf2JGdffJfcRUuz85OU-vIBQ2DyOKEK-tftuM/s400/etholemr10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">they left a huge pile of scat; </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsRtla582a52AIaW6WCHrQqP1toVFBjPoAjvI_Ws05lXtY4eXYnW95KNWgD3iPR1KUdtr-GCEPyQ2hCxq8pCQuNKwzirzE_xFRmmyQGZouegpv91T9P7nz8YJEXxnITcjbv_VD0q931w/s1600/scat10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsRtla582a52AIaW6WCHrQqP1toVFBjPoAjvI_Ws05lXtY4eXYnW95KNWgD3iPR1KUdtr-GCEPyQ2hCxq8pCQuNKwzirzE_xFRmmyQGZouegpv91T9P7nz8YJEXxnITcjbv_VD0q931w/s400/scat10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">not so much above the hole in the dam, and then there was a hole, without scat, at the foot of the steep slope to the east of the dam.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOL2e_Er4vNleEWVX9fjJdrT6rQ6MfFwswFYGQj_rGWuWDmdx5rLp79F_ETc86VXAsQtRUXF7DYJ8uqZmiCav9bLTXvaIxHRmCcLjlL_m1u8iN-YcaZUIFA7qMm3OPaK6CfVvINyra20/s1600/etholebank10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOL2e_Er4vNleEWVX9fjJdrT6rQ6MfFwswFYGQj_rGWuWDmdx5rLp79F_ETc86VXAsQtRUXF7DYJ8uqZmiCav9bLTXvaIxHRmCcLjlL_m1u8iN-YcaZUIFA7qMm3OPaK6CfVvINyra20/s400/etholebank10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The hole had been well used and I noticed a trail going up the slope. But first I checked the lodge, where there was fresh scat.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdW4nKG4LgI7wRlLhH60REKe8cDEdOukZ1T0Rqxmu6Ssqz4db_gS2L8abgJ4T2H-zsTnZBNP3wnBkOQE1RN72tN7YanHpV08PO0srjOvbeAYAhKdYZe5vIw72tCXHFbaerppSu57Z13I/s1600/etlodgehole10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdW4nKG4LgI7wRlLhH60REKe8cDEdOukZ1T0Rqxmu6Ssqz4db_gS2L8abgJ4T2H-zsTnZBNP3wnBkOQE1RN72tN7YanHpV08PO0srjOvbeAYAhKdYZe5vIw72tCXHFbaerppSu57Z13I/s400/etlodgehole10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">A close-up of the hole shows how the otter negotiates the lodge. This is a dry hole and it probably uses the holes from inside the lodge to get down into the water. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9DfqfNmqSVM-hCL8DtCxzmkIgC_XdOJWXylJ2UHKz-NcYZkFvMSemzHTbsngPKv21if-LZVaSj738ShYQTnXuiT_IBP6n8NPskjG2GTsxSoAO_bUeFvDooEEp3IF3G2DvySEbIvOv6I/s1600/lodgehole10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9DfqfNmqSVM-hCL8DtCxzmkIgC_XdOJWXylJ2UHKz-NcYZkFvMSemzHTbsngPKv21if-LZVaSj738ShYQTnXuiT_IBP6n8NPskjG2GTsxSoAO_bUeFvDooEEp3IF3G2DvySEbIvOv6I/s400/lodgehole10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">But I'll have to check that after the spring thaw to see if they dug a hole into the lodge. And they opened the hole which they had opened on January 19,</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJSRUvUwWhcXQOsqd5fWnN0BIIYdi4SELBrDPwyMRX3c-xqemc6y4t7lQby5ZWBlF1mmep9uLX73aXzkM5XeU0mXbPe4i2gmTfOBs1VP75NkVGHjyi1sviUWTuTFX3sxzV1OdrJpufjI/s1600/etoldhole10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJSRUvUwWhcXQOsqd5fWnN0BIIYdi4SELBrDPwyMRX3c-xqemc6y4t7lQby5ZWBlF1mmep9uLX73aXzkM5XeU0mXbPe4i2gmTfOBs1VP75NkVGHjyi1sviUWTuTFX3sxzV1OdrJpufjI/s400/etoldhole10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">once again leaving scat.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6weWWfNUjtcdbM8LXH9iEEwhcvLjV4_dEu3zxr_uuIHnAoxccvFm4o6JQfRewWrluvBJwQs3IIXKy4DyEQRRyfnRrlNE6kj9mjmIceXCIGuNSYrYmXVST1MrNooTpbee7HAbFzeNLe0/s1600/etoldhole10a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6weWWfNUjtcdbM8LXH9iEEwhcvLjV4_dEu3zxr_uuIHnAoxccvFm4o6JQfRewWrluvBJwQs3IIXKy4DyEQRRyfnRrlNE6kj9mjmIceXCIGuNSYrYmXVST1MrNooTpbee7HAbFzeNLe0/s400/etoldhole10a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I also checked the hole opened by the otter that came in after the three otters had left. It was snowed over, pretty good proof that these were the otters who were there Janaury 19. I expected the trail up the slope by the dam to be one of those short forays, perhaps sliding down into the rocks where they had sometimes denned. I was wrong it headed up along the ridge toward the Second Swamp Pond. Then it crossed a slide down into the pond, and I thought the trail I was on must loop around, but it didn't. So I think that slide down might be from the one otter who left the Lost Swamp Pond two days ago. When I was following the two otter trails two days ago, I remarked to myself that I caught the otters not strictly taking the highest ground because there was a higher rocky knob on the ridge they<br />
avoided. This otter must have read my mind because it slid directly down to the base of the rock</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XBfknttwvOSGx1zaIj9qPIM9AgZJMlunU0nWX4yE7_-W2Mz1xe35EtViNV92Rt7R4e1HGixuoWMWp1B5pNATpp5GU0ixSQt_yDBJmEcv_LV6JCVyWzBcGuX7_WaqHAc4CsqxXKgjQHk/s1600/tocliff10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XBfknttwvOSGx1zaIj9qPIM9AgZJMlunU0nWX4yE7_-W2Mz1xe35EtViNV92Rt7R4e1HGixuoWMWp1B5pNATpp5GU0ixSQt_yDBJmEcv_LV6JCVyWzBcGuX7_WaqHAc4CsqxXKgjQHk/s400/tocliff10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and then went straight up,</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1g1PDWrBoQ8Qj0j_qP1Hs83cJ8HwNDzEiFVWQFqV8exJSOj597AweCICzp27ppvXzIZJwfUlqiqvnXWAbNvKgaSpP52u0DixCQpz7NL0GU1ZPubxmV_KrsKIIUTKgHw2I9pSeEuDE9Ts/s1600/upcliff10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1g1PDWrBoQ8Qj0j_qP1Hs83cJ8HwNDzEiFVWQFqV8exJSOj597AweCICzp27ppvXzIZJwfUlqiqvnXWAbNvKgaSpP52u0DixCQpz7NL0GU1ZPubxmV_KrsKIIUTKgHw2I9pSeEuDE9Ts/s400/upcliff10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">gained a large fallen birch trunk, scampered<br />
along that,</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZcIxN7_DHl7aCh_JSAZf9uljDHu3__fvmGUeNJQKZ64KdG0cvYa28UF6bFG_GKLv-juVHY3EkrjNlUYGVm2TeX8FBsvYO-N-v1HPI_RawhklaacwDkdOU3i77bW75XnSlUIr1U1KCr4/s1600/overcliff10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZcIxN7_DHl7aCh_JSAZf9uljDHu3__fvmGUeNJQKZ64KdG0cvYa28UF6bFG_GKLv-juVHY3EkrjNlUYGVm2TeX8FBsvYO-N-v1HPI_RawhklaacwDkdOU3i77bW75XnSlUIr1U1KCr4/s400/overcliff10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">claimed the high ground and then slid down toward the Second Swamp Pond.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwonxwK3YWU_q8_YAAE9zf7y1YIg8o0iCaJvtXu97F-mo16U_SG_SVouqcXUD93RnyTqysWhNEXoIZy9MkvsfSCl1g8hDFcmscIMe3XwaVGu7108NkHud_gkit5nmsR_PBqJ9uL0IM4U/s1600/slidedown10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwonxwK3YWU_q8_YAAE9zf7y1YIg8o0iCaJvtXu97F-mo16U_SG_SVouqcXUD93RnyTqysWhNEXoIZy9MkvsfSCl1g8hDFcmscIMe3XwaVGu7108NkHud_gkit5nmsR_PBqJ9uL0IM4U/s400/slidedown10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then just at the point where it reached the old slides, side by side by side, left by the family,</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpndOCz07RwGjC-scGFCQnABWpxeUZU5ksSWqTGZPDx5QAQG8k1-1Rs0dLHai9lxIYxoaj83rCQFfcLILdjhiwpsh0XXH7l3PCzYHInxOLPZo9SUl1PCzRSZ-gnEmiZE0-0yBVJ4A1Wjc/s1600/oldslides10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpndOCz07RwGjC-scGFCQnABWpxeUZU5ksSWqTGZPDx5QAQG8k1-1Rs0dLHai9lxIYxoaj83rCQFfcLILdjhiwpsh0XXH7l3PCzYHInxOLPZo9SUl1PCzRSZ-gnEmiZE0-0yBVJ4A1Wjc/s400/oldslides10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">it stopped and went back toward the East Trail Pond! affording me a rare view of an otter back tracking itself.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTD_dhiRssi5KGU0Xd_Ha7-GKMO5whLrOYZ212RgCi14-4AocdmTYF2Uvou3_LIL9vjglSGIv6DtJ0djWQSYXIUb8Wt7ExQu8gvVyHUwO26sAtvV_v_9KlwWq9EKN0GSanav9jBE0mVyA/s1600/backtrack10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTD_dhiRssi5KGU0Xd_Ha7-GKMO5whLrOYZ212RgCi14-4AocdmTYF2Uvou3_LIL9vjglSGIv6DtJ0djWQSYXIUb8Wt7ExQu8gvVyHUwO26sAtvV_v_9KlwWq9EKN0GSanav9jBE0mVyA/s400/backtrack10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">This time it took a gentler slope back. I didn't track it back there, because I knew I had other tracking to do. My immediate impression, other than the otter was making a fool out of me, was that this was the trail of the mother trying to separate from her pups, then having regrets when she picked up their old tracks and scent. This is sentimental thinking to be sure, but.... Meanwhile I formed an idea that the tracks I saw on the south side of the Lost Swamp might lead to the Big Pond dam where I might find fresh scat, signifying that four or five otters had spent the night in the Lost Swamp Pond. However, the<br />
trail up the south slope went no farther than an old tree stump. But I still went to the Big Pond Dam, and lo and behold there were old otter slides there, and holes into the dam, including one at the south end which otters seem to prefer.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtgtkh3-sZWB9j2qaItE5X5_9i2BIw5LuXDk1m1_BzIsSli4fxe9JJckW_IK3JTYrIR52grR1M9HOgXG1P1oAAR75bJMGOdePGPf8MIVc5LbP_47t_9m_usbSf2lQsAe2XhPRS8L9vK0/s1600/bphole10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtgtkh3-sZWB9j2qaItE5X5_9i2BIw5LuXDk1m1_BzIsSli4fxe9JJckW_IK3JTYrIR52grR1M9HOgXG1P1oAAR75bJMGOdePGPf8MIVc5LbP_47t_9m_usbSf2lQsAe2XhPRS8L9vK0/s400/bphole10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I had been at the same area two days ago and there were no slides. Unfortunately there was nothing fresh. I went down to the next lowest dam and there seemed to be no otter activity there. As I headed up the first valley, somewhat plagued by the softening snow, I had much food for thought. I also startled a grouse and saw an eagle flying high over the snow covered ponds. We have not seen an eagle for two or three weeks, perhaps because there are fewer ducks out on the river.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">February 12 snow started a little after midnight, and ended in the morning, giving us 6 inches inches on top of a base of 15 inches or so minimum. The northwest wind was kicking up so we detoured from crossing South Bay on skis and went along the South Bay trail and then up at the New Pond. Good thing we did because greeting us at Beaver Point Pond dam was an otter slide coming down</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvRUg713UEbbFRPyRrw515Im9-y7Y1hgcHJdIIBT6pqpcErEdN978kgDDZc5NXw6l_aEVmDi9U_re1UQES3jkdFyVAZZ3oHXm6e4aTUsJfGCMCb233PDQk3ZDgChzKZat4hyphenhyphenNxQ9RTis/s1600/bpptks12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvRUg713UEbbFRPyRrw515Im9-y7Y1hgcHJdIIBT6pqpcErEdN978kgDDZc5NXw6l_aEVmDi9U_re1UQES3jkdFyVAZZ3oHXm6e4aTUsJfGCMCb233PDQk3ZDgChzKZat4hyphenhyphenNxQ9RTis/s400/bpptks12.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">At least two otters went into the Porcupine Hotel,</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3i-3M5imaXJ1uDABj2eS8uV1VhsMu6_U-cJPVWaZm1twnORbkRz0ant66a0nkALMWxP6zbQweaV4uAXrvSwIBBrAWoRZVjuv-H9r-a2CuK6JRdrucfIhIjQXiulYviS75Tbwg-0-rLMY/s1600/pphtks12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3i-3M5imaXJ1uDABj2eS8uV1VhsMu6_U-cJPVWaZm1twnORbkRz0ant66a0nkALMWxP6zbQweaV4uAXrvSwIBBrAWoRZVjuv-H9r-a2CuK6JRdrucfIhIjQXiulYviS75Tbwg-0-rLMY/s400/pphtks12.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">through it, and then up the ridge to the south,<br />
</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ywSckyNu4GabiBv85KN4VaOBsAlM5Ekr8hVCg1mXxEl1gSAXsPIBRdraoJRL4GWfkvq4FTT2zqrmR4wbHc35orrDBT3tawaubeGVLc9oVVJD9rTF0zNG0g6mZuebGTJPKjTtzqGesy0/s1600/bpptks12a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ywSckyNu4GabiBv85KN4VaOBsAlM5Ekr8hVCg1mXxEl1gSAXsPIBRdraoJRL4GWfkvq4FTT2zqrmR4wbHc35orrDBT3tawaubeGVLc9oVVJD9rTF0zNG0g6mZuebGTJPKjTtzqGesy0/s400/bpptks12a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">heading toward the Big Pond -- an exciting way to start tracking. We couldn't follow on skis, so we ascertained that they didn't come from the Meander Pond direction, and then we went up to Otter Hole Pond, where there were slide up from behind the dam and then over. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLt6hPN7YHxrsvAYxaZ0jVRXYJdkUtk8cKARQ2Vio3omRM_AWi6QvMm46OUbAM3UxW4qzXfv83qsNhqO3EO9hihqWAkRONMvhLqo_ZEEeOhe7mpq25lkTrFgVbTdsW5AslO_LfNhwSc4/s1600/ohdam12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLt6hPN7YHxrsvAYxaZ0jVRXYJdkUtk8cKARQ2Vio3omRM_AWi6QvMm46OUbAM3UxW4qzXfv83qsNhqO3EO9hihqWAkRONMvhLqo_ZEEeOhe7mpq25lkTrFgVbTdsW5AslO_LfNhwSc4/s400/ohdam12.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">However, there were no slides coming into Otter Hole Pond. Of course, since the snow just ended this was all fresh and so it seems the otters spent the night in Otter Hole Pond dam or the nearby beaver lodge. We went up to the East Trail Pond and there was no otter action and all the holes were covered<br />
save for one at the lodge, but while it was strange that it had not been snowed over, there was no sign that anything had been out of it. The Second Swamp Pond was quiet and at first blush it looked like nothing had been to the Lost Swamp Pond. No tracks at the dam or the hole otters had left from a few days ago. However, the smell of the pond was persisting and there was no open water near the dam, and the wind was coming out of the west, so I went down to the holes in the ice at the west end of the pond and sure enough there were otter slides at an open hole. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqk0iw1p9ecx2hlaOVXDmi1nsv8ZokPfrJVr41sbZT8dJGwMpyrPOeyrIaKlEQvVmYmyLKTn26uNwPxlxylMER0FhEtcKY1d7EKq4H3hK2FwYzxrxS5NMw3PiPviyNu9jJIpSNHh2kHl4/s1600/lshole12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqk0iw1p9ecx2hlaOVXDmi1nsv8ZokPfrJVr41sbZT8dJGwMpyrPOeyrIaKlEQvVmYmyLKTn26uNwPxlxylMER0FhEtcKY1d7EKq4H3hK2FwYzxrxS5NMw3PiPviyNu9jJIpSNHh2kHl4/s400/lshole12.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">They came from across the pond and came down from the ridge above the mossy cove.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-Xh24UHyr0sHcxHrLtseTGiq8EKOnSaUvaUYgeoyIIT6UANKj5fT8zi9H2EQA5NHNcuqLqVTKXdDhkVqIwE5rCYaGN3AMACxFyDGTqh-KqxkveOUqgOOFBHM1Szj5ynQsjWnvH0Is9s/s1600/intols12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-Xh24UHyr0sHcxHrLtseTGiq8EKOnSaUvaUYgeoyIIT6UANKj5fT8zi9H2EQA5NHNcuqLqVTKXdDhkVqIwE5rCYaGN3AMACxFyDGTqh-KqxkveOUqgOOFBHM1Szj5ynQsjWnvH0Is9s/s400/intols12.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Sometimes the trail separated into two. I got the great notion that as the snow was falling the mother otter left her pups and that now the pups were revisiting old dens to look for her (pretty good training when you think of it, and, the mother must separate if she just implanted eggs for a spring<br />
birth). Again, we couldn't go over the ridge, so we went to the Big Pond dam and sure enough there were slides, severely drifted over with blowing snow, at the lodge</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLAFLSCiYlpTae4ON8S7tGV-67SoJ_kcbZB8chXxGvNktBLmxwH2omqRqZ9AZgQoTFNgXLTV5umEg5xqXOouRM-k1V6bdoNA1cPhHQhh1h0eWQlzPap-KxHFyAEVKoKNSXFG1Xjuy6JM/s1600/bplodge12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLAFLSCiYlpTae4ON8S7tGV-67SoJ_kcbZB8chXxGvNktBLmxwH2omqRqZ9AZgQoTFNgXLTV5umEg5xqXOouRM-k1V6bdoNA1cPhHQhh1h0eWQlzPap-KxHFyAEVKoKNSXFG1Xjuy6JM/s400/bplodge12.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and dam and a trail led from the lodge toward the Lost Swamp Pond. I wondered if I was getting an authentic bead on the trails otters used year round to go between these ponds. We battled the fierce wind and back tracked the otters over the Double Lodge Pond dam </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YfntTBo9ZsOUahRjvBZhHz6IdSNmK33XluN4POM_qPx10QhasottfvJ-WgmlpCwXnCtA7odIgHn5YqRqNjX8YU7Yzgd5VuSTDGBNQ1eGT1OsnEecWxkvPqoyqj-GCo2oVe4FxW5FbBM/s1600/ottks12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YfntTBo9ZsOUahRjvBZhHz6IdSNmK33XluN4POM_qPx10QhasottfvJ-WgmlpCwXnCtA7odIgHn5YqRqNjX8YU7Yzgd5VuSTDGBNQ1eGT1OsnEecWxkvPqoyqj-GCo2oVe4FxW5FbBM/s400/ottks12.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and over the Middle Pond dam and below that we could see slides coming down the ridge to the north.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKom_eLEjUNVndQZRct2Suyr9s0qwrihkfId0dessewLIPHMEMdr01QUTjZ5KxvwqbB6BeZMIS6lSMv_cerVsab1rLJVqKNJUf827m85G9sz25OkzmFeSFAf6z38Kd_2FWwXukN4uzhy4/s1600/ottks12a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKom_eLEjUNVndQZRct2Suyr9s0qwrihkfId0dessewLIPHMEMdr01QUTjZ5KxvwqbB6BeZMIS6lSMv_cerVsab1rLJVqKNJUf827m85G9sz25OkzmFeSFAf6z38Kd_2FWwXukN4uzhy4/s400/ottks12a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">We had successfully tracked the otters, but my<br />
conception of what was going on was shaken because at points along the trail through the first swamp ponds, there seemed to be three slides! Certainly there were no segments of the trail with three side by side slides like the family usually left, but.... I'll have to go out to the Lost Swamp Pond tomorrow morning and see what comes out. Chickadees and nuthatches weren't bothered and we heard waxwings around the Lost Swamp Pond but didn't see them. Some bittersweet berries were on the fresh snow so perhaps they had been there. Plus between the Lost Swamp and Big Pond we saw what might have been a rabbit trail through the deep snow. Then just before we got home we saw a brilliant fleet of cirrus clouds high in the sky and near the sun flattened rainbows in the icy clouds.</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsydZrK3WbwR6F__efd35oKmBhSlZG7TAXf8yqi-Gv8iCm3lpgC8quEFejbdNcbwmJNcxoZbUDtoPIGrJmW_h_Gsnr_PUJ2khpIxZqsNUgae6eeXKPQAJOuxIEsQS14YinKu6dVHKzrZc/s1600/sky12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsydZrK3WbwR6F__efd35oKmBhSlZG7TAXf8yqi-Gv8iCm3lpgC8quEFejbdNcbwmJNcxoZbUDtoPIGrJmW_h_Gsnr_PUJ2khpIxZqsNUgae6eeXKPQAJOuxIEsQS14YinKu6dVHKzrZc/s400/sky12.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The sun stayed out affording a relaxing time on the glassed-in porch. Golden eyes and mergansers are still about -- easily a hundred goldeneyes, perhaps 20 mergansers. They all flew away at one time, but I didn't see any eagle cruising up the river. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">February 13 minus 14 when I got up and minus 5 when I headed off across the golf course on snowshoes -- I expected to be tracking otters, and at this time of year, that means climbing. I was lured into climbing up the rocks of the second valley where Ottoleo had seen the porcupine a five days ago. There was traffic to and from the den, and I fancied that the moss and grasses at the rock overhang seemed more frosted perhaps because a hot porcupine was inside. However, the going was too steep and I only got half way.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxqThzhilJazgp3vUBbWF_eCmI-8RHcOq4Cb32SWAZLmLVpbobL-QIrfE4I6hhmtQlzfwryg7_tplJJ-3IyNNr62kiQfkGsVatA9BzMX30yRa02VgudCYZOG3mvn2_GMGEWw5MdY_cg0/s1600/ppineridge13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxqThzhilJazgp3vUBbWF_eCmI-8RHcOq4Cb32SWAZLmLVpbobL-QIrfE4I6hhmtQlzfwryg7_tplJJ-3IyNNr62kiQfkGsVatA9BzMX30yRa02VgudCYZOG3mvn2_GMGEWw5MdY_cg0/s400/ppineridge13.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The porcupines in the lower part of the valley were active too. Down at the Big Pond, there was nothing new from the porcupine down there, but a mink had used a hole at what I now know is a little spring,</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2nNotTtQ1j_a7L7BUkvFvK8XqrgEde3-25ln_jfka92NvK8Pb7CuObp4CNaRZIBAAfKlvakMNJZZJdncw4HX0oI88yI_2YXdjYaJnJHcnfRpUd5xt3dSVs9yFWVZDqRnhncDILYSGAU/s1600/minkhole13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2nNotTtQ1j_a7L7BUkvFvK8XqrgEde3-25ln_jfka92NvK8Pb7CuObp4CNaRZIBAAfKlvakMNJZZJdncw4HX0oI88yI_2YXdjYaJnJHcnfRpUd5xt3dSVs9yFWVZDqRnhncDILYSGAU/s400/minkhole13.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and this brought back memories of that grand winter when the beavers used a hole there to forage in the nearby woods all winter. There were no new tracks of interest, all the way to the Lost Swamp Pond. I did see and hear a crow. I studied the tracks we saw yesterday and became more convinced that only two otters made them -- two trails with a similar pattern of snow churning strides. Then as I examined the hole the otters went into, the ice gave way, One shoe got soaked -- and I would soon find out I was all wet in more ways than one. All of<br />
the few tracks around the holes along the pond were from deer looking for a drink. There was no sign that an otter had been out. All was quiet down on the Second Swamp Pond, save that a pileated woodpecker flew off. I admired the trees that had<br />
fallen </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeZh1mVAhAkEqbC5GygWYz6UGgPAY3YZ41BqQTmnl0zYFTUrQ_GVJg0Zwg4kCz6U6IgDmLb0tz_TJmel47wbPGtG5tJmdeY7VMRyqquRp1_BebKJYDO2AQrOq7SxVFhOWde_wJHn2qGg/s1600/spbvwk13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeZh1mVAhAkEqbC5GygWYz6UGgPAY3YZ41BqQTmnl0zYFTUrQ_GVJg0Zwg4kCz6U6IgDmLb0tz_TJmel47wbPGtG5tJmdeY7VMRyqquRp1_BebKJYDO2AQrOq7SxVFhOWde_wJHn2qGg/s400/spbvwk13.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">-- no evidence that the beavers had gotten to them for any trimming. It's too cold for them to get out. I went on to the East Trail Pond, even though I suspected no otters were there. However, at the hole near the mossy rock, a bit of snow was cleared and scat exposed.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuTTLBq2j8I0BifjWPtsVb0RR3cWuDO5ewZrhqA5FfKmk8wGUWBjzxFJTCvk4UYKtlPBnJHOgx8uiLw6K5HkPv1VK0sU7W917d2Sqn1rrHHJ22EPrCpHU_5w2YXosca0FRXe_uzl8Bfo/s1600/etdamhole13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuTTLBq2j8I0BifjWPtsVb0RR3cWuDO5ewZrhqA5FfKmk8wGUWBjzxFJTCvk4UYKtlPBnJHOgx8uiLw6K5HkPv1VK0sU7W917d2Sqn1rrHHJ22EPrCpHU_5w2YXosca0FRXe_uzl8Bfo/s400/etdamhole13.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I knew there was a large pile of scat here five days ago, and I tried to convince myself that the wind uncovered this old pile, but that didn't make sense. And there were no coyote tracks about, so one of them didn't uncover it. What uncovered came from the hole -- and what a shy mink it would have<br />
been. So.... and then up at the lodge where yesterday we convinced ourselves that a hole in the snow had not been used by an otter,</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcnqINunm83HSy01LbmMvF9PHM2_OIM1JotN9e5OEypBklM2_ppZqyViCUJAFgs9sNUE2co38xcU3Cl38DsH8CHcZeB06fI1V3h_N2I34auD6PjtAJloUIBkGLwMeZwcwQD-5-1DhBWw/s1600/etlodgehole12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcnqINunm83HSy01LbmMvF9PHM2_OIM1JotN9e5OEypBklM2_ppZqyViCUJAFgs9sNUE2co38xcU3Cl38DsH8CHcZeB06fI1V3h_N2I34auD6PjtAJloUIBkGLwMeZwcwQD-5-1DhBWw/s400/etlodgehole12.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">there was a trail about two feet long out of the hole -- but no scat. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3D7BBF-kQFNNBSt1kh6jq9qaUjsmBHRV84dwNfLID9B2oaW21S7GATSht3ucYTXWIxaq_5abNydiWfveXLfNvODJPti2p4ya49GUMtNCjfBf3BcUZGEV6leEKXfGZw0iirmyGgGVfPA/s1600/etlodgehole13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3D7BBF-kQFNNBSt1kh6jq9qaUjsmBHRV84dwNfLID9B2oaW21S7GATSht3ucYTXWIxaq_5abNydiWfveXLfNvODJPti2p4ya49GUMtNCjfBf3BcUZGEV6leEKXfGZw0iirmyGgGVfPA/s400/etlodgehole13.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There was no activity up at the inlet creek. So, I have to conclude an otter poked his nose out since we were at the pond yesterday. There was no fresh activity at Otter Hole Pond dam or Beaver Point Pond dam -- except a fox pranced over the latter. I decided to follow the otter tracks from yesterday<br />
to see if I could deduce the character of the otters who had made them. If two pups, deserted by their mother, made them, then they should follow an easy trail to the Big Pond, much as otters might take any time of year. At first blush it seemed like the otters were on a rational course, they went along the first ridge of rocks on the ridge, but then as they moved well into the ridge, they didn't go to the left up to a relatively easy way across -- a way I've often used, instead they went up,</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0n1rmzyb_ovKBy4CyGjDzhFz86uOmZyFdhfzBuJ3EVVzsKRjQYVeHHGwC8mA_wCbSetcyBMVTpjxH3Bf3f974LNVsAYBtZRrFc1QA-8u6bOIffbU2-jOLwFOQO5fSjT4V5YFZPtEHWU/s1600/ottks13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0n1rmzyb_ovKBy4CyGjDzhFz86uOmZyFdhfzBuJ3EVVzsKRjQYVeHHGwC8mA_wCbSetcyBMVTpjxH3Bf3f974LNVsAYBtZRrFc1QA-8u6bOIffbU2-jOLwFOQO5fSjT4V5YFZPtEHWU/s400/ottks13.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and briefly tunneled along a large rock before<br />
continuing up. Perhaps I could have rationalized this as pup behavior but then above the rock, the trail that had been one trough, breaking now and then into two troughs, became three troughs. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3b_Oikiqrjl2OF4ICD4rV2Boh3CytMjy8u5892wNqtm4uRGVuVKE4eOr_8seP09ZWLrEM7gzyzcopSJ7aoSxWSvneP0oJFLMvXiJzn97eOIS0XZ9bT1-6h-ll4xh-c2GpZqlNzOhFbRg/s1600/ottks13a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3b_Oikiqrjl2OF4ICD4rV2Boh3CytMjy8u5892wNqtm4uRGVuVKE4eOr_8seP09ZWLrEM7gzyzcopSJ7aoSxWSvneP0oJFLMvXiJzn97eOIS0XZ9bT1-6h-ll4xh-c2GpZqlNzOhFbRg/s400/ottks13a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">So I stopped thinking and enjoyed the ride up the bosoms of snow, pausing, and even dropping to my knees to get a better photo, at the high point of the journey. I could look around and see that the promontory I was on matched the height of all neighboring points that I could see. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDt_qrCoyqLnT7OOCx2ujoIGIqDYaGrS6CNm5lCkJFqmLf8lQn-buMjws5A_FnU8yyIg99DbJImIIvSOTVI73Uf19RYckasvNfeKw5w5f64bCQovzfdKrGg89oYQDzl7tr4eWY-Nsd9hg/s1600/otview13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDt_qrCoyqLnT7OOCx2ujoIGIqDYaGrS6CNm5lCkJFqmLf8lQn-buMjws5A_FnU8yyIg99DbJImIIvSOTVI73Uf19RYckasvNfeKw5w5f64bCQovzfdKrGg89oYQDzl7tr4eWY-Nsd9hg/s400/otview13.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The otters didn't go straight down, but angled and then rather than continue on an easy route, dipped down and out of another gully. My wet foot was getting cold, and I had seen the rest of the route, so I went down to South Bay for an easy way home. Fifteen minutes by the fire allowed me to pry my<br />
frozen shoe off. So, as far as I can tell, the otters are distributed just as they were a week ago. One otter in the East Trail Pond, and three in the Lost Swamp Pond, but I could be wrong.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">February 14 I had wood to chop at home on a very cold and sunny day, and during breaks I could watch the goldeneyes and mergansers from the porch. I saw some tracks going to Goose Island, so I walked around to Sheldon's Rock to check them out. I flushed large deer from out of the rocks -- probably sleeping in the sun. The ducks were doing some frisking about, more flapping, and beaking the water, than snapping their heads back. With more mergansers than goldeneyes there is not as much diving.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xUy_vFVxj6E?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Later I saw a duck strangely curled on the ice near us, and when it got back into the water I saw that was a hooded<br />
merganser. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">February 15 headed across the golf course, with<br />
it minus 5F, and when I got to the woods, just up the ridge from the golf course, I was immediately warmed not only with a pee marked porcupine trail but with a cornucopia of pooh coming out of a tree trunk</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LK4YabTpj8NN7AB3NaQs7jaBIfy_8nvStAvRXBGsAejf_VREdvzIu0Df5891GwtY0svru45cS2Lzena0qb_vrjF1gPaW3cnLZsWpnJxsoMrg-QsL-84E2eeLdEk0s4bpyuhpQu0ap6w/s1600/ppineden15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LK4YabTpj8NN7AB3NaQs7jaBIfy_8nvStAvRXBGsAejf_VREdvzIu0Df5891GwtY0svru45cS2Lzena0qb_vrjF1gPaW3cnLZsWpnJxsoMrg-QsL-84E2eeLdEk0s4bpyuhpQu0ap6w/s400/ppineden15.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">This is on my usual route and I am amazed that I never noticed it before because it must have been more than a night's work. It took the tracks to show me the significance, how fresh, the den was. Down the second valley the porcupines keep up their end of winter's bargain. Down at the den by the Big Pond the porcupine had done some work just off the den</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BquJz9XvRX1p2wcw-UzLAdHLjnGhF8H3zoqERjgp0WT5qjZvQwrQbQe5AoZKVKoBjC6IGF4jDfC5PS0nWzlGvmbIeZP9eEgXRFL5Cfjs6ADpjWMhKQeT_GQmC8u5XKTMmkTAN3K4XKE/s1600/ppinewk15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BquJz9XvRX1p2wcw-UzLAdHLjnGhF8H3zoqERjgp0WT5qjZvQwrQbQe5AoZKVKoBjC6IGF4jDfC5PS0nWzlGvmbIeZP9eEgXRFL5Cfjs6ADpjWMhKQeT_GQmC8u5XKTMmkTAN3K4XKE/s400/ppinewk15.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">but then continued walking far along the woods, as far as I could see. Why do they set such a premium on shopping around? There were deer tracks on the Big Pond that I had to check because deer checking for holes for a drink follow paths that an otter would. I saw one hare trail in the usual spot. And then on the Lost Swamp Pond, a fox or two had made the rounds.</span></div><br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1LdKjzrUPZTV-ThaizQiQPlVXIEV68HOWQG6b-tNyC6s192wqL5zFi2QiFix7IkuRboz8CdKr2d3JNOar_KwQxsZCUr9vt8sX6MA_PrLOjTyxVFjj196nFuH3hRFBcgMWl70wmYBrXWo/s1600/foxtks15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1LdKjzrUPZTV-ThaizQiQPlVXIEV68HOWQG6b-tNyC6s192wqL5zFi2QiFix7IkuRboz8CdKr2d3JNOar_KwQxsZCUr9vt8sX6MA_PrLOjTyxVFjj196nFuH3hRFBcgMWl70wmYBrXWo/s400/foxtks15.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">No sign that the otters had come out, which was a little worrisome but spared me some heavy hiking. So I continued on to the East Trail Pond without incident, and then was pleased to find, that, even with the bitter cold, an otter came out of the hole below the mossy rock by the den, freshening the scat pile and leaving some nice prints. It didn't venture more than two feet from the hole.</span></div><br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBcrKIy5GLGGvuZMG7SLD6-pemy9NWGFqyyOl96Kl3N_0_xbqUZgquya6OYW7EnGnJf-u1KQFAWwYz02Da00L4wIzJsyn0vWW2PPJP0w8A_QUHOGmLeuSxrSEFH1j6NpYCgh-l8RZfvY/s1600/ottks15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBcrKIy5GLGGvuZMG7SLD6-pemy9NWGFqyyOl96Kl3N_0_xbqUZgquya6OYW7EnGnJf-u1KQFAWwYz02Da00L4wIzJsyn0vWW2PPJP0w8A_QUHOGmLeuSxrSEFH1j6NpYCgh-l8RZfvY/s400/ottks15.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">I got on my knees, stuck the camera in the hole and shot blindly and the result is a world free of snow with a ceiling of ice</span></div><br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NiQe-aEYaYNqyS4SnTJg-kM7yCczOXCsgKDWlbNSd0Wx_Tjo6YsUYeD6hYmIbks_xk28Rsy6WLPlPjzKQ9S9nk4UOhsyzAO9ZP-r9lMpvmd9jABL_UagPMUgtEow7AcFQN7CSBP8CKI/s1600/gallery15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NiQe-aEYaYNqyS4SnTJg-kM7yCczOXCsgKDWlbNSd0Wx_Tjo6YsUYeD6hYmIbks_xk28Rsy6WLPlPjzKQ9S9nk4UOhsyzAO9ZP-r9lMpvmd9jABL_UagPMUgtEow7AcFQN7CSBP8CKI/s400/gallery15.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">The lack of snow under the pond ice where the water had drained away never struck me before, and perhaps adds to the attraction and warmth of these galleries</span></div><br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio3kUhdIj12H1qSHPFONRzQD0kLBScNbA0ZwFWsNhQ6Xzsh-xoMfWPTkK3t-nzX-CO4-X9w0VpivaN5agFgtShFdpogNr6HoHE3a4t2bwlyDHsQm9ffE4zAsXbTNolv4lwCKN3hZzg65M/s1600/gallery15a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio3kUhdIj12H1qSHPFONRzQD0kLBScNbA0ZwFWsNhQ6Xzsh-xoMfWPTkK3t-nzX-CO4-X9w0VpivaN5agFgtShFdpogNr6HoHE3a4t2bwlyDHsQm9ffE4zAsXbTNolv4lwCKN3hZzg65M/s400/gallery15a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">What would be nice is to find an arrangement which also shows the under ice latrines of the otter, even fish remains, but there is probably usually many twists and turns before one reaches water. The otter didn't come out at the lodge, or anywhere else that I could see. However, both a mink and fox dug into a mound, looking for muskrats I suppose</span></div><br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCnaWShr-OJb4hJPFB1tgp64qJwMVOHlmYZr__BonWvbrUHRp3HobhsZaztQ66FxtQ8ADVNpZo3TlHPmv68Rhi-5IfDq9N8NifJCiAo2NTRWgwwIJVDYdjynY5nyGWlKW8qTJxlpSAdug/s1600/minkhole15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCnaWShr-OJb4hJPFB1tgp64qJwMVOHlmYZr__BonWvbrUHRp3HobhsZaztQ66FxtQ8ADVNpZo3TlHPmv68Rhi-5IfDq9N8NifJCiAo2NTRWgwwIJVDYdjynY5nyGWlKW8qTJxlpSAdug/s400/minkhole15.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">The tracks around the hole were blurred, but then when leaving, the mink separated from the general path. </span></div><br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5m5bv8gdPi4tmZ-nAHKHw61TicTE-vDU3NEjixpTabXwkUbIEPnmnktPsIyk68CfHKLKdoiJ3raZLvTpBKRPBOetnutBrIujODBppr_uqH5lE1fi6vRrH0wUvf-Xfj9Lf1x5HdJs2pI/s1600/minktks15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5m5bv8gdPi4tmZ-nAHKHw61TicTE-vDU3NEjixpTabXwkUbIEPnmnktPsIyk68CfHKLKdoiJ3raZLvTpBKRPBOetnutBrIujODBppr_uqH5lE1fi6vRrH0wUvf-Xfj9Lf1x5HdJs2pI/s400/minktks15.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There were also mink tracks along the Second Pond dam and around the Porcupine Hotel; a fox was also down there. The weather will get even colder for the next two nights and day, so I don't expect an otter foray soon. Meanwhile, the hooded merganser is still out on the river, and today one Canada<br />
goose was about.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">February 16 we're having a rather long period of sustained cold. At 8 AM it was minus 10 F, and still minus 5 F when I went out at 1 PM and minus 2 when I got back at 3 PM, plus there was about a 10 mph northeast wind, and high clouds cheated me of any reflected heat. Not expecting any otter forays, and<br />
expecting to appreciate speed in my appointed rounds, I went off on skis. Getting down the second valley was easy and once in the woods the wind chill was defeated. Yet, the complexities of managing the skis through the forest litter, distracted from<br />
checking a tree where there might have been a porcupine browsing! Plus the struggle to keep my hands warm, kept the camera in the pocket until I go them warmed up. But there was little to chronicle anyway. Most animals wisely tried to shelter themselves<br />
from the cold. No sign that the otters even stuck a nose out at the Lost Swamp Pond. I braved the wind again and looped around the far lodge. It had been visited by canines, but not by otters. Even the East Trail Pond otter didn't stick a nose out, and since I had still not taken a photo, I was worried that this would be an<br />
unillustrated episode of my adventures. However, as I headed up pond, aiming for Audubon Pond, I noticed a wide trail coming down the steepest part of the ridge to the north of the pond</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBzxgtj073zVuXeMkgOEoZcR6lZIeqqAWI9MzDTjix0z4A1Fm-bGIXTqWzCaOihIMn4avP-S-cpwqdNKqpVTQMn9beMl9KKKe-Y1BY82KW_OqOFh0RVn-NDGvYg7ve4fStv5sBwskPjM/s1600/deertrail16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBzxgtj073zVuXeMkgOEoZcR6lZIeqqAWI9MzDTjix0z4A1Fm-bGIXTqWzCaOihIMn4avP-S-cpwqdNKqpVTQMn9beMl9KKKe-Y1BY82KW_OqOFh0RVn-NDGvYg7ve4fStv5sBwskPjM/s400/deertrail16.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There was some porcupine work on the tree it led<br />
to, but I've often seen deer on this slope and I think that the deer made the trough. It's easier for me to climb these snow packed hills with snowshoes, so perhaps it is easier for deer too. The greater depth of snow is at the foot of the ridges, so<br />
going straight up and over probably saves energy. I didn't expect any beaver activity at Meander Pond, but was surprised by how eagerly the deer browsed one of the trees the beavers felled the last time they were out a few weeks ago.</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGEg8UbHPX7GglMBeouO4qnPdR-G4dtDAGyumBDBwbaZhlPyN7oa0S6ggNxza8qHgYLrxfp8e3xAqgO8B3Wfn46wrTFKggsVc_BS7zeR4lJWZADy6oU2J-eMmmzFCSuMqp9VMQJwvD7p0/s1600/deerbrowse16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGEg8UbHPX7GglMBeouO4qnPdR-G4dtDAGyumBDBwbaZhlPyN7oa0S6ggNxza8qHgYLrxfp8e3xAqgO8B3Wfn46wrTFKggsVc_BS7zeR4lJWZADy6oU2J-eMmmzFCSuMqp9VMQJwvD7p0/s400/deerbrowse16.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There was no evidence of otter activity at Audubon Pond. I braved the stinging wind and crossed the South Bay ice to get home. We're going away for three days and when we get back the temperature should be above freezing!</span><br />
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<br />
Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-90059421106178513272013-10-19T20:19:00.002-07:002013-10-24T19:07:41.943-07:00February 2 to 8, 2003<span style="font-size: medium;">February 2 The temperature has been around the freezing mark for the past two days. However, there was no sun, and so no major melting. Last night there was some light icy snow. I went off this afternoon on snow shoes, prepared to slog it out. The snow is heavier but still not nearly hard enough to support any weight. I went around through the dump, and noticed nothing new until I got up to the Porcupine Hotel dam where there were muddy paths from the open part of the stream up to the rocks. There were no slides or tunnels so I suspect raccoons. Up at the lower side of Beaver Point Pond dam, I saw that something had been over the dam, and perhaps tunneled into it. </span><br />
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<div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyDPQGgWtF7yeJEgqqlFNGETWOol9DyezJknUNbQl57OnMryMF9NVcLRHR3wYjS0RU5LTVl8K3yHLIgCOx4GCGuBSG9wZSykyQgIXcpvV7Z8HyBsVSruAenIwWpSOXYXhvwPJVUpuTKI/s514/bppdam2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyDPQGgWtF7yeJEgqqlFNGETWOol9DyezJknUNbQl57OnMryMF9NVcLRHR3wYjS0RU5LTVl8K3yHLIgCOx4GCGuBSG9wZSykyQgIXcpvV7Z8HyBsVSruAenIwWpSOXYXhvwPJVUpuTKI/s514/bppdam2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I walked out onto the dam and looked into two holes on either side of the dam. I studied the prints, and certainly if a raccoon didn't leave them, then an otter did. However, the holes through the snow and into the pond were rather neat and it is hard to imagine either an otter or a raccoon using them.</span><br />
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<div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3PxshWC3LOzrBI-xjY8ZzyM0ziOvgTMFL-52Gdu0ZkFeLLEynoYKxM6vB2obkvXALxJsJqdBZz-gVEJpc-OBuQeqpqPKUv10ykVaT4OtZ65o0OnHg_C1_t3ey0Sb-QL4D3DczRhCPQM/s537/bpphole2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3PxshWC3LOzrBI-xjY8ZzyM0ziOvgTMFL-52Gdu0ZkFeLLEynoYKxM6vB2obkvXALxJsJqdBZz-gVEJpc-OBuQeqpqPKUv10ykVaT4OtZ65o0OnHg_C1_t3ey0Sb-QL4D3DczRhCPQM/s537/bpphole2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There was no otter slides up to Otter Hole Pond and the tracks I could get close too were smudged. Up at Otter Hole dam there was no major evidence of plowing but also no evidence of a raccoon's explorations along the dam. Finally all the tracks and track patterns seem unlike a mink's. Well, I left that quandary and braved the slush of Otter Hole Pond, and entered another mystery. It didn't take me long to see the beaver about 30 yards off the pond, behind the knoll, trying to cut down a tree. I didn't see any tracks coming out of the holes in the pond near the shore, so I assumed the beaver had gone up and over the knoll and came down the other side. I could see that other trees and logs had been gnawed since the last snow fall</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TA0y4PgMUw_hpKdA5eNo_L3EZ1pUlgDp0M_Gcl8XKpaR7DEhSya2bep1bTyrq9APg7TbMprYftmsy_m2Kuj-TnDeG6t1jjuJDhsp1XrJUIiyEv3cIVqpTi60zefobWAq5xq-9-FMZJ0/s383/spbvwk2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TA0y4PgMUw_hpKdA5eNo_L3EZ1pUlgDp0M_Gcl8XKpaR7DEhSya2bep1bTyrq9APg7TbMprYftmsy_m2Kuj-TnDeG6t1jjuJDhsp1XrJUIiyEv3cIVqpTi60zefobWAq5xq-9-FMZJ0/s383/spbvwk2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I moved closer to the beaver and despite the slush of the snow, it didn't notice me. The beaver worked steadily on the tree, going around it in the usual fashion and unfortunately I was between switching my camera off and my camcorder on when the tree slipped straight down. It's possible that this was the second cut on a tree hung up after the first. I'll check that later. When the tree slipped the beaver jerked, but didn't panic. As I've seen before, the beaver moved its head down along the snow as if he expected there to be freshly fallen wood. An indication, I think, of how poorly beavers can see. It could only lift up some branches that had already been there, and, then, perhaps it sensed me, by smell I'd assume, because it started moving back toward the pond.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QY9dP6Q8nJw?rel=0" width="420"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I had moved half way up the knoll, and the beaver went in the general direction of the holes in the pond. However it first stopped at a girdled white oak and gnawed up some more of the girdle, rather eagerly</span><br />
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<div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99B4-iKs0gg3RcjDotr5PFTqCuF9aikyRLHlcOUsnzBj9VMqTx_qMAJ9HreY1YOgo4Nu6t2uvejy2fyljli2Vxk6xZ-N_giVuzMBRIGJ1SBAVwx2bwGqtHJnhKBhiYFkr-tJWNPdupX4/s484/bvgnaw2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99B4-iKs0gg3RcjDotr5PFTqCuF9aikyRLHlcOUsnzBj9VMqTx_qMAJ9HreY1YOgo4Nu6t2uvejy2fyljli2Vxk6xZ-N_giVuzMBRIGJ1SBAVwx2bwGqtHJnhKBhiYFkr-tJWNPdupX4/s484/bvgnaw2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">then it continued back toward the hole. It moved steadily but not easily through the snow. It couldn't get its body nor tail above the snow, so with all that drag it went slowly. I thought it looked thin, but it also seemed like it tried to make the going easier by stretching out its body -- perhaps to streamline it, so to speak, to meet less resistance from the snow.</span><br />
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<div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVI_8uFUBLcIf4UnzP4cU4AuC9CiZxPFhDUXyK8YkeOTWjSauDqVPGiaHo46Sw1TsAtQXOSOX65ug1hRrH9Mkf8m8CMnlZxGYYkrnCyKEf3eEeB5Hj1zBEbBmLhfAFJrJT1doAWrdreM8/s461/bv2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVI_8uFUBLcIf4UnzP4cU4AuC9CiZxPFhDUXyK8YkeOTWjSauDqVPGiaHo46Sw1TsAtQXOSOX65ug1hRrH9Mkf8m8CMnlZxGYYkrnCyKEf3eEeB5Hj1zBEbBmLhfAFJrJT1doAWrdreM8/s461/bv2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Unfortunately I was facing the wrong way to get a video of it going into the hole.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5BEC3KMQryw?rel=0" width="420"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">When it reached the old hole, I lost sight of it, and thinking it had gone into it, I climbed up the ridge. When I was able to look down on the lodge, I soon noticed that the beaver was in the second hole, or rather outside of it. I think it went down into the first hole, found it frozen, and then moved on to the next hole. It actually seemed to be drinking or at least nosing down into the pond water for some morsel</span><br />
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<div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hDxKgx2FwK1ruvJo8fgQT96A883knHAMb1gMfZ6k7389iytStrEmIDWcojBJ6huTMzBFrKZwv76-nLQCPY0kIMfEsGzxgCGO7-VbpHCU-796qW5Y2EQLuxRJiq_grCK1gfTlXyPtV1w/s411/bvinhole2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hDxKgx2FwK1ruvJo8fgQT96A883knHAMb1gMfZ6k7389iytStrEmIDWcojBJ6huTMzBFrKZwv76-nLQCPY0kIMfEsGzxgCGO7-VbpHCU-796qW5Y2EQLuxRJiq_grCK1gfTlXyPtV1w/s411/bvinhole2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There was an opening by the lodge, and tracks around it, that could have been made by an otter, even a slide, but I saw no otter tracks coming into the lodge area.</span><br />
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<div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtiI7DYPlP9t8pvX0BZiM0OCooMzEOnnZb45M8i9S5wHpdDMkHKrDkHp5ViQgvf9luyX5ZY0DAqA-CkRcxhdcoPKo9y8bEIRrssQ0qOQdjIhnsoHVmt-nKQiXOmhuAUVRmQy4WCUV00k/s366/splodge2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtiI7DYPlP9t8pvX0BZiM0OCooMzEOnnZb45M8i9S5wHpdDMkHKrDkHp5ViQgvf9luyX5ZY0DAqA-CkRcxhdcoPKo9y8bEIRrssQ0qOQdjIhnsoHVmt-nKQiXOmhuAUVRmQy4WCUV00k/s366/splodge2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I also noticed that there were no tracks coming up the knoll or going around it from the other side away from the holes. Well, I should have gone down and around again to see if I could determine how the beaver got to the tree, but I was getting chilled and there were otters to check on. As I went out to the Lost Swamp, following the old otter trail, I couldn't see any sign of a new otter trail. Up at the Lost Swamp, I saw immediately that there was nothing done to the dam, but that at least one otter had been out that day along the tunnels going to the rolling area, and an otter had been out of the holes there. The "yard" in the ice around the lodge had a different look, but otters had definitely been out on it</span><br />
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<div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xI0iAa5SuNVyGc29a9R9iLm9V0gvJRBsSnCgdpFAMBkdPTI_AhyRP5BM4U8BaQExgiNWHtgr7cgJJ9Y7GT5UYkcdcHVY0lzDv2G7hOXSUqSlLLbx6ArLfxFTIQFsPHNiBg1sx5IDA90/s600/lslodge2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xI0iAa5SuNVyGc29a9R9iLm9V0gvJRBsSnCgdpFAMBkdPTI_AhyRP5BM4U8BaQExgiNWHtgr7cgJJ9Y7GT5UYkcdcHVY0lzDv2G7hOXSUqSlLLbx6ArLfxFTIQFsPHNiBg1sx5IDA90/s600/lslodge2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The black shapes in the frozen over brown slush, might be scats. But, as far as I could tell, instead of going only to the lodge, they went to the old burrow den in the bank a few yards up pond</span><br />
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<div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayJ5lOOHcMUrROXVEJjm43OjMdtnWiageR9jJEpBwL_xHgnX3JvxQk5kCzlMUaYa9MtgeBjvAJmAo6QFctudplKcz2wcOQrYE4U1_T-SYBrAOyct-YX8F6vFCDXmD6klfiWLGeC9dGfE/s600/lsburrow2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayJ5lOOHcMUrROXVEJjm43OjMdtnWiageR9jJEpBwL_xHgnX3JvxQk5kCzlMUaYa9MtgeBjvAJmAo6QFctudplKcz2wcOQrYE4U1_T-SYBrAOyct-YX8F6vFCDXmD6klfiWLGeC9dGfE/s600/lsburrow2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and that's where I found fresh scat</span><br />
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<div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlDs-v01Gv0znazl21EMKmw3TXq2kqkjRd_HdmvoXV4PsuIpI2i1W3Z_3rA6lwL8gRQPfKYQkAWsBQcOIi51ErKjihYIzziWoYRIPDk1uduKkcjrpBC5Rtn9aNo-wY7LeDrZYZLUVBa8/s698/scats2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlDs-v01Gv0znazl21EMKmw3TXq2kqkjRd_HdmvoXV4PsuIpI2i1W3Z_3rA6lwL8gRQPfKYQkAWsBQcOIi51ErKjihYIzziWoYRIPDk1uduKkcjrpBC5Rtn9aNo-wY7LeDrZYZLUVBa8/s698/scats2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I decided to go home across the ponds, and not go back the way I came. I went slowly and without too much trouble. The beavers in the lodge up pond didn't seem to have come out, though I didn't slog up close enough to the lodge to be sure. The deer had done much browsing in the snow under the huge bittersweet vine curling up a tree, evidently enjoying what the birds dropped. </span><br />
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<div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTQbRs4Y9Jto4gjdkvl7zJFBwuEDsu2MmsUb3jHWmRdTz_myUElgNGh084HzCN0O8Ibs7xE9Jc2hIBlhEfCgdk4ITPVkb3y_M3DuyumDn1GZhiVlOwbu8DzyDc-odqJRHl9ATurc4Atk/s600/underbs2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTQbRs4Y9Jto4gjdkvl7zJFBwuEDsu2MmsUb3jHWmRdTz_myUElgNGh084HzCN0O8Ibs7xE9Jc2hIBlhEfCgdk4ITPVkb3y_M3DuyumDn1GZhiVlOwbu8DzyDc-odqJRHl9ATurc4Atk/s600/underbs2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There was a flock of cedar waxwings in the woods between the two ponds. It's funny how difficult it is to place the high pitched zeezee the waxwings make. I heard them but kept looking in the wrong direction to find them. I didn't check anything at the Big Pond, because it seemed like nothing other than deer had been there. I did take a photo of the spring pool on the south shore. Two years ago this was the principal area where the beavers lived, and fashioned their escapes from under the ice. This year the pool is almost reduced to mud.</span><br />
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<div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLs8fIe5oKXH8gwALKK_ji1LTNF919YNtP0IUBDiutbt5VcId9OgaJW3eIbBKg0TuygzDvFb7R36nCk2RKU5lyf9Ytu84m6G5URPDCOyOM4XQbopuqkuyquHYolMNzipuI3rOjMepOaRk/s721/bppolepool2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLs8fIe5oKXH8gwALKK_ji1LTNF919YNtP0IUBDiutbt5VcId9OgaJW3eIbBKg0TuygzDvFb7R36nCk2RKU5lyf9Ytu84m6G5URPDCOyOM4XQbopuqkuyquHYolMNzipuI3rOjMepOaRk/s721/bppolepool2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Something had come up to the edge, but hadn't waded into it. I fear this pond is quite anemic under its huge load of snow. Porcupines have been active in the valley. Walking up it I must have crossed six trails. A dozen deer at least, out on the golf course. Next I'll have to see what the East Trail Pond and Meander Pond beavers are up to, before the next deep freeze.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">February 4 Last night after a brief period of freezing rain, there was a thaw and, today, fierce winds that whipped up water just before the head of Goose Island and sent waves scudding down what river remains open. Our cove remained pocked with open spots</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIaKl2GC-rQk-xpXUEX4xBidQ7tPXo2K9pF0M4LXx2WFGk0A104HJf25MhLTqibFmwLh573dP0SyIftd_DKXSCSZ4QtUwC_9IXops2lOJfnEqxnbTJSkOmcPIqc9eCfn7SMfGBC2d0CAo/s1600/blow4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIaKl2GC-rQk-xpXUEX4xBidQ7tPXo2K9pF0M4LXx2WFGk0A104HJf25MhLTqibFmwLh573dP0SyIftd_DKXSCSZ4QtUwC_9IXops2lOJfnEqxnbTJSkOmcPIqc9eCfn7SMfGBC2d0CAo/s400/blow4.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and some mergansers couldn't resist them</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rJs6XWngMZUMAUDWq8gM_ExA3ExBpsL16ZdM9rFSmIIvOTnwsBtSR7ggBdqiNEh9S_ZsuNm09w3qExqPr7FiAudO_1fMgm51Ed6hyxwQIPqyLiC5biPCfrc1b1YzB8NUHTrM2Sf-i_Y/s1600/mergs4a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rJs6XWngMZUMAUDWq8gM_ExA3ExBpsL16ZdM9rFSmIIvOTnwsBtSR7ggBdqiNEh9S_ZsuNm09w3qExqPr7FiAudO_1fMgm51Ed6hyxwQIPqyLiC5biPCfrc1b1YzB8NUHTrM2Sf-i_Y/s400/mergs4a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Most of the ducks, mostly goldeneyes kept out as best they could along the edge of the ice. Several times I saw them fly up into the 40 mile an hour wind, if not 50, to gain on<br />
the waves, not that they seemed to drift back much. I bailed the boat which was floating on about two feet of water that was on top of the ice which looked to be a foot thick.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">February 5 beautiful sunny day, cold after the thaw, and I planned to head off on snowshoes, but they were in the car trunk and that was frozen shut. So I drove over to the Nature Center with my skis and tried to attack the problem from that direction. The groomed trails were icy, so I had to walk down the hills. But skiing along and on the ponds was perfect. I first paused at the bridge below the Short-cut Trail pond and<br />
studied what looked to be a perfect otter slide</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Fqf0Wc5tfNjHc4gz4xfs8omAi5qwIVixWp6SMY-ceSF73HNigH_knT1rEGw7t3I9neS1fYFUC27eAcZpbilq9O8Piopr6m20HBEUSQ-K3QEU3vHYthHFAW_qz3HuTXjg-76JHseapGk/s1600/ottrail5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Fqf0Wc5tfNjHc4gz4xfs8omAi5qwIVixWp6SMY-ceSF73HNigH_knT1rEGw7t3I9neS1fYFUC27eAcZpbilq9O8Piopr6m20HBEUSQ-K3QEU3vHYthHFAW_qz3HuTXjg-76JHseapGk/s400/ottrail5.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">It wasn't fresh, so it could have been an old deer trail, but it certainly was an otter route and continued up the Short-cut Trail pond. I took my usual route up to Meander<br />
Pond and was diverted from the otter trail by what looked like fisher tracks</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghx4ZTjMuZPXA-TaZe7HMexJdk92IdeGanDQwGLczDx3xE5J8Dr1p2mUZBjtUUttdW20YXPPxlmi90od5YbLf51ciZGCmVYKgf_za-o_G_ZjdmOxTQZJq0iGBrotjAwgVvE24c_Y2assg/s1600/fishtks5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghx4ZTjMuZPXA-TaZe7HMexJdk92IdeGanDQwGLczDx3xE5J8Dr1p2mUZBjtUUttdW20YXPPxlmi90od5YbLf51ciZGCmVYKgf_za-o_G_ZjdmOxTQZJq0iGBrotjAwgVvE24c_Y2assg/s400/fishtks5.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There were also fox tracks about, and the raccoons were finally out and about. What confused me about the supposed fisher tracks was that there were so many of them in<br />
places. However, I noticed one visit to a tree that a fisher had visited weeks before. Then when I got up to the Meander Pond, the beaver activity diverted me from the fisher tracks.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOL0aavvH-c2UjP0QJeQTrbLXFobMrhIOSxJyj1SEgRYO8FDXzoKMwmHUNlqraon296FSsSTEO0GTF5R1zJIyMioR3tLTtsxS_apDFHAXqpYlJah3Us7-Dn9dFjp_rfNVRdVDWwmPJak/s1600/mppondwk5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOL0aavvH-c2UjP0QJeQTrbLXFobMrhIOSxJyj1SEgRYO8FDXzoKMwmHUNlqraon296FSsSTEO0GTF5R1zJIyMioR3tLTtsxS_apDFHAXqpYlJah3Us7-Dn9dFjp_rfNVRdVDWwmPJak/s400/mppondwk5.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Not only had the beavers been out but they had felled some trees. They came out from two holes, the one just below the main dam which they had used before and which had a line-up of lumber waiting to be pulled under</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxNrNsKL3gvXgKiijZS3m59bp5_o10-DzmlyS1y2Wc4YmXLM0bys2rAZkPBEb0albHnFnITCpdkvTE8LBJLcfIwfF1G7oR5e6XD1L4vODEKcmEWtZTGbQunW5cg6jcEzL0aNIy1hBBjs/s1600/mphole5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxNrNsKL3gvXgKiijZS3m59bp5_o10-DzmlyS1y2Wc4YmXLM0bys2rAZkPBEb0albHnFnITCpdkvTE8LBJLcfIwfF1G7oR5e6XD1L4vODEKcmEWtZTGbQunW5cg6jcEzL0aNIy1hBBjs/s400/mphole5.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and a hole about midway between the dam and the burrow den. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1kwJg-dYIWrD_TPdM5tmh44O7FrbgsGsAtHcsUKrPdFklRKpCwq1zcShWXajhy5DjL6TxkfAh8rZWr3IXh2f6fFNI9BIZin9V9Fa9MoEIvRP5ouNjYJ7YA0fLFLYiBYtyUxaPSYST24/s1600/mphole5a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1kwJg-dYIWrD_TPdM5tmh44O7FrbgsGsAtHcsUKrPdFklRKpCwq1zcShWXajhy5DjL6TxkfAh8rZWr3IXh2f6fFNI9BIZin9V9Fa9MoEIvRP5ouNjYJ7YA0fLFLYiBYtyUxaPSYST24/s400/mphole5a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">It is hard to figure why this would be a weak point easily broken. Perhaps the weight of snow had fractured the ice there. No sign of any break out at the lodge, but the top of<br />
it was well vented. Meanwhile I couldn't see any otter tracks and the deer trails crossing the pond began to look a bit like that otter trail I saw back at the bridge. Then as I skied down the East Trail Pond, I found a new otter hole, a good twenty yards up pond from the other hole</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimA94PrVKBXgYjxdHM5bUIsV8FNPaORz8ChQBoQWqrxqvEctMGSFaTd_YAder2cu3K7AJ26aZFDYyVzz5T24qBfktOJzuHHKxrN_jKYIB_Du6_O56riSV3ZMzd0f6SASVzH6FEn5JUCj4/s1600/etothole5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimA94PrVKBXgYjxdHM5bUIsV8FNPaORz8ChQBoQWqrxqvEctMGSFaTd_YAder2cu3K7AJ26aZFDYyVzz5T24qBfktOJzuHHKxrN_jKYIB_Du6_O56riSV3ZMzd0f6SASVzH6FEn5JUCj4/s400/etothole5.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">which is not what I would suspect -- the pond must be precious shallow here, but obviously otter-friendly. Looking at the eruption from another angle, you can see two more holes out from under.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7k9yVYw6mPSbevdS6L24sGvJZg6i-HWa4wOtKsq8Xs_Ps5MyFYYHZg29Z5_ii2MB2crM1dIEE4IqEe_pp_2egsrgiYDiu43nOZREikkUY9zeMSl5pZx5qM0jrNWI19LFv5FPtZbvb510/s1600/etothole5a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7k9yVYw6mPSbevdS6L24sGvJZg6i-HWa4wOtKsq8Xs_Ps5MyFYYHZg29Z5_ii2MB2crM1dIEE4IqEe_pp_2egsrgiYDiu43nOZREikkUY9zeMSl5pZx5qM0jrNWI19LFv5FPtZbvb510/s400/etothole5a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile the original hole, has a look of being briefly used but nothing as fresh and wide as was at the other hole. Before going to the dam, I went over to see if the<br />
beavers had broken out from the bank lodge, and they had</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqva0bi1mVQ9Ok8aSM5LS4n3TXJYwcKaeWB253IoM0rX4ZvRPvc8NXjWQaxoKUoVaeszKvxX9F2c6P8a7ScOENvPGZeKeBLy6cRAC73TyM3cANgrmuFi2uba7leKDucWiiq8LbdvCBAfg/s1600/etbvlodge5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqva0bi1mVQ9Ok8aSM5LS4n3TXJYwcKaeWB253IoM0rX4ZvRPvc8NXjWQaxoKUoVaeszKvxX9F2c6P8a7ScOENvPGZeKeBLy6cRAC73TyM3cANgrmuFi2uba7leKDucWiiq8LbdvCBAfg/s400/etbvlodge5.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Indeed, as I moved up to get a close-up of the hole</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFMiiSSwwq7FfkuOEW-piUBAkveiICJGkpFmv3IIvyhE5uWXgUetQkEAP1dL_1SRe7W1YEvXBeXCg8cv8T4ZCogQY8WWz5srJ4vD6g6KLOCabpGhtnLlYeSnAPXvppOLxlKe01XhmQrA/s1600/etbvhole5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFMiiSSwwq7FfkuOEW-piUBAkveiICJGkpFmv3IIvyhE5uWXgUetQkEAP1dL_1SRe7W1YEvXBeXCg8cv8T4ZCogQY8WWz5srJ4vD6g6KLOCabpGhtnLlYeSnAPXvppOLxlKe01XhmQrA/s400/etbvhole5.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">a beaver dove into the water below. An otter probably came out at the lodge in the middle of the pond, and there was evidence of some activity at the dam</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7sA3QTebhGdKr1c4LoOKkFr20ZEiPJ-i48qVd2hayQGq80SxjP0W9Zcon83uDHbYnGbfcG4aBD9SnelrcD3VbPGhZDlSreSBubH68ahbhtY4ZQ75H79I-sgvNVPfJP5ROEWjGzOSBjs/s1600/etdam5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7sA3QTebhGdKr1c4LoOKkFr20ZEiPJ-i48qVd2hayQGq80SxjP0W9Zcon83uDHbYnGbfcG4aBD9SnelrcD3VbPGhZDlSreSBubH68ahbhtY4ZQ75H79I-sgvNVPfJP5ROEWjGzOSBjs/s400/etdam5.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">But nothing major. Since I was on skis, I postponed again my closer inspection of the hole in the dam</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6z865WEJpzl6gDquIexrDKV4KulWF6tiCHqh6cJX91z8ZeWli4ef8-fyndrTPbEBI-gK41oG4oHO2mg_Dpy_yWy38BU093yWmaNY3bi9n2D5Zse7XX1AbGN_G1_oQhD6h95aic5MJD3E/s1600/etdam5a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6z865WEJpzl6gDquIexrDKV4KulWF6tiCHqh6cJX91z8ZeWli4ef8-fyndrTPbEBI-gK41oG4oHO2mg_Dpy_yWy38BU093yWmaNY3bi9n2D5Zse7XX1AbGN_G1_oQhD6h95aic5MJD3E/s400/etdam5a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">From a distance it looked like the otters had been up on the dam above the hole, but I couldn't see any scat from that distance. When I turned to go back up the pond, I saw<br />
another small hole in an unlikely spot from where one otter at least came out to take a loop</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_s0G2ldA6oonAtUI0xRhXgaQ5DhL0f_zFFY7CzQqcv1hsaMmwA0M63cvJOiFT3tMyU2xjoEVCOR_i1jP_eWFfp0sB7l0NUnfo_K04_9XELXNkG-PDCn0LBajziE80cXlTDRFCI0wibyc/s1600/etmidpond5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_s0G2ldA6oonAtUI0xRhXgaQ5DhL0f_zFFY7CzQqcv1hsaMmwA0M63cvJOiFT3tMyU2xjoEVCOR_i1jP_eWFfp0sB7l0NUnfo_K04_9XELXNkG-PDCn0LBajziE80cXlTDRFCI0wibyc/s400/etmidpond5.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I get the impression that the otters first returned to the dam, recognized that the pond there had collapsed and refroze at an inconveniently low level, so they went up pond<br />
again and eventually discovered a productive pool of water, now isolated in the shallow pond.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVM-rYSZUGFd0OSAoKImqU5XpgyXeScG0xp6kymrzP0ShyphenhyphenuZeKl2ZrnxYq5t1KmYQYx6ox1WIHCjDmUpkryYdPOniDxnrJ5eBOEdUvxtRIpig9Cwe8ukVzioAXKvGfnVUCArp4EAK9bs/s1600/etpond5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVM-rYSZUGFd0OSAoKImqU5XpgyXeScG0xp6kymrzP0ShyphenhyphenuZeKl2ZrnxYq5t1KmYQYx6ox1WIHCjDmUpkryYdPOniDxnrJ5eBOEdUvxtRIpig9Cwe8ukVzioAXKvGfnVUCArp4EAK9bs/s400/etpond5.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">That pool is well in the background of the photo above. Of course, now I had to check the Lost Swamp Pond to see if otters were still there. I did that in the late afternoon,<br />
after freeing the snow shoes. I went across the golf course and down the second valley, and the going was easy. Raccoon tracks decorated the valley floor and once down on the Big Pond I walked up to the spring pool to see what the thaw did to that. Raccoon<br />
and crow tracks surrounded it, and there were splotches of mud, but I don't think there was much feasting on the remains of the fish -- even though they had been frozen</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvgMEUJMbhteA5Fds-DqO9MXNMZzH6N-htyslFp4vKTVW9NCWJsqOq8oAKC2WlBAWKZGUmkLCSzurlfMSJf9r8q4k8oZiQjYm8kzgmNP9XoB2dR160sT9Ar9WmlLvGWaXorSKlWs_dXc/s1600/pool5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvgMEUJMbhteA5Fds-DqO9MXNMZzH6N-htyslFp4vKTVW9NCWJsqOq8oAKC2WlBAWKZGUmkLCSzurlfMSJf9r8q4k8oZiQjYm8kzgmNP9XoB2dR160sT9Ar9WmlLvGWaXorSKlWs_dXc/s400/pool5.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">At the Lost Swamp, the lodge near the dam was all frozen up. And at first glance it didn't appear that the otters had been active recently. The smaller middle lodge<br />
betrayed no activity; the hole they put in the bank to the east of the pond seemed dormant. Then I noticed an eruption in the ice up near the muskrat push-up, </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3M19tr-bEJO1zyQvTabpLj7mfETQtCt1xl5zyEE9KbCjK2KRTG0CKU7ulJCqowPB1nLul_5KWPBin52WYt14e6e0ruoUwfTyF3gZ3Iv20tpoFEH3cwHwpKO6ZjNj5cUWFjdVvfJ4-SI/s1600/lsotrail5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3M19tr-bEJO1zyQvTabpLj7mfETQtCt1xl5zyEE9KbCjK2KRTG0CKU7ulJCqowPB1nLul_5KWPBin52WYt14e6e0ruoUwfTyF3gZ3Iv20tpoFEH3cwHwpKO6ZjNj5cUWFjdVvfJ4-SI/s400/lsotrail5.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and it looked like otters had checked that area out. However, I saw no sign of them up at another favorite spot -- the upper arm of the pond behind the long upper dam. At the<br />
rock next to the lodge where they had been staying, a coyote or fox had scraped the snow off some old scat, and I couldn't resist taking a close-up</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBBRTD-6qc-eGOGsoxcM5OPtc3atvYjp4yCDG1QFGTRAoWDi0GvUe9trVkt3ZgvDLQmB2jBiQvhpJBudfitax4_Uj7ywmWPTs15nw7KGi5mdK4ig7j6lOB-IPAp7yjW3iWx2G4jmMtbY/s1600/dryscat5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBBRTD-6qc-eGOGsoxcM5OPtc3atvYjp4yCDG1QFGTRAoWDi0GvUe9trVkt3ZgvDLQmB2jBiQvhpJBudfitax4_Uj7ywmWPTs15nw7KGi5mdK4ig7j6lOB-IPAp7yjW3iWx2G4jmMtbY/s400/dryscat5.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">However, it is possible that an otter did the uncovering because I did see what appeared to be fresh otter prints on the snow around the rock. Then I saw evidence that an<br />
otter had been around: scat around a small hole behind the dam </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_rYRPS00rLRQpibP3EAHNKurPxLylLfKam89MsXaWRQzuis8acXuzUSx4Xf7Us37COnJH9b90RXA6wHrC7qhsF2ubFs3KxmTBkIKIK-__WbGjXfs3q9IqcXwVA2163OFlXgO0-3p84Y/s1600/lsdamscat5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_rYRPS00rLRQpibP3EAHNKurPxLylLfKam89MsXaWRQzuis8acXuzUSx4Xf7Us37COnJH9b90RXA6wHrC7qhsF2ubFs3KxmTBkIKIK-__WbGjXfs3q9IqcXwVA2163OFlXgO0-3p84Y/s400/lsdamscat5.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and scat along the rocks leading to the rolling area. Here is what a fresh, wet scat looks like in a close-up</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDq_LilBCN27jHr_F7-Zv0Sguoicue6_V_pDuNoZDgFvz28sfqQsOwG3jrKu5rVXEFaj6rAAvd63tDHiKu1-Jh-z991bo4GayC5Ly7cmgyfEe2Dk-1_gGGfI6l_E279w73ndnf8poVC28/s1600/wetscat5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDq_LilBCN27jHr_F7-Zv0Sguoicue6_V_pDuNoZDgFvz28sfqQsOwG3jrKu5rVXEFaj6rAAvd63tDHiKu1-Jh-z991bo4GayC5Ly7cmgyfEe2Dk-1_gGGfI6l_E279w73ndnf8poVC28/s400/wetscat5.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I reasoned that I could see otter trails out of the pond by walking down the Second Swamp Pond in my usual fashion. I did and I didn't see any trail, save that very<br />
infrequently I saw what appeared to be a fresh otter print in my old snowshoe trail down the pond! Then at the beaver lodge I saw a strange hole next to the lodge</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMY_eqnyoijWveUTeMbZuJP9rBohrZuvyp_h2MOiktsVWy4jopsQcL6VGrnw-b6D50awZ61MZH72O9nu4YA29ChC20QAwv3thNpEcCCBW53mj4Jk5fA-nfL69Jd3vqAsONgrA6oowz8qY/s1600/spdam5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMY_eqnyoijWveUTeMbZuJP9rBohrZuvyp_h2MOiktsVWy4jopsQcL6VGrnw-b6D50awZ61MZH72O9nu4YA29ChC20QAwv3thNpEcCCBW53mj4Jk5fA-nfL69Jd3vqAsONgrA6oowz8qY/s400/spdam5.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">In other years I've seen otters do that. The beavers had been out of their new hole and from it there were wide trails up to fresh work</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSV0Z09Kd1uQPhlU7WDsZ9-bBpPmO_ofJQRyEgrdOo3-FF8Cb_6f6dO3hVyVODEW4c55oql7cer08lVKTejL45-m4tG-Yt61YG-HJdNJ-7u-UkUJF_gZmdwd42svOzNaBOens9xSX04Y/s1600/sphole5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSV0Z09Kd1uQPhlU7WDsZ9-bBpPmO_ofJQRyEgrdOo3-FF8Cb_6f6dO3hVyVODEW4c55oql7cer08lVKTejL45-m4tG-Yt61YG-HJdNJ-7u-UkUJF_gZmdwd42svOzNaBOens9xSX04Y/s400/sphole5.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then coming out of that hole, I saw fresh prints that again looked like otter. However, the beaver activity diverted my attention from that. Either the 50 mph wind we had<br />
yesterday finally knocked down the oak they had been working or a last bit gnawing had done it</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizf-Yn_7ilmGt7Zk_X7s_ql0yQBo48tykVpgxGkEHdbM45ZeoMBBjJ3xmcoM7Y4XY2z9QEmueNxOCq3y8mQypucJp4LQNJwv-JSgjYPsztlfgsZ4cul7GasJ5xkK926dHYIw29FJiU5II/s1600/spwindwk5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizf-Yn_7ilmGt7Zk_X7s_ql0yQBo48tykVpgxGkEHdbM45ZeoMBBjJ3xmcoM7Y4XY2z9QEmueNxOCq3y8mQypucJp4LQNJwv-JSgjYPsztlfgsZ4cul7GasJ5xkK926dHYIw29FJiU5II/s400/spwindwk5.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">plus the smaller maple nearby was down. Then I went back to check the tree I saw the beaver cutting the other day. As I suspected I had witnessed a second cut and to my<br />
amazement the beavers were in the middle of their fifth cut</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIj_QmNt948jf0mf879QU0e2MoauWyjj-y6i3SVOJ1MV2rXJz5rOsVYt23_k43SsS5ti0AFJZACdhCrzBPpTy-O3Qphc0vVX7pTy-kpopOMVWLBToxI4e0VcyunBnvYHY97ISHkztG7E/s1600/spbvcuts5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIj_QmNt948jf0mf879QU0e2MoauWyjj-y6i3SVOJ1MV2rXJz5rOsVYt23_k43SsS5ti0AFJZACdhCrzBPpTy-O3Qphc0vVX7pTy-kpopOMVWLBToxI4e0VcyunBnvYHY97ISHkztG7E/s400/spbvcuts5.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Each time the tree was cut it fell straight down and the log stayed firmly in the deep snow. I had trouble wiggling the logs. Meanwhile the prized branches had finally come<br />
down low enough for the beaver to get at them. Off a ways I could see that the beavers have continued making second cuts on the large poplars</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLYhxaHBBLjH984g79Wg2_lMS0LHR_ldhJohXbWmKrtqnEINrFvRK12FoQFyP3eBpm_vI0CX0UFM-Nmke_rVx7fqyGf_jxWLbaqZmgWkpBQPzgtCwdkHDNJ3FVEJ0g1HtgDW3RINPe40/s1600/spbvwk5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLYhxaHBBLjH984g79Wg2_lMS0LHR_ldhJohXbWmKrtqnEINrFvRK12FoQFyP3eBpm_vI0CX0UFM-Nmke_rVx7fqyGf_jxWLbaqZmgWkpBQPzgtCwdkHDNJ3FVEJ0g1HtgDW3RINPe40/s400/spbvwk5.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I walked down to the dam, looking for an otter slide and a shortcut home. I didn't see anything definitive as a slide coming from the Lost Swamp pond, but there were slides<br />
frozen in the slush and on the snow leading to a pass in the snow over the dam down into the pool, liberally running with water, that the beavers had created. There were also prints that seemed plumper than otter, but the ice around the open pooled was carved much as an otter would do it</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFzI1QcbsRde_yGfNv3oSBuoKumyZajrrWGhVJ9IqSLEZCt4MLBeU8becFLmyxwYd004oBmJkZ3lO1wFAjNaFqvRD2be87Tv-sO_N4GV-wlZkp-p_VPraLQiGIPJivujTLYolSuKSBok/s1600/spdam5a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFzI1QcbsRde_yGfNv3oSBuoKumyZajrrWGhVJ9IqSLEZCt4MLBeU8becFLmyxwYd004oBmJkZ3lO1wFAjNaFqvRD2be87Tv-sO_N4GV-wlZkp-p_VPraLQiGIPJivujTLYolSuKSBok/s400/spdam5a.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I walked down to Otter Hole Pond, expecting to find classic otter slides but I never did. I did find this classic otter remain behind Otter Hole dam</span><br />
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<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_fYATxYbFUzSWE0_w5qDRCzollxjEQOV-S-V6TEIdGxx8pJ3LTnvhjkHnmvihEcYmdOKPUmdd4O6G8wXgxzDszf4ygWc4_qOf0Aktqt-sNPL5RHpePLaYIn5w4H0hDDWwS-zyGEqlbo/s1600/bullhead5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_fYATxYbFUzSWE0_w5qDRCzollxjEQOV-S-V6TEIdGxx8pJ3LTnvhjkHnmvihEcYmdOKPUmdd4O6G8wXgxzDszf4ygWc4_qOf0Aktqt-sNPL5RHpePLaYIn5w4H0hDDWwS-zyGEqlbo/s400/bullhead5.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">However, the trouble with finding the bullhead head there is that that ice might have formed after the brief thaw, and if the otters were around then, there should be fresh<br />
scat and slides around. I begin to think once again, of that single otter who left when the three otters came in. Plus there is that family of two that had been around during the fall. All this is quite exciting, if not quite legible. Otter Hole Pond was leaking too, </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCEJCtTk1JmIkQbcvXxoinraQYDjYDl4PcvbCq0d3alMkgwlfHupHiIahNM0O6nloEWy9-1PrfebWNIvCXXu1dmrHwDc23twbqFOHVtpQst-ZvlGf7xbmBPyB3lLqcAEy8_p5a-uwyLI/s1600/ohdam5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCEJCtTk1JmIkQbcvXxoinraQYDjYDl4PcvbCq0d3alMkgwlfHupHiIahNM0O6nloEWy9-1PrfebWNIvCXXu1dmrHwDc23twbqFOHVtpQst-ZvlGf7xbmBPyB3lLqcAEy8_p5a-uwyLI/s400/ohdam5.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">which raises the question, did the otters have anything to do with that? However, until I see scat in the area, I'm not going to blame anything on otters.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">February 7 a cold morning in the low teens with clouds dissipating. We headed across South Bay on skis, an inch of fresh flakey snow yesterday and last night helped, and then we went up to Audubon Pond. I could see the snowed over remains of an otter slide, up and around the drain, and then across the pond to the causeway. I couldn't see slides on the next pond up, but the snow would likely drift over that. The beavers had not been out again at Meander Pond. Some fisher like tracks entertained us. Then the East Trail was, or had been, hopping. An otter came out of the up pond hole I had first seen on the 5th </span><br />
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<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSY5DWXp1gJM6Z-36H7hkeSAV_1cvfXldiuNzD8-KxqTOyai-NUklugU7uskkGXgQy6jMUQxJ03iDFJsiNT83mYbrk_Ch0s9u08UcnW949VTAUsyoqKq5zoUaz55RWAmUMsdjB3KxzuM/s1600/ethole7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSY5DWXp1gJM6Z-36H7hkeSAV_1cvfXldiuNzD8-KxqTOyai-NUklugU7uskkGXgQy6jMUQxJ03iDFJsiNT83mYbrk_Ch0s9u08UcnW949VTAUsyoqKq5zoUaz55RWAmUMsdjB3KxzuM/s400/ethole7.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The hole into the ice was evidently sculpted by many ins and outs,</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmoMi0YSAjs_5mPggaJ1gYP3d3J0jd2VofqOZ5qAEmRFXk3qnXplUD92yYiaChLOnMafWKv62WKHwbjoqNFd1GaZOSJ0fGCL0cw-Ui5UyAe7-8nnlls2GCfb7mJjQtASd32k5bkZ2ntBo/s1600/ethole7a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmoMi0YSAjs_5mPggaJ1gYP3d3J0jd2VofqOZ5qAEmRFXk3qnXplUD92yYiaChLOnMafWKv62WKHwbjoqNFd1GaZOSJ0fGCL0cw-Ui5UyAe7-8nnlls2GCfb7mJjQtASd32k5bkZ2ntBo/s400/ethole7a.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">but there was only one squirt of scat and not much plowing around the hole. We saw about the same scene at a little hole beside the lodge.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuGsTHDFWxouSxVYxUn7mB0pIBNhBKOb489kwuWmG3QoQ8rSAqA_HN55ynvvsnXVbB5jRsdtCgZSmI8m0MHen19Um6mThDGP9a9GzNE_n-gKhoRGa3BFuDSGwE5Xbx7KuJVIq5UljvrM/s1600/etlodge7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuGsTHDFWxouSxVYxUn7mB0pIBNhBKOb489kwuWmG3QoQ8rSAqA_HN55ynvvsnXVbB5jRsdtCgZSmI8m0MHen19Um6mThDGP9a9GzNE_n-gKhoRGa3BFuDSGwE5Xbx7KuJVIq5UljvrM/s400/etlodge7.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and down at the dam, an otter came out of the gallery formed by collapsing ice just below the mossy rock where the otters scatted in the summer and fall</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1ABaZPhmVZXqaSY6rRQimx-2h_qE5_sN9a_cwoQ4LY1sFOZ6hSbCQaF4Q4rHx_Yk3yvJ_Wc9ZqlyybhyphenhyphenQsex36PH16_PlsuR9AdRlnQgzP6wHaMr1Y72r7GCGWc7UBeGDu3bgI9yf18/s1600/etdamhole7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1ABaZPhmVZXqaSY6rRQimx-2h_qE5_sN9a_cwoQ4LY1sFOZ6hSbCQaF4Q4rHx_Yk3yvJ_Wc9ZqlyybhyphenhyphenQsex36PH16_PlsuR9AdRlnQgzP6wHaMr1Y72r7GCGWc7UBeGDu3bgI9yf18/s400/etdamhole7.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">It struck us that one otter could have done all this activity. I confessed how much I enjoy seeing this evidence of otters emerging from the dark pond below. Leslie craved otter trails to follow. Meanwhile, at least one beaver had been out this morning, despite the cold temperatures. There was a path from the hole in front of the bank lodge</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyU9OTDp2_BNehNTwA61gSYRfqmWpl5heycG5V6TtoGXZWgGj6QhKgMtgilbgEbeV4BtfK2nbtjogsfhyTMqS1wznzfpXhPlBjUk8ejqx5DX9HTr4kWDnL-CWJu9jb0mdj3D7XfHrmVlY/s1600/etbvhole7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyU9OTDp2_BNehNTwA61gSYRfqmWpl5heycG5V6TtoGXZWgGj6QhKgMtgilbgEbeV4BtfK2nbtjogsfhyTMqS1wznzfpXhPlBjUk8ejqx5DX9HTr4kWDnL-CWJu9jb0mdj3D7XfHrmVlY/s400/etbvhole7.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I don't think the otter made that little foray to the left. Back at the lodge there was a mouse trail, </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxx4NB5qjWgJWHTLWTu6hyphenhyphenK5U0kKs-j_lReXSjBYUJhgflQ4xvf5VpNt-pZrBeSZSPySdbVQIa1PsePXg-cs6rPZvwXncmJCLJh6mMqy2zNqVaUM8vltaSEGHye5S35ANz24UjzUCgT8/s1600/mousetks7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxx4NB5qjWgJWHTLWTu6hyphenhyphenK5U0kKs-j_lReXSjBYUJhgflQ4xvf5VpNt-pZrBeSZSPySdbVQIa1PsePXg-cs6rPZvwXncmJCLJh6mMqy2zNqVaUM8vltaSEGHye5S35ANz24UjzUCgT8/s400/mousetks7.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The trail disappeared into the mound of snow around a dead tree trunk. As always getting to the Second Swamp Pond on skis was dicey, but easier than I expected. There was no fresh activity at the Second Swamp Pond lodge. Then as we went up and over the ridge beside the Lost Pond dam, we discovered what appeared to be an otter playground, and Leslie got her wish</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizZSmQYoaA-1wyXb_ziZeGZE25KxIYD0hoqiyk1gwRsCcI8tlGoXzYiWz8a5F-bU5HiLT3FnRtbauFKhWbs9IcBoUG6qgPVVvEM_bTwiSxyjshFrKDwsKvRt8CYvXDBqfc4L-SHRq3b0s/s1600/lshole7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizZSmQYoaA-1wyXb_ziZeGZE25KxIYD0hoqiyk1gwRsCcI8tlGoXzYiWz8a5F-bU5HiLT3FnRtbauFKhWbs9IcBoUG6qgPVVvEM_bTwiSxyjshFrKDwsKvRt8CYvXDBqfc4L-SHRq3b0s/s400/lshole7.jpg" /></a></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">complete with tail imprints</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-CWz3GI07I2oVFy426Jl5-L-9PUZjrY2TJaSSrMdPc9XCjE81iO28jnUmAJPRQhkA7KeYaeNxQZOj5MyaemToxYnjV3rs87b-YWFAk4TEHcwnULmrG5ON55Jq7ZHta_PEnXHLheyoPc/s1600/tailtk7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-CWz3GI07I2oVFy426Jl5-L-9PUZjrY2TJaSSrMdPc9XCjE81iO28jnUmAJPRQhkA7KeYaeNxQZOj5MyaemToxYnjV3rs87b-YWFAk4TEHcwnULmrG5ON55Jq7ZHta_PEnXHLheyoPc/s400/tailtk7.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">It's hard to visualize what the otter was up to, perhaps resting belly-down on the ice. Then there was a race along the edge of the pond with two distinct trails: one large<br />
slide</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXRp9Gahn_cRY7xANflNifQ1_WbcBG5ECbU47fz2G53sDzu-YuB6yMYiANF_mobMD0S6p7Q6Jp-rCDgrdccc_xSNgCH3iWwdbPJP_BsuDe1zDgCXAUqWlHwn_KvFy-HpE-zoAuGlpg8w/s1600/otslide7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXRp9Gahn_cRY7xANflNifQ1_WbcBG5ECbU47fz2G53sDzu-YuB6yMYiANF_mobMD0S6p7Q6Jp-rCDgrdccc_xSNgCH3iWwdbPJP_BsuDe1zDgCXAUqWlHwn_KvFy-HpE-zoAuGlpg8w/s400/otslide7.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">which we assume was made by the mother otter. The churned up trail nearby had the look of two pups in a chase</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjeBe07WD-xOhj5Foz3sAZ8l06ogznYYW1Rr161tDiQ4aUXDV2lgi1iRp7bQqVFZa7qZq5cOHYWdHxO0_xLZnfSFo9OHKqTi4W0JVAl2FwZEuXHGhufyZvJxJwi1Pre8HIJ0VQbv9f6o/s1600/ottrot7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjeBe07WD-xOhj5Foz3sAZ8l06ogznYYW1Rr161tDiQ4aUXDV2lgi1iRp7bQqVFZa7qZq5cOHYWdHxO0_xLZnfSFo9OHKqTi4W0JVAl2FwZEuXHGhufyZvJxJwi1Pre8HIJ0VQbv9f6o/s400/ottrot7.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There were also forays up on the ridge -- by mother and pups, if we are deciphering the slides correctly.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47s5tV0S2AxeQd6Fp2ZNMH_u4d_IRjhVn6-TMft1n0R9f-BimZOyfiStnKqjHKQecoyLQYxzh-MapqCqnRgbSqATVxMwCy6dAnyu_SHOFRfUK6DPsKuvACDaZ8npZWyoRoLIVapIN_9Q/s1600/lsromp7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47s5tV0S2AxeQd6Fp2ZNMH_u4d_IRjhVn6-TMft1n0R9f-BimZOyfiStnKqjHKQecoyLQYxzh-MapqCqnRgbSqATVxMwCy6dAnyu_SHOFRfUK6DPsKuvACDaZ8npZWyoRoLIVapIN_9Q/s400/lsromp7.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There was no activity around the beaver lodges, even the lodge up pond, though we didn't get that close. We returned via Otter Hole Pond, paying close attention to the dams to see if there was yet another otter around. However, there were no fresh otter slides and tracks. A fox walked along the Second Swamp Pond dam and down at the Porcupine Hotel dam, it looked like a fisher nosed into a hole behind the dam</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ojG50IY5zqMuC4DASxCSp9WYEk1uTjZaqscZ3wRHoHiMBvkJ2TIWMqAguOuy7vzO5aWS-p8bbM2XxSyDYNGbnYeT8wxhFTK_-TNXFwDNsFbhFmIn0nZoNLc-YebAb0dh_cq4PqtpGoI/s1600/pphdam7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ojG50IY5zqMuC4DASxCSp9WYEk1uTjZaqscZ3wRHoHiMBvkJ2TIWMqAguOuy7vzO5aWS-p8bbM2XxSyDYNGbnYeT8wxhFTK_-TNXFwDNsFbhFmIn0nZoNLc-YebAb0dh_cq4PqtpGoI/s400/pphdam7.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The last track to enjoy was a mink hopping to and from the old South Bay dock lodge. And so, it seems, the otter family is still in the Lost Swamp Pond and a single otter<br />
is in the East Trail Pond -- perhaps the same otter who left the ponds on January 19 when the three otters came in. Plus seeing the evidence of playful activity at the Lost Swamp Pond suggests that the otters are doing well -- last year we found a dead pup<br />
in late Janaury. There is no indication that they have any interest in putting a hole in the dam. Perhaps the pond is shallow enough to provide productive foraging.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">February 8 Ottoleo's day with the Kingston Field Teen Naturalists was stymied by a long line at Canadian customs, so we went off on snowshoes here to check on the otters. We went down the second valley, and while I was content to stand below and point at the porcupine trails up into the rocks, Ottoleo climbed up the cliff, found a recent porcupine den,</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTuH7PNhtUTnFq1cVVO8d1GV_C1iCV8GdDK6htbq3gkNs3p25L80q94FhyphenhyphennidS-_XOjoXWMPzneMFjaYajKaAn5X0LQXUiPa2XDL_BFxS6PSZeEv3leAs2eBdDoNaWBjUJtlpfwnnvqg/s1600/ridge8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTuH7PNhtUTnFq1cVVO8d1GV_C1iCV8GdDK6htbq3gkNs3p25L80q94FhyphenhyphennidS-_XOjoXWMPzneMFjaYajKaAn5X0LQXUiPa2XDL_BFxS6PSZeEv3leAs2eBdDoNaWBjUJtlpfwnnvqg/s400/ridge8.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and then found a den with a small porcupine inside, evidently sleeping</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6RQG3bH3R143yH0856YE04USnkfPcDg4T_CYmmDaTIRA8WOEjBrqee9LLYwWdapQQAyt5Z8BoB-v5GXsTQG9b9Z8lrDPOMw6m4C6CZEKcn20PL6L8c0QlPXTxXUxsMqC7NHrQwdaAU0/s1600/ppine8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6RQG3bH3R143yH0856YE04USnkfPcDg4T_CYmmDaTIRA8WOEjBrqee9LLYwWdapQQAyt5Z8BoB-v5GXsTQG9b9Z8lrDPOMw6m4C6CZEKcn20PL6L8c0QlPXTxXUxsMqC7NHrQwdaAU0/s400/ppine8.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">(And the photo shows something odd -- the black shiny thing in the back, which I assume are ice)</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEQLArmVadhJjCeh1lJaG-QDhHg5sjK1kelXgUZVmqg1WOlksNQB9209fbWTxwANTQT5g_GkvTxuC3ol-1nPP-0PPy4UGyg3bce857k0bSebjyu-7dKxM5QhS99lu244lQYv0QcgBoqQ/s1600/cave8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEQLArmVadhJjCeh1lJaG-QDhHg5sjK1kelXgUZVmqg1WOlksNQB9209fbWTxwANTQT5g_GkvTxuC3ol-1nPP-0PPy4UGyg3bce857k0bSebjyu-7dKxM5QhS99lu244lQYv0QcgBoqQ/s400/cave8.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">This critter was in the upper end of the valley, and judging by the tracks there is still activity in the lower end of the valley. Plus a porcupine had visited the old den in the small outcropping of rocks just off the Big Pond. Meanwhile, I was snarling over fisher-like tracks, trying to make certain identification. Unfortunately they went in the direction we weren't going in. As we went down to the Big Pond, we saw a crow on the snow in the middle of the pond. I thought it might have dropped a fish it had scavenged from the spring pool. We went over there and saw crow tracks around the pool. There was some pecking into the ice above the dead, but it didn't look like<br />
any crow had speared any of the dead fish.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiuTzjYXYKIYxZzHbnZnXxh3n2l3J0uKXMz9yv4YzfDAuFcCKkJtsRPA3A_kFt2BW0PdcdUCqTi13COGlhR9df_10XzTtsCgNwCid2Fn5_De02qYJNi2HgKgf1fD2l1ums4szV2BOqVA/s1600/pool8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiuTzjYXYKIYxZzHbnZnXxh3n2l3J0uKXMz9yv4YzfDAuFcCKkJtsRPA3A_kFt2BW0PdcdUCqTi13COGlhR9df_10XzTtsCgNwCid2Fn5_De02qYJNi2HgKgf1fD2l1ums4szV2BOqVA/s400/pool8.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Going along the surveyor's line to the Lost Swamp Pond, I saw more rabbit tracks than I ever had before,</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjTPyw6RBcUB3VWIB6PQ9mnkZvcZlR0Bzx3hWhZn0mFR9hosnL8p9KNpcGJ4kcbkAt3rmUkUDaLb_H7NsnfDxrQLRKig1ChcaAWLG94Fc9L17eWBZPh0cXVlm-8mP7GNGKvm-pKgfEiQ/s1600/rabtks8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjTPyw6RBcUB3VWIB6PQ9mnkZvcZlR0Bzx3hWhZn0mFR9hosnL8p9KNpcGJ4kcbkAt3rmUkUDaLb_H7NsnfDxrQLRKig1ChcaAWLG94Fc9L17eWBZPh0cXVlm-8mP7GNGKvm-pKgfEiQ/s400/rabtks8.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">including some large snowshoe hare sized tracks. Thickets like these </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWAmQmc4qY9TEyTCuS6irDFMrDyMIhb1qmrhuuqMCDGKllTn9GuvFtmRNAyTqaFJhaYm5DDFd5Wzj8Chyphenhyphen3xQKGdVorlDEMbAOm4JnNfFLBa2kj8UXp-dJm7yPxpoE6wcWxCiGmEorFqQ/s1600/thicket8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWAmQmc4qY9TEyTCuS6irDFMrDyMIhb1qmrhuuqMCDGKllTn9GuvFtmRNAyTqaFJhaYm5DDFd5Wzj8Chyphenhyphen3xQKGdVorlDEMbAOm4JnNfFLBa2kj8UXp-dJm7yPxpoE6wcWxCiGmEorFqQ/s400/thicket8.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">are not that unique around here, but this is the only area where we've ever seen rabbit tracks. At least one grouse was back, judging from the tracks. The Lost Swamp Pond is<br />
rather busy with the tracks that Leslie and I have left, but from a distance it looked like there might be something new at the dam and perhaps the lodge. However, when we got over there it was plain to see that no otters had been out. Rather than take my<br />
usual route down to the Second Swamp Pond, I thought I best go up the pond and go over what I call the north slope, in case the tracks we saw there yesterday didn't loop back as we supposed, but went out of the pond. I noticed how they had dug into the<br />
slope just where the old muskrat burrows were.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB82Vv91278IgWWssOSpRIqG7Ybl6tH66OEr0_G-T8fk5oz7dM76Bxd_XZ5oHS8T2AEXkon9x5HWHtz9guQWHeKvkbvSAFy7ILqyZ5njMIbu-qWWJRpaoRAY0EegOy2fepm4mjC5bPDHM/s1600/burrow8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB82Vv91278IgWWssOSpRIqG7Ybl6tH66OEr0_G-T8fk5oz7dM76Bxd_XZ5oHS8T2AEXkon9x5HWHtz9guQWHeKvkbvSAFy7ILqyZ5njMIbu-qWWJRpaoRAY0EegOy2fepm4mjC5bPDHM/s400/burrow8.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">At the last of the holes they had made before, I noticed that there was a fresh track. We followed that and found two more fresh holes and then two slides which I first<br />
thought were going out of the pond, then realized that at least one was coming into the pond.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68xfVt15sZi77cn8jGssU48XBf7r-lqiXTFw9NVEqWWmKr57DYaM22MbIt4MqbelabgzJ7tst6EDOm3VIRLSIVBb76ur6iQIY6D29GhnM-jtOycdqNuV1t2X9MzJ-bPcoCiT675h8Llw/s1600/otslides8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68xfVt15sZi77cn8jGssU48XBf7r-lqiXTFw9NVEqWWmKr57DYaM22MbIt4MqbelabgzJ7tst6EDOm3VIRLSIVBb76ur6iQIY6D29GhnM-jtOycdqNuV1t2X9MzJ-bPcoCiT675h8Llw/s400/otslides8.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The slides went below the north slope and then at that area just beyond the downed tree with many limbs coming into the pond, where otters had often been two years ago, we saw a large hole in the ice, not refrozen, and much otter action.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07SN__QJE8iW4Kv4rgnmX0BJ0hATK1uOtgl8KPGkcYRuIfCEf9hSagQvi2Sf_R5G_fuhzW47mkdM0qTctNl5q4PKIcsTJ6o-hV9BgO6xYigK93gnvFc7enm2QcSSMGcqKY2dNWE-x99M/s1600/othole8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07SN__QJE8iW4Kv4rgnmX0BJ0hATK1uOtgl8KPGkcYRuIfCEf9hSagQvi2Sf_R5G_fuhzW47mkdM0qTctNl5q4PKIcsTJ6o-hV9BgO6xYigK93gnvFc7enm2QcSSMGcqKY2dNWE-x99M/s400/othole8.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then we saw two slides coming down into the pond from the west slope, and a trail going up the steep south slope and then a slide, not quite as steep, coming down. We back tracked the slides coming down from the west, and they were perhaps the finest slides I've ever seen, neatly forking at places.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMs8n-l3JnXgx9_OUE5tu8VwjuB3lV3PHHY7dtwG5wxBySgwu_hLE5IFW7eks5dRJ2xPoc_ogrPqm57yS0-pdAJT0Kf-Fhm3Xq7uKDwmaUac_iYIJHSUZpo0Ee8Snp2eBCCLxnHzWFT0M/s1600/otslide8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMs8n-l3JnXgx9_OUE5tu8VwjuB3lV3PHHY7dtwG5wxBySgwu_hLE5IFW7eks5dRJ2xPoc_ogrPqm57yS0-pdAJT0Kf-Fhm3Xq7uKDwmaUac_iYIJHSUZpo0Ee8Snp2eBCCLxnHzWFT0M/s400/otslide8.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">As usual at this time of year, the otters claimed the highest ground before sliding down. We back tracked the otters down to the Second Swamp Pond which they<br />
uncharacteristically crossed rather than follow up, and then down to the beaver lodge where they made a play to get into all the frozen-over holes, and seemed to have failed. There we saw a third slide but later detemined that at least one of the otters looped over to check the dam. The last time otters came from the East Trail Pond to the Second Swamp Pond they took the low road -- a very sensible route that I've continued to follow. This time they came down from the high ridge, though I must say they didn't<br />
go the absolutely highest point of the ridge. Then we saw where they came down from the East Trail Pond dam,</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYP7kXntRPOOlImnt5SVSU7EqAJ5nKgprJcwmNoXdHBHlQTNtG6_82kK7_RNmjw8XLNWNEyvHMos97eeFhE2DKrHhhzrVPHDdTGLaPt7TvahXz8ueJdZarmKGAGssAJuGFO84uDYUSW4/s1600/etdam8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYP7kXntRPOOlImnt5SVSU7EqAJ5nKgprJcwmNoXdHBHlQTNtG6_82kK7_RNmjw8XLNWNEyvHMos97eeFhE2DKrHhhzrVPHDdTGLaPt7TvahXz8ueJdZarmKGAGssAJuGFO84uDYUSW4/s400/etdam8.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and I saw scat above the hole in the dam and fresh scat at the hole near the mossy rock. Yesterday we figured that there was one otter in this pond. I went back to the holes<br />
where an otter had come out yesterday. The far hole showed no activity, but an otter had been out at the lodge hole, but again, looking like one otter. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVi3llvxClBnVmw9Dn9wB_McaQIa-u_P3CLPKxgK1kaBPtLK9hG1MO_4EVpz4IPZZKqEu6kz_j1lc1vy67iUzh4pi4dXJZ5FXIvasme8tUcwYIMdnB1f6O7e2TNbrgyC51BoQNTMdhfg/s1600/etlodgehole8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVi3llvxClBnVmw9Dn9wB_McaQIa-u_P3CLPKxgK1kaBPtLK9hG1MO_4EVpz4IPZZKqEu6kz_j1lc1vy67iUzh4pi4dXJZ5FXIvasme8tUcwYIMdnB1f6O7e2TNbrgyC51BoQNTMdhfg/s400/etlodgehole8.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There were no trails coming into the pond that I could see. I went back to the Lost Swamp Pond and noticed a trail going up behind the downed tree. That trail left the pond, and only one otter I think. I tracked the otter going out of the pond to the south. It checked a hole beside a rock on the way up and ducked under rock, but scrambled up to the top of the ridge</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjJcJ-BjTZb_OopgKvhyCv4nozxT8xNGZA8dohuLFAWIi1EbOIj7_gIw280rB5oNBazlN3vnlLNmSR2IfwFZkygaiPyKEDX-7S_jYocURfCd6cjBFIbRub1OX2mDl-forxDFSy6hdQ84/s1600/otrock8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjJcJ-BjTZb_OopgKvhyCv4nozxT8xNGZA8dohuLFAWIi1EbOIj7_gIw280rB5oNBazlN3vnlLNmSR2IfwFZkygaiPyKEDX-7S_jYocURfCd6cjBFIbRub1OX2mDl-forxDFSy6hdQ84/s400/otrock8.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and continued into and a little beyond the grove of poplars that the beavers had cut two falls ago. It made two little rhumba jogs in the snow</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehYmwEBgMcLgk1vLrsiYG9cDdQipDeA8-Iwpuym0s-9QCSgtFqtkOJS93vYL37_WApFIAq3VqXHAO3uh2b5LK7oWq-FSl-fx61FHnHYW8Vj03ZrQEw93r4YdkkjIBp7eRrZlpdCdc3XQ/s1600/ottrail8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehYmwEBgMcLgk1vLrsiYG9cDdQipDeA8-Iwpuym0s-9QCSgtFqtkOJS93vYL37_WApFIAq3VqXHAO3uh2b5LK7oWq-FSl-fx61FHnHYW8Vj03ZrQEw93r4YdkkjIBp7eRrZlpdCdc3XQ/s400/ottrail8.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and after the second one beelined back to the Lost Swamp Pond. One possible interpretation of what I saw, is that an otter left the pond, went back to the East Trail Pond and chased or was chased by the otter there, which would mean there are now four otters in the Lost Swamp Pond. The trouble with that is that I didn't find a trail into the East Trail Pond. Another scenario is that there were two otters in the East Trail Pond and they moved to the Lost Swamp Pond, and then one moved on going<br />
further to the east. Complicated, but with otters at this time of year, anything is possible. With such good conditions for travel otters could go for miles. Meanwhile a ferocious wind picked up and I took a wooded route home, going down the First Swamp ponds which showed no activity worth mentioning. While tracking the<br />
otters, I did catch this curiousity: an insect gall, I think, placed in a woodpecker hole. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3u-R63UaDJvBmXY-vi6F2n4C9en9B5yTU3OyAfU_7NvYm3mk7xj6at2O9ZFWjqjDzfqfZ62HoSqO4FmkWtN2y1usnDKMYw6b1kkReULHBR7rBzwqwpbyIF0Q9hdc776I-nA5ZuJEuI7c/s1600/holegall8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3u-R63UaDJvBmXY-vi6F2n4C9en9B5yTU3OyAfU_7NvYm3mk7xj6at2O9ZFWjqjDzfqfZ62HoSqO4FmkWtN2y1usnDKMYw6b1kkReULHBR7rBzwqwpbyIF0Q9hdc776I-nA5ZuJEuI7c/s400/holegall8.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">In tracking the otters I kept an eye out for blood, in case these otters were fighting as they chased each other, but I found none, and certainly no signs of tusseling. The<br />
two otters might not have been travelling together for all I know. All in all, perfect sport for early February. Here's a video I took of the otter tracks, just as confusing as what I wrote about them:</span><br />
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<div align="center"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nCKjpcyXXSw?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> <br />
Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-61604002018453761222013-06-27T20:53:00.001-07:002013-06-27T20:53:33.541-07:00January 21 to 31, 2003<span style="font-size: medium;">January 21 ten below zero at 8am, but sunny and calm. When I went off on skis a little before 10, it was zero. I crossed South Bay and all the new tracks along the north shore were from deer, reduced to browsing the dead vegetation from the river still hung up on the low leaning trees long since high and dry. I could still read the track we saw two days ago that we were pretty sure was made by an otter. I could see more clearly that it was the track of a single otter, and it skirted the north shore ducking once into some vegetation but continuing on up the Narrows. So this otter came out between the time we crossed South Bay and crossed back. Was it simply roving, or was it responding to the arrival of the three otters into the East Trail Pond? I decided not to back track it and instead retraced my route of two days ago. There was nothing new in Audubon Pond, nor in Meander Pond. When I went to the old den area they visited in the East Trail Pond, I thought the area looked remarkably stamped down. We had another three inches of snow early yesterday morning followed by a full day of strong winds and blowing. Our ski trail and the otter trails of two days ago were almost obliterated. Then as I followed the otter trail to the hole, I saw that the trail was fresh, very fresh, and probably made by three otters, just as before</span><br />
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<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1QkJQMmKoVWgXfgOb2rz_c6Mvw1QaRuUh-hS7izQRjyLdn7vNnU78TE2OWglXH42kn1XvcatjmIBVoTTFFkxNM1M9eRSBg2AhyLSrbNfK22I4pj5m0hV9tvhWX9MZhyphenhyphenfRGTkbJ4jTow/s1600/otttks21.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1QkJQMmKoVWgXfgOb2rz_c6Mvw1QaRuUh-hS7izQRjyLdn7vNnU78TE2OWglXH42kn1XvcatjmIBVoTTFFkxNM1M9eRSBg2AhyLSrbNfK22I4pj5m0hV9tvhWX9MZhyphenhyphenfRGTkbJ4jTow/s400/otttks21.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Approaching the hole, I saw two looping trails going out from the hole</span><br />
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<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0xIBnQJfueNF3RJNxAbe-BqU6GKb3tAd8zU-YHVKTt4pxus7cS3qtsnYTjJRWHa4G9CLfiMHTP3cssYPevdHG8vL148tkbRPLG4gJgzWQsASLE1X4TcuVaTtIQGSxAC5FgaeXe0ngJQ/s1600/tkstohole21.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0xIBnQJfueNF3RJNxAbe-BqU6GKb3tAd8zU-YHVKTt4pxus7cS3qtsnYTjJRWHa4G9CLfiMHTP3cssYPevdHG8vL148tkbRPLG4gJgzWQsASLE1X4TcuVaTtIQGSxAC5FgaeXe0ngJQ/s400/tkstohole21.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I could also see that at least one of the otters had come out after we had left two days ago. The best evidence that the otters were out this morning despite the cold temperatures was the fresh scat at the hole, as well as a spot of blood</span><br />
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<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB85LM6iNdyC3ptcNk6c4HYte_DHmxAnazKeebvkgtxmWXEqPh0ddZxJ0LdLI1wn8oeE5j8jBp9HM_OuOLQCoByOGf7JdbZbKh-uU7JubkSHtorxL0fjPC6qGv22X7z0RJD1ivVnVfrPM/s1600/hole21a.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB85LM6iNdyC3ptcNk6c4HYte_DHmxAnazKeebvkgtxmWXEqPh0ddZxJ0LdLI1wn8oeE5j8jBp9HM_OuOLQCoByOGf7JdbZbKh-uU7JubkSHtorxL0fjPC6qGv22X7z0RJD1ivVnVfrPM/s400/hole21a.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and it was easy to see how the slushy hole we saw two days ago had frozen hard and thick and how the otters made two smaller holes. I tapped the one above lightly, and it opened.</span><br />
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<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVIfnzWgXqhDTd5Vpm9RrTgYfu9V6TxavOpHydNAruPMa70FMpYbkiTcgDXQhaMBHQDWB85odIUGB0h8ZUW1rdX0dFC-2cyUQFKUEkv9LGokcPtelPzqlPIKzFqNzJnkEj3PQP74h80s/s1600/hole21.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVIfnzWgXqhDTd5Vpm9RrTgYfu9V6TxavOpHydNAruPMa70FMpYbkiTcgDXQhaMBHQDWB85odIUGB0h8ZUW1rdX0dFC-2cyUQFKUEkv9LGokcPtelPzqlPIKzFqNzJnkEj3PQP74h80s/s400/hole21.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There were no fresh tracks going to the lodge. However, as I skiied toward the lodge I saw how at least one otter ventured out, checking the base of every tree trunk. The trail from two days ago went directly to the lodge without veering, and here, well out in the wind, the old trails was completely obliterated</span><br />
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<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEist7zGuQ86gvTWhl02m4j8NnP2iC4poD3cgyt3Us0Q87NrpGfgNZeWxuYPCQDJmGK1wP6AOnE_0mFmyXOc9FeYJAFvXBVaQLScwzPCWrbQwdj5ou2_yv1sx1E12SXWOmSv4A4T5as-cWg/s1600/tkstolodge21.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEist7zGuQ86gvTWhl02m4j8NnP2iC4poD3cgyt3Us0Q87NrpGfgNZeWxuYPCQDJmGK1wP6AOnE_0mFmyXOc9FeYJAFvXBVaQLScwzPCWrbQwdj5ou2_yv1sx1E12SXWOmSv4A4T5as-cWg/s400/tkstolodge21.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The trail went into some grasses in the middle of the pond, then went back to the lodge. There was no fresh scat at the lodge. I went half way down to the dam, and there appeared to be no activity there. Seeing how the otters had been out, and venturing well out in the snow, was remarkable enough, so I didn't go down to Otter Hole Pond to see if the single otter had been there. Otherwise I bumped into a tree sparrow, heard chickadees and heard two woodpeckers in the trees. And as I sat on the porch as the sun went down, an immature eagle hovered above our yard. As far as we could tell none of the ducks out on the river scattered. After affording us a good glimpse of its intricately patterned under feathers, the eagle went up river we know not where.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">January 23 two more very cold, below zero nights. Minus 10 along the river and probably colder in the swamps. Light snow most of today, and I thought of waiting until tomorrow's promised sun but I got restless and went off on foot, across South Bay, to see if I could still track the single otter that came out of the ponds four days ago. I was able to track it<br />
until it came down Beaver Point Pond dam</span><br />
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<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBmfIG7YGd960BurKJzxZ4GgL5opA-ZVai_fHuAEEAwxumh1YI2wdyKVhADM930nhS2Xqwf-KJjd_10CHvQQk4Gu3DJAuBYbWsUvnjPPQtpLoyoBjbSYNb76lTSPOzdAvslipTy5XGjE/s1600/ohotttks23.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBmfIG7YGd960BurKJzxZ4GgL5opA-ZVai_fHuAEEAwxumh1YI2wdyKVhADM930nhS2Xqwf-KJjd_10CHvQQk4Gu3DJAuBYbWsUvnjPPQtpLoyoBjbSYNb76lTSPOzdAvslipTy5XGjE/s400/ohotttks23.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and as far as the almost open stream up to Otter Hole Pond.</span><br />
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<div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBz1ycX0l7vAXS8SItg5jLFRCa4vt9AkKvjFeEbyWpwIG8lEe_cOE05lEX9Ekb0lxVeke69LCCEBMIBfVreNR3vheh6DiaRbGsIBNTnCLKP6SZURLTUD7ccUIqIvbODhL3DzXESr7dYc/s1600/belowohpond23.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBz1ycX0l7vAXS8SItg5jLFRCa4vt9AkKvjFeEbyWpwIG8lEe_cOE05lEX9Ekb0lxVeke69LCCEBMIBfVreNR3vheh6DiaRbGsIBNTnCLKP6SZURLTUD7ccUIqIvbODhL3DzXESr7dYc/s400/belowohpond23.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then I lost it in the large expanse of the pond where much slow could have been blown in. The going was not easy but I made it up to the Second Pond, where the hole was out of service and all the tracks were from deer.</span><br />
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<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XaRjnEQWwrUNmqVtpLxw-KeWi3n2hRvC7L4V0WvJtnq60pFFhJWjfCsgn6mNKLSK6yGKBvpkHUVVbiGwvvniicfbdzZnbHotO2do5uPNO8iPAKBvJfaNWRhEcnWyp3w8Tqd1WSpKjGk/s1600/sphole23.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XaRjnEQWwrUNmqVtpLxw-KeWi3n2hRvC7L4V0WvJtnq60pFFhJWjfCsgn6mNKLSK6yGKBvpkHUVVbiGwvvniicfbdzZnbHotO2do5uPNO8iPAKBvJfaNWRhEcnWyp3w8Tqd1WSpKjGk/s400/sphole23.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Indeed I heard a deer snort on top of the knoll, moved around but couldn't see it. On the way to the East Trail Pond, I saw some handsome pileated woodpecker work</span><br />
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<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ7Rm_fEVa4dh96QtKPVYXsEUTCAUSeFcT62dMB2aBACQQ8ddUWEs8dGVjsQ1gOuv0dQWk_HBvE2XljEBl3CzD37lW72LwBhVi3-bu0QmxccB26ow0j-yhYEv8OWzYMNCzTZKejASGQL4/s1600/wpholes23.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ7Rm_fEVa4dh96QtKPVYXsEUTCAUSeFcT62dMB2aBACQQ8ddUWEs8dGVjsQ1gOuv0dQWk_HBvE2XljEBl3CzD37lW72LwBhVi3-bu0QmxccB26ow0j-yhYEv8OWzYMNCzTZKejASGQL4/s320/wpholes23.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The lower hole had many wood strips still in it, as if another bird had carried some back into the hole to fashion a nest</span><br />
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<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnNaDNBMrP_XQK32iBkCtTfwr7dO7uq2PFBbS2_zpYqZWRvqFIqJIQt_BYoXbs2EUdEwhd2DSSg4o_wNarYelU0XFXK2YJvWcEDLz3-pH5V150R3AhHAnpOtzQaz6du4oM2yyEndlQbY/s1600/wphole23.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnNaDNBMrP_XQK32iBkCtTfwr7dO7uq2PFBbS2_zpYqZWRvqFIqJIQt_BYoXbs2EUdEwhd2DSSg4o_wNarYelU0XFXK2YJvWcEDLz3-pH5V150R3AhHAnpOtzQaz6du4oM2yyEndlQbY/s320/wphole23.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Though there is no reason for a woodpecker to clean out its holes. Going down the ridge to the East Trail Pond, I heard and then saw a woodpecker working in the top of a tree. It appeared to be a hairy woodpecker. I got my camcorder out and while I was debating whether or not to try a still photo, the noisy bird flew away. The swamps are so quiet it is no wonder the woodpeckers seem to talk to themselves. I saw in an instant that the East Trail Pond ice was collapsing, </span><br />
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<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtynyLUslF90poJlm274BuZCmn3G02ODIf8tMwpfmqhCNS4BFSxRoqMVRu275IlyZ-94lnAfF4H9EVbFmWnPRTH0tJQh1D9qpSQrSXOxsS09R5HswBlfHhLbHcTGGJLuv8zIsoVx7nKno/s1600/etice23.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtynyLUslF90poJlm274BuZCmn3G02ODIf8tMwpfmqhCNS4BFSxRoqMVRu275IlyZ-94lnAfF4H9EVbFmWnPRTH0tJQh1D9qpSQrSXOxsS09R5HswBlfHhLbHcTGGJLuv8zIsoVx7nKno/s320/etice23.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and went to the dam expecting to see evidence that the otters were behind it. However, there was none -- no sign that anything had been at the dam save for one deer.</span><br />
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<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6q1xJWVqvi9ZADzmDMc6kGA5DYvmuRnNuLH72LSurt6L6IB9czvahyphenhyphenrzFg2QSNgU7SxT23MvZ_RUW0iasRlhyphenhyphenLr3IYWpJgrgEY3KvoSyETD-OlpKg6fwCN0ZXF1o1BTBoy6t26PV85dk/s1600/etdam23.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6q1xJWVqvi9ZADzmDMc6kGA5DYvmuRnNuLH72LSurt6L6IB9czvahyphenhyphenrzFg2QSNgU7SxT23MvZ_RUW0iasRlhyphenhyphenLr3IYWpJgrgEY3KvoSyETD-OlpKg6fwCN0ZXF1o1BTBoy6t26PV85dk/s320/etdam23.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">However, the water was flowing out copiously.There was no sign that the otters had been out at the lodge. Yet, there was no better sign that drastic things were happening than the creaking and cracking of the ice I walked on, and the puddles of slush under the ice here and there. While the hole up pond was<br />
snowed over, the otters had made two little holes in the ice since I had last been there</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM9qXpE1UnB1ZNFA5QsFZRuKOwCf2vcsvVG93gu-R9o7HPAumYoPwSMTAidTgVLzWsCD8uL8rt94qAolC-K0WsgWd8KH-FjJgAs11OEuWEQ4E66tVkEbkOlKIBfM2NyxsEGfHpA2o2ZI/s1600/etholes23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM9qXpE1UnB1ZNFA5QsFZRuKOwCf2vcsvVG93gu-R9o7HPAumYoPwSMTAidTgVLzWsCD8uL8rt94qAolC-K0WsgWd8KH-FjJgAs11OEuWEQ4E66tVkEbkOlKIBfM2NyxsEGfHpA2o2ZI/s400/etholes23.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Plus I could see a gap of at least two inches between the bottom of the ice at the holes and the level of the refrozen water</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUHcmtsurlIzZ1CrGhKxvEc1qapleoUGbcvr_CXqahlck871jBJycqdG86bCsjE8pPiMHZGHMZlxi0sOM73HlQI3MgFgL5fLhR_fqoT_l4HYSj0fg-fzA7D_HnaSQ1dGLk0_nNB61O8Q/s1600/ethole23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUHcmtsurlIzZ1CrGhKxvEc1qapleoUGbcvr_CXqahlck871jBJycqdG86bCsjE8pPiMHZGHMZlxi0sOM73HlQI3MgFgL5fLhR_fqoT_l4HYSj0fg-fzA7D_HnaSQ1dGLk0_nNB61O8Q/s400/ethole23.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Ergo, I think the otters have breached the dam and they must have an extensive under the ice world to take advantage of. As I've learned before, there is no reason for otters to come onto the ice to enjoy the below zero temperatures. When things warm up, it will be curious to see how the beavers react to this new dispensation. To get home, I followed the ski trails I had made. And as I came down to the New Pond, I flushed<br />
an owl out of a tree. I didn't get a good look, but I think it was too small to be a screech owl. I was hoping my walk into the virgin snow would break a ski trail, but now the snow seems too deep and fluffy, so that one can not see the logs and rocks from which the deep fluffy snow offers no protection.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">January 25 A little after midnight as clouds moved over the temperature climbed from 0 to 10F. We got up in the morning it was 20F, with a light snow. As I went off on snowshoes for a "spring time" walk, I bet that the snow would stop. It picked up and so did the wind. Going up the golf course, all was at my back, and a hwak flew over head. In the second valley, the going was easy in the fluffy snow, but the flying snow precluded any photos. The porcupines appear to have finished work on the straight red oak and now have moved up into the curvy crown of a white oak on the ridge. There were no fresh trails, or recent trails across the valley up around the tree.<br />
Further down the valley there were troughs that could have been from a porcupine. Soon I was back in the wind checking the Big Pond spring where all was snowed over. Neither was there sign of life at the Lost Swamp Pond and I had quite an adventure with head down in the howling wind and snow cutting across the Second Swamp Pond for the safety the grove of cedars on the knoll. I made it but was not warmed by any signs of life. All was snowed over and the wind was straining to blow down the large oak they had been cutting. Here the beavers were deep in their lodge and<br />
the wind was trying to work for them. I headed for the ridge overlooking the East Trail Pond dam, anticipating some action there. The otters did not disappoint me. I could see a gaping hole in the snow behind the dam, three slides scattered behind the dam, several pools of collapsed ice and snow now turned to rich brown slush. Unfortunately the snow was flying right into my face and I couldn't take a photo. However, the snow was letting up. I went around to check the beavers bank lodge, and if the loss of most of the pond water put them in a panic they didn't show it. There was was no fresh activity around the lodge. I tried to avoid the newly formed snow pits, and made my way out to<br />
the hole the otters had been using. They had been out, but not about, and the water level there was a good foot below the ice the otters originally broke through. As I waited for the snow to let up, I watched two deer browsing deer on the slope of the ridge to Shangri-la Pond. Then the snow let up and I took some photos</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZ3fsHmidSYvlo3OiT_9C73NmRpMkG_MZm73sybuNr9eanF8NXgo_j8RJBB1RcA8SgirXsvPKxrvbL4PjQOcDLhpWLQxHTc9Lx9pICo6n-9BCINlbrZybHjDZl4DtmSJ0pmNZmyilP7c/s1600/ethole25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZ3fsHmidSYvlo3OiT_9C73NmRpMkG_MZm73sybuNr9eanF8NXgo_j8RJBB1RcA8SgirXsvPKxrvbL4PjQOcDLhpWLQxHTc9Lx9pICo6n-9BCINlbrZybHjDZl4DtmSJ0pmNZmyilP7c/s400/ethole25.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I returned to the dam and from the safety of the ice and snow on the side of the pond, that hadn't collapsed, I tried to document what the otters had wrought.</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDdriyLvY4jOIPDKjkaZ_kErNR_-TvUFzJPjzZzqURuUdu49Agr2T5Y6HK5GP2ca636_iBasBuetQZ1-A7uP9jgVjWPtaTC4dqiab_o8u_jFaJ79uFkcCKhbMHMjOH9L6e7VKLSV7U3c/s1600/etdam25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDdriyLvY4jOIPDKjkaZ_kErNR_-TvUFzJPjzZzqURuUdu49Agr2T5Y6HK5GP2ca636_iBasBuetQZ1-A7uP9jgVjWPtaTC4dqiab_o8u_jFaJ79uFkcCKhbMHMjOH9L6e7VKLSV7U3c/s400/etdam25.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The brown spots mark how far the ice had collapsed. </span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_rpEm14b4RMwLBvZGD7JLVo36Q2Ctqbjr5aDpnDBZoeAKpBEY3A2dlYFmp90KOp6z8AaT2G3rvimjYWi_fM4Pvz1HMoeXcHKwi87sCk93EgfI1E68kuaeTo4ro3Ce9jUK9UWWcmo2_s/s1600/etdam25a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_rpEm14b4RMwLBvZGD7JLVo36Q2Ctqbjr5aDpnDBZoeAKpBEY3A2dlYFmp90KOp6z8AaT2G3rvimjYWi_fM4Pvz1HMoeXcHKwi87sCk93EgfI1E68kuaeTo4ro3Ce9jUK9UWWcmo2_s/s400/etdam25a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The hole in the dam is certainly where the otters emerged, but I'll have to study it more closely when all freezes up hard again</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIx3OKOxKylsZJm40p-h5bfywpm_qxwfDDRrr6fYiEZLwzl3CQH9ZUqpIC-XRAN1HsVzjpVrqM30IwiP0KPz7HCPS-Na29mlvQ04wwVJ_vIxrrecYXDFJbxvLZFZf-PKQvbALTQO03_Jc/s1600/etdamhole25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIx3OKOxKylsZJm40p-h5bfywpm_qxwfDDRrr6fYiEZLwzl3CQH9ZUqpIC-XRAN1HsVzjpVrqM30IwiP0KPz7HCPS-Na29mlvQ04wwVJ_vIxrrecYXDFJbxvLZFZf-PKQvbALTQO03_Jc/s400/etdamhole25.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">But I assume that is the point where the otters dug into the dam. As far as I could tell, the water had stopped flowing out of the pond. The otters broke out of an ice galley that formed just below the mossy rock where they had done much scatting</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lFhKC1QR_hJPKSIp1q3YYhJ7zZSiW0OcWDbxOeEhvgiNxn2Zxwz4jGGtzP8a2BI9MyGfPakEngg3oJqHnawaoln3E2il0SwVQYyrHJvErbCYrkAU-kLnas0hCqGY-yV7n2a_Kv8P7P0/s1600/damhole25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lFhKC1QR_hJPKSIp1q3YYhJ7zZSiW0OcWDbxOeEhvgiNxn2Zxwz4jGGtzP8a2BI9MyGfPakEngg3oJqHnawaoln3E2il0SwVQYyrHJvErbCYrkAU-kLnas0hCqGY-yV7n2a_Kv8P7P0/s400/damhole25.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">However, they left no scats that I could see. Then I moved up the slope to try to get an angle showing the otters slides along the dam and the holes they made in the far shore in their effort to reclaim one of the dens they used in the summer -- the old bank beaver lodge and its attendant burrows. </span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAoAa1PXB7A4kFOIOnIbo2sBzHbvwrobvpXsPpNtrnNQbt5nq1W90sDwEzB4e2zHoiDhAH0tLtyeozYhgD_8hOj8XgmiaSJHk8S92Hwos7N_hW6YZoQqq1IU3tcKAlYe1u7NNJTFJDYk/s1600/etdam25b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAoAa1PXB7A4kFOIOnIbo2sBzHbvwrobvpXsPpNtrnNQbt5nq1W90sDwEzB4e2zHoiDhAH0tLtyeozYhgD_8hOj8XgmiaSJHk8S92Hwos7N_hW6YZoQqq1IU3tcKAlYe1u7NNJTFJDYk/s400/etdam25b.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I waited as long as the windchill would allow for the snow to completely stop and for the otters to come out an take a bow. No luck on either count. I walked a bit out on the dam to take a photo which I hope will help one visualize what is happening under the ice</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcx0VpHjYIbAE4TNSlnjCW0b2gEDzQbo020uoEoFTIaE7JpxMsfu-rD1HeuJLM5HPc7ajQpMXycsJdahEjlAstQADI9FK964gHZ9ykeTe2KdF1oISbZ_ZVnM5vsxky8bcOUhpxF2LuxP8/s1600/etdam25c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcx0VpHjYIbAE4TNSlnjCW0b2gEDzQbo020uoEoFTIaE7JpxMsfu-rD1HeuJLM5HPc7ajQpMXycsJdahEjlAstQADI9FK964gHZ9ykeTe2KdF1oISbZ_ZVnM5vsxky8bcOUhpxF2LuxP8/s400/etdam25c.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The ice hung up around the tree trunks must provide plenty of space for otters to breath. Hopefully we won't have too much more snow that will cover all this activity, and I can show what happened in better light without snow in the air. The snow picked up as I headed home. I avoided the blizzard of South Bay and managed all the ridges. So I know precisely when the otters returned to the East Trail Pond, the morning of the<br />
19th, and I know the pond had lost between two and three feet of water by the morning of the 25th. Thanks to what I have been calling since July, a mother otter and her two pups.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">January 28 my hope of going back to the East Trail Pond on the 26th was defeated by a snow storm that added another 8 inches of snow, with snow continuing to fall during the day. Then bitter cold moved back in and on the 27th the temperature did not get about minus 3F. Last night the temperature dropped to minus 20F just after the sun went down. However, clouds moved in and when I went out to check on the otters that temperature was 5F and when I got back to the house almost 20F. The clouds remained with some very light snow. I decided to go out on snowshoes rather than skis, which at first seemed a mistake, as I foolishly went up the TIP ridge which was<br />
quite exhausting as I negotiated two feet of snow. I learned my lesson and stayed level. I saw a hint of a mink track at the end of the South Bay cove and then heading to the New Pond I saw squirrel tracks, half hopping and half burrowing. I almost didn't take a picture of one of the holes a squirrel (I assume) fashioned, but it turned out intriguingly, I think:</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2g9IgJbQpkV6QVfeTuqxhqJ0ppPGx9dIj6i5-J0WQ5p_K91bxv9uAi3z_wssLrdt9vaNLajsiIRBN39JmQ5ma4RXuTQgTGi3TOjbGRRKsMbVLUBCmRA7qcvA2lUOEFXT4dzZAMsaHyR4/s1600/sqhole28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2g9IgJbQpkV6QVfeTuqxhqJ0ppPGx9dIj6i5-J0WQ5p_K91bxv9uAi3z_wssLrdt9vaNLajsiIRBN39JmQ5ma4RXuTQgTGi3TOjbGRRKsMbVLUBCmRA7qcvA2lUOEFXT4dzZAMsaHyR4/s400/sqhole28.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Of course the deer left the most evidence of laboring in the snow, causing eruptions here and there</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGNSUwoGQ08mdj2cFLQ47ntsvzhc4xhKWD1ufqfJTFHK3HLqf18tdQkSaSLuI9V2AVRXtUutkrb_8oq6Nl_OkExCW0FALXHieZ4ihH2D3MO4TY-R_JLZMTjXgvQpDN6PRRA9fo9-vX04/s1600/deercrater28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGNSUwoGQ08mdj2cFLQ47ntsvzhc4xhKWD1ufqfJTFHK3HLqf18tdQkSaSLuI9V2AVRXtUutkrb_8oq6Nl_OkExCW0FALXHieZ4ihH2D3MO4TY-R_JLZMTjXgvQpDN6PRRA9fo9-vX04/s400/deercrater28.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">which I distinguish from their beds. The "eruptions" are like craters in the snow as if the deer dropped down into them from the sky, while the beds strike me as snow that has been curled into</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQL4_vqQzXWfUeGinDkRG_9E_9s2BRMHIetL9zwkb-CfwBTB6FtIeW5pSAYx_KO4yMkVmuPfPSUhFSPUXJ5zdjZSVzF7tOXItAveeGc3k_QbV18e9un_zLrrbgNRjoZsrap_vNj-4lJmY/s1600/deerbed28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQL4_vqQzXWfUeGinDkRG_9E_9s2BRMHIetL9zwkb-CfwBTB6FtIeW5pSAYx_KO4yMkVmuPfPSUhFSPUXJ5zdjZSVzF7tOXItAveeGc3k_QbV18e9un_zLrrbgNRjoZsrap_vNj-4lJmY/s400/deerbed28.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">This particular bed had a sprig of pine in it. Deep snow in itself is warming and the ground uncovered seemingly warmer still. The deer also broke paths for me, but inconsistently. I angled across the trackless Otter Hole Pond so that I could approach to East Trail Pond dam from the east. Once in the woods between the pond I angled up to a trail which I saw in an instant was made by otters and not deer. </span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqL7_MfygHrz4Eh8ecGGBy7ntSIZnlC9bNXbvtWGvop1e9fhy7TqipWuyMhjGhcPKV6-1KpTniDp-iObKegVKFH8mwES45aIUOKTN4b-N_QaeTOl25lZnKKY1cR8-rTQRTV83oG23ThA/s1600/ottrail28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqL7_MfygHrz4Eh8ecGGBy7ntSIZnlC9bNXbvtWGvop1e9fhy7TqipWuyMhjGhcPKV6-1KpTniDp-iObKegVKFH8mwES45aIUOKTN4b-N_QaeTOl25lZnKKY1cR8-rTQRTV83oG23ThA/s400/ottrail28.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Deer don't leave tunnels in the snow. I followed the trail, as best I could, back to the dam, and was surprised at how lost the trail became along the creek. The otters must have gone out while it was still relatively warm on the 26th since the water of the creek must have refrozen concealing their trail. There was a good bit of activity behind the dam, and the ice was firm enough to get down behind the hole in the dam</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHolQUFBNQxMMG-5j-6nDdXmxyTAGJH-lTfm8BWsv5UEponui_NoauqKW7thIg5Of5jtoJ0pEkm2cuNdqSj8gEJwnDi1jasSIPTMSPpqmFeKr3F2x-hXTngpcDcSVPjQi1elEpp-fIdRQ/s1600/etdamhole28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHolQUFBNQxMMG-5j-6nDdXmxyTAGJH-lTfm8BWsv5UEponui_NoauqKW7thIg5Of5jtoJ0pEkm2cuNdqSj8gEJwnDi1jasSIPTMSPpqmFeKr3F2x-hXTngpcDcSVPjQi1elEpp-fIdRQ/s400/etdamhole28.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I still couldn't determine if that was the hole through the dam. There were new scats on top of the hole, a bits of blood</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleD7MfxlG55rv95s5FjOfSawd-Ip8vrHEJAAN4k7YQjEPle7TUnZ35F3IP_hILEK4O97zN6T5zl8WPUQrPnZqQeeLrtMrUPcsgSkhwPg3sW4itxnr-MQ5zSmi-mfsZq3_urOw1tbS5O8/s1600/etdamscats28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleD7MfxlG55rv95s5FjOfSawd-Ip8vrHEJAAN4k7YQjEPle7TUnZ35F3IP_hILEK4O97zN6T5zl8WPUQrPnZqQeeLrtMrUPcsgSkhwPg3sW4itxnr-MQ5zSmi-mfsZq3_urOw1tbS5O8/s400/etdamscats28.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then further down the dam I got a glimpse into another one of their galleries</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIW5a7qubvy1FVv3A4TnV0FArZ6tDEl5GkoCUtjXCAj2yrgN0xw53biZJR187HpKoRhL2cAF5O1TZUSnvnTRkO6vjxqjlgxQyClvFpDG33fWD2I9antEzkFYZLDwdvtk5pjFdafe0dqBM/s1600/etdamhole28a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIW5a7qubvy1FVv3A4TnV0FArZ6tDEl5GkoCUtjXCAj2yrgN0xw53biZJR187HpKoRhL2cAF5O1TZUSnvnTRkO6vjxqjlgxQyClvFpDG33fWD2I9antEzkFYZLDwdvtk5pjFdafe0dqBM/s400/etdamhole28a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I could see other tunnels including some that might have been the way out. I did not expect the otters to leave so soon, especially with the cold and the deep snow. But I now think the deep snow is too much of an invitation to them to go out and try another pond. Usually during very cold spells there is not much new snow. The deep freeze sets in after a deep snow. This year snowfall has punctuated the cold spell. So off I went<br />
after it. Though it marred the beauty of the ponds, I really didn't have the stamina not to use the otters trail, and it did make the going much easier. The otters took a zigzag route toward the Second Swamp Pond dam, at one point scooting the length of a downed tree. They reached a point below the dam and then did a sharp left turn up to it, and then once behind the dam made a sharp right and mostly tunneled along the dam. They tried to get into the water at the hole the beavers had made and at the old spillway -- even going on the other side of the dam which is usually open water. However, today it was all frozen over and evidently when they traveled it was too. They then went up the<br />
Second Pond with one curious detour. They had gone passed the lodge, then angled back to it, smoothed out a bit of its side</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYlKoSlRc3DEz3GPjtx5TpJNccByjNvYIabw5Z0aC3MUtFY-S_0bmooJyWQlymBA5OS3zLrooH2v94n3tlAqTEVDz_iRb1n-eXCSOO540VTdbyJds2lCKCfatV3ByiFh25bT8OAsORO4/s1600/splodge28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYlKoSlRc3DEz3GPjtx5TpJNccByjNvYIabw5Z0aC3MUtFY-S_0bmooJyWQlymBA5OS3zLrooH2v94n3tlAqTEVDz_iRb1n-eXCSOO540VTdbyJds2lCKCfatV3ByiFh25bT8OAsORO4/s400/splodge28.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">but evidently couldn't find a way into it, and went back the way they came in. Their failure to get in suggests that they were moving as the temperatures plummeted, because I could see that on the other side of the lodge a beaver had gotten out, not at the old hole, which is probably high and dry now but from a hole made further onto the pond</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_hpuVm8I8-hrsH7aU4zNbYVL72-tm4NqQXn7QDPcjaqGl1-XOaRDWYhCzKV2tLMmf3iDWIrJbwK89dt9oaDbvwqLjJTDTcKZgaRjLUIyqrlTVf-P9EGNsigH9VAATjqAB-8t8KytRrw/s640/spbvtks28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_hpuVm8I8-hrsH7aU4zNbYVL72-tm4NqQXn7QDPcjaqGl1-XOaRDWYhCzKV2tLMmf3iDWIrJbwK89dt9oaDbvwqLjJTDTcKZgaRjLUIyqrlTVf-P9EGNsigH9VAATjqAB-8t8KytRrw/s640/spbvtks28.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The beaver only made a short foray and left no sticks at the hole, and didn't even pay its respects to the old hole. So I went back and continued on the otter trail. Whenever I've tracked otters going up this pond, they've seemed disinclined to simply take a route up the middle following the path of the water running down from the Lost Swamp Pond. They usually turn to the right as they head up the pond. Doing that with these conditions took them into deeper snow. At one point in the middle of the pond, I measured the snow at 15 inches and the otter slide at 8 inches above the ice. Off to the side the snow was about 25 inches deep and the otters did more tunneling. Indeed they tunneled right into the bank in front of the small cliff that I've often suspected had been an otter den</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSiCBu1kzJedCZnGvv441V_tsY72q43A5GtssO_SAmGWwW5PvIrPxm9wtcoslwyZkbkkzlj97vARHpw_C4n_aPNOL7toovRyqODkmY_OLgINuIPuCL5F4_R7itcMGxv6ZZ90nf2q0WD7s/s640/otttks28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSiCBu1kzJedCZnGvv441V_tsY72q43A5GtssO_SAmGWwW5PvIrPxm9wtcoslwyZkbkkzlj97vARHpw_C4n_aPNOL7toovRyqODkmY_OLgINuIPuCL5F4_R7itcMGxv6ZZ90nf2q0WD7s/s640/otttks28.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Usually the otters veer from the cliff and go up and over the ridge, but the deep kept them down and tunneling along the base of the ridge. Though they must have suspected that they were no longer on a pond, they still, at one point veered off to slalom through some trees</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9G2vMYyRFZu47OgG9FFxq5_hAV3Tw4Ix6IPdN0LF5fg-ofsowmnZSb9euKpPMOpKNAf81c-g38f8IILwI7K8i0qC1oUXhHd36fIKhWeFEIfweKUqXi1vkxJGE67TeD4aN98gS2XJbs04/s640/ottks28a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9G2vMYyRFZu47OgG9FFxq5_hAV3Tw4Ix6IPdN0LF5fg-ofsowmnZSb9euKpPMOpKNAf81c-g38f8IILwI7K8i0qC1oUXhHd36fIKhWeFEIfweKUqXi1vkxJGE67TeD4aN98gS2XJbs04/s640/ottks28a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">as if they can find a hole into the water at one of them. Though I was thankful for the otters breaking a path, as I followed I marveled at their bleak gamble. While I wouldn't call the snow inhospitable, to be stuck in it must seem quite a contrast for otters who had left the comfort of a beaver lodge and dam and a world of possibilities under the ice of the East Trail Pond. Then I went up to the Lost Swamp Pond dam and<br />
marveled once again, at how well otters can make themselves at home. </span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyqtKcYf63emjhgZCY2gXA3xZMnFVsjoLtLYSPL5dUtltHw2vE9EX14KrFzm7KtkV9nXelkyk4FFH5NuKdDDia3xkVq99yyXpz3OpEVy5-QmGG1Dyb2NRLkVg2qfkR6go2zPBoUan5IQ/s600/lsdam28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyqtKcYf63emjhgZCY2gXA3xZMnFVsjoLtLYSPL5dUtltHw2vE9EX14KrFzm7KtkV9nXelkyk4FFH5NuKdDDia3xkVq99yyXpz3OpEVy5-QmGG1Dyb2NRLkVg2qfkR6go2zPBoUan5IQ/s600/lsdam28.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The hole to the right was easily opened to the water with a tap of my ruler. I tried to bend down enough to measure the depth of the water and after going 8 inches down thought it foolish to bend over more and perhaps get into the water myself. I was surprised to see that the otters had not opened other holes behind the dam, even where the deer had been pawing. I could see that they had been at the rock by the lodge, and when I got up on the rock, I saw the snow plow job they did at the lodge</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiennu59HnUSA2MozpadH-3U6-abC_6iuy1eUn-W5FEu-OtSK9bi2IYngvKUUAEO_zD-9_7Mw-aXOMJzMmRl37Y3jOWMIINWV0LVY_TLLLQ_3TDD0U6FOaIz1lsJ-PAICLIznTJz7_m5wE/s640/lslodge28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiennu59HnUSA2MozpadH-3U6-abC_6iuy1eUn-W5FEu-OtSK9bi2IYngvKUUAEO_zD-9_7Mw-aXOMJzMmRl37Y3jOWMIINWV0LVY_TLLLQ_3TDD0U6FOaIz1lsJ-PAICLIznTJz7_m5wE/s640/lslodge28.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">In the middle of it all was the head of a small bullhead. </span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6iG9LEsfKYPinNdPrbACMgKeK9kTMgze9gydUPm_tgF23oFuGuQderMa9Aqfz1TZ07UlQyJQCvqxtbewaopjao3QrX1VO4pBuh0irrmcmJisN_saQ4jTo1IsiG2YxJkPTZO3U1_W_Ao/s400/bullhead28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6iG9LEsfKYPinNdPrbACMgKeK9kTMgze9gydUPm_tgF23oFuGuQderMa9Aqfz1TZ07UlQyJQCvqxtbewaopjao3QrX1VO4pBuh0irrmcmJisN_saQ4jTo1IsiG2YxJkPTZO3U1_W_Ao/s400/bullhead28.jpg" /></a></div></div><div align="center"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GRDGQfWtD3c?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Their development was too grand to get into one photo. To the left of the photo above were two holes into the<br />
water</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc44ffRGUeX7AGzFzQwn5uFYe_FHHEhrR0YUpqNhYQZIwv2gQ6bVZ0gni-KpOciFu2GMVcjtiSl9X9Al3NVfLdm1thjVYtGbVZ4wa68KdvVPH-gZ1vELIgmgTUk8qL12FVZALap7HeKn0/s523/lslodgehole28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc44ffRGUeX7AGzFzQwn5uFYe_FHHEhrR0YUpqNhYQZIwv2gQ6bVZ0gni-KpOciFu2GMVcjtiSl9X9Al3NVfLdm1thjVYtGbVZ4wa68KdvVPH-gZ1vELIgmgTUk8qL12FVZALap7HeKn0/s523/lslodgehole28.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">and then there were slides up on the rock and some leading down into holes in the snow going to the other side of the lodge</span></div><br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeqp-jI6rQJtZxJSv1rvpXJulgSE7QNj2ma9Vc5RESBTFbaq66Z3a6dDjAtd4xf57we1c3y1iyckAjq9m-O_0hXnv2IDsNVHcDHnppi_NCpbGHwDENHILL1m4PzlEcDx5O3UtYRby4SI/s640/lslodge28a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeqp-jI6rQJtZxJSv1rvpXJulgSE7QNj2ma9Vc5RESBTFbaq66Z3a6dDjAtd4xf57we1c3y1iyckAjq9m-O_0hXnv2IDsNVHcDHnppi_NCpbGHwDENHILL1m4PzlEcDx5O3UtYRby4SI/s640/lslodge28a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There were no slides leaving the area but I noticed some eruption of the ice at the lodge in the middle of the pond. They were likely there but left no scat or prints. Then I saw that they had made holes in the ice and snow below the old rolling area</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkhOXqFS_ZiyDtk8NwhhSPxKvMqEmaECyQqffL9NzQiPBrHCflysT-quodP2zYuow0YhbyEajzlwxcIrnAlYHEVXWaxut_UUYOCq8SF_iIzubbGLOIvTNIiZAirVn4x3ceJAkOcs9Bgg/s400/lshole28a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkhOXqFS_ZiyDtk8NwhhSPxKvMqEmaECyQqffL9NzQiPBrHCflysT-quodP2zYuow0YhbyEajzlwxcIrnAlYHEVXWaxut_UUYOCq8SF_iIzubbGLOIvTNIiZAirVn4x3ceJAkOcs9Bgg/s400/lshole28a.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">In the closeup there is an otter print</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPLTOUTzxY1XsCjaqmhwx1NeiJJGV5SfIEMY-9SGSnBTtht910988AhnDf6RaUjAIyZVsOZ3cWDoEX5aTan2duis0I-3Hdr-Df2m1CcB7rnlmVXa9T1-3MH62y9thHyxzdOEqLPbrzEvw/s640/lshole28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPLTOUTzxY1XsCjaqmhwx1NeiJJGV5SfIEMY-9SGSnBTtht910988AhnDf6RaUjAIyZVsOZ3cWDoEX5aTan2duis0I-3Hdr-Df2m1CcB7rnlmVXa9T1-3MH62y9thHyxzdOEqLPbrzEvw/s640/lshole28.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">It would be interesting to see the otters do this snow plowing or carving, that seems so consciously done, but I suspect are just the results of wild otter action. The way to these holes was principally under the snow from the hole by the dam, and where I could see into the hole, it seemed quite roomy.</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_u9LKubf7Q1cicsZBTdEJt14vSiDgOMQ3lMOyQl-CDFi4o2YBPTawB8kjFRnoca1J57YqiM_ZfVDP5Qkid7oTns2xlH8LdA5IhEkH8Q3yIsmj4TBOjlkCgKmz0Y050MbCHY3M41UuPI/s340/otthole28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_u9LKubf7Q1cicsZBTdEJt14vSiDgOMQ3lMOyQl-CDFi4o2YBPTawB8kjFRnoca1J57YqiM_ZfVDP5Qkid7oTns2xlH8LdA5IhEkH8Q3yIsmj4TBOjlkCgKmz0Y050MbCHY3M41UuPI/s340/otthole28.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">When I went out to check the lodge in the middle of the pond I was shocked by very slushy ice under the snow. So I decided to go home using the path I took out, but, first, I felt obliged to peak around to see if the otters might have gone up to the lodge on the other end of the pond. I braved the slush again and from a great distance saw no obvious sign of otter plowing up there, though there was some breaks in the<br />
outline of the lodge and pond, but more likely done by the beavers. And I actually did take the exact path home, save I didn't go up over the TIP ridge. I was too exhausted to vary the route. How easily the otters negotiated the same distance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">January 29 Warmth and a period of sun, and beautiful flakes of light snow when the clouds were over. The deep freeze could be over so I though it wise to document the extent of the river's ice, and check on the ducks. I snowshoed over toward Sheldon's Rock but first paused to take a photo of our cove</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugwvFX9QUfwTTpL0l495FytHUnfPrmhr2TRlUe89sJ2iWI0Jdt_WNiC1c9jXLibs0exJYEk8wWn8FAQ-WtBlJtmb5ILrEAx7hgWGFhccrnG07I_UYV7gm-N-0Ucr-deNQhPEOQLNzouw/s600/viewcove29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugwvFX9QUfwTTpL0l495FytHUnfPrmhr2TRlUe89sJ2iWI0Jdt_WNiC1c9jXLibs0exJYEk8wWn8FAQ-WtBlJtmb5ILrEAx7hgWGFhccrnG07I_UYV7gm-N-0Ucr-deNQhPEOQLNzouw/s600/viewcove29.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">The other side of the island, and the main channel looking toward Lake Ontario, is almost all ice. There would ducks in the pools of open water just off the head of the island.</span></div><br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQCaFgGhiepDj_ggGSO1aY8w24-yA-Hwi_akvjvnRJPfaxcm3G5TaZ3Y3vH3TKd1aqcEW7HG73LRDxra6anvbub5dmkfuRPfAz6oqNQN7lNJ3VrF9sBUiCHy1I5DlOfv_y8MsVrS3HN8/s600/viewup29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQCaFgGhiepDj_ggGSO1aY8w24-yA-Hwi_akvjvnRJPfaxcm3G5TaZ3Y3vH3TKd1aqcEW7HG73LRDxra6anvbub5dmkfuRPfAz6oqNQN7lNJ3VrF9sBUiCHy1I5DlOfv_y8MsVrS3HN8/s600/viewup29.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">Looking down stream, there is an open, narrow channel below ou and then a string of open lakes along the channel down toward the bridge. </span></div><br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEx0xXInup6Q9tepTMj5DryQkJe7tMEQum3zU_h3YSs1i1j9VQyx69tiItsR69Ojb3p9VC9OVSHVAoTFh_EmRgcna5gtaOrT5GcCdOv3QEfn6w9ACbxgQtcPnZNtWSsCbQivkI360iXY/s600/viewdown29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEx0xXInup6Q9tepTMj5DryQkJe7tMEQum3zU_h3YSs1i1j9VQyx69tiItsR69Ojb3p9VC9OVSHVAoTFh_EmRgcna5gtaOrT5GcCdOv3QEfn6w9ACbxgQtcPnZNtWSsCbQivkI360iXY/s600/viewdown29.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">I expected there to be more ducks taking advantage of the largest expanse of open water just where the current picks up as the channel begins, but there was a goodly amount. The air was still so I could hear the ducks diving</span></div><br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-UpRXfzWC6Yxt_Ib1wP2QQYMcBwG5DlAuDxM2T47aM7Ty043wQap3OWN2Zph2XgS7TR4OG6-2ukTehGdUCHvRl62qB2JTI_1ECIHSEMPT49XT8g_6s27rAzpT44pPVpWSnn78uVJ7DI/s600/viewlhouse29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-UpRXfzWC6Yxt_Ib1wP2QQYMcBwG5DlAuDxM2T47aM7Ty043wQap3OWN2Zph2XgS7TR4OG6-2ukTehGdUCHvRl62qB2JTI_1ECIHSEMPT49XT8g_6s27rAzpT44pPVpWSnn78uVJ7DI/s600/viewlhouse29.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">When I came out I scared them from a small pool of open water at the end of our cove, very active water as I could see the current bubbling through it. So the ducks soon flew back into it and as I hid behind a tree, I tried to photograph them and take a video. They were quite aware of me, and kept tree branches between me and them. Each duck that swam out so that I had a clear view, hurried back to the end of the pool that was blocked from my view. I sidled down and hid behind a tree that gave me an unobstructed view, an arrangement which,<br />
after a few minutes, they became uneasy with and flew off.</span></div><br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Im2_D82l3lPihEWhG6TKwNOd5u8kuWWLXEox9Ehr2NHW6szOix8DWfyYdeLec1k63b4Hruo77MS_sw-JsEfML9AtGW_sHKQBe-YEoDq2St2VvnfJ2E3UE34SyTWZ8mL_0ZNvvLFStdo/s600/ducks29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Im2_D82l3lPihEWhG6TKwNOd5u8kuWWLXEox9Ehr2NHW6szOix8DWfyYdeLec1k63b4Hruo77MS_sw-JsEfML9AtGW_sHKQBe-YEoDq2St2VvnfJ2E3UE34SyTWZ8mL_0ZNvvLFStdo/s600/ducks29.jpg" /></a></div></div><div align="center"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/C2k57nmx1I4?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-size: medium;">But not before I got one photo of a merganser incoming for a splash into the warm water -- at least warmer than the air temperature.</span></div><br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpXGfB9WE9f-4c6Bqv9BqPAlaXIPXNx3PtPIindRTtv0kxqCIe3Mn8X8_qQoXFVb-QEPIFWSrJFaW6JcYOKA6cZgWPpC9sVyxVW4VLyBnm5q2ByvZ7sryhu5fx76dNKipQCQgcKsxlXlE/s487/ducklanding29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpXGfB9WE9f-4c6Bqv9BqPAlaXIPXNx3PtPIindRTtv0kxqCIe3Mn8X8_qQoXFVb-QEPIFWSrJFaW6JcYOKA6cZgWPpC9sVyxVW4VLyBnm5q2ByvZ7sryhu5fx76dNKipQCQgcKsxlXlE/s487/ducklanding29.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday Leslie saw two foxes on the ice, but no such excitement while I watched. Some tracks on the ice, but more likely from deer. As I stood the temperature dropped about 5 degrees below 20 and the fog began rising from the water, playing havoc with the focus on the camera close-ups.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">January 30 last night as the temperature plunged the ice fog rose from the patches of open water on river blocking out lights from the far shore. Meanwhile the stars above were brilliant. During the night the fog spread over the island, so that when I took my hike under blue skies there was a steady fall of snow from the glazed trees. I set my sights for the Lost Swamp Pond, again going on snowshoes. Crossing the New Pond, I<br />
flushed a sparrow. These are commonplace by the feeders at home but seeing one in the swamps is still rewarding. Of course, I took my old trail out and then was shocked to find myself sinking into four inches of brown slush as I walked across Otter Hole Pond. The temperature dropped to about minus ten last night and still the slush didn't freeze. The fluffy snow is too insulating. Nothing new at the Second Swamp Pond and at first blush I thought there was nothing new at the Lost Swamp, as the scats and prints near the dam has been lightly snowed over</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEo63Nrt4L4E3cwFNEz1wqwNTqJopk6c58gTY7bxujbowDpVjX3qtiNqkzkx5ozufdjL1Cfx2eNOAgQm_DOb_PII3XbPUjbXz5tv8fWeoTt7EyfxhcYrl043s0a1LBiHdlDWSJjxj54KI/s400/damhole30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEo63Nrt4L4E3cwFNEz1wqwNTqJopk6c58gTY7bxujbowDpVjX3qtiNqkzkx5ozufdjL1Cfx2eNOAgQm_DOb_PII3XbPUjbXz5tv8fWeoTt7EyfxhcYrl043s0a1LBiHdlDWSJjxj54KI/s400/damhole30.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">However, on closer examination I saw that the otters had made a new hole. And at the lodge, they had opened quite a bit more water, which, of course, had frozen over</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3D0OAMfjK_qoqY2OWWikNnzc3OiWZqZNhu-Mzx9b5yOFg8fNiBqTzaiHdLW0G-qr0-RsKDMlo48bmEMOR8n7HUtV5OwfZauYkgeHRl4kCjLiDaENIxCTxiebP0_eYCCJX9ukQDiwzKMg/s600/lodge30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3D0OAMfjK_qoqY2OWWikNnzc3OiWZqZNhu-Mzx9b5yOFg8fNiBqTzaiHdLW0G-qr0-RsKDMlo48bmEMOR8n7HUtV5OwfZauYkgeHRl4kCjLiDaENIxCTxiebP0_eYCCJX9ukQDiwzKMg/s600/lodge30.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Plus they had some intriguing new holes along the shore and into the lodge</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3Z86Iuwi_gAHyRTZL5CQAarast6mW2OowJt9_KJO-ivWR5pgOnyvJzLGWipLP97OMeLvjDVML4EIpcaYK77Ck0PcBgXny9USXxa-1K6TzBPm4q_gZEtUiIviVvcABhpUiKdgAz8RIIw/s700/lodgeholes30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3Z86Iuwi_gAHyRTZL5CQAarast6mW2OowJt9_KJO-ivWR5pgOnyvJzLGWipLP97OMeLvjDVML4EIpcaYK77Ck0PcBgXny9USXxa-1K6TzBPm4q_gZEtUiIviVvcABhpUiKdgAz8RIIw/s700/lodgeholes30.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Though I must say, the prints here seemed light, and not as bold as before, so perhaps just one otter had been out. The otters also broke out of the other side of the small lodge in the middle of the pond</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQMhNv9Ha982FetdKsq1R68CqwHYkwr0_ZUVgOpOR4gs_BcAjWcJ_FR9Mg9xV-Z96-nBiDjZXZ6Jz2brmobdF3_xC11imNM97rUfHW8LnNQQXAL3SENh-jsZ2AKXIx0jrGWIZilEw8b3A/s569/midlodge30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQMhNv9Ha982FetdKsq1R68CqwHYkwr0_ZUVgOpOR4gs_BcAjWcJ_FR9Mg9xV-Z96-nBiDjZXZ6Jz2brmobdF3_xC11imNM97rUfHW8LnNQQXAL3SENh-jsZ2AKXIx0jrGWIZilEw8b3A/s569/midlodge30.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">It was curious that they stayed so close to the lodge. I trudged up to the big lodge at the upper end of the pond, and was pretty certain otters had not been out there</span><br />
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<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpyPwO25GvI2GMW0sbJQnABvTou4_cHDomrbHNX7fVE0VeLoAsvR6HSjGxlV2qFozK3D4VCv106aac2SuNlkmJLUWoXXJKiCGsH4WIXHaPP3q6f8E5R_ZhESKV_mbgDOIxQSlIdtQZ_g/s600/biglodge30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpyPwO25GvI2GMW0sbJQnABvTou4_cHDomrbHNX7fVE0VeLoAsvR6HSjGxlV2qFozK3D4VCv106aac2SuNlkmJLUWoXXJKiCGsH4WIXHaPP3q6f8E5R_ZhESKV_mbgDOIxQSlIdtQZ_g/s600/biglodge30.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">They had been out again under the rolling area, and there was fresh scat there</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinssh1X0rw5Lsu94QeNiGYBARWtkeafRdP7idwQytkOg0swn_6dlrTtGO15Do1S_PpQrOT_xJTduCzcoIvHb6BORqmKdF5aksYtFh2dL26GBtRMcdLMMWWL6O9cbGg5U55-ir_yStdoYY/s600/bankhole30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinssh1X0rw5Lsu94QeNiGYBARWtkeafRdP7idwQytkOg0swn_6dlrTtGO15Do1S_PpQrOT_xJTduCzcoIvHb6BORqmKdF5aksYtFh2dL26GBtRMcdLMMWWL6O9cbGg5U55-ir_yStdoYY/s600/bankhole30.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">What they didn't bother with was the dam. Otters have breached this dam in other years. I took the precaution of taking a photo of it now, just in case the otters do a number on it, as they've done in other years</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-ClLALxF1Jos3LvAN-jmpxZkEtwla8ze2J3XRx9GiRwZCCFQyfcaYw4ajb34pL9ZuHRpzXbqZEDDJt2WpQERM0W0_VDvWqQiIce3JMJ9ppbKQP1Iex4j2n78Arxmg6_NWkeA3O47z2Q/s600/dam30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-ClLALxF1Jos3LvAN-jmpxZkEtwla8ze2J3XRx9GiRwZCCFQyfcaYw4ajb34pL9ZuHRpzXbqZEDDJt2WpQERM0W0_VDvWqQiIce3JMJ9ppbKQP1Iex4j2n78Arxmg6_NWkeA3O47z2Q/s600/dam30.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">A pileated entertained me by squawking over the pond; a crow flew over me as well, and chickadees were in the trees along the shore. As I headed for home, carefully taking the same route as I took in, the temperatures warmed -- the beavers will soon be out again.</span><br />
<br />
Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-3188307947294600012013-06-10T17:21:00.001-07:002013-06-10T17:21:49.430-07:00January 2003<span style="font-size: medium;">January 2 New Year's Eve was warm with some heavy rain, then the cold moved back in, but fortunately not with great gusts of wind so that all the ponds and bays refroze with smooth very skateable ice. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tNn9LsYf2-jqhtkwlAWedIDiRVLxOxCh9hBE9se4LOYUsHTuQsVit6CleD8pVoRFpUnsZyl7Vo5fdhtTS6gS9wilHrf-Mkdq_XOWwgwzOel4mOe-TUuuOlWhmQlKVXWU_f5YNqaJrq8/s1600/bayice2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tNn9LsYf2-jqhtkwlAWedIDiRVLxOxCh9hBE9se4LOYUsHTuQsVit6CleD8pVoRFpUnsZyl7Vo5fdhtTS6gS9wilHrf-Mkdq_XOWwgwzOel4mOe-TUuuOlWhmQlKVXWU_f5YNqaJrq8/s400/bayice2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">So for two days I let the beavers rest, and without snow, virtually all gone thanks to the rain, tracking otters would have been very hard. And quite a bit of the ice on South Bay was transparent. Yesterday, with a half dozen others, I enjoyed skating over fish, startling all the perch, and boring the bullheads. The mere act of skating over these critters tucked in their winter habitat seems the acme of scientific observation, but one is hard pressed to make sense out of what one is seeing. In all the bottom part of the bay we all saw perhaps three pike, large, commanding and quick. The hundreds of darting perch were their obvious pray. I perhaps saw one perch over eight inches. Yet from that angle over them, seeing them confined to from six inches to three feet of water, it was hard to get the fish's perspective. With all the grasses dead and subdued and considerable stretches of clear muddy bottom. it would seem that hunting would be easy. However, the perch pattern of escape seemed to be to go for yellow brown grassy jungles</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbd-B-sWgDuBhBBcfZox07d16N2CkUbRWZNAEfK25jff_OPVzsou4H8-xgcKTmJvFm6h8J4DEvWKbnzBe63d-Me0GCqXSuiY-4U-xuJfzf9LzYdH0idKGN6EhvIHnscxM_aTaEaXZaKI/s1600/baybottom2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbd-B-sWgDuBhBBcfZox07d16N2CkUbRWZNAEfK25jff_OPVzsou4H8-xgcKTmJvFm6h8J4DEvWKbnzBe63d-Me0GCqXSuiY-4U-xuJfzf9LzYdH0idKGN6EhvIHnscxM_aTaEaXZaKI/s400/baybottom2.jpg" width="368" /></a></div>
<br />
<div align="left">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Well, generally in patches less thick than the one above. I took the photo to try to capture a trough through the weeds, of which there were a few. Perhaps they are channels formed by patrolling pike. The bullheads we skated over were all large, and all asleep. The one in the photo below seems somewhat rooted to a plant. Others I saw were suspended over sand, with no plants around.</span></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWt0eHfa9_bzTrtCskRKe4MABGk998sOggZ7kHTznrQrThc0r9ETi_lrb4OWldH6KWbidtlItqn3egqEFKAOvF7Dx_VSmCYNC4vjqkzefaJHe6wY4KrDZbUvovzTDeBHW5ZGgkqDu7_k/s1600/bullhead2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWt0eHfa9_bzTrtCskRKe4MABGk998sOggZ7kHTznrQrThc0r9ETi_lrb4OWldH6KWbidtlItqn3egqEFKAOvF7Dx_VSmCYNC4vjqkzefaJHe6wY4KrDZbUvovzTDeBHW5ZGgkqDu7_k/s400/bullhead2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There was no dearth of fish down where the water was shallow, mostly perch, but I saw a reddish bullhead, who was awake and swam below me. I got the impression it might be dying. I also saw a small pike with white on its jaw and a discolored bottom, and slow enough to follow -- another dying fish. I only saw one dead fish on the bottom -- a sunfish. I hoped to get a video of escaping fish but it was cold and cloudy with a strong northeast wind when I got out there. Yet, for all the cold, the brown bay bottom with all the darting fish generated its own lively warmth, and, of course, the skating was effortless and, to a suitable degree, endless.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">January 3 almost an inch of snow in the morning and light snow all day amounting to maybe another half inch. We headed off early afternoon, braving the snow blowing in our faces as we walked up the golf course, which always increases the warmth of the woods when we get to them. Since the snow was fresh we didn't expect to see many tracks. We flushed two grouse and then as we approached the Big Pond we sent three deer scurrying. The one we saw best had been doing some patient browsing. There was snow on its back. The wind had blown snow off some of the ice and seeing how clear some of the ice was, I regretted not getting out earlier and touring all the ponds. We went up to the spring pool which was about six feet long, and very clear but no fish -- perhaps one. As we walked onto the Lost Swamp Pond I saw a dark patch up at the lodge, and through the light snow saw a lump that could be a beaver on the ice. So we walked up, and as we did we saw a beaver swimming in the dark patch -- a pool of open water around the cache. And the lump was indeed a beaver. The swimming beaver surfaced with a stick, evidently rearranging the cache pile. With the snow I couldn't take a photo or video; with the wind in our face we could have gotten closer, but we left them in peace. Meanwhile, nothing happening at the dam. We approached the Second Swamp Pond lodge so the wind wouldn't give us away, but as I crossed the ice I was surprised to see the pool next to the lodge frozen and snowed over. There was a fresh poplar log, fresh because bark was still on it, on the ice. We went around to the hole along the shore, which was slushy but open and just as we sat on a birch log to see if a beaver might come out, we saw the slushy water heave. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57WBAomJ_05UUBfwIO1jqInGCLVpGRYFyYxWvmyrUbZQh3E66QdrBRSJNXjHNJoNKD-FiWtEJPkVlhoMvqdR4wJ3bKZ0WlcRyvt8AlZtrEw2ovrVXymqNxP-hlKZRyOuTalgtV20H-NU/s1600/sphole3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57WBAomJ_05UUBfwIO1jqInGCLVpGRYFyYxWvmyrUbZQh3E66QdrBRSJNXjHNJoNKD-FiWtEJPkVlhoMvqdR4wJ3bKZ0WlcRyvt8AlZtrEw2ovrVXymqNxP-hlKZRyOuTalgtV20H-NU/s400/sphole3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">We waited but nothing appeared, so I think the beaver was lurking under the ice and moved off when it noticed us. Leslie had another idea -- a beaver just swims by now and then to make sure the hole stays unfrozen. We went over to the dam hole, but that was snowed over. Then we continued down the ponds and then across South Bay. Since the snow was so fresh, there was no tracking to be done, but in the gray light and white<br />
snow every rock and blade of grass invited study, especially the grass stalks flat on the snow.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">January 5 I headed off in the morning, cloudy but with hopes of sun, and, of course, hoped to see signs of otters. Up on the TIP ridge there were seven deer, brown, and, to me, at this time of year, fuzzy. Going down the ridge I saw fisher tracks, coming to and going across my path. There were no tracks along the South Bay trail, none on South Bay, though the incoming creek had opened a line of ice 50 yards long. Not much<br />
to mention on Audubon Pond. There was no hole at the drain, but one had formed along the causeway, though with no sign that anything had used it. The pond was accessible to otters. I walked up to Short-cut trail pond and tried some photos of grass in the snow</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHrVPnHh1i70eMNcuUXkZBjN-N9PjGahyMQ2kBITwMTVJkZEoxUQ9CK79VzADvGr-Nvgymic5uatC6aYXMmD5fb8k53pB54dWvlmmc7T22ONhO_GtScasP1tdyGBtOfqtHQJNpZqPvp90/s1600/grass5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHrVPnHh1i70eMNcuUXkZBjN-N9PjGahyMQ2kBITwMTVJkZEoxUQ9CK79VzADvGr-Nvgymic5uatC6aYXMmD5fb8k53pB54dWvlmmc7T22ONhO_GtScasP1tdyGBtOfqtHQJNpZqPvp90/s400/grass5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">This was the only one that half succeeded. As I walked along the Short-cut trail pond, or meadow, to be more accurate, since it is mostly dry, I saw the fisher tracks checking out trees</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWAsMVYHSCtKlIx_lm0g8k3_-OOF6KDeItsL_W5vB4N3cAnsii9ReUG7Ow-x-5yyHNll9YCG1SAzJ6OQmMJoNC9gHFN3bx2Pdp_gLfH0yCxvxs5hykEX-wtJF9Lc4SUjHNCQ5s8zIDxiQ/s1600/fishmarks5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWAsMVYHSCtKlIx_lm0g8k3_-OOF6KDeItsL_W5vB4N3cAnsii9ReUG7Ow-x-5yyHNll9YCG1SAzJ6OQmMJoNC9gHFN3bx2Pdp_gLfH0yCxvxs5hykEX-wtJF9Lc4SUjHNCQ5s8zIDxiQ/s400/fishmarks5.jpg" width="376" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I was surprised to see that the beavers at Meander Pond have not been out since the snow. As I went down to the end of the East Trail Pond, I heard a porcupine whine. I went up to investigate</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_fcZ1bFAs4FJm470DSvLCKp19rPPQ1Ogl7zgOoa0lsdtIAoBpWz9ZaZOP_CwKA1YiyJPEAGQ5VIy4EsQWGkUBHa7uN4qK8V6M37xUPJDrPemT4IWRC4Uja86N4_5j7DzaL8DDNnmBaU/s1600/ppinerocks5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_fcZ1bFAs4FJm470DSvLCKp19rPPQ1Ogl7zgOoa0lsdtIAoBpWz9ZaZOP_CwKA1YiyJPEAGQ5VIy4EsQWGkUBHa7uN4qK8V6M37xUPJDrPemT4IWRC4Uja86N4_5j7DzaL8DDNnmBaU/s400/ppinerocks5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and while I didn't see the p-pine, I did see where it had just been -- fresh scats, fresh pee stains, fresh tracks, and heavy vinegar smell as I followed the trail into the rocks</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Xafxru20nK9b_3_qVOQEDMmKPSKzxe79lktBN2vg7SAYuF0N126jix1LJ8xGbwOgsjfX8AwzMQep11AVnQA80LnGLwPo1fEVNYMIOz1bEmlY4Te1tWMXQgoLJke3w6cTMSkEGgsidgA/s1600/ppineden5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Xafxru20nK9b_3_qVOQEDMmKPSKzxe79lktBN2vg7SAYuF0N126jix1LJ8xGbwOgsjfX8AwzMQep11AVnQA80LnGLwPo1fEVNYMIOz1bEmlY4Te1tWMXQgoLJke3w6cTMSkEGgsidgA/s400/ppineden5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then out on the East Trail Pond I found porcupine tracks circling clumps of grass, and perhaps trying to find water. Judging from the pungent smell along the freshest track, perhaps there's a female in heat which accounts for the trotting about. Then I picked up the fisher tracks again, and could see the predator's tracks merge with the prey's</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWk-_4LKEocmMoC7ScuBUuWTKQ2IzdAVfQZ95bRASGNSc8P9wD29kRX6UpFLjd4ouX3hCl70aMjCuZJDKMEkub-KNLxeMdenED2euBRmu-o2eztJhSKIdVI-aVj8e-xBOpuYmtONdJps/s1600/fishtks5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWk-_4LKEocmMoC7ScuBUuWTKQ2IzdAVfQZ95bRASGNSc8P9wD29kRX6UpFLjd4ouX3hCl70aMjCuZJDKMEkub-KNLxeMdenED2euBRmu-o2eztJhSKIdVI-aVj8e-xBOpuYmtONdJps/s400/fishtks5.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">However, further down the pond, I saw fisher tracks crossing another porcupine trail. There was no longer open ice at the in-let to the East Trail Pond, perhaps a patch that could be open. I checked the lodge and the dam, and save for the fisher at the latter, nothing had been around. I had my camcorder out when I approached the Second Swamp Pond hole but wasn't quick enough to capture the beaver going down the knoll toward the hole. Later I went up and got a photo of the log it was gnawing</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCPK5GjamoZDDzEqOZB3jwKfRoQFLxcf11cT5gBtYdivbuK703W85SYem-ynFh7pt_RruKgjTa0mg_ASqgJsZDmvh5AHtLUPvrpn2PJPG_2DKFYSZyGacw6ke4M0dLc91Uu1UkFxkdpY/s1600/spwk5b.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCPK5GjamoZDDzEqOZB3jwKfRoQFLxcf11cT5gBtYdivbuK703W85SYem-ynFh7pt_RruKgjTa0mg_ASqgJsZDmvh5AHtLUPvrpn2PJPG_2DKFYSZyGacw6ke4M0dLc91Uu1UkFxkdpY/s400/spwk5b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I eased closer to the pond and saw that the beaver had not gone to the hole. It was poised and smelling and then trotted to and into the hole</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZisvE367Dym-wtaYwruruUyz73LMc_oeqb1C6blGn5yM16aelwywWfvr0Pg7gpySBdlumlNNXNcbRKaUgs80ifbPj-HRry60K-uhueSibVoSFAmS0Wvl5yaOZoer4eLbb9UfRGwqiTU/s1600/bv5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZisvE367Dym-wtaYwruruUyz73LMc_oeqb1C6blGn5yM16aelwywWfvr0Pg7gpySBdlumlNNXNcbRKaUgs80ifbPj-HRry60K-uhueSibVoSFAmS0Wvl5yaOZoer4eLbb9UfRGwqiTU/s320/bv5.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I got a photo of the hole</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUxfo2JQClvRk8LminETs5AfrLpSS6vpc9IEDdpuZIK67F2V0nYaJobjtlEpO8StMve3DH-8GAlDh511ZuPbIFM6JUYZGbJQUZw5QPBTIn113qJ9myWWudeVITenmTqxh09NGuioUfx8/s1600/sphole5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUxfo2JQClvRk8LminETs5AfrLpSS6vpc9IEDdpuZIK67F2V0nYaJobjtlEpO8StMve3DH-8GAlDh511ZuPbIFM6JUYZGbJQUZw5QPBTIn113qJ9myWWudeVITenmTqxh09NGuioUfx8/s400/sphole5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and then checked out the four paths from it and admired the variety of meals: birch, white oak,</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAjQXC22Er8EcvtAVdT9k88e4KrHNrdP8_MRW3bzLZ8iZznpWXuSxNz8H8QS-NG6UzckqmSnnDAF1jsm-3km_2KsSdGhyphenhyphencQo579wgcr4fRRnBlIs0pFE96dlLR3fHmkgKef9czTvLn7Q/s1600/spwk5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAjQXC22Er8EcvtAVdT9k88e4KrHNrdP8_MRW3bzLZ8iZznpWXuSxNz8H8QS-NG6UzckqmSnnDAF1jsm-3km_2KsSdGhyphenhyphencQo579wgcr4fRRnBlIs0pFE96dlLR3fHmkgKef9czTvLn7Q/s400/spwk5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">and maple</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobt0A2yBlX1K6dlExIpbFLh1jaKQP2oOUR83LtsPc5EJ0Xmf-6Shkvj966fdTvEJiQclcu5aA9Fd_Z027yR0S6Sqx9oE0UBFRAasNgcFBt94u1OQXryk2ZYrqzHOiFe71BQbj2ZqbiZ8/s1600/spwk5a.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobt0A2yBlX1K6dlExIpbFLh1jaKQP2oOUR83LtsPc5EJ0Xmf-6Shkvj966fdTvEJiQclcu5aA9Fd_Z027yR0S6Sqx9oE0UBFRAasNgcFBt94u1OQXryk2ZYrqzHOiFe71BQbj2ZqbiZ8/s400/spwk5a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There had been a hole open at the lodge, now lightly frozen over, and the latest poplar log looked stripped. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tFHIyOXV1Xu7fvh8LXaMU5q_JtBTu8fBvx96iyt1TY3KlVQFAn-QKWnCiUIa_s-W63jVCFiCTweYU8NIxQnds5GwK2ZHH-mfULsYMISEVEIVPjPtAZ52AI1ytG3CPS_XIZ1DVJdtO8o/s1600/splodge5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tFHIyOXV1Xu7fvh8LXaMU5q_JtBTu8fBvx96iyt1TY3KlVQFAn-QKWnCiUIa_s-W63jVCFiCTweYU8NIxQnds5GwK2ZHH-mfULsYMISEVEIVPjPtAZ52AI1ytG3CPS_XIZ1DVJdtO8o/s400/splodge5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I was curious about the mud on the ice, and wonder if the beavers put it there to make it melt more easily when the sun shines. Then when I peaked over at the hole along the shore I saw that the beaver was hunched down in it, sniffing the air. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aDtI0V9jOz3k-y35V1x7UFkYqCrLQ3HyGTM0Nor0BtNbdcBgH7G-3kLNSKXQQymT_LzvpughLgXNt-qcsHWwZ74b1b2lMARV-tgOzHzDxb9Qys3j6wwHT4XHWY1jnuKzWp3jxCa3O5Q/s1600/bv5a.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aDtI0V9jOz3k-y35V1x7UFkYqCrLQ3HyGTM0Nor0BtNbdcBgH7G-3kLNSKXQQymT_LzvpughLgXNt-qcsHWwZ74b1b2lMARV-tgOzHzDxb9Qys3j6wwHT4XHWY1jnuKzWp3jxCa3O5Q/s400/bv5a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I waited for it to make a move, but it only slipped under. All was quiet across the Second Swamp Pond and at the Lost Swamp Pond lodge. There was only a little open water at the frozen over pool around the large lodge and there were no beavers out today. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FVi4caNoyeYBmcj-T8pmTDTu-aGWmiI_LP-cH09X26ekgebFoUVphyphenhyphengbUR2VuTKHUXiAaoKrtpR7B2Zy-gkbsA9HXM5aUwr42WN1ehhuxzPjeleNYtANPc0Ib3u6f6C8mrCeXeSUDGc/s1600/lslodge5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FVi4caNoyeYBmcj-T8pmTDTu-aGWmiI_LP-cH09X26ekgebFoUVphyphenhyphengbUR2VuTKHUXiAaoKrtpR7B2Zy-gkbsA9HXM5aUwr42WN1ehhuxzPjeleNYtANPc0Ib3u6f6C8mrCeXeSUDGc/s400/lslodge5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">As I walked up to the surveyor's cut, on the way to the Big Pond, I saw a tiny blossom on the snow</span><br />
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CVG8090FAESckY2wpHnUKo405DR2fAlTb7L6ej_CxCOVlrD6JzLHnopDr6fyuHf1giOXTXhRElpAFMDSMYyaHsdB2rxY490oUQX9JjmfOYvoLtU9trd8n-QCVer57Sus6a5GztrOPfY/s1600/blossom5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CVG8090FAESckY2wpHnUKo405DR2fAlTb7L6ej_CxCOVlrD6JzLHnopDr6fyuHf1giOXTXhRElpAFMDSMYyaHsdB2rxY490oUQX9JjmfOYvoLtU9trd8n-QCVer57Sus6a5GztrOPfY/s320/blossom5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I looked up and saw a huge bittersweet vine spiralling up a tree. </span><br />
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJTIxH6r4hde7Du2jyQj7jcLXTIdWZ2Pv1VU2cW8YZOVu_ZCCPwS6mYSzCVXH1UG4s9TXIFEM5A7Z0JL_-h6zwbYZ40m5ffq4Xduk9dUFtnCDYWIJr5jL0zFLJQK5O14NUJWG-HEVehw/s1600/wberry5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJTIxH6r4hde7Du2jyQj7jcLXTIdWZ2Pv1VU2cW8YZOVu_ZCCPwS6mYSzCVXH1UG4s9TXIFEM5A7Z0JL_-h6zwbYZ40m5ffq4Xduk9dUFtnCDYWIJr5jL0zFLJQK5O14NUJWG-HEVehw/s400/wberry5.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I saw snowshoe hare tracks in the usual spot between the Lost Swamp and Big Ponds, and then picked up a deer trail to the Big Pond dam. No hole behind the dam, but a good rush of water under the ice and open water below the dam. Then I saw, leaving the dam, a labored mink track, with constant tail drag</span><br />
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vwgASJ6KFSIxN_yAVrB8vRP-z2QtT4rWKIX_I8l9BbWvoXQD7VqEjuF7OuiFYbI04UPsOwryUf4i8SsVP52yOTOYeZ-R4guLsfZeAZLtiHxT-DwlPFH76lMMmKP7VzrFhtmj58LrD_A/s1600/minktks5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vwgASJ6KFSIxN_yAVrB8vRP-z2QtT4rWKIX_I8l9BbWvoXQD7VqEjuF7OuiFYbI04UPsOwryUf4i8SsVP52yOTOYeZ-R4guLsfZeAZLtiHxT-DwlPFH76lMMmKP7VzrFhtmj58LrD_A/s400/minktks5.jpg" width="367" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I followed that to a tiny hole in the bank of the pond and just outside the hole was a drop of blood. </span><br />
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZl3Ugc-yVW5BLgWozn1pCTw0K0GUvF5XDsrk9jgt21UCH7CxD8yXsAoLO2_TSQrUj3y3RRJc1xy0ctImjEY5DiFt3E9bE_OUYZ-NkVDCLkqLpFIrstNqHxWg3wml7hjlH8_oTo2i-wtQ/s1600/minkhole.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZl3Ugc-yVW5BLgWozn1pCTw0K0GUvF5XDsrk9jgt21UCH7CxD8yXsAoLO2_TSQrUj3y3RRJc1xy0ctImjEY5DiFt3E9bE_OUYZ-NkVDCLkqLpFIrstNqHxWg3wml7hjlH8_oTo2i-wtQ/s400/minkhole.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Following the mink took me up pond a bit so I headed up into the thickets, and by suffering the usual entanglements was rewarded with a view of a venerable birch</span><br />
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3WytVW5qOy0x22U6mm4QV3ONTdS0hFTqUVpJ3j6iLURV-pC6TKyKC1Ii7MUC9ojzMz1znu-8D9V_czPtwLqU4ow5l4TR-ClsCDqb0AU7F3u-lPfZRxjAt3rlTiVwlLn2efZapdRI8CU/s1600/birch5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3WytVW5qOy0x22U6mm4QV3ONTdS0hFTqUVpJ3j6iLURV-pC6TKyKC1Ii7MUC9ojzMz1znu-8D9V_czPtwLqU4ow5l4TR-ClsCDqb0AU7F3u-lPfZRxjAt3rlTiVwlLn2efZapdRI8CU/s400/birch5.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">So unless some otters slipped into Otter Hole Pond, they aren't around. By the time I got home the temperature was about 26. I think warmth emboldens the otters to roam, but by this time a year, I think of anything over 20 as being warm while the critters looking for softening ice are dependent on the reality of the freezing point.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">January 6 Light snow in the morning, another inch, and falling in nice lazy large flakes. I was resigned to a day working inside, but Leslie wanted to see that Second Pond beaver. So we went via the Post Office and South Bay. There were mink tracks at the old South Bay lodge on a dock</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AhJ1cg7ZBiS0EVBN72F4Mh06v45Ilg0_seAI_H8R_eXjo5b8v0d-kdCnPTqT6tjox0nU4EcLoesyvTXhE-XJXubPf9-5awsYhiPp-xNX7RKo1Jhu8gL1ijPXVcSrF8pLyQT3c6Y7oYE/s1600/minktks6.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AhJ1cg7ZBiS0EVBN72F4Mh06v45Ilg0_seAI_H8R_eXjo5b8v0d-kdCnPTqT6tjox0nU4EcLoesyvTXhE-XJXubPf9-5awsYhiPp-xNX7RKo1Jhu8gL1ijPXVcSrF8pLyQT3c6Y7oYE/s400/minktks6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I assume the same one coming in and out. Although seeming to avoid the water in that photo, further toward the end of the cover, I think it was in the water. The snow is deep enough now so walking on the ice is not treacherous. So we plodded our merry way up to the Second Swamp Pond and soon saw that a beaver was out half way up the knoll gnawing around the large oak I've frequently photographed.</span><br />
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BQG8ryzUNclydr1hJ7kMNdimbzPPTGVMsbRtN6Pl566OgU44pml77DG8fnyBwjD3lkCn52TDP8B_6K9cuFhO_AI1ytIdv-FOSRg-0qNeLXVro-3wn2aPZvk2iIOLooc8u_LtnGdkOLw/s1600/bveat6.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BQG8ryzUNclydr1hJ7kMNdimbzPPTGVMsbRtN6Pl566OgU44pml77DG8fnyBwjD3lkCn52TDP8B_6K9cuFhO_AI1ytIdv-FOSRg-0qNeLXVro-3wn2aPZvk2iIOLooc8u_LtnGdkOLw/s200/bveat6.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I first saw it to the right of the trunk then it worked behind it so we were emboldened to come closer. I'm not sure if it was just our being close or the squeal of the camera that alarmed the beaver. Here is the stop action of his flight down hill</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZspdjkHwCayWW9qN_1Peh59JJfG6aUgNtiuQfnElJVn4p9elRAkVpI5-7jM8pFIHBxQ6Q1y3JVdkNPtHaouUcCv8OiBp8LXVLy1OKSRHjmNzbT2RDEsQeYl3MZ_oiPHaNRS4rY0yF9FY/s1600/bvrun6.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZspdjkHwCayWW9qN_1Peh59JJfG6aUgNtiuQfnElJVn4p9elRAkVpI5-7jM8pFIHBxQ6Q1y3JVdkNPtHaouUcCv8OiBp8LXVLy1OKSRHjmNzbT2RDEsQeYl3MZ_oiPHaNRS4rY0yF9FY/s320/bvrun6.jpg" /></a></span><br />
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayRZDmG3NQBKtR2VoXwy4vhaLbQR3OviUTHn5L5OR3p0yVvF4zWy7iMe4TFTXW23qSK6TS-giZOdH9bbV5odgj_o1fz8FVzXNftP6Y-qfvE_t2ze2saRggx5KAkUJTKBtiFKAUgSs1v4/s1600/bvrun6a.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayRZDmG3NQBKtR2VoXwy4vhaLbQR3OviUTHn5L5OR3p0yVvF4zWy7iMe4TFTXW23qSK6TS-giZOdH9bbV5odgj_o1fz8FVzXNftP6Y-qfvE_t2ze2saRggx5KAkUJTKBtiFKAUgSs1v4/s320/bvrun6a.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div align="right">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_rBEE56QeqOhkWfDQsjfNFBPs1F9vXZ8rhKyB6i9nXpPEZqTzmesSoANzT0_M3iAK9St4ASeBEZiYGTEqXl_HFYMTmanYOLnCJYKmy-acgRhpCXDNT8PqQFnsiSry3WLVTQr3kF0dXA/s1600/bvrun6b.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_rBEE56QeqOhkWfDQsjfNFBPs1F9vXZ8rhKyB6i9nXpPEZqTzmesSoANzT0_M3iAK9St4ASeBEZiYGTEqXl_HFYMTmanYOLnCJYKmy-acgRhpCXDNT8PqQFnsiSry3WLVTQr3kF0dXA/s320/bvrun6b.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div align="left">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And then it stopped at the bottom of the hill, still a few yards from the hole and sniffed the air</span></div>
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3820YDa0_cf3OxyPMqeDGF2oIWJRPb8t3mzIEqyiNeIIq1ssEQEaxTiIHurTYbzZjy9IGx_SzJOdKrD9epQuxcsH9dkUPRLlZXZyID8CyH6dyYREyaAWLi164VLN5KVZ_-676Sp2M94/s1600/bvstop6.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3820YDa0_cf3OxyPMqeDGF2oIWJRPb8t3mzIEqyiNeIIq1ssEQEaxTiIHurTYbzZjy9IGx_SzJOdKrD9epQuxcsH9dkUPRLlZXZyID8CyH6dyYREyaAWLi164VLN5KVZ_-676Sp2M94/s320/bvstop6.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div align="left">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We were still a good 30 yards away, and the close-up is just the camera straining to put its pixels to work. After it disappeared into the hole, we checked its path and it looked like only one beaver had been out since the snow going to that one project. We walked around to look at the lodge and there was a smaller pool of open water than yesterday. They are no longer keeping this pool churned up. While watching the beaver come down the knoll, we hid behind the upturned roots of a tree and noticed a squirrel's leaving in a hole about chest level. </span></div>
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_eCSonOx36JrHG8-iscjmunkK-bERgIiGt8RdXCArxqzA2derTPAk1_XxTFuGBpPPHVec0qREGipItVOHPXEliFbro6pjmT_ZxrQzjdhZHA_zMo1wW1IHPiiJom2YgVIPp6ZTFPRhPc/s1600/nuts6.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_eCSonOx36JrHG8-iscjmunkK-bERgIiGt8RdXCArxqzA2derTPAk1_XxTFuGBpPPHVec0qREGipItVOHPXEliFbro6pjmT_ZxrQzjdhZHA_zMo1wW1IHPiiJom2YgVIPp6ZTFPRhPc/s400/nuts6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div align="left">
<span style="font-size: medium;">All was quiet until we got up to the large lodge in the Lost Swamp and we saw that beavers were out. With a light wind and snow in our face we moved closer, and here is my portrait</span></div>
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA62c4_r7zMP68RE7ElPoryfL02hQ-lrIhbSEWuc9TIB-tdXqkjlp508fm-9NHJpDtzoCL_I4V8g2L4SNVaKdpzqNHmL1SEai8Trpzn4n-c72GY8E9DnkKNscuHBWaFbtPr7PdS8IngQg/s1600/lsbvs6.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA62c4_r7zMP68RE7ElPoryfL02hQ-lrIhbSEWuc9TIB-tdXqkjlp508fm-9NHJpDtzoCL_I4V8g2L4SNVaKdpzqNHmL1SEai8Trpzn4n-c72GY8E9DnkKNscuHBWaFbtPr7PdS8IngQg/s400/lsbvs6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div align="left">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The one in front of the lodge seemed about half the size of the other, though it doesn't look that way in the photo. When it swam its whole body was up out of the water, which is characteristic of the young beaver. Both seemed smaller than the beaver we saw at the Second Swamp Pond. The snow was too fresh for more tracks as we crossed the Big Pond and went up the second valley. Leslie was quite impressed with the bittersweet vine and identified it as the native variety. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">January 9 Two nights ago we had another inch of snow and last night we had about five inches, so as I went out in the cold cloudy morning -- about 15 degrees -- there was at least 7 inches of snow on the ground and because of the brisk north wind some drifting. For the first time this winter, walking in the snow became a little difficult, and it is near time to switch to skis. Coming down the TIP ridge I saw three or four deer browsing the low limbed trees. I should pay attention to what they are after, but I merely satisfied myself with a photo from a distance</span></div>
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3iKde6WxR-DABwfnxb1XBYQgVcKC5IssyXotQPyyPA8begUVHgmoW2AyeY6OfM9WEs9INAQ_WqevxlH5LiG5ShBPvUoa8qSbWNpH0xjo2kTLoIT-rPg5txTpVfE1nJLNu1tLmEyUVkM/s1600/deer9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3iKde6WxR-DABwfnxb1XBYQgVcKC5IssyXotQPyyPA8begUVHgmoW2AyeY6OfM9WEs9INAQ_WqevxlH5LiG5ShBPvUoa8qSbWNpH0xjo2kTLoIT-rPg5txTpVfE1nJLNu1tLmEyUVkM/s400/deer9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div align="left">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Again I took the route around South Bay, trusting I would learn more there than by crossing South Bay. And I was right. As I crossed the creek coming down from the second swamp, I saw a slide into the running water made by a mink</span></div>
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3Y3zg_2nCdblWf70U3M1sP-IycNCzsvz2_uzdwVIECKVVRlOzwckvOOZkkK-1T0L3dBVh18kOndwZDxbAeDKhwa_QW-nIYntwjPOyCoyo3NxxAgGKt2AyD7JM08GEdJnCQx-i4_Ngmg/s1600/minkend9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3Y3zg_2nCdblWf70U3M1sP-IycNCzsvz2_uzdwVIECKVVRlOzwckvOOZkkK-1T0L3dBVh18kOndwZDxbAeDKhwa_QW-nIYntwjPOyCoyo3NxxAgGKt2AyD7JM08GEdJnCQx-i4_Ngmg/s400/minkend9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div align="left">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then I saw how the mink slid down the ridge above the trail</span></div>
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5svEIe9wgGsIh3atlJ1WKdHf8HFwxGp3txxjO1looF9Pi6GFb7pFaiXC7dkiXDV1SX4RMd0CdE-Dp_N2rSDkw1TkD9l-t2hS744y6Ke_C9ejoYSt-UmlZUU30VnKG9aNqZ6-EVzLTxF4/s1600/minkdown9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5svEIe9wgGsIh3atlJ1WKdHf8HFwxGp3txxjO1looF9Pi6GFb7pFaiXC7dkiXDV1SX4RMd0CdE-Dp_N2rSDkw1TkD9l-t2hS744y6Ke_C9ejoYSt-UmlZUU30VnKG9aNqZ6-EVzLTxF4/s400/minkdown9.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<div align="left">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I must say seeing this lightened my footsteps. Tracking undoubtedly frees the mind and body from the constraints of time and slogging necessity. I was part mink. I could see tracks going into the reeds across the slushy ice and bit of open water. No sign that the mink went under the dock. Going up the South Bay trail toward Audubon Pond, I was following fresh deer tracks. I kept my head up expecting to see some old friends -- at least the small buck with the spikes if not the two bucks with handsome racks, but I didn't see any deer. Of course, I had hopes of seeing otter signs. It was warm enough to relocate the past two nights, not much below freezing. And the forecast was for cold -- not that otters would anticipate that, but if they hadn't moved last night, they probably weren't going to move during the next week of cold. So when I got up to Audubon Pond and stood over the placid 8-shaped hole along the causeway, I looked very hard at the faint indentations in the snow that could have been made by an otter. However, I saw no other signs at all. Proof that it wasn't of ice opening warmth the last few night was found at Meander Pond. The beavers there had not come out, as far as I could see. The only indication that they still flourish was an ample vent hole in the snow covered lodge. </span></div>
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLa0OncupO0h9Hn_tgh4Z2WFmHx34PB-n_9h1xeXU6cj7RBPyjcMcLkmuGMZPO5BrL4TbnGvxAgmxAjZi-kdMv9vsorymWSxFcYxyWWrcbeaNOeoPj44Ry8-Urc4xY4afJ_ZRaWLF_bSc/s1600/mplodge9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLa0OncupO0h9Hn_tgh4Z2WFmHx34PB-n_9h1xeXU6cj7RBPyjcMcLkmuGMZPO5BrL4TbnGvxAgmxAjZi-kdMv9vsorymWSxFcYxyWWrcbeaNOeoPj44Ry8-Urc4xY4afJ_ZRaWLF_bSc/s400/mplodge9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">As I went up to the Thicket Pond, I was gratified to see a mink trail -- most likely the one I saw down at South Bay because it was scooting in that direction. I picked up the mink's trail again as it went around the bank beaver lodge in the East Trail Pond looking for a way to get in. It's possible I was seeing another mink -- I wasn't rigorous in my tracking, but a mink trail went over the dam, quite the other direction from the Thicket Pond. Of course I forgot about the mink trail as I headed for the Second Swamp Pond lodge. The temperature when I left was 15 degrees and didn't feel much warmer, so I had an opportunity once again to prove that beavers leave the pond when the temperature is under 20 degrees. At the hole in the ice I could clearly see that a beaver had been out after the snow ended</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7REpKdgtHg_aKcsKfI1RjuJJ-kjMEH2wIAS-0QNlyUTAfnIV9X1vOm_vrdblZPzckV8HkusvkgyGeMvCoTsVtPnTCfg1AWfpERalk1NOXzVW4uHpsuXv40tLhfCYL1SC2SswNDyds1v4/s1600/sphole9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7REpKdgtHg_aKcsKfI1RjuJJ-kjMEH2wIAS-0QNlyUTAfnIV9X1vOm_vrdblZPzckV8HkusvkgyGeMvCoTsVtPnTCfg1AWfpERalk1NOXzVW4uHpsuXv40tLhfCYL1SC2SswNDyds1v4/s400/sphole9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">going up the usual way to the gnawed trees half way up the knoll. But, of course, just after the snow ended it might not have been below 20. The ice had been broken but looked like thick slush, so I walked around to the front of the lodge. A small slushy hole there seemed frozen up but there were beaver tracks going up the knoll and coming down. Also the deeper wet snow was causing discoloration in the ice. Then what to my wondering eyes should appear but a beaver on the top of the knoll heading down with small sticks in its mouth. I grabbed the camcorder and in my haste pushed too many buttons at once, and when it started working, I had it on pause and not record. But I did see the beaver half slide down the hill and then dive into what I had just told myself was frozen slush. I cursed myself and took a photo of the dust, as it were, after it settled. </span></div>
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUY8LrHkAUr5XLYnFTr_xINIlnKbDZCGqwtPPn6fiFI092S5AsAgrO5vjQFlujvv1WFzS4VkiNbl0MOzqux1SmDNvRZXNo2Nn-Vj0VCVvsTZwY8-wN8T-W6qV1U86Kosw_MAk1lOFEeQg/s1600/spbvpath9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUY8LrHkAUr5XLYnFTr_xINIlnKbDZCGqwtPPn6fiFI092S5AsAgrO5vjQFlujvv1WFzS4VkiNbl0MOzqux1SmDNvRZXNo2Nn-Vj0VCVvsTZwY8-wN8T-W6qV1U86Kosw_MAk1lOFEeQg/s400/spbvpath9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I walked up the Second Swamp Pond slowly, turning back frequently and wistfully hoping to see the beaver charge up the hill. But it had gone down and under the ice without its usual posing and pondering so I figure it had sensed my presence. I did take the opportunity to get a distance shot of this storied knoll.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOTsZ-FputkEG4kV9fqSVIh9PihS8ryB7dhT5rELwlWfp7dp12-gBOPAfaUxQmWemG4GcD6Qz0e7MEjpFgoh-9DLO_ULsgQepXreuW8vzz40VqbCcPFUSztQKK-xOgjKOeTm7qsBeUmk/s1600/spknoll9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOTsZ-FputkEG4kV9fqSVIh9PihS8ryB7dhT5rELwlWfp7dp12-gBOPAfaUxQmWemG4GcD6Qz0e7MEjpFgoh-9DLO_ULsgQepXreuW8vzz40VqbCcPFUSztQKK-xOgjKOeTm7qsBeUmk/s400/spknoll9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Going up to the Lost Swamp dam a large deer slowly crossed my path and that was my last excitement until I got to the Big Pond. The usual area around the lodge had been open but I didn't go up to investigate. I had heard a few ravens during this hike, but coming out onto the Big Pond I was entertained by the large and varied flock of small birds -- chickadees and nuthatches, to be sure, but also juncos and larger brown and buff sparrows, all rather chatty with a downy woodpecker thrown in for good measure. They were in the pines to the east which made it convenient for me to check the spring pool. I got some action to make up for not getting a picture of the beaver. Similar to two years ago, the pool was percolating with little fish</span></div>
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-3kyWBkk5xaTrE69tgdOp5WYvfweqaFdfvAuXFRalTj0M41r_RkSotbpyYTraOUujW1FngL7HMNShHXtNxtI2DAAmrePoa6EnLX1KUL0Gp7TsiwSrTEfFZLnKfmEbxQbhIGCQnZ78Nc/s1600/bppool9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-3kyWBkk5xaTrE69tgdOp5WYvfweqaFdfvAuXFRalTj0M41r_RkSotbpyYTraOUujW1FngL7HMNShHXtNxtI2DAAmrePoa6EnLX1KUL0Gp7TsiwSrTEfFZLnKfmEbxQbhIGCQnZ78Nc/s400/bppool9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Two years ago, the pool was deeper, with less vegetation, and the fish were smaller and usually in discrete schools, exhibiting more torpor than turmoil. Today small sunnies seemed beside themselves with wiggling and twisting, boiling up to the surface and then wiggling back down. I also saw some pollywogs and, judging from the video, small perch.</span></div>
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1kh_s-ju0HpCxdQ3cUtf1z_cJgGfnFRoOU-YydC0keRgaQzqpmqczA1IJ9jyWNaNwvwzRPVMLWwsd3b3zDyaWgv-20PNdOeXlr1XdOyRrLr-wxE2xRx2lkk-2vcV6YWf07tok_7mS7Q/s1600/poolfish9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1kh_s-ju0HpCxdQ3cUtf1z_cJgGfnFRoOU-YydC0keRgaQzqpmqczA1IJ9jyWNaNwvwzRPVMLWwsd3b3zDyaWgv-20PNdOeXlr1XdOyRrLr-wxE2xRx2lkk-2vcV6YWf07tok_7mS7Q/s400/poolfish9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I'm disappointed in both the photo and video for not really capturing the color. The video does capture the manic persistence of the fish. The one above seemingly beached on the ice soon wiggled away and even some of the fish seemingly frozen ghostlike in the ice wiggled out of their predicament. Obviously they've come for air, but once there's a large enough mass of them, it no longer is the simple question of getting a gulp of air. These fish were in heat making paroxysms. As far as I could tell no critter, crow nor raccoon, had discovered this meal. I was pleased to see that a porcupine or two had come out of the snow covered rocks along the second valley up (in this case) to the golf course.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TP7rLiQzlWkD3LbrUI-kDW69lKF1DyhGaZIH1fWnhbMhb8_IGHaVnI88pBfc6OvQ4F20CCvnG-3KUq6a15fJNPZvgh-_t0fEfMKMJJz5hisZ7PaxYtBeaBwLJiK7J4Loyx0ieUVvRwc/s1600/ppinetks9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TP7rLiQzlWkD3LbrUI-kDW69lKF1DyhGaZIH1fWnhbMhb8_IGHaVnI88pBfc6OvQ4F20CCvnG-3KUq6a15fJNPZvgh-_t0fEfMKMJJz5hisZ7PaxYtBeaBwLJiK7J4Loyx0ieUVvRwc/s400/ppinetks9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">As I followed that trail up, I ran into another mink trail, avoiding the porcupine's trail as much as it could</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPCc2Jzs3MbXBxYhOzXqhQTeIV-u2x7OE1U20WEdl5Co0KesLfOuXc8q47I9SNFeQYMcJfu4y_MpmCGleO3kijLsOZ5tLOUHc7-DJRq1YPoa-r8RakGu8h7nlwR7XA4m8Y03w-ut9NLQ/s1600/threetks9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPCc2Jzs3MbXBxYhOzXqhQTeIV-u2x7OE1U20WEdl5Co0KesLfOuXc8q47I9SNFeQYMcJfu4y_MpmCGleO3kijLsOZ5tLOUHc7-DJRq1YPoa-r8RakGu8h7nlwR7XA4m8Y03w-ut9NLQ/s400/threetks9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">And, as you can see, there was a smaller porcupine going about, too. The larger trail led to some fresh work</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkog0QW1ummqCuRCFovoF884-3Sc6gum0CVmDshOXjFKnMKU-wqsOeHN-FjLMevJ7NMszOUoJw9R_mQ84kk7xPkj1lDROvnkg5sUWnZYwP8j9T4YCKB0izaDwwnGwFeFDQYJHEB9ygWbw/s1600/ppinewk9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkog0QW1ummqCuRCFovoF884-3Sc6gum0CVmDshOXjFKnMKU-wqsOeHN-FjLMevJ7NMszOUoJw9R_mQ84kk7xPkj1lDROvnkg5sUWnZYwP8j9T4YCKB0izaDwwnGwFeFDQYJHEB9ygWbw/s400/ppinewk9.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">and I celebrated the fine tuning settings of the new camera by showing a porcupine's view of it when it is nose down to work</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKRBBmoNncqUx2NEjkSWPoF9o8HAbNfrSEV5pTGitZr8ZRGtLa3bNWTf2K8UYp_mVPRRKQmerBs2G1cOW_w-7daYV2YySSaruFVOn8qpBOFMjUOxGrVQysPWOS4GUVhH8rAJTThkZ1t8/s1600/ppinecut9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKRBBmoNncqUx2NEjkSWPoF9o8HAbNfrSEV5pTGitZr8ZRGtLa3bNWTf2K8UYp_mVPRRKQmerBs2G1cOW_w-7daYV2YySSaruFVOn8qpBOFMjUOxGrVQysPWOS4GUVhH8rAJTThkZ1t8/s400/ppinecut9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">In winter I find myself rather admiring the glow of the wood, especially of the long dead trees.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwmccqjxA7s_hP43i_upINRVdEI_O4QP0bZinXODR0pM6UC-lksTsxqzds-YQeorotQefcQXFy57Lxl8yMOjymr4C5XBzS3NJM_aUAu-D01ldr_Vky97d5Up6oZbFSR4JwfNQKLaYYfE/s1600/trunk9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwmccqjxA7s_hP43i_upINRVdEI_O4QP0bZinXODR0pM6UC-lksTsxqzds-YQeorotQefcQXFy57Lxl8yMOjymr4C5XBzS3NJM_aUAu-D01ldr_Vky97d5Up6oZbFSR4JwfNQKLaYYfE/s400/trunk9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The pinks are what gets me. The photo is twice or thrice life size. Still slogging through the still deep snow, I was still light of foot because a mink trail led my way up the valley</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatbtHipC0dVYfmuH9G_jSBaL6JQCm4RK4tXBmQijIRoKHn5Wa1lwfjK6zXo51DkX0mXqtR3F56qnfMNGNYPr4rdQJD06jyCEI-AxGnFAIEfPIgZwKY8Z_OiFs37OOP9Mw1wbgfBgtHs8/s1600/minktks9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatbtHipC0dVYfmuH9G_jSBaL6JQCm4RK4tXBmQijIRoKHn5Wa1lwfjK6zXo51DkX0mXqtR3F56qnfMNGNYPr4rdQJD06jyCEI-AxGnFAIEfPIgZwKY8Z_OiFs37OOP9Mw1wbgfBgtHs8/s400/minktks9.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">When I got home, the thermometer was at 18 degrees. There had been no sun to warm the snow covered ponds, so that beaver had been out in forbidden temperatures, forbidden at least by the experts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">January 10 the sun was out in the morning and though it was about 10 degrees, I was able to get the snow and slush out of the boat and rock it loose from the ice and then broke five yards of ice with oar and bow, and we were out on the river. As I rowed around the east end of Goose Island, we saw otter slides on the rock they usually visit every winter.</span><br />
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQohTxBxcUZdacPkz75jXNPb8BlQKizOHSVB2N-JbZcqHgp-NK3QC1HpMPQ70jhLBMa2YW7z9J_p_fPyZcZdUd4eT2Py1h2QrZ-btH_C5RmkZPBHMPFmgypT4-hkhlP7i15LkB_l60yqg/s1600/slidescat10.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQohTxBxcUZdacPkz75jXNPb8BlQKizOHSVB2N-JbZcqHgp-NK3QC1HpMPQ70jhLBMa2YW7z9J_p_fPyZcZdUd4eT2Py1h2QrZ-btH_C5RmkZPBHMPFmgypT4-hkhlP7i15LkB_l60yqg/s400/slidescat10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I got close enough to see a spread of scat up where the tracks ended. Here's a photo showing the relationship of this latrine to the grand river</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FpKIMKcbYo92OdsQija9nF7mqcCEDXeRP-xZGu72I4ys-vn7EZLgLg88BJ6hBGBW1-2GSfPU3nZedTMbd-VxgqOK0KpWewrqRv_gQVMRYSS5Lur_QeAOP2wxwcSuWuIJn2AEJGIPSc8/s1600/island10.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FpKIMKcbYo92OdsQija9nF7mqcCEDXeRP-xZGu72I4ys-vn7EZLgLg88BJ6hBGBW1-2GSfPU3nZedTMbd-VxgqOK0KpWewrqRv_gQVMRYSS5Lur_QeAOP2wxwcSuWuIJn2AEJGIPSc8/s400/island10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Ottoleo did much snorkeling below the rock on the the big island across from this latrine. Evidently the otters thinks its a good place for fish too. We rowed up the island and saw slides on the tiny island off Goose Island</span><br />
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-3elrK6SPsftUbN5_NpmVvFnUCaHyYYBWN2EwggOq-Fza00RsavE2yvOdmX-ISnHHv8JmnxHdlhrtMHNkUkkQmMjjO_USEM7jD0d8EZ4N86-XAOxE9TE8pZCIy0GtsQbYbgccdto9og/s1600/lilisland10.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-3elrK6SPsftUbN5_NpmVvFnUCaHyYYBWN2EwggOq-Fza00RsavE2yvOdmX-ISnHHv8JmnxHdlhrtMHNkUkkQmMjjO_USEM7jD0d8EZ4N86-XAOxE9TE8pZCIy0GtsQbYbgccdto9og/s400/lilisland10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Across from that island, we saw a considerable play of slides under a big willow on Goose Island. </span><br />
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<div align="center">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRk7Zt2QWGtyxBRQJhtikQJJ0tNwcBooaVAemKaICST_VfLZnedVIEB6DKqf1wrHiwt4kbWQLtBKHtQEBM0nDY05XK7EBJBzeBpSAexbWAQAYFgeDbFKpyJc6nSm5St8WYTOa2rSXMspU/s1600/willowslides10.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRk7Zt2QWGtyxBRQJhtikQJJ0tNwcBooaVAemKaICST_VfLZnedVIEB6DKqf1wrHiwt4kbWQLtBKHtQEBM0nDY05XK7EBJBzeBpSAexbWAQAYFgeDbFKpyJc6nSm5St8WYTOa2rSXMspU/s400/willowslides10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So the otters paid me a visit, (I could have seen them from my office window) and judging from the amount of activity, I bet it was a family. Perhaps they won't return to the beaver ponds until the river freezes up more. The other sport while on the river at this time of year is enjoying the state of the ice. There is a daily breakup of the thin ice that forms in the river every night and just off the point of Goose Island was a beach of ice shards</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDci3jmaa0FEqkkkcDdFsJyvzeKV332JJLppjRvJZs3v48L3HJfxdWe7LuhaUxn0KZPuED3s9ZxAJppUDI9pTlVZNrEByis8i49W-uC3I_0TM63o-pKeUgNaOvz7y2ytKoK8324wMUb8/s1600/shards10.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDci3jmaa0FEqkkkcDdFsJyvzeKV332JJLppjRvJZs3v48L3HJfxdWe7LuhaUxn0KZPuED3s9ZxAJppUDI9pTlVZNrEByis8i49W-uC3I_0TM63o-pKeUgNaOvz7y2ytKoK8324wMUb8/s400/shards10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-28843132364678865292013-04-21T07:17:00.000-07:002013-04-21T07:17:08.743-07:00March 22 to 31, 2013<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 22 back on March 20 I saw how the 5 inches of fresh wet snow and continuing cold almost closed the small openings behind the dam that the beavers had been using to forage out of and presumably relax in and around.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyy0f44Wy9XqZSIO3ikBsXCje19CGYnciVTOPK-Z-FuqmN2Ll5c3AjxXKc1UW_st7_M0rCr6hLQ3S0ECN3TL8K34-NScpe13nYtk-f5CvZMB5jAlJslMEod-uHPa6XUpXQLP5pK_aDwnY/s1600/dpdam20mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyy0f44Wy9XqZSIO3ikBsXCje19CGYnciVTOPK-Z-FuqmN2Ll5c3AjxXKc1UW_st7_M0rCr6hLQ3S0ECN3TL8K34-NScpe13nYtk-f5CvZMB5jAlJslMEod-uHPa6XUpXQLP5pK_aDwnY/s320/dpdam20mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Today I saw that the beavers hadn’t resumed using the hole though it had melted out some.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuggrGi5TI7sjYhqspyV7OrvC0DZe9z2RJXwj4Rnd9JyBqaVK2yKtkCuD8nyuWcK61GZD-6tRuiZrbnj2C4I1y5T_Xn9li-eprVewCpXAhBeFYiCBH0ZOYGYaL28jeRlce8ort65Ocx4/s1600/dpdam22mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuggrGi5TI7sjYhqspyV7OrvC0DZe9z2RJXwj4Rnd9JyBqaVK2yKtkCuD8nyuWcK61GZD-6tRuiZrbnj2C4I1y5T_Xn9li-eprVewCpXAhBeFYiCBH0ZOYGYaL28jeRlce8ort65Ocx4/s320/dpdam22mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>However we saw tracks coming from openings in the ice made by the inlet creek on the back side of the pond. They were laid by several turkeys and their prints and trails in soft snow a few inches deep can look much like beaver trails.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlr9xZLzYJx_8wz4e7ZAyyn0ojnhnBT8is78q2AwWk6nIxDMXYgXcvEcPpow5yOHUiFd1GDUZDELG4kheuxdJBP4cflYWIeEa_mScEaN4QvyJgOrlErS71KBTj9hNg7etlmyom93jpwo/s1600/dpturktksa22mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlr9xZLzYJx_8wz4e7ZAyyn0ojnhnBT8is78q2AwWk6nIxDMXYgXcvEcPpow5yOHUiFd1GDUZDELG4kheuxdJBP4cflYWIeEa_mScEaN4QvyJgOrlErS71KBTj9hNg7etlmyom93jpwo/s320/dpturktksa22mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>When got over to the inlet we still hoped to see beaver tracks but we didn’t. The turkeys seemed to have come for a drink.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyEnwpK0T5-8nLZK3qNXAQQyNQRj2Y7Ng3qReO7NhE7KpD52X4VHjhCAut9w5dPlkt-DK9JBcA_Y9SxrU1d4PGwMMS-L0XU-qP74hCLNFB1MzGiFf42jqDz1jOLamO_iRM2z917RCJTs/s1600/dpturktks22mar13.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyEnwpK0T5-8nLZK3qNXAQQyNQRj2Y7Ng3qReO7NhE7KpD52X4VHjhCAut9w5dPlkt-DK9JBcA_Y9SxrU1d4PGwMMS-L0XU-qP74hCLNFB1MzGiFf42jqDz1jOLamO_iRM2z917RCJTs/s320/dpturktks22mar13.jpg" /></a></P><p>I think they came down from the wooded ridge southeast of the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAmOIYd7UyW6bVdk_T1aceS-fJw4ZSWAhcfUqDfOl-2UoUSAF8ow82rcSXHZ65SyHiYRpOsprErKJ3A6t_qFJerM9D-VJaScua5hvvzIo9W_jmyvd6MmLaQMdEEZHkerRqKqluywF7E0/s1600/dpturktksb22mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAmOIYd7UyW6bVdk_T1aceS-fJw4ZSWAhcfUqDfOl-2UoUSAF8ow82rcSXHZ65SyHiYRpOsprErKJ3A6t_qFJerM9D-VJaScua5hvvzIo9W_jmyvd6MmLaQMdEEZHkerRqKqluywF7E0/s320/dpturktksb22mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>At this time of year, beaver trails yo-yo back and forth from open water. Turkeys trot over hill and dale and come to patches of open water for a drink. Usually we see mink tracks around the ponds on our land during the winter, and we did back in early February, but not so much recently. Today I saw the trail of a mink through the snow heading to the Third Pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rUeeVUdPtodz-F1mnXTyN448_ZlDDm4KMmJvrBY_M3b9t1BdRkbyXitrTObtLjiDWa8ipC4dTMnAxjsHiZXyW3P3TIQ_oB3pkFMBd_EA2iBaMRbuxDpVMhYtckmDhmq28yHcJu9mkBE/s1600/minktks22mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rUeeVUdPtodz-F1mnXTyN448_ZlDDm4KMmJvrBY_M3b9t1BdRkbyXitrTObtLjiDWa8ipC4dTMnAxjsHiZXyW3P3TIQ_oB3pkFMBd_EA2iBaMRbuxDpVMhYtckmDhmq28yHcJu9mkBE/s320/minktks22mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I hoped to see which hole in the bank or pond it ran to but the snow on the pond didn’t tell any tales.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 23 today when I inspected the Deep Pond at our land, I again saw tracks around the open patches in the ice around the inlet creek, and could see that beavers laid those tracks. The snow along the edges of the open ice was stained wet. Turkeys wouldn’t do that. The freshest looking tracks were the in the first trail I came to which was made by a beaver walking back to the open water.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0WpCN5vMlwzvbQv28rT3fCXFuq9w4WU6ogamTxgVTjtnZCe9uFzbbWUFoMHWBxilAjhyHvqiPEsTaVIQasNO4CNziEAsH0QfCMeuB4Bio1wq9FTEjzajASt9-RATbh5RxFdc7vjerwo/s1600/dpinlettks23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0WpCN5vMlwzvbQv28rT3fCXFuq9w4WU6ogamTxgVTjtnZCe9uFzbbWUFoMHWBxilAjhyHvqiPEsTaVIQasNO4CNziEAsH0QfCMeuB4Bio1wq9FTEjzajASt9-RATbh5RxFdc7vjerwo/s320/dpinlettks23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>So I began back tracking to see where the beaver had been. Its tracks passed a clump of nipped saplings.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_5oxo6-jwZAxmVHqYeZArtTu38ZJ_tPuuM21Nztndcel3WBHQyh1FAuCZOoPpfK5CyLfFKepSo52YtLraQRU7bbm40-M5r4Zvthem5jtJBEhq_YgfQBHqBKRatGrmKPy89vU4DqSuS8/s1600/bvnipsa23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_5oxo6-jwZAxmVHqYeZArtTu38ZJ_tPuuM21Nztndcel3WBHQyh1FAuCZOoPpfK5CyLfFKepSo52YtLraQRU7bbm40-M5r4Zvthem5jtJBEhq_YgfQBHqBKRatGrmKPy89vU4DqSuS8/s320/bvnipsa23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I am struck that what they cut looks to have the same diameter. These saplings are a few feet from the water so I don’t think the beaver was worried about the heft of what it was cutting. I don’t think the beaver cut anything there on this trip because I soon saw that it had been carrying something relatively thin as it approached that clump on its way back to the inlet. The drag marks of the stick it was carrying are hard to see in the photo below.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5zi9ykE5SyIe1KPowjWVKpkMUARq3FAi2jmOEJSBeM2uiwAU3VLu-UdQSdnhrF_fFMsDFt-dNdDePD34qb-W4pVzxoFRsI5LMPlKLSHGF454e2ukMuCQFL1wBO3HICJWVofUmaoAatDA/s1600/dpbvtks23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5zi9ykE5SyIe1KPowjWVKpkMUARq3FAi2jmOEJSBeM2uiwAU3VLu-UdQSdnhrF_fFMsDFt-dNdDePD34qb-W4pVzxoFRsI5LMPlKLSHGF454e2ukMuCQFL1wBO3HICJWVofUmaoAatDA/s320/dpbvtks23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Judging from how slight the drag marks are, I think the beaver was carrying a relatively light load. The beaver walked over the remains of the juniper branches that were cut by this beaver or the other beaver last summer. The diameter of those branches were twice the size of what it is cutting now.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KNkBElogYpxC-08oM9Ce80I1Wz1Kt_5aRE2fNIfZO9teMAfCl55hu6BYHKFksWgC7GRE9BlRKoP8CWMtXiy7JgBBJrBaesWMBB04mhkZgKxxGoN5QXV4aVR1pYAYOnuhEMy-yHWadLo/s1600/dpbvtksa23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KNkBElogYpxC-08oM9Ce80I1Wz1Kt_5aRE2fNIfZO9teMAfCl55hu6BYHKFksWgC7GRE9BlRKoP8CWMtXiy7JgBBJrBaesWMBB04mhkZgKxxGoN5QXV4aVR1pYAYOnuhEMy-yHWadLo/s320/dpbvtksa23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The snow in the woods seemed softer. The beaver didn’t look as light footed.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1TENf4x0NwvHGhQbNwwTdWuQrWieUudXTFf2WtzkyTDZZS5q0v2BSm7jMydW0C4r4sflbs-0jy3uW9seS_exU8KPzpReW-VxDBBTROuR6djaPLnbdS5xtirM-kDfGj25ILgvrqsY-OM/s1600/dpbvtksb23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1TENf4x0NwvHGhQbNwwTdWuQrWieUudXTFf2WtzkyTDZZS5q0v2BSm7jMydW0C4r4sflbs-0jy3uW9seS_exU8KPzpReW-VxDBBTROuR6djaPLnbdS5xtirM-kDfGj25ILgvrqsY-OM/s320/dpbvtksb23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>In other years beavers cut some maples with more heft, 3 or 4 inches in diameter. I speculated that there might have been enough regrowth of maples from roots and stumps if not seeds for beavers to find food here again. I noticed the trail of a smaller animal, perhaps a rabbit, crossing the beaver’s trail.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUu02rYq8OqoqoJKItozzZEdBa4YAMHkpBard7JaGmQBAGoh08J98qvfWRmiODHoO0QyBJFn72K0eSmJfCong2lSBsFVQaHtJXy7OQWIYlMEapG3xcFL4i-HukpPcZm2SPCxQmQhD1BQ/s1600/dpbvtksc23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUu02rYq8OqoqoJKItozzZEdBa4YAMHkpBard7JaGmQBAGoh08J98qvfWRmiODHoO0QyBJFn72K0eSmJfCong2lSBsFVQaHtJXy7OQWIYlMEapG3xcFL4i-HukpPcZm2SPCxQmQhD1BQ/s320/dpbvtksc23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I often take photos of crossing trails to remind myself that tracks are in space and judging the time they were made is a bit tricky. Anyway, I soon saw that the beavers here now might have girdled some of the bigger maples still in the woods, but seem to have no interest in cutting them down. (I turned back to get the photo below to show more of the girdling.)</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUN45QNqDIvZTtOjZyfLQLg4jXgMZw9nbGyA2gOxce6SbYLPH3F6X0Ce79bO0uC9xNg-2V62vaDantmVj2d0qkpenKfi_E6QjwJt6dYVz6rAxqEXSOr0z15TNuPqWf-lOwkT4hnoOap9A/s1600/dpbvtksd23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUN45QNqDIvZTtOjZyfLQLg4jXgMZw9nbGyA2gOxce6SbYLPH3F6X0Ce79bO0uC9xNg-2V62vaDantmVj2d0qkpenKfi_E6QjwJt6dYVz6rAxqEXSOr0z15TNuPqWf-lOwkT4hnoOap9A/s320/dpbvtksd23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>On the fringe of the woods closer to the inlet, I found back and forth prints suggesting that this is the place where the beaver nipped something, but what?</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9QIqVtAdY_z_wdaiWpyXjSvH82DgOI-jVeteUkq06ywZOPYmv8LBgNUAuGw-EGrlJFChhwaYUy4XUZo_S28K7Nxt8Zw1T3PiN9d0raNVEx37lxH1lATCxjsnnmK5RZl4owgwpzc9NhU/s1600/dpbvtkse23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9QIqVtAdY_z_wdaiWpyXjSvH82DgOI-jVeteUkq06ywZOPYmv8LBgNUAuGw-EGrlJFChhwaYUy4XUZo_S28K7Nxt8Zw1T3PiN9d0raNVEx37lxH1lATCxjsnnmK5RZl4owgwpzc9NhU/s320/dpbvtkse23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I could see the drag mark coming from the midst of all the tracks and I could see where it looked like the beaver got its nose down in the snow. But my close-up photo didn’t reveal what the beaver cut. If I didn’t see the drag marks leaving the area, I would say that the beaver nosed down to eat some moss or a bit of fern.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_QZfiRcP_fnGpCs-03TjNkTMsHZ0UIzfmAXYws703B4tOiZOLTHHdhKOA75OXGMzWys4JgyNXICLXS7x1XHJx8ZAMyEIrjWAt0U8sFA3a2YjjmEsSAuzmZkhuh-MCyep6ZJw7Muy9cc/s1600/dpbvnip23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_QZfiRcP_fnGpCs-03TjNkTMsHZ0UIzfmAXYws703B4tOiZOLTHHdhKOA75OXGMzWys4JgyNXICLXS7x1XHJx8ZAMyEIrjWAt0U8sFA3a2YjjmEsSAuzmZkhuh-MCyep6ZJw7Muy9cc/s320/dpbvnip23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Backtracking the beaver to the inlet creek, I passed the largest tree I’ve ever seen these beavers address, but only to girdle it, not cut it down.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQOnbNNCMXneCJVAMi7PCBB57hyPaCeNAKcSPt2h3D39PiR9-bJCvCSx7FaPoFXD9gemiCfvHwyiEzhFrkw8plYVvokjBy9qckQOj9SAhEBmI5Tm7Y8xvZHnPggruNkld0Fenivt4D55w/s1600/dpbvtksg23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQOnbNNCMXneCJVAMi7PCBB57hyPaCeNAKcSPt2h3D39PiR9-bJCvCSx7FaPoFXD9gemiCfvHwyiEzhFrkw8plYVvokjBy9qckQOj9SAhEBmI5Tm7Y8xvZHnPggruNkld0Fenivt4D55w/s320/dpbvtksg23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then once out of the woods, I passed several clumps of the small bore sticks that it seemed the beaver was after but passed by.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZMysKLdUaD9QeRfAZD73gmQnaqAetiClDhAQlgtLpbcwETJcgggEWwY3Tb2Tc8EoPKrjAjvp_MYRCl8vc6q03BIKBl3ur2NyWXrvJPi6L45mqbaDSxeIKyRRCQGtrMuBQZSkkLAQsGA/s1600/dpbvtksh23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZMysKLdUaD9QeRfAZD73gmQnaqAetiClDhAQlgtLpbcwETJcgggEWwY3Tb2Tc8EoPKrjAjvp_MYRCl8vc6q03BIKBl3ur2NyWXrvJPi6L45mqbaDSxeIKyRRCQGtrMuBQZSkkLAQsGA/s320/dpbvtksh23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There are a number of ways to look at this. After being confined under pond ice for so long, the beaver was probably not in a hurry to get back into the pond. It might have needed a little walking exercise. That explains its circular route and getting perhaps the farthest of the little sticks it was after. And as we learned when we tap maple trees in the spring, all trees do not react to spring at the same time. Perhaps the beaver can smell or see which of these small sticks is the juiciest, if that is what they are after. I should add that over the years of watching beavers foraging in the spring, I am used to seeing the beavers cut, strip, haul and segment much larger trees. When I got back down to the inlet creek, I saw that school was not over for me. There was trail so worn in the snow going into the small woods west of the inlet that it was browned. The beavers’ going back and forth had molded the snow down into the creek where the wet muddy belly of the beavers came up where fallen ice blocked progress up the creek.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOlqoqWUq9NH0EnJsKTUAcwSrycZzZHn7qXKlNWzC5F_nXudTaKX3xC3Dg3Qog2qzrrxyPFnpkRmVI_aWEroEzHmdhD2cBZjXpIHx5HnCRnJ6SgVWU9KUqu-3DkpFtUHCi6SrV1WpVp0/s1600/dpinlettr23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOlqoqWUq9NH0EnJsKTUAcwSrycZzZHn7qXKlNWzC5F_nXudTaKX3xC3Dg3Qog2qzrrxyPFnpkRmVI_aWEroEzHmdhD2cBZjXpIHx5HnCRnJ6SgVWU9KUqu-3DkpFtUHCi6SrV1WpVp0/s320/dpinlettr23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The beavers’ trail went straight up into the woods.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuaFWyPF0pEZd05sJFLJlTxci_re6mGbV47GpP5BSrSLFWhA5kqCxAX9b9VydFSglXEEwbHzQsgwkUZb0Fn9JdGRaVysCEfBV3n5NAenLSHmgJg5HvvSzV1OacxPddOz4Zh7Ac-mAlDc/s1600/dpwbvtks23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuaFWyPF0pEZd05sJFLJlTxci_re6mGbV47GpP5BSrSLFWhA5kqCxAX9b9VydFSglXEEwbHzQsgwkUZb0Fn9JdGRaVysCEfBV3n5NAenLSHmgJg5HvvSzV1OacxPddOz4Zh7Ac-mAlDc/s320/dpwbvtks23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>And again, at first it looked like the beavers just nipped the smallest sticks. But on this side of the inlet, I could at least see wood chips left behind next to the fresh beaver prints.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDRsuPsWqUtKkrqT1YvNHeKdnyRWfRMaswR7sLICbUGhSxlKDcAYr_giUEiEgsK4Fbz0BaYBE91QZRT0Hh85Y84sUHsFr3pbVS_zmOgZG2rQr5wlIPqE-noqHnKbkLNqcHs1s9zGvybs/s1600/dpwnip23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDRsuPsWqUtKkrqT1YvNHeKdnyRWfRMaswR7sLICbUGhSxlKDcAYr_giUEiEgsK4Fbz0BaYBE91QZRT0Hh85Y84sUHsFr3pbVS_zmOgZG2rQr5wlIPqE-noqHnKbkLNqcHs1s9zGvybs/s320/dpwnip23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p ALIGN="CENTER"></P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikA5Q4G2XcJrN-VXjV5Y2jc5vpOAgNpAe6QznIVfNmGN69MDStBT2-qoNLHNaCJ2UEjN_MV5z9VZUUrHF2hKy_jOqFRdSXU8yXMffaWV1b0xpCVRKhW2ZdWPzjwgi6hyrYgrZEJ_ZepJI/s1600/nipchips23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikA5Q4G2XcJrN-VXjV5Y2jc5vpOAgNpAe6QznIVfNmGN69MDStBT2-qoNLHNaCJ2UEjN_MV5z9VZUUrHF2hKy_jOqFRdSXU8yXMffaWV1b0xpCVRKhW2ZdWPzjwgi6hyrYgrZEJ_ZepJI/s320/nipchips23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p ALIGN="CENTER"></P><p>At one point, as the beaver passed one small stick of a sapling, it veered to left and nosed down to get another one.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqZq01rIKii5F3qLZWR9wb1a8E6aJ-uveDCV67sQrqh48hzxK4NQRazwWTuM6NIOBht9z7Stkj3CitEGKpe5_YvttaQPlyRON2UQ45q-MfLD9t32ap0tF2STgGH47SvUJcY_oFkB_QSQ/s1600/dpwnipa23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqZq01rIKii5F3qLZWR9wb1a8E6aJ-uveDCV67sQrqh48hzxK4NQRazwWTuM6NIOBht9z7Stkj3CitEGKpe5_YvttaQPlyRON2UQ45q-MfLD9t32ap0tF2STgGH47SvUJcY_oFkB_QSQ/s320/dpwnipa23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The beaver found a sapling just the right size between two larger trees.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RMoy-cbZZTnGTtiSfRtAfo7TfIehY9HdoQdT-8eS6lQ318_uuzpeS1gdDhhPi80gIGvd7qBZ7gRgAeULnK1eTHGw96k8MhppSGgPjiOnLoKoqknfVEkBgI6QO6W9B5YzbJMQaswm1dE/s1600/dpwnipb23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RMoy-cbZZTnGTtiSfRtAfo7TfIehY9HdoQdT-8eS6lQ318_uuzpeS1gdDhhPi80gIGvd7qBZ7gRgAeULnK1eTHGw96k8MhppSGgPjiOnLoKoqknfVEkBgI6QO6W9B5YzbJMQaswm1dE/s320/dpwnipb23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then the beaver’s trail headed down toward a small vernal creek that came down from more substantial woods where there were few saplings.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWY1AJ60uj-e1AJ2yM0v3Bsnr0IWeu6EerHXueZGAzzecIMoet4R_BjU4SgJhUN5yGI4IQva-Uz25dfNn3Q-xqWOlhywFewda8eACFL9s-B3C2cDeNfrcWtEcgJMKzoFCusu5PPcrGLeA/s1600/dpwbvtksa23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWY1AJ60uj-e1AJ2yM0v3Bsnr0IWeu6EerHXueZGAzzecIMoet4R_BjU4SgJhUN5yGI4IQva-Uz25dfNn3Q-xqWOlhywFewda8eACFL9s-B3C2cDeNfrcWtEcgJMKzoFCusu5PPcrGLeA/s320/dpwbvtksa23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I didn’t see anything cut down there. The beaver went back up the slope toward the pond and finally I saw a sapling that was about 2 inches in diameter at the base of the trunk that was neatly cut and taken away with only several wood chips left behind.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7MbFhyphenhyphenYTHLYT4NCG0A8g5gFRLNnlpuaJuuPkaFGTG72i410hIVX9uXro7YudqZMmf0cqdbDQ2WagT3RNkXz4Nqwxgkhax2CuEXYV_PJ0do_wgaUdv2GeSjLFPqbkiUMLDuDoINfWJPs/s1600/dpwnipc23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7MbFhyphenhyphenYTHLYT4NCG0A8g5gFRLNnlpuaJuuPkaFGTG72i410hIVX9uXro7YudqZMmf0cqdbDQ2WagT3RNkXz4Nqwxgkhax2CuEXYV_PJ0do_wgaUdv2GeSjLFPqbkiUMLDuDoINfWJPs/s320/dpwnipc23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>But the several saplings I saw nipped were all half that size or even less.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydzgpBB_B6LaMAxY1fUbWZBYHvET-vXAKxUH30mGx45pX-V9NDJsvxgwaPTWkZpRxZdRUiyibO8Hhzn8lkJmMGqXQ-n5rhkC4mhQxpbKsJKubSes2qwcz0yvw4KPrEB6r6i2CfitX0T0/s1600/nipchipsa23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydzgpBB_B6LaMAxY1fUbWZBYHvET-vXAKxUH30mGx45pX-V9NDJsvxgwaPTWkZpRxZdRUiyibO8Hhzn8lkJmMGqXQ-n5rhkC4mhQxpbKsJKubSes2qwcz0yvw4KPrEB6r6i2CfitX0T0/s320/nipchipsa23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I am pretty sure I was following at least two beaver trails and unlike on the east side of the inlet creek these trails were not simple circles. The beaver seemed to go to particular places until I saw the end of one trail. A beaver bumped into a dead tree trunk lying in the snow about 2 feet high. It made a feint to the left and then turned back.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyj20ZTi67QByEhyU2s_q_U3z4ZwDglpsWGKNL0klS9_Vfjj4buqDYU0AmkKvFBu8rkrK0DQJYkEd7quO7BzDkOQDVbZJbE78HchcCzkeaQbCEuXu1BNqWQARGvzZIFQryDbPfxN-QTyc/s1600/dpbvblock23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyj20ZTi67QByEhyU2s_q_U3z4ZwDglpsWGKNL0klS9_Vfjj4buqDYU0AmkKvFBu8rkrK0DQJYkEd7quO7BzDkOQDVbZJbE78HchcCzkeaQbCEuXu1BNqWQARGvzZIFQryDbPfxN-QTyc/s320/dpbvblock23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I tracked that trail to the well worn snow. The beaver or beavers have evidently been back and forth here more than on the other side of inlet creek. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoyi3-l8ZDJTcGA300gRRIn4RWd0f54nkxaIco58gjougu0tkGUft1wNK7mT3yDlBmxsINURKNofy6AWFj2p3Y2svpLONgjkZSiL7gJRcZiYMxMK9dlsuX6MTFw_QaAgCl8YHz2kUhZfc/s1600/dpwbvtksb23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoyi3-l8ZDJTcGA300gRRIn4RWd0f54nkxaIco58gjougu0tkGUft1wNK7mT3yDlBmxsINURKNofy6AWFj2p3Y2svpLONgjkZSiL7gJRcZiYMxMK9dlsuX6MTFw_QaAgCl8YHz2kUhZfc/s320/dpwbvtksb23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Back in the summer I expected that they would do their foraging in the woods on the other side of the creek. They did girdle more trees over there but nipped fewer saplings to take into the pond. Meanwhile Leslie had taken a hike on the other side of our land up on the wooded ridges beyond where we have our house and she saw fisher tracks. So I followed her tracks and saw where the fisher came down from a cut through the ridge behind our cabin.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6O41hWlBC3_HJ1osK2HNZeYiKbjbgYNhyb3uUqXc2JBuKiQcB-LoWM4kXROvzc_aNkzcjsN-5lCiqW19kEoxCGR8UazeIaX1IcfNtxmULT-uwmo1eboZzjdlBdoyPfVdqLTwlg2hfaQ/s1600/fishertks23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6O41hWlBC3_HJ1osK2HNZeYiKbjbgYNhyb3uUqXc2JBuKiQcB-LoWM4kXROvzc_aNkzcjsN-5lCiqW19kEoxCGR8UazeIaX1IcfNtxmULT-uwmo1eboZzjdlBdoyPfVdqLTwlg2hfaQ/s320/fishertks23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>We used to see fisher tracks on our land every winter but we think a fellow raising sheep as a hobby who lives within a couple miles does all he can to kill fishers. So I was back tracking again. I figured seeing what the fisher did up on the ridge would tell me more about it in a short time than following its trail on the flat of the valley. I followed the tracks to the high point of the ridge </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lie09ZMGjL0U-Oqk1XMYCfqH7SrQdipvLNkF-y1GIWhLBYioqqH1_WUharPJm8Pvcwpl0AEVPN4p4dDWGYlDbcjQ8QJ4iinRcN1uertfc_x1kb5JKWHaTuJwN56UAdNJgp49qF09L18/s1600/fishertksa23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lie09ZMGjL0U-Oqk1XMYCfqH7SrQdipvLNkF-y1GIWhLBYioqqH1_WUharPJm8Pvcwpl0AEVPN4p4dDWGYlDbcjQ8QJ4iinRcN1uertfc_x1kb5JKWHaTuJwN56UAdNJgp49qF09L18/s320/fishertksa23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>And my heart leapt when I thought I saw the tracks come from a den like ledge but the tracks didn’t come from it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklUYDVJnEhqTSvDSI84Z8PthE46WrHrgG_d0JDmpC_AmYQkun2qKu7FE5-RdJiCds3b_cm054fKeE9vs4_lLOw8Pn2uCN4lkoTteZ1CcgiiRg65ZWNSxK5gtT4FiMybyfjZmw__Ji404/s1600/fishertksc23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklUYDVJnEhqTSvDSI84Z8PthE46WrHrgG_d0JDmpC_AmYQkun2qKu7FE5-RdJiCds3b_cm054fKeE9vs4_lLOw8Pn2uCN4lkoTteZ1CcgiiRg65ZWNSxK5gtT4FiMybyfjZmw__Ji404/s320/fishertksc23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The fisher had run through one of our many large patches of junipers which are easy to run through if you are light footed in the snow. I’m not. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-mn1ZdbF-StionY5XToVclpNeqhVCpA87LwoTR_isYQk1cwJnpXkry22B33KQffLqfRTv5cllqYcIQOeiEaYcec1TqMvlEsg8NQATpIOloWNM0jutFskPPf7pSkMGEZmSfbMweQA824/s1600/fishertksd23mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-mn1ZdbF-StionY5XToVclpNeqhVCpA87LwoTR_isYQk1cwJnpXkry22B33KQffLqfRTv5cllqYcIQOeiEaYcec1TqMvlEsg8NQATpIOloWNM0jutFskPPf7pSkMGEZmSfbMweQA824/s320/fishertksd23mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I think the fisher had come up directly from the valley below rather than running along the ridge, which was interesting -- if I could only figure out why it came up on the ridge. I sort of know all the tricks of the fishers on the island since I have tracked them every winter, but fishers have been too scarce on our land. I have no feel for what it means to them.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 24 Our tapping trees and boiling sap has been keeping us at the land everyday, but not exactly busy. The weather is teasing, the trees fickle. So I have been collecting firewood which is not easy because in the woods and valley the snow is still a foot or two deep and thawing wet. The Last Pond channel is coming back to life but the water is so meager I don’t think I can brag on my dam patching yet.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkb5_cd0K83rVHJIa3TLRG3_7pvkfi3Y7YABtZfpsmdPyiexD7LI49x2eUwCMR5Iik9ptMDCWU4L8eG2RZSUQIY6484L3hGeJ95aV7AgSwJESuwS16jboYeA_JAg5-tIEAi9NsNcjRh0/s1600/lpchan24mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkb5_cd0K83rVHJIa3TLRG3_7pvkfi3Y7YABtZfpsmdPyiexD7LI49x2eUwCMR5Iik9ptMDCWU4L8eG2RZSUQIY6484L3hGeJ95aV7AgSwJESuwS16jboYeA_JAg5-tIEAi9NsNcjRh0/s320/lpchan24mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Looking up channel, I didn’t see any open water, but I did see plenty of large ungirdled trees which reminded me that while the beavers probably cut and killed 500 trees in the valley, they left plenty behind.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_y7trPlc83yz-Rq5XamTE0sW95sqhDYXU8EXrkHlbf0j6df6_krBK_lUxj_f-EWsbw2QZSiwes2oM_I2zMKlJnSyBS4fiNrN8CUYhOhG08yyw0DkINzUNkqrvgpRhYoSopoXyhDkiGM/s1600/lpchana24mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_y7trPlc83yz-Rq5XamTE0sW95sqhDYXU8EXrkHlbf0j6df6_krBK_lUxj_f-EWsbw2QZSiwes2oM_I2zMKlJnSyBS4fiNrN8CUYhOhG08yyw0DkINzUNkqrvgpRhYoSopoXyhDkiGM/s320/lpchana24mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I walked up to the Turtle bog via an area where I had been cutting larger ironwoods. I couldn’t remember if I had cut up and removed what I had cut. I hadn’t. The turtle bog, as I expected, was completely snow covered. We have a relatively easy trail along side of the bog but walking on the ice and snow down the middle of the bog is always a treat,</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XF2xO0F9b5f2XZitU4GS_9HW1IGktVvFTJ43Y_UhXhsb04gm3RIiVyIZwEtoPON8pqcQy3Fh5zSqcGBwkgdfel5s8j1_FYmaS2SKbbBi1GmyuT8_dembZYyXJxsIKLCgksfeXLQn-OM/s1600/turbog24mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XF2xO0F9b5f2XZitU4GS_9HW1IGktVvFTJ43Y_UhXhsb04gm3RIiVyIZwEtoPON8pqcQy3Fh5zSqcGBwkgdfel5s8j1_FYmaS2SKbbBi1GmyuT8_dembZYyXJxsIKLCgksfeXLQn-OM/s320/turbog24mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>And I am not alone in enjoying this. As usual the deer and rabbits crossed the pond and the coyotes and turkeys walked down the middle of the pond. A genius could date the tracks in the snow below. I’ll say deer first, then rabbit, the coyote.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPPTcWyWAMtFK8vbw9WYqLxdHXU_0Tk3ream-naADqo3oMHyYGM5DWgxc3ilrfUiXlY4OBlF-5P42ueUCDtMGDSSitTZVz9_sqfWHjy9phnqTuX2HLrMAsvVZ44JhWzrbuNZQ9EF8OD-M/s1600/turbogtks24mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPPTcWyWAMtFK8vbw9WYqLxdHXU_0Tk3ream-naADqo3oMHyYGM5DWgxc3ilrfUiXlY4OBlF-5P42ueUCDtMGDSSitTZVz9_sqfWHjy9phnqTuX2HLrMAsvVZ44JhWzrbuNZQ9EF8OD-M/s320/turbogtks24mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>All the animals, me too, are making up for lost time when they walk here. The snow is deeper everywhere else on the ridge and draped over entanglements, though more junipers than stickers.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHBwUuRX8-eqMxUcUBcG4zCr7YAsxeYmjyzrSOkAgc9uaRk3U6ITez6ju8_4pyUbJMJdHvYQIQmuRhErRmq04VEOjr69HQPSpztnZtROfcqomE2LRnC73KeADJusTO1fJOpbzewf930g/s1600/turbogtksa24mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHBwUuRX8-eqMxUcUBcG4zCr7YAsxeYmjyzrSOkAgc9uaRk3U6ITez6ju8_4pyUbJMJdHvYQIQmuRhErRmq04VEOjr69HQPSpztnZtROfcqomE2LRnC73KeADJusTO1fJOpbzewf930g/s320/turbogtksa24mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The parallel tracks of different animals suggest a crowd which suggests confusion, but, believe me, when walking down here all animals can briefly clear their heads, even the turkeys.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihztdS7wyJow7vM6O5fDfv4Bf1WPLImIS_oUNyefbS0RCLvGndCuUsd3jqe09KQWBvH62BXqpn4QN3rONdElfBYROU_lHPFafSk3BAq7KDCeH4alhfVEUhhEVuL6BkpTuzjx9GP3Dl29o/s1600/turbogtksb24mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihztdS7wyJow7vM6O5fDfv4Bf1WPLImIS_oUNyefbS0RCLvGndCuUsd3jqe09KQWBvH62BXqpn4QN3rONdElfBYROU_lHPFafSk3BAq7KDCeH4alhfVEUhhEVuL6BkpTuzjx9GP3Dl29o/s320/turbogtksb24mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Meanwhile I found more trees I had on my list to cut up and I went back to get my bow saw and get to work. Other than a few small flying insects and a few distant ravens all was quiet. </P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 25 I did a double take when I saw the tracks around the inlet’s open water today. It looked like a beaver walked around the patch of open water without going into it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPEIasLYE_oZQvCZgtbUWOC5BTCy0_ruXGUdzvODMAyNz4u9ESbxPbepyFEeo7QQWbChVDQta494tfSsdwLAmUKchAm9fJ1eyPQWKMmpZmALN3mYXSTBEzrf2xASwuthSUtM6kg76NLo/s1600/dpinlet25mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPEIasLYE_oZQvCZgtbUWOC5BTCy0_ruXGUdzvODMAyNz4u9ESbxPbepyFEeo7QQWbChVDQta494tfSsdwLAmUKchAm9fJ1eyPQWKMmpZmALN3mYXSTBEzrf2xASwuthSUtM6kg76NLo/s320/dpinlet25mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then it came up to the first line of vegetation, nipped I know not what or nothing, and then circled back to the water.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpptgAi_flGBMzKo1Up_yPch8QeHmB0FV5ljcWF88qtvLHSmj_uBbCSDuNaFt_bFfUI7R2V1wfmaOaKskSz-LV0QAG07GOxoVqYXMkAPEUT1NPK5NGmsANwxYJRsSnI1O_fYqK7aKSLs/s1600/dptks25mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpptgAi_flGBMzKo1Up_yPch8QeHmB0FV5ljcWF88qtvLHSmj_uBbCSDuNaFt_bFfUI7R2V1wfmaOaKskSz-LV0QAG07GOxoVqYXMkAPEUT1NPK5NGmsANwxYJRsSnI1O_fYqK7aKSLs/s320/dptks25mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I noticed the other day that an old rotting downed tree trunk seemed to persuade the beaver turn around and return to the water. Once again a beaver walked out to a tree trunk, walked along it and then returned to the water.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zIxwP1mYgT9xV1tfAf06hamhhuN0siSyOmbL_-v17rMYjOi9nurlCjO65zLGM1Ofq_eB8CJhNNbkSc1zWuYR1FflLe9GqUViL1Crbooao5hLd9UMymsyCTgP1rcZxfKgkaN4_V3InVw/s1600/dpbvtksa25mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zIxwP1mYgT9xV1tfAf06hamhhuN0siSyOmbL_-v17rMYjOi9nurlCjO65zLGM1Ofq_eB8CJhNNbkSc1zWuYR1FflLe9GqUViL1Crbooao5hLd9UMymsyCTgP1rcZxfKgkaN4_V3InVw/s320/dpbvtksa25mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>All this happened just a few yards from the water. I also had noted that the beavers here liked to walk by the clumps of saplings they had already cut, but today I saw tracks heading straight to and from the pond, seemingly avoiding distractions.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyymBQDv4ho2AfXejShNtEmdrLwQh255WCsLlnNYZnsiAlrYNY-41IJqiwXr7kPicrC2H-DAyyAY5nQfOiAg7Rpu92K58pNDHeUzETwoiGnEouaX_1Iann0UvXnedWsVuzS9bLYCsb5S4/s1600/dpbvtksb25mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyymBQDv4ho2AfXejShNtEmdrLwQh255WCsLlnNYZnsiAlrYNY-41IJqiwXr7kPicrC2H-DAyyAY5nQfOiAg7Rpu92K58pNDHeUzETwoiGnEouaX_1Iann0UvXnedWsVuzS9bLYCsb5S4/s320/dpbvtksb25mar13.JPG" /></a><br />
<p>I followed the trail back to the water and then noticed evidence a bit off that last trail that a beaver doesn’t cut all the saplings growing out of a stump at once. It came back in the last few months to cut the last of four.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhhldl5nUKPmG9Ux3l1QXBnl0qZ6tWGrBQM2x8ypd_NPC001hx5XEh5-cZw6qLC7KZtr2Aey_HqQGRayqx7MvGpEME3zHBTJ4tFLalFohqAUGbxzZwRCnC5zi0Rz7zP-SUEpo4qeHS84/s1600/dpbvwk25mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhhldl5nUKPmG9Ux3l1QXBnl0qZ6tWGrBQM2x8ypd_NPC001hx5XEh5-cZw6qLC7KZtr2Aey_HqQGRayqx7MvGpEME3zHBTJ4tFLalFohqAUGbxzZwRCnC5zi0Rz7zP-SUEpo4qeHS84/s320/dpbvwk25mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>As the snow settles and melts, the work of the past few months is revealed. When I returned in February I immediately noticed a large ash that had been cut down since I left in mid-September. Now I saw a smaller cut ash a few yard up stream that had been covered by the snow since I got back.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclQLlwyzCy_gsQ0cGmI8qgSMn8VeEzW3EpymijdOhE8luO1rOrkUImwirJKyqQTw0SxKRefKIQ_L3mXh0p1gFUOOTpaSHsauIcT4FTVHFd39ColtVzg8A9-Il75RWBRXXRCSKgQAHOsQ/s1600/dpashwk25mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclQLlwyzCy_gsQ0cGmI8qgSMn8VeEzW3EpymijdOhE8luO1rOrkUImwirJKyqQTw0SxKRefKIQ_L3mXh0p1gFUOOTpaSHsauIcT4FTVHFd39ColtVzg8A9-Il75RWBRXXRCSKgQAHOsQ/s320/dpashwk25mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Let me be first to admit that these are idle observations proving nothing, but that’s my point. Neither the beavers nor I have anything to prove. The swamps and woods are not laboratories. Deductions need not be drawn. Yes, the beavers have brought me down to their level, though I am well aware that they are better equipped for the task at hand. The poor photo below shows my work, trimming an ironwood that fell into a tangle of buckthorns and honeysuckles.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtv25baae8OWSQ_jwG5tMxGfV0-uEVU3mEEsUrxva-PCRX4urFO0j_Y46R4efLngX2PtVRZJJEhNlklyFXG4TGDXh-ZHLBckDQcg34xkpF_w7Vrf_7rUs0hwTpIpPbINvfyqUO-BCPZ4/s1600/work25mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtv25baae8OWSQ_jwG5tMxGfV0-uEVU3mEEsUrxva-PCRX4urFO0j_Y46R4efLngX2PtVRZJJEhNlklyFXG4TGDXh-ZHLBckDQcg34xkpF_w7Vrf_7rUs0hwTpIpPbINvfyqUO-BCPZ4/s320/work25mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I use a bow saw. When I get the tangles away, and branches off, I cut logs that I’ll cut again and split for firewood. But I am being somewhat modest. I can draw deductions from my work. I am getting too old to do it, and I have never been able to do it as well as a beaver. </P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 26 In the midst of collecting sap in the morning, we saw migrating snow geese high over head, several stunning chevrons, white in a cloudless blue sky. I hurried and got my camcorder and took some video that hardly captures what we saw. Because of the bright sun, I couldn’t see what the camera was seeing. The viewing screen was too small.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/afTMRbwL4b0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></P><p ALIGN="CENTER"></P><p>The group in the photo below was one of the smallest we saw. Other chevrons had a hundred or so geese.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmHDSSXdG46f1SGYaZT1MwYVHgEl4mtrvaofPxElvTpO8oQeBfg_okLttyMOpuIaJUUz9Z7xcjumhMUxFjreIMjaF1ZVYtqMPQRSEckKit7b7g8GQ02K-N0Vi-OwJf-QZJqBS9q-iIh8/s1600/snowgeese26mar13.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmHDSSXdG46f1SGYaZT1MwYVHgEl4mtrvaofPxElvTpO8oQeBfg_okLttyMOpuIaJUUz9Z7xcjumhMUxFjreIMjaF1ZVYtqMPQRSEckKit7b7g8GQ02K-N0Vi-OwJf-QZJqBS9q-iIh8/s320/snowgeese26mar13.jpg" /></a></P><p>While we were away in the fall, Ottoleo found some muskrat traps in the channel of the Last Pool which is well into our land. I wasn’t worried because I was pretty sure there were no muskrats there since the beavers left. But we had Ottoleo post our property which means yellow no-trespassing signs every 30 yards or so. If your land is not posted, anyone caught simply plays dumb and local judges and state wildlife officials are disposed to let them off the hook anyway. One of our neighbors thought some of the signs were on his land. When we came back in February the snow started mounting up so today was the first day I could somewhat easily check the far-flung corner of our land. The line runs along a cliff. We own the land on top, more or less. It would be a handsome cliff to own though we much prefer the other side of the ridge with all its flowers and ferns. I took down signs that were too forward that I could reach. Much ado about nothing but nothing makes good neighbors not even fences.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkg1N6ds9tySFMh1O9hTd9_5MmIcTdV948kAJ6NDvbmFPH035nTxveFg-xouSG9SjLGF2XW-2PLYBpmvNuW01R1zPGQQY7B2lZAs_dYJEWFMCxj93ip2fVQgvZXEdySQRM6_awCv9BUI/s1600/cliffline26mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkg1N6ds9tySFMh1O9hTd9_5MmIcTdV948kAJ6NDvbmFPH035nTxveFg-xouSG9SjLGF2XW-2PLYBpmvNuW01R1zPGQQY7B2lZAs_dYJEWFMCxj93ip2fVQgvZXEdySQRM6_awCv9BUI/s320/cliffline26mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I went down to see what the beavers had been up to at the Deep Pond and as approached I heard something dive into the open water behind the dam. I retreated and went up the road a bit and came down to the west shore of the pond in a way that would position me far enough from that open water not to alarm a beaver, not that I expected the beaver to come back out. However, we were in the midst of the nicest day this spring, with sun and the temperature over 50F and just a light wind. Sure enough, after I stood there about 5 minutes, the beaver’s head surfaced in the water behind the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZ6aQ3_gN7xizkimBqxl8KVbdVxiE9uaGt3CcjJPdaXl0ePhTd-5KmWOm4D3NzUWooJu7DHbhu41EkM1uFHAbzR_PuQQZKckfNGYy9TG9KfM68vAdOBHcM_YLh7PPlj49yJWIv_yL-Pw/s1600/dpdam26mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZ6aQ3_gN7xizkimBqxl8KVbdVxiE9uaGt3CcjJPdaXl0ePhTd-5KmWOm4D3NzUWooJu7DHbhu41EkM1uFHAbzR_PuQQZKckfNGYy9TG9KfM68vAdOBHcM_YLh7PPlj49yJWIv_yL-Pw/s320/dpdam26mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I got my camcorder out and watched as the beaver slowly raised its head out of the water.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFQyhyr_CTuGQYPJmiZ3guoZF0g2hqY6iaCmH6GAxa06nBvH1w2aB4sl_Y7cjSFLdXrRu4n0xTE72dmF7uyGJRVGmjuaNnU1gPPLU4hEbPGtSIH9N8-RlHxSBCoLP-UzxbmkDIukWH9k/s1600/dpbv26mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFQyhyr_CTuGQYPJmiZ3guoZF0g2hqY6iaCmH6GAxa06nBvH1w2aB4sl_Y7cjSFLdXrRu4n0xTE72dmF7uyGJRVGmjuaNnU1gPPLU4hEbPGtSIH9N8-RlHxSBCoLP-UzxbmkDIukWH9k/s320/dpbv26mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then its whole body and it swam over to the dam, turned back to me and started eating small stalks of vegetation.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEsYbT6Z1QeHhbTjtUrmtVSFIhwsV8UR5iaIyJ1m6HLf7VSw4JzHX2oIsYOSkrfWjrbQkX7LHN0uriG1Dj0qx5L_W8KKBaTbgZhhCoTh2aDK6hmYD4Ywe1tpt1vr3LvGQRtNmqv7v1yI/s1600/beaver26mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEsYbT6Z1QeHhbTjtUrmtVSFIhwsV8UR5iaIyJ1m6HLf7VSw4JzHX2oIsYOSkrfWjrbQkX7LHN0uriG1Dj0qx5L_W8KKBaTbgZhhCoTh2aDK6hmYD4Ywe1tpt1vr3LvGQRtNmqv7v1yI/s320/beaver26mar13.JPG" /></a><br />
</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EWl4zk2KNGs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></P><p>So there was my old friend, and my friendship may soon be the end of him. A truck came down the road and I knew it was easy enough to see the open water behind the dam from the road. So I hid my camcorder at my side and looked the other way. The truck stopped and a voice said “How are your two otters?” I walked up to the road and found that my interlocutor was one of the six men raised in the house at the end of the road. No electricity down there either. Anyway during the winter he saw two otters in the pond. They even broke through the ice and chirped at him. We talked for about 10 minutes, sharing insights about the land. He used to work for a former owner and had the freedom of his family’s land and his employer’s. He told me that his mother said that White Swamp was a maple woods at first. The trees were cut and became a hayfield and then that was flooded thanks to a beaver dam. No suggestion that the beavers cut the maples. Oh yes, he could see and hear the beaver at the dam. He said he never trapped beavers, only muskrats. That the beaver I saw today was so tame, and that earlier there seemed to be a beaver quick to panic and dive when Leslie or I was around encourages me to believe that there are still two beavers here.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 28 yesterday walking down on our dock, I saw a dead mudpuppy high up on the ramp, evidently killed by the mink that ranges there and left behind because it is unpalatable. Or a bird could have dropped it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2BjVF8Gs5avQWvJuceKOs-k5Jaljc8hDqxhMmrx4DE8-1nJosWxectDp1cmL_lfAeFQO4fLOx2JAhaMB6V_IzBoSEcNpyAsrIv_M8fTZBZSmv2paB8l_SFrNYomGVWLcdyqkWlniypo/s1600/mudpuppy27mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2BjVF8Gs5avQWvJuceKOs-k5Jaljc8hDqxhMmrx4DE8-1nJosWxectDp1cmL_lfAeFQO4fLOx2JAhaMB6V_IzBoSEcNpyAsrIv_M8fTZBZSmv2paB8l_SFrNYomGVWLcdyqkWlniypo/s320/mudpuppy27mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Ottoleo and I went down at night the next day with a flashlight but didn’t see any mudpuppies in the water, only one small gobie. On the 27th I took a photo showing how low the water is at the end of the dock.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvEYfpqwrTPtMYeYDvLLGtxWm5ieujGjfD9NIE60-7w4Bbm7gwEA4wB2bWVeEVYFmPpKw4sYjIZqGjcNUrwKcMjqSraa6HhTIeR9EG6Jh2mX9YFToM8tO35t_m6PaohIlwE8Th0hsaOc/s1600/waterlevel27mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvEYfpqwrTPtMYeYDvLLGtxWm5ieujGjfD9NIE60-7w4Bbm7gwEA4wB2bWVeEVYFmPpKw4sYjIZqGjcNUrwKcMjqSraa6HhTIeR9EG6Jh2mX9YFToM8tO35t_m6PaohIlwE8Th0hsaOc/s320/waterlevel27mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I don’t think we’ve ever seen the water lower at this time of year. While we are gone in the fall, the water level was even lower. While there was snow in February which eventually amounted to almost 2 feet in the woods, there have been no heavy rains and 2 feet of snow does not amount to much water. Of course, the thawing continues. Today we went to our land after a very cold night. I could see that the patch of open water behind the dam had grown a bit but now was clogged with new ice, all very thin of course and perhaps the beavers broke some.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyqZOxNjpuX5XjgCpUqRPe_hqoxqbQVhmgeauYAUETF0Rj-2NBMLwqKcHPTadS7IPrA1FoTVz9MunNIKW8O43wJGbd1Cp0JFS3VvFbZ2NZKEXoeENtpELT95LRSo95hF0hPkkeVIgb7A/s1600/dpdam28mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyqZOxNjpuX5XjgCpUqRPe_hqoxqbQVhmgeauYAUETF0Rj-2NBMLwqKcHPTadS7IPrA1FoTVz9MunNIKW8O43wJGbd1Cp0JFS3VvFbZ2NZKEXoeENtpELT95LRSo95hF0hPkkeVIgb7A/s320/dpdam28mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>At the inlet the patch of open water has widened into a pleasing shape and it looked like the beavers or at least one of them had just been out there.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq11phVo24EwAHW-cBPjRbHvtwrvtaMGqHqncfvStGb6ThhLp7SNCyC-QgsHb3TYvG3FAZUEJMI4lS9UJ2X-QUIHCLgrNUYMFitWz6QCx87NQYLQ3kJIj7ou_lmyzgkU7OPKnls3SiMpk/s1600/dpinlet28mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq11phVo24EwAHW-cBPjRbHvtwrvtaMGqHqncfvStGb6ThhLp7SNCyC-QgsHb3TYvG3FAZUEJMI4lS9UJ2X-QUIHCLgrNUYMFitWz6QCx87NQYLQ3kJIj7ou_lmyzgkU7OPKnls3SiMpk/s320/dpinlet28mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There were two thin 4 foot long sticks on the east side of the inlet, plus there was a little pile of twigs perhaps trimmed from the sticks,</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBWRyt-hA8BGa4PSFxadBwmxWDWC-WnCpAtBRIUWYiQG-j1CsAUj4hj68n8N_ehX5qrEobc_c7kl61CdJLHM-qlVE8-9p9aawosCwNXlhvzfi2bq8xql5mw3xAIwauASkj6tdZK64bzA/s1600/dpinletwk28mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBWRyt-hA8BGa4PSFxadBwmxWDWC-WnCpAtBRIUWYiQG-j1CsAUj4hj68n8N_ehX5qrEobc_c7kl61CdJLHM-qlVE8-9p9aawosCwNXlhvzfi2bq8xql5mw3xAIwauASkj6tdZK64bzA/s320/dpinletwk28mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>but I didn’t and probably couldn’t have reconstructed what happened. I am not even sure what kind tree or shrub they collected and no tracks were clear today so I didn’t try to figure out where they cut the sticks. Going up the inlet I could see that the beavers had done some dredging.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQq7nqgJXpD22IqezNy5phGgfqIMG8LHbTRTgeCQbSbOt5HCTRQLH_G_dX6z6_He-M7S74d1aLj25yL-OGRvimDP9I5yrvyUI7ySyQiInUN-IspUjG4lzYz3-5HD56o5toZzlILQzwgjM/s1600/dpdredge28mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQq7nqgJXpD22IqezNy5phGgfqIMG8LHbTRTgeCQbSbOt5HCTRQLH_G_dX6z6_He-M7S74d1aLj25yL-OGRvimDP9I5yrvyUI7ySyQiInUN-IspUjG4lzYz3-5HD56o5toZzlILQzwgjM/s320/dpdredge28mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The water looks plenty deep now but the thawing has been slow and a week ago the beavers were probably scraping the bottom if they swam completely under water. I am still not sure where the beavers are staying. Last summer they seemed to shift among three different burrows along the east shore. The one in the middle, where the bank is highest, seems to be the only generating enough heat to keep the snow about it melting.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDdZwVVT38ISsHS50vZX2WFTSXkp-ld6UQdbhG4cr9yIbG3YZ3UmejVqJFb2kVIea42PrBmegFBp5CGdiUn9nSwZYcgV02HIlSD35MWGY9puguOVUmwfeQjd6sN9B8HTyLaEWRt1T8gI/s1600/dpbldg28mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDdZwVVT38ISsHS50vZX2WFTSXkp-ld6UQdbhG4cr9yIbG3YZ3UmejVqJFb2kVIea42PrBmegFBp5CGdiUn9nSwZYcgV02HIlSD35MWGY9puguOVUmwfeQjd6sN9B8HTyLaEWRt1T8gI/s320/dpbldg28mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>So perhaps they are both staying there, but there is no opening in the ice in front of the burrow which I would think a lot of beaver traffic in and out would make. Meanwhile, I am getting a bit tired of just looking at ice and snow now that it is spring. On the island there is plenty of bare ground and open water, but on our land, one has to poke into damp grottos to see green.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizphgIQqCxTFWzXzYLwOtJVTXK8LWoKNecSXuYxkMCScQPGXQSloe1SgnxA_yAsEqFRtxdQEB_tu5rwAz3wiZfF9a3j1c6iQwy5Pl1TSgT5v0Dek_tqfRCEkOL0EFevKTaxbeC4LBuzdg/s1600/spring28mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizphgIQqCxTFWzXzYLwOtJVTXK8LWoKNecSXuYxkMCScQPGXQSloe1SgnxA_yAsEqFRtxdQEB_tu5rwAz3wiZfF9a3j1c6iQwy5Pl1TSgT5v0Dek_tqfRCEkOL0EFevKTaxbeC4LBuzdg/s320/spring28mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Patience. We heard a song sparrow singing at our land today, always later here than on the island. We’ve seen furtive robins here, more on the island. Chipmunks around our house on the island but not here. Ravens are chatty. Eagles are gone and vultures are back. The sap is still dripping and we are still boiling.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 29 we headed off on Antler Trail heading for South Bay hopefully to hear some clinking ice where the end of the remaining ice shelf meets the waves generated by the west wind. The snow had disappeared along most of the trail,</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6dtAxrxUKWMU6mPhzAr4-5JsQQZSRoVjUZXh7yuY6v3a7lomuxSZNhlHAMOYSmS9yBijF6YlOOYw_DwrLGoI7R4KvMFjz9VHfpF1GWWuAv7_wMTdUmszXkkYSUPtlhec4Kw2sGdnhc4/s1600/antlertr29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6dtAxrxUKWMU6mPhzAr4-5JsQQZSRoVjUZXh7yuY6v3a7lomuxSZNhlHAMOYSmS9yBijF6YlOOYw_DwrLGoI7R4KvMFjz9VHfpF1GWWuAv7_wMTdUmszXkkYSUPtlhec4Kw2sGdnhc4/s320/antlertr29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>which inspired me to search for studies in brown. The dead leaves and bark form the background for deer poop which seems to be about every where.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNExRfMEG2opcM9NC9bwy5yYDk-du0sBsLqz2BYl6ci8FHHk1_PoOo3YeH0VqfS0pMfQ6HXBcJ7MwJjROSFHAgOSWXXNRx8hqzDnwPNHugzwy5A6uaKzOa_PYTB5nyqV3hL6X0ZsyirBY/s1600/brown29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNExRfMEG2opcM9NC9bwy5yYDk-du0sBsLqz2BYl6ci8FHHk1_PoOo3YeH0VqfS0pMfQ6HXBcJ7MwJjROSFHAgOSWXXNRx8hqzDnwPNHugzwy5A6uaKzOa_PYTB5nyqV3hL6X0ZsyirBY/s320/brown29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>When I took the photo I didn’t notice the sprouts of green grass breaking through the leaves and pile of poop. When we got around the end of South Bay, we noticed a scent mark high up on the bank next to the old dock at the end of the north cove. A beaver had worked mud around a bit of broken board.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_RjruvfH_N8h7gMlA96Nt9Q18qXKGt5JIauJjkFpOP1ZszK0JoTjukeYoKpLQq2nBPps6UpykiAZE6_Tq0srIPTxtuIKUo8G3rR5gvByvXSF7WeduVYP7hq3K5nxskKS9ukNfHrTEfM/s1600/sbmark29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_RjruvfH_N8h7gMlA96Nt9Q18qXKGt5JIauJjkFpOP1ZszK0JoTjukeYoKpLQq2nBPps6UpykiAZE6_Tq0srIPTxtuIKUo8G3rR5gvByvXSF7WeduVYP7hq3K5nxskKS9ukNfHrTEfM/s320/sbmark29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The ice was gone at the end of the bay, I suppose for two reasons. The water level is so low that the ice which was relatively thin was easily washed out toward the river by the water flowing in from the swamps.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwTk-viqhqmt6F3_JsI1JV8QGu6vpPgd7ZhgBB-lgvHSaIDCZEGnRY_O-csyDOpIptMjPgXZmeipox7PpDXIBCPq1GS6XWZc3DlQ3m7bJCzMHg4cld28XVbxTavvpJtt-zTwSZbpmNg0/s1600/sbay29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwTk-viqhqmt6F3_JsI1JV8QGu6vpPgd7ZhgBB-lgvHSaIDCZEGnRY_O-csyDOpIptMjPgXZmeipox7PpDXIBCPq1GS6XWZc3DlQ3m7bJCzMHg4cld28XVbxTavvpJtt-zTwSZbpmNg0/s320/sbay29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>As I continued along the shore of the bay, I looked for more beaver signs and the only possible one I saw was a short gnawed stick floating in the water close to the shore.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RM399ZAwBSsaBuZiIE8nzYVm5DN6sThuh5hWkyFz7Kd-ldnvZRp3zz31XsalFZaH8n_iC0md2D0svg5JvNjCd2U3WRiB6dWOO2uFFyncRwi9kha_WLOTC3QV3ymWSOqHdXyrBF4y-Ug/s1600/sbbvnib29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RM399ZAwBSsaBuZiIE8nzYVm5DN6sThuh5hWkyFz7Kd-ldnvZRp3zz31XsalFZaH8n_iC0md2D0svg5JvNjCd2U3WRiB6dWOO2uFFyncRwi9kha_WLOTC3QV3ymWSOqHdXyrBF4y-Ug/s320/sbbvnib29mar13.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilSYJVIXpaBkwInqNWgpL02oRDEA72IbHc3I-QGx8SjwYyZcIT4etCMKUfuo5GQbb8R5LMxFpOSE1eZJKvjbHKRIgfcMFivxzxdOvBxyMHq8lCiHfuIfw9VodCc1_zIhoWLcXmUrONXrc/s1600/sblat29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilSYJVIXpaBkwInqNWgpL02oRDEA72IbHc3I-QGx8SjwYyZcIT4etCMKUfuo5GQbb8R5LMxFpOSE1eZJKvjbHKRIgfcMFivxzxdOvBxyMHq8lCiHfuIfw9VodCc1_zIhoWLcXmUrONXrc/s320/sblat29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Farther up the shore the ice pack began, or ended, depending on how you look at it. There has been open water along the shore for a couple of weeks or more. So animals could easily negotiate the ice pack without having to swim under it. Of course I also looked for otter signs and when I got to their latrine above what I call the “docking rock”, though I haven’t docked there in years, it looked like the leaves in the bare spot on the flat just above the rock had been organized or disorganized a bit, depending on the way you look at it. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUMzwfAmSEyIrEuyAM0AtK3szh6YX8z4RC0BOAbH5TY5R4Im5rDL-VZ4YTpzmgNeT6MyGcSkx7zA1k3tWA6LLs9yn_Kv9hKb58eOetn4uJLKMOEin9lpemmhVI5c7_hifdL8lyBar9to/s1600/sblat29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUMzwfAmSEyIrEuyAM0AtK3szh6YX8z4RC0BOAbH5TY5R4Im5rDL-VZ4YTpzmgNeT6MyGcSkx7zA1k3tWA6LLs9yn_Kv9hKb58eOetn4uJLKMOEin9lpemmhVI5c7_hifdL8lyBar9to/s320/sblat29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I couldn’t say that I saw an otter scent mound but when I walked down the slight slope to the rock, but I could say that I saw an otter scat. I saw enough fish scales in the black mass to persuade me that it wasn’t skunk poop.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg15ac7MOGXNsJbVcbR88fHx7_P_WU0tTozrReUSeB0urNj_Fjyl6fLxf4O8sD8V2jepnvpbMIljQgTlk07ZncEJ4EWegVjEiy7lHygQGUko9bvs573xOuRGpu-Rrw0wRnO7o6a4v5Bvk/s1600/sbscat29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg15ac7MOGXNsJbVcbR88fHx7_P_WU0tTozrReUSeB0urNj_Fjyl6fLxf4O8sD8V2jepnvpbMIljQgTlk07ZncEJ4EWegVjEiy7lHygQGUko9bvs573xOuRGpu-Rrw0wRnO7o6a4v5Bvk/s320/sbscat29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Out on the rock almost in the water I saw sticks that a beaver had gnawed. Maybe one bit of this meal floated down the shore where I saw it near where the beaver made a scent mark.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XTzoQIKjdnsAwiecpCQTiJb3Ia-CZn0tz_6srkgb6urJvF1NdQPudLPNhUI0xTBlBfIuHfW6P9AyyvPN6b01qUrRnkzyfIwvRuLjYxN3zuSBHz2PRXM3rmOdC4LPBC5f3IWYsSvSNCI/s1600/sbbvnibs29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XTzoQIKjdnsAwiecpCQTiJb3Ia-CZn0tz_6srkgb6urJvF1NdQPudLPNhUI0xTBlBfIuHfW6P9AyyvPN6b01qUrRnkzyfIwvRuLjYxN3zuSBHz2PRXM3rmOdC4LPBC5f3IWYsSvSNCI/s320/sbbvnibs29mar13.JPG" /></a><p>Another reason for our hiking around South Bay was to see if any herons had flown in. The end of March is a typical arrival date and a couple times over the years we’ve seen a flock of them flying over the island around this date. But we usually see the first one flying off from the shallow open water of South Bay. Not today, but on the rock that juts out into the bay where the creek from Audubon Pond drains we saw what might be the first heron poop of the year.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixH8LBOUhibmfcV7FpAyIHw-NBYXoDJy_Aucx2k5ZNhF-ZiEPgZr5UPDQkkBeGP0US2VYBVuW4OEcYe0s3p3a-kl6LaEHpiXZRRvTxAebtE6j_v3KHvIPiuLfOYcCO9I-qZnniBKhG_mw/s1600/heronpoop29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixH8LBOUhibmfcV7FpAyIHw-NBYXoDJy_Aucx2k5ZNhF-ZiEPgZr5UPDQkkBeGP0US2VYBVuW4OEcYe0s3p3a-kl6LaEHpiXZRRvTxAebtE6j_v3KHvIPiuLfOYcCO9I-qZnniBKhG_mw/s320/heronpoop29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Here too the water flowing in pushed the remaining ice out toward the river but farther out it looked like the ice pack was hard against the north shore.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTrWqdnzVKAFJBHZxq7ZbRgcRHJXBqUVQIaiYSIdTa5Ma3SvpoC8bxR4Xm43iCPSVwHXw2S_OukdJLAUIlrdb1GEYiEx2DNUf4_EvVImcJqRBI5LfLP8zB9KbAJ9K4qVVNB4II2Ob6u0/s1600/sbaya29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTrWqdnzVKAFJBHZxq7ZbRgcRHJXBqUVQIaiYSIdTa5Ma3SvpoC8bxR4Xm43iCPSVwHXw2S_OukdJLAUIlrdb1GEYiEx2DNUf4_EvVImcJqRBI5LfLP8zB9KbAJ9K4qVVNB4II2Ob6u0/s320/sbaya29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>As usual I checked the otter latrine above the entrance to South Bay and I saw three spots where an otter relieved itself, including three scats for varying freshness near each other with what looked like dead leaves scrapped up on edge between them.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3-gWBHek4sV3ZQrooC-Nr0iI1yiIF7oRL29RBUV_L9r-oKgfZ2XobgmH3VUr38IyZFbE2-SW3GyfYCsK4otWEtvlD8ZnHnuEqmU2YxU4dv_7h2_bXrGYBBTNz_zPwjj-M9zcaK7TCnc/s1600/sbscata29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3-gWBHek4sV3ZQrooC-Nr0iI1yiIF7oRL29RBUV_L9r-oKgfZ2XobgmH3VUr38IyZFbE2-SW3GyfYCsK4otWEtvlD8ZnHnuEqmU2YxU4dv_7h2_bXrGYBBTNz_zPwjj-M9zcaK7TCnc/s320/sbscata29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>A large scat a few yards away, I guess actually two scats on top of each other, was both more tubular and more gooey. Needless to say it was good to see protean shapes of otter poop, that is to say, my imagination was fired into wondering what the otters had been eating.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9Ho6KKI_z0kZeIK5j65JgcZwUktgIppOBdNozNSmYv8YazYd8Mf7DqMma7AocTduD_Gv2d-r1I4Bp_TZoXfAQlIBENeJgjBxScUbX7YNyNjfUyQb1JdnbR65yQ3qsmGkjQnOmsePF4E/s1600/sbscatb29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9Ho6KKI_z0kZeIK5j65JgcZwUktgIppOBdNozNSmYv8YazYd8Mf7DqMma7AocTduD_Gv2d-r1I4Bp_TZoXfAQlIBENeJgjBxScUbX7YNyNjfUyQb1JdnbR65yQ3qsmGkjQnOmsePF4E/s320/sbscatb29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Alas, deciphering otter scat is a skill I never acquired. The stringy stuff suggests small fish to me, and gray gobies, and the goo I associate with the soft part of frogs. Many bullfrogs will crawl up out of this bay soon. But I am completely guessing. I took a photo looking back at the latrine and I am probably the only person who could look at those scattered leaves and get the impression that otters had been there.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrR-sQBIDHGGte3fdweGzVGPaUU_Jm3zXwyqR8vuE822T8mv0DjaP9n7wb2uy9Mb78AzxnHyLcy_nlxnc-7j-haveNOiyLiYQSGkZwZoKXfsjYpvISxM9TMnRB5lyLxqCHiS7CB1QT0U4/s1600/sblata29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrR-sQBIDHGGte3fdweGzVGPaUU_Jm3zXwyqR8vuE822T8mv0DjaP9n7wb2uy9Mb78AzxnHyLcy_nlxnc-7j-haveNOiyLiYQSGkZwZoKXfsjYpvISxM9TMnRB5lyLxqCHiS7CB1QT0U4/s320/sblata29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Often late in the thaw otters will break through the rotting ice leaving round holes in it. There were some holes right at the edge but otters had plenty of open water to swim along the shore.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBG0WN4Khs6AOBkah9KH8ZykMWxZtcGnOQxpNRIUbIxjg74rN4E1XnL5cqYXmLQbfql4SzsFz9yaeXdJjnjJzTzyWsotSKAYC3W6Yy3dVdH89bg73GBn0Ph-JtneZeAWXifZ1HscUudrc/s1600/sbayb29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBG0WN4Khs6AOBkah9KH8ZykMWxZtcGnOQxpNRIUbIxjg74rN4E1XnL5cqYXmLQbfql4SzsFz9yaeXdJjnjJzTzyWsotSKAYC3W6Yy3dVdH89bg73GBn0Ph-JtneZeAWXifZ1HscUudrc/s320/sbayb29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Leslie long ago gave up looking at otter scats and when I check that latrine she goes up to the high rocks at the point affording a good view of the river and some beautiful pines seemingly growing out of the rocks. Unfortunately the wind was too hard for clinking ice. The noise of the wind and waves drowned out any clinking. The edge of the ice pack was quite broken so there was no way to see if the otters had dined on fish on the edge of the ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebQC4xPMCnEA3Z0TFmf-i9O1Vuzq3O1XWih8LGGKzSjUgF1f45a7XpE59IIzeZMoN2yyH8ybyCXM8PzKTCSC8AwSaVyDj2rl-xP0ubZsnh5T1YjyIAzR_49FlK8V6At1-RfznBrcbueY/s1600/sbpoint29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebQC4xPMCnEA3Z0TFmf-i9O1Vuzq3O1XWih8LGGKzSjUgF1f45a7XpE59IIzeZMoN2yyH8ybyCXM8PzKTCSC8AwSaVyDj2rl-xP0ubZsnh5T1YjyIAzR_49FlK8V6At1-RfznBrcbueY/s320/sbpoint29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>A porcupine had been up in the pine and fortunately seemed restrained in its gnawing. There was also a thick mast of pine cones.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlct3VyVa4fekub07m88BUgejNx5O4ORM2MrQlOU_NekIoQ6fU-spdtoNDBHHNRf4Cd1lpk1zboHjBeP0HVGxFUCT0kOcDhCoZthXcI_Cq5iUMMUjnh54CI9WNVtR_XxEHOXErxjGcYGw/s1600/sbppwk29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlct3VyVa4fekub07m88BUgejNx5O4ORM2MrQlOU_NekIoQ6fU-spdtoNDBHHNRf4Cd1lpk1zboHjBeP0HVGxFUCT0kOcDhCoZthXcI_Cq5iUMMUjnh54CI9WNVtR_XxEHOXErxjGcYGw/s320/sbppwk29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I headed up to Audubon Pond where a few weeks ago I had seen much new beaver work and seeing it in a snow squall, it was hard to tell how fresh it was. Today I saw that it all looked old enough to only be evidence of what the beaver ate in the fall before the pond iced over. That the gnawing didn’t have the juiciness and shine of fresh work did not diminish its sculptural intrigue. It looked as if a beaver had merged with the base of the ash it had been gnawing, though its tail got a bit lopped off.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrCwRm_Nn7B7bMLgOj_dPegvNg_imBGPpk1bMLdLK7mOxRrpj3BcYUAxxlvayK0jmAoVH3UTf7m1TQhBjNsLevFwKqdtq5FUAGyd3wyBE4Vczfb69hRy60Z6vABGeVZR8RrVqiej65WM/s1600/apashwk29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrCwRm_Nn7B7bMLgOj_dPegvNg_imBGPpk1bMLdLK7mOxRrpj3BcYUAxxlvayK0jmAoVH3UTf7m1TQhBjNsLevFwKqdtq5FUAGyd3wyBE4Vczfb69hRy60Z6vABGeVZR8RrVqiej65WM/s320/apashwk29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Meanwhile there were no signs that any beavers had come out from under the ice. There could still be beavers under there but they usually show themselves by this time of year. It has been a cold spring but there is open water along the north shore of the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKweMHbH5kJi5JBIaEaYMciTRAhzZ1kxDWjP66sIqDYnzo5PBFa2fMyWCWb77Jwk8Go2tasJbXVt8SQ8ljIUGKP7ScsqWjhPr2sQlyEzINJIuXVi_CU1et573Zy7uo09ZfZziMVf-k_zY/s1600/apldg29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKweMHbH5kJi5JBIaEaYMciTRAhzZ1kxDWjP66sIqDYnzo5PBFa2fMyWCWb77Jwk8Go2tasJbXVt8SQ8ljIUGKP7ScsqWjhPr2sQlyEzINJIuXVi_CU1et573Zy7uo09ZfZziMVf-k_zY/s320/apldg29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then I hiked over to the East Trail Pond and since the last beaver activity I saw was along the East Trail on the ridge north of the pond, I simply stayed on the trail around the pond. Up on the plateau I saw that the larger red oak that the beaver had been cutting was still standing, but a smaller tree, probably a red oak, closer to the Shangri-la Pond side of the valley had been cut and taken away.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwD_2F_Jt9p91Wy1mydc92JQGWfDOnhyphenhyphenw0SOlzeLMrLGHz-DkQzLCzTAx9N1HhzzUNwCToO-RIcfJwbogwGp92Pji3asgnSy6wA00OSHZ4743p-KiKie51UQRrG-jvpZP8LIFN6cXqqLE/s1600/etplatwk29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwD_2F_Jt9p91Wy1mydc92JQGWfDOnhyphenhyphenw0SOlzeLMrLGHz-DkQzLCzTAx9N1HhzzUNwCToO-RIcfJwbogwGp92Pji3asgnSy6wA00OSHZ4743p-KiKie51UQRrG-jvpZP8LIFN6cXqqLE/s320/etplatwk29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I checked the cut pine. When I was last here, two branches had been trimmed off it and taken down to the pond. I saw today that a few more branches had been cut.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aTALpg9NnItd89wkkOAW1eYG3WmLVa9KDZ5EAWbGOuHzTbC3fUv9EmUJCuQwjHadsO8uHqnlYfmjJacvXiG0-ueK4llq9G4lLJZk9au44JuPp8mfvvnC3BZiHt_fasHd_URtRuP9ZY4/s1600/etpinewk29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aTALpg9NnItd89wkkOAW1eYG3WmLVa9KDZ5EAWbGOuHzTbC3fUv9EmUJCuQwjHadsO8uHqnlYfmjJacvXiG0-ueK4llq9G4lLJZk9au44JuPp8mfvvnC3BZiHt_fasHd_URtRuP9ZY4/s320/etpinewk29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>It was evident that a beaver keeps gnawing in the cut of the large red oak on the edge of the slope. I happened to take a photo at an angle that shows an old half girdle on a tree about the same size. That looked like ash bark to me.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-mGd_9NvM5s4XQ-EHbP7HM63ZQRBdHXM7Zl0-CuhIZcrBuQ2NIpktcz1CKU0aWuXGSpDYxqJSkm2S6pBrmitQWsBXLwEx4q3g9-UCb55QOeanfL-HSxOfEBLgXME-9zvUnOvZcQbFXk/s1600/etgnaw29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-mGd_9NvM5s4XQ-EHbP7HM63ZQRBdHXM7Zl0-CuhIZcrBuQ2NIpktcz1CKU0aWuXGSpDYxqJSkm2S6pBrmitQWsBXLwEx4q3g9-UCb55QOeanfL-HSxOfEBLgXME-9zvUnOvZcQbFXk/s320/etgnaw29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I can never predict if and when the beavers will cut down a tree, but obviously they are more persistent with this tree than they were with the neighboring ash. Of the many pines the beavers cut, the one that was easiest for the beavers to deal with was one that flipped down on the ice below. The beavers immediately cut off branches and after I saw that I speculated that the beavers were using the boughs as bedding and nothing else. Then I saw the stripped pine branches beside the beavers’ hole in the ice. I had seen other beavers in other ponds in different seasons completely stripping the bark off pine trunks about the same size. Today I saw that these beavers completely stripped the bark off this pine trunk.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpDgNNZIYIamZqqw_soKacbXuamFpis1_drbZVedksi9USU3wfrwwtVqIBpvTltW0xoIlwLPLdUaFHIN87j7NFTYOVumaHRp_4MoXaL8JFCGhcoIFaVYtysHSZpepOGkwQanKLctBroQ/s1600/etpinewka29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpDgNNZIYIamZqqw_soKacbXuamFpis1_drbZVedksi9USU3wfrwwtVqIBpvTltW0xoIlwLPLdUaFHIN87j7NFTYOVumaHRp_4MoXaL8JFCGhcoIFaVYtysHSZpepOGkwQanKLctBroQ/s320/etpinewka29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The only open water in the pond is along the north shore, especially where the beavers had made holes in the ice for winter foraging. The ice behind the dam was flooded over with melt water which almost reached the big lodge in the middle of the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtnEfJQAgiWif58aHNqzxmy22XJKDU_CuizE582UilHk8VyNI4PHVYMwmvypRw0gdqTkiH0X4vD9jqfMvvXlPToHK1gn1pUjPTSeiTjBHxvMb3zhcIstYBi5sCE7wawKjoyxWRd_oJPQ/s1600/et29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtnEfJQAgiWif58aHNqzxmy22XJKDU_CuizE582UilHk8VyNI4PHVYMwmvypRw0gdqTkiH0X4vD9jqfMvvXlPToHK1gn1pUjPTSeiTjBHxvMb3zhcIstYBi5sCE7wawKjoyxWRd_oJPQ/s320/et29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Using the zoom lens on the camcorder I could get a better view of that. I could just make out a stripped log sticking out of the ice roughly at what might be end of a cache pile.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_d7hBa3uXgR-eNVdA62wClyg9octIAoFn3J7oiB1ETEJHyLWbYvIM0r85u3IkMrDPc4sRCJL63-4Xbd0gecpVEfEdGi3mXQ1SuxVg9X7z8kw7oR5xfE8J-HwSGKj3kGzzadZXy-n6pxo/s1600/etldg29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_d7hBa3uXgR-eNVdA62wClyg9octIAoFn3J7oiB1ETEJHyLWbYvIM0r85u3IkMrDPc4sRCJL63-4Xbd0gecpVEfEdGi3mXQ1SuxVg9X7z8kw7oR5xfE8J-HwSGKj3kGzzadZXy-n6pxo/s320/etldg29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Taking an even closer look at and around the lodge, I could see branches sticking up in the air but can’t be sure if those were branches the beavers sunk or simply sapling growing next to the lodge. I didn’t see any more sticks or logs that looked freshly stripped.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6yDDllcB52_HtD0Ofew6PNo-jEnGMhTJqkBae8ub1dBpZSBUAvAL2pRe0qRTop_MKodxS97aAvlIKdDbZ1bnXijUpaztfcXkuGCOeHS10LuRUdR3F04KuIffH_zKREn6ODZ-k06pNZE/s1600/etldga29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6yDDllcB52_HtD0Ofew6PNo-jEnGMhTJqkBae8ub1dBpZSBUAvAL2pRe0qRTop_MKodxS97aAvlIKdDbZ1bnXijUpaztfcXkuGCOeHS10LuRUdR3F04KuIffH_zKREn6ODZ-k06pNZE/s320/etldga29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Caches that beavers collect in the fall, aren’t necessarily food for the long winter. If the beavers find other food during the winter, they might not eat out of the cache until the spring. Of course, maybe the beavers didn’t stay in the lodge. I think they did because the new lodge they were building just off the north shore didn’t grow much after we left for four months in mid-September, and today it shows no signs of life either.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmXgODJcGlGKkB2Yt3AakootUJV4t2Iadc8LjvpirvEi-sL6Wi1Ls7bV2YRVXe_Njei4Hwrq9DuJX8Qjmg2yaZvhCpnCNIV43M3hqtQk_qsmxLP8zXEPCVJ7UZk6RJRsFRV4ZyBVTJtw/s1600/etauxldg29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmXgODJcGlGKkB2Yt3AakootUJV4t2Iadc8LjvpirvEi-sL6Wi1Ls7bV2YRVXe_Njei4Hwrq9DuJX8Qjmg2yaZvhCpnCNIV43M3hqtQk_qsmxLP8zXEPCVJ7UZk6RJRsFRV4ZyBVTJtw/s320/etauxldg29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The best that can be said for it, is that it is near where the beavers did winter foraging and where they continue to forage. The open water along the north shore widens as it get near the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvzvA6-NoVC2ZSwsE-DheNOhcGorxkv2kRpOnhVMsB03q3Qd1HYKJEUdAWsfdb25A-H6ROUBt50hVDirZxp2npZOh0vaibTFv-eUAekiAPnjYvTbPklrC_L2ohszYoSJrtT64sR6hMuU/s1600/eta29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvzvA6-NoVC2ZSwsE-DheNOhcGorxkv2kRpOnhVMsB03q3Qd1HYKJEUdAWsfdb25A-H6ROUBt50hVDirZxp2npZOh0vaibTFv-eUAekiAPnjYvTbPklrC_L2ohszYoSJrtT64sR6hMuU/s320/eta29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The photo above doesn’t quite show it, but the beavers have been gnawing the bark on the large trunk that fell straight out into the pond. They’ve also been gnawing on the base of the trunk of a huge maple that is still standing. However, the greatest concentration of stripped sticks continues to be where the beavers have had a hole in the ice the last two winters.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwCwhKHpsFj1MwcZrMqn-YnjhjY6dF09yqwwEVHzr4P0MFed7NgzzM-du_C-S37w-NzK4v9NHUa0GLfJ8UfOUr15RwnBqc25vpj7MhPZwIFBuEkiZH1HyyZ3p75OjbooXMRz5FJWc4BI/s1600/etnibs29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwCwhKHpsFj1MwcZrMqn-YnjhjY6dF09yqwwEVHzr4P0MFed7NgzzM-du_C-S37w-NzK4v9NHUa0GLfJ8UfOUr15RwnBqc25vpj7MhPZwIFBuEkiZH1HyyZ3p75OjbooXMRz5FJWc4BI/s320/etnibs29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The high rock and the surrounding shrubs must give the beavers a sense of protection even when the ice melts. I saw that the beavers continue to come up the easy dirt slope of the far east end of the rock that forms the huge ridge. Now they are not just going up to an old red oak trunk to gnaw, they are digging into the soft dirt -- the only soft dirt around here, I assume, finding roots to eat. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnB8vtM2IoJCurDaNjOVhkg0lQokfuFZmZdjL3nPvf3PUgnDRVpHVzXSA0ZRODAwcqZNdwsu5bx3URP6ZQyKAXjA2OR-Rv1jkyzavG8orbyWhdB-kkA8Nag4LxxwYdfLj2srVptRI-J_s/s1600/etbvdig29mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnB8vtM2IoJCurDaNjOVhkg0lQokfuFZmZdjL3nPvf3PUgnDRVpHVzXSA0ZRODAwcqZNdwsu5bx3URP6ZQyKAXjA2OR-Rv1jkyzavG8orbyWhdB-kkA8Nag4LxxwYdfLj2srVptRI-J_s/s320/etbvdig29mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I’ve noticed that beavers, like many other animals especially deer, do this at this time of year. I should add that one of the beavers in the family had a fancy for acorns. I saw it eat them in the fall several years ago. This soft dirt was under what was once quite a large red oak, not that I want to suggest that a hungry beaver can steal from the squirrels.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 30 we went to our land on a comfortable sunny afternoon. I walked down to check on the Deep Pond and saw that a beaver was out nibbling behind the dam. I could see it easily while I stood on the road and took a photo.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8upuIIoVk2jZUQo1XvA4xG0D3GMPiHakQJsMie1IXg37BiniAI5VGURNRQnV3MI2q7uyGdUKbH7h3YLGke-pxh8p9rxF_xJloqyY13Dt-90q15mHVimZ6LOo8GFle4oBI5_yzeu_BoE/s1600/dpbv30mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8upuIIoVk2jZUQo1XvA4xG0D3GMPiHakQJsMie1IXg37BiniAI5VGURNRQnV3MI2q7uyGdUKbH7h3YLGke-pxh8p9rxF_xJloqyY13Dt-90q15mHVimZ6LOo8GFle4oBI5_yzeu_BoE/s320/dpbv30mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>We worry at this time of year that it is too easy to see what is happening in this pond. The story about the two otters the brother of a neighbor saw in this pond during the winter continued. Another brother shot and killed one of the otters. The poor beavers here might prove an irresistible target. I moved down off the road and while I think the beaver noticed, it did not seem to mind. This is the tamer beaver. It swam over to a small clump of vegetation west of the dam, seemed to cut something too small for me to see and took it back to the dam to nibble. I tried to get closer to the action and shortly it swam back to the larder, so to speak, but this time, instead of cutting a slender stalk, it ducked its head in the water and seemed to get something to eat there. Then it moved over a few feet where the water appeared deeper and wallowed head down making the water muddy and appearing to find more to eat.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQnJBudLlt4V-Kdt7sJErx7X_x9k50rp-xVDgBTHstzoaUgF1YF1SOfzVGf1FN2W-sE-TCRVjEkSBWaFKw5gWQxs31VCza6cdRNQEj9LyjYrhvNPIAdxwWMTHPjY3-680kGFwG0zSN1Y/s1600/dpbvc30mar13.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQnJBudLlt4V-Kdt7sJErx7X_x9k50rp-xVDgBTHstzoaUgF1YF1SOfzVGf1FN2W-sE-TCRVjEkSBWaFKw5gWQxs31VCza6cdRNQEj9LyjYrhvNPIAdxwWMTHPjY3-680kGFwG0zSN1Y/s320/dpbvc30mar13.jpg" /></a><br />
<p ALIGN="CENTER"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/q8VsEYqD40w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></P><p>Then it did something I don’t recall seeing a beaver do before. It swam over to the dam, started digging and gnawing into it </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpfl354J_GsDM0QfavkdENfZObRckIZ8vsL6Wzu0pURHzxcdf1kdipXQtvSRiPqkAmzTYbRhQQfCimrg6JMKy7Q2ftf6Ea2SSidDZHTFGcO3ORLlTCR1UoJA3mmQbUNLhOyiF2P4vCmQ/s1600/dpbva30mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpfl354J_GsDM0QfavkdENfZObRckIZ8vsL6Wzu0pURHzxcdf1kdipXQtvSRiPqkAmzTYbRhQQfCimrg6JMKy7Q2ftf6Ea2SSidDZHTFGcO3ORLlTCR1UoJA3mmQbUNLhOyiF2P4vCmQ/s320/dpbva30mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>and eventually extracted a gob of roots and dirt, took that a few feet out into the water, turning its back on the dam, and munched the roots it had dug out.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2JU2TQy58LJD5QfmstuOmiZ49jvamMFaI5NWW33tbnP4up0AP5_pTxTZyVJNc3UWlUZMDwUVy13POGL2Jx2Dtso42HpgTJmpJrq0dmSD0FpFOn_06x_GJkSjAPVf9onRl3NNO1Acto8/s1600/dpbvd30mar13.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2JU2TQy58LJD5QfmstuOmiZ49jvamMFaI5NWW33tbnP4up0AP5_pTxTZyVJNc3UWlUZMDwUVy13POGL2Jx2Dtso42HpgTJmpJrq0dmSD0FpFOn_06x_GJkSjAPVf9onRl3NNO1Acto8/s320/dpbvd30mar13.jpg" /></a></P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vA62ueCCbHY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></P><p>It looked like the beavers or beaver had added a pat of mud to the top of the dam so obviously it can patch what it eats out of the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSpX4cNY5nBPyG1hEoDXdl8-FX6iEF-Fnoao1IgxnmwIzYSNtqX_B4GBdhmB1bDnXuBJjlVE-RRN0SYxHyr5Qy7ix_b_T7CVyoo9au3WPUdz0aCL_acEY6o-WQNF4OkvFKT3uV-y3KZg/s1600/dpbvb30mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSpX4cNY5nBPyG1hEoDXdl8-FX6iEF-Fnoao1IgxnmwIzYSNtqX_B4GBdhmB1bDnXuBJjlVE-RRN0SYxHyr5Qy7ix_b_T7CVyoo9au3WPUdz0aCL_acEY6o-WQNF4OkvFKT3uV-y3KZg/s320/dpbvb30mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>While it was good to see the beaver, I began to feel a bit silly simply staring at it, while it seemed oblivious to me. Also Ottoleo had hiked down to see the pond was standing on the other side at a lost as to what to do. He didn’t want to move too much and scare the beaver. There was a chair near to where I was standing and I got over to that without alarming the beaver but when I sat in the chair, a metallic creak brought the beaver back to its senses, so to speak. It stopped chewing and swam slowly over to the dam -- looking a bit aimless and then it dove and swam under the ice. Ottoleo called over for instructions and I told him to try to tell if the beaver swam under the ice below where he was standing and into the burrow. Instead the beaver emerged in the open water where the inlet creek drains into the pond. As it surfaced, a crisscross of stripped sticks and other debris that had been floating in the water adhered to its back.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXTxEzKd2MG64oWWxyseP8h1mM8rwbNPleDWFWT8jFWdYiF3unc4NJXEueRQwrj9a3_wlz98scOtwR3mjFCprK33-c1-ZE9gmR5Ge379l-m2Uwz5yA_KeZQsL-hzhS5wBVfn96Z963fw/s1600/dpbve30mar13.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXTxEzKd2MG64oWWxyseP8h1mM8rwbNPleDWFWT8jFWdYiF3unc4NJXEueRQwrj9a3_wlz98scOtwR3mjFCprK33-c1-ZE9gmR5Ge379l-m2Uwz5yA_KeZQsL-hzhS5wBVfn96Z963fw/s320/dpbve30mar13.jpg" /></a></P><p>The beaver looked rather comical but seemed to have no inclination to get the flotsam and jetsam off its back. It swam slowly up the inlet, nuzzled something along the way and swam back. Then it swam up the inlet again, out of my view, and when it returned had lost most of the sticks. It swam to the end of the open ice, nibbled on something, then dove. Ottoleo was standing rather near to it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tnOyJTAjvaE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></P><p>We didn’t wait for it to surface again because Ottoleo saw that someone had set a series of four traps in the inlet creek. So I hurried over and watched Ottoleo, who had muck boots on and could wade into the water, remove the traps. He reset the crossed sticks of the trap on our property so I could get a photo.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejw3SwvChwgUhnwnHRRmi_Z0jxDvhgWujm-fwZGI4q2rCzLldT2cpAozYpl3tEeSZI49THzw4r1Bf38imbu01xCKCwZwyFysmnjjilFuLG6aAO8OHz0tKoV7zQfrTDUL0b-CdVuaCDOk/s1600/dptrap30mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejw3SwvChwgUhnwnHRRmi_Z0jxDvhgWujm-fwZGI4q2rCzLldT2cpAozYpl3tEeSZI49THzw4r1Bf38imbu01xCKCwZwyFysmnjjilFuLG6aAO8OHz0tKoV7zQfrTDUL0b-CdVuaCDOk/s320/dptrap30mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Ottoleo had seen the beaver swim quietly beside each of the crossed sticks and you can see the beaver swim beside the first trap in the video. Needless to say this was both upsetting and exhilarating. We had possibly saved the beaver’s life, for the moment. Ottoleo saw a name on one of the traps, which a trapper is legally obliged to have. Meanwhile Leslie and Marlee had come down to the dam and muted their questions because the beaver had surfaced right in front of them. When we joined them, the beaver finally disappeared. Unfortunately, in New York trapping is not only legal but encouraged by state officials, including all the state’s wildlife biologists. The local media applauds it and most people who live in the area support it. The best that can be said about the situation is that deer and duck hunting is far more popular and noisy. Beavers are also relatively safer because traps must be set in difficult terrain and monitored during some harsh weather. If an area is not ATV accessible, it’s likely to be free of traps. We have been gratified that no one tried to trap on our land before, but this year pelt prices are up. Anyway, the trapper turned out to be a 14 year old boy, scion of one of the richest families in the area. He thought our land was our neighbor’s and our neighbor said he could trap. That’s probably a lie. All trappers lie and I lie right back at them. We gave him back his traps and he promised not to set them again. Beaver trapping season ends April 7. But I am afraid the traps are half the problem. The dam is fully visible from the road and there is no telling how inspiring the gossip that someone shot an otter will be to the murderous breed we live among. The snow continues to disappear and on the 31st I walked along the high east slope of the pond and saw the stump of a large ironwood that the beavers evidently cut up and took to the pond, because I couldn’t find the trunk.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yZh_uIbrwSqGkKvg8jzbMQDbVaVySswIlHs9Et-qUFSL8dP4BYhGqxptSfRQHmnjauYdxqQYT0TzSe7NqvIpfd821-IM0epeSUKFIb_aWdrzAu9-BDca-DM2YZT_S3R0ypJjCuVjNG0/s1600/dpwk31mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yZh_uIbrwSqGkKvg8jzbMQDbVaVySswIlHs9Et-qUFSL8dP4BYhGqxptSfRQHmnjauYdxqQYT0TzSe7NqvIpfd821-IM0epeSUKFIb_aWdrzAu9-BDca-DM2YZT_S3R0ypJjCuVjNG0/s320/dpwk31mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>More interesting was the number of small nannyberries that the beaver cut and removed. Beavers generally don’t clear cut like that.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFxStH0xvaTmhyphenhyphenl5eLLAbXjlm5Dw_yj71Vhscr91jKW1zrss1LT7gPXX8aFVsXSSLt39FK3LQnOLcgfggqeiEiufynt3iqvY4Mg_heAsHDnItfez77xQfsB1vxN3PXV6GRnH2GoY9huM/s1600/dpwka31mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFxStH0xvaTmhyphenhyphenl5eLLAbXjlm5Dw_yj71Vhscr91jKW1zrss1LT7gPXX8aFVsXSSLt39FK3LQnOLcgfggqeiEiufynt3iqvY4Mg_heAsHDnItfez77xQfsB1vxN3PXV6GRnH2GoY9huM/s320/dpwka31mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>These were mostly cut, I am pretty sure, before the snow began mounting. These beavers have never ventured far to cut anything. The plump beaver who I’ve seen eating lily roots for two summers never seemed to have any interest in eating bark. I suspect that the beavers are staying in the burrow in the nearby high bank. The snow has melted off where the hot breathing of the beavers may have vented and I did see bubbles under the ice where the beavers would swam in and out of the burrow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4MXBXeKAffp2QPw-bCwgW2N8JYL0zAdsQB4bA8DvLkeY7Fg1t3HWCHN10BbvKKCq4VsL6VmeliuqzBx885l7be8lZ4uRm3oHQ-fFxixbvK4TkYB2G97VBocXL72QEh4jVRWBp2vHmIs/s1600/dpburrow31mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4MXBXeKAffp2QPw-bCwgW2N8JYL0zAdsQB4bA8DvLkeY7Fg1t3HWCHN10BbvKKCq4VsL6VmeliuqzBx885l7be8lZ4uRm3oHQ-fFxixbvK4TkYB2G97VBocXL72QEh4jVRWBp2vHmIs/s320/dpburrow31mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Maybe I’ll soon be able to figure it out, if the beavers survive the efforts to kill them.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-68618352169793762792013-04-03T19:29:00.004-07:002013-04-03T19:29:50.184-07:00March 15 to 21, 2013<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 15 once again Leslie got the great notion of walking across the ice of South Bay. A ferocious west wind greeted us and we had to keep our head down to keep our eyes from watering to the point of blindness and to watch our step. There were patches of bare ice in varying conditions.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTZAaDJV-2KK5R9bwDpGP7LSDGEyo8zhwsnPMC-JqqoV_-i_yQ3ueaxjFJDPGCALs2TgiBOHug4v-z3oa5uGIeEJchWuSlMsDxrepOksUvspQJ8CSuN-qtdcgfsEvDAu9AV9iUPbo7cA/s1600/sbice15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTZAaDJV-2KK5R9bwDpGP7LSDGEyo8zhwsnPMC-JqqoV_-i_yQ3ueaxjFJDPGCALs2TgiBOHug4v-z3oa5uGIeEJchWuSlMsDxrepOksUvspQJ8CSuN-qtdcgfsEvDAu9AV9iUPbo7cA/s320/sbice15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>And on a closer look the ice was worth staring at, especially after I juiced up a close-up photo of it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRGaSXhDxCvBz_3R5m5RuYLkRciV-sh-8EAGRmIHcf1nMlqnMx7mtOw2_JnVLGrFxEbPfkDCjeQcs-kp6n0m1ADcpnk4cc2a7ExH-ObVKpKq_aVIQ-Uwi8rFe8XY9vBhYXfunHj_RxXw/s1600/sbicea15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRGaSXhDxCvBz_3R5m5RuYLkRciV-sh-8EAGRmIHcf1nMlqnMx7mtOw2_JnVLGrFxEbPfkDCjeQcs-kp6n0m1ADcpnk4cc2a7ExH-ObVKpKq_aVIQ-Uwi8rFe8XY9vBhYXfunHj_RxXw/s320/sbicea15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Leslie and I couldn’t figure out what etched the ice like that, and it was too cold and blustery to study it. I suppose the wind disrupted the usual circular patterns of melting ice and then the cold locked that disruption into art. Then a snow squall hit. I took one more cold photo and hurried to the protection of the woods along the north shore of the bay.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqW9e8_GXKlzKIVI8UHfSfixgVv4LQIyF8sEa46vBfHZt9UB6GYJfLaXfHkura7BAMClltMoPnfQ8fZbzGcG9Fkmk7zuoqX7yRBvbXPxrcpzvTFC__U86E7lCGJlRazH9jmz-9WzVP7I/s1600/sbiceb15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqW9e8_GXKlzKIVI8UHfSfixgVv4LQIyF8sEa46vBfHZt9UB6GYJfLaXfHkura7BAMClltMoPnfQ8fZbzGcG9Fkmk7zuoqX7yRBvbXPxrcpzvTFC__U86E7lCGJlRazH9jmz-9WzVP7I/s320/sbiceb15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>We usually enjoy mink tracks and tunnels in the snow along that shore but ice conditions seemed too harsh for that so we didn’t linger in the wind. I didn’t check otter latrines. We headed up to Audubon Pond which was protected enough from the wind to allow us to have a leisurely walk around it. I haven’t paid too much attention to this pond since we got back in February figuring that at best there are only two beavers here, a seemingly infertile couple who have been here for several years. I have looked down at the bank lodge where they spent last winter and saw no signs of life. Today I saw two small holes in the ice next to it probably made by minks, not beavers.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BvnTUYqsQeeGKvYX6ugd96F-M-BaST4G1sIdSdAThS-tnMBFc5zZOrZYHIIlfNo3Kxkn-eC9M1mzJySS1a_-HiZTGrEHmsktOau1VUkSqmNvXdHQiimGopK2F2URFllDrkWWVq3-nm4/s1600/apbldg15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BvnTUYqsQeeGKvYX6ugd96F-M-BaST4G1sIdSdAThS-tnMBFc5zZOrZYHIIlfNo3Kxkn-eC9M1mzJySS1a_-HiZTGrEHmsktOau1VUkSqmNvXdHQiimGopK2F2URFllDrkWWVq3-nm4/s320/apbldg15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I had only seen this lodge when snow covered it. Now I could see the sticks and all of them looked old, put up there for last winter. There were no signs of preparations for this winter. On the nearby west shore there is a downed shag-bark hickory that the beavers cut last winter and that they never trimmed the branches off, cutting off just two as I recall. All last year it was the symbol,to me, of the beavers petering out. Cutting shag-bark hickory was their last meal so to speak which they never mounted the energy to eat. The snow squall made the untouched tree look even more melancholy.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRKrpFkXID_e9IIBXzSgVbPDBnOVXlRcLJkBonBqjaPdiAn_tpswr-6g9SItJcGLU6tZTBk9xDlAYBR1XqyXUCXE0bT9sID7nrADovKTwQCgoBoe4rtGqQCRwq79qlFWirNqySjlQn7A/s1600/apoldwk15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRKrpFkXID_e9IIBXzSgVbPDBnOVXlRcLJkBonBqjaPdiAn_tpswr-6g9SItJcGLU6tZTBk9xDlAYBR1XqyXUCXE0bT9sID7nrADovKTwQCgoBoe4rtGqQCRwq79qlFWirNqySjlQn7A/s320/apoldwk15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I thought walking around the pond would be quick work. I soon saw that I was wrong. A large tree, probably a red oak, had fallen across the trail that ringed the pond and almost all the bark had been gnawed off.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1nd2FeMgr1syjbdD1mnh2zz7IwP8U7uCXH1A8ufsWXA0km6Epo6MmPf2NH3mbyF3mzp7V-yTOQcAiiJp-62YyaWBRoazfhUuMAQ7HovvNsSwnMrvUNqnNwJM5wOaWN4Vx4jOhN9F2n8/s1600/apwk15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1nd2FeMgr1syjbdD1mnh2zz7IwP8U7uCXH1A8ufsWXA0km6Epo6MmPf2NH3mbyF3mzp7V-yTOQcAiiJp-62YyaWBRoazfhUuMAQ7HovvNsSwnMrvUNqnNwJM5wOaWN4Vx4jOhN9F2n8/s320/apwk15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Porcupines could do that, but seldom do, and on closer inspection I saw that branches had been cut off and deep gnaws made into the smaller of the branching trunks.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBG1JjJPBJ2xAhXEXpDNFxJB89yZSAXwGp4XKrFdtqwlN6jsMjLinke6UCdFTrD1y0OPv1AkbsJm3cT9BIS0kcRJ9f0zYOVw1Bl4tkpPGQXycnlzJxzi7tw7SHn7OODNL1DjFQfWcNeE/s1600/apwka15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBG1JjJPBJ2xAhXEXpDNFxJB89yZSAXwGp4XKrFdtqwlN6jsMjLinke6UCdFTrD1y0OPv1AkbsJm3cT9BIS0kcRJ9f0zYOVw1Bl4tkpPGQXycnlzJxzi7tw7SHn7OODNL1DjFQfWcNeE/s320/apwka15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Only beavers do that. But they hadn’t just worked on it because there were no holes in the pond ice. When I was last here, all of this gnawing could have been covered by snow. I walked along the west edge of the pond toward the bank lodge, looking for holes in the ice that beavers might have used and beaver work on shore. I didn’t see the former but I did see fresh gnawing on the exposed roots of a clump of hickories on the shore 20 yards from the lodge.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjlWPx4enPtr0hdn14uPnw6JzR2QA4byK8AUvlKPtw6ZNNuB6Jc4dtyUJ9gEol4ox1Pzuj_3NhIk2DqquknQ8vbn3H34Vithv5ourvjdLNBnDiNKu7Xgr3o_Cq6cMHUTBADORBW4hR4Qg/s1600/aphickwk15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjlWPx4enPtr0hdn14uPnw6JzR2QA4byK8AUvlKPtw6ZNNuB6Jc4dtyUJ9gEol4ox1Pzuj_3NhIk2DqquknQ8vbn3H34Vithv5ourvjdLNBnDiNKu7Xgr3o_Cq6cMHUTBADORBW4hR4Qg/s320/aphickwk15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The beavers often find shag-bark hickory roots to gnaw, and, they also cut the shag-barks down. A nearby tree had a neat 2 or 3 inch cut gnawed into it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTE3fCObeM_vM0t0VQWeNU8yIVf9WuSUEYKFAznskb7lHT58Q4jni4XXOAgVfIuRFpB4enjyoQmb5KO3QN5VmHIt8zWXZjNqDqvqPEqSDnCFV9Fw80qA_rUagK0PlAgtezsKg9wZgeh0/s1600/aphickwka15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTE3fCObeM_vM0t0VQWeNU8yIVf9WuSUEYKFAznskb7lHT58Q4jni4XXOAgVfIuRFpB4enjyoQmb5KO3QN5VmHIt8zWXZjNqDqvqPEqSDnCFV9Fw80qA_rUagK0PlAgtezsKg9wZgeh0/s320/aphickwka15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Looking toward the lodge, unused by beavers as far as I could see, I saw more trees gnawed and girdled and one shag-bark cut and fallen into the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2opqfkO2PbkDkjVNMd8hosamK37NLM28Uh6J6ggcSF3KVTt1tAP-Dtx4Q8LfkJGDMahDjwUTMkTljgJicuQSceZBNdNOgCYec03yomd0iD101UKWBydH5NDnh9wRvT_mLpK5n_tGB30/s1600/apwldg15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2opqfkO2PbkDkjVNMd8hosamK37NLM28Uh6J6ggcSF3KVTt1tAP-Dtx4Q8LfkJGDMahDjwUTMkTljgJicuQSceZBNdNOgCYec03yomd0iD101UKWBydH5NDnh9wRvT_mLpK5n_tGB30/s320/apwldg15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Last year the people running the park put nesting boxes for wood ducks around the pond, assuming that a straight shag-bark hickory was a sturdy tree. The beavers proved them wrong.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOuKVTqC_EXu0bH98NWKQlQmQLz96LUa3xQ9b0qwmRuVNAeqNiiGDmisc5SCmTYksb6JBFtmRuzSe8gmaI2__NFpfnpG5M0HY5oRFyWbxA8aqFgMawAzsZXB0IZKPS6BJoyvovey7e64/s1600/aphickwkb15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOuKVTqC_EXu0bH98NWKQlQmQLz96LUa3xQ9b0qwmRuVNAeqNiiGDmisc5SCmTYksb6JBFtmRuzSe8gmaI2__NFpfnpG5M0HY5oRFyWbxA8aqFgMawAzsZXB0IZKPS6BJoyvovey7e64/s320/aphickwkb15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I checked the crown of the tree and saw that beaver had cut at least two of the larger limbs. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6MLhymKR-ut2b0aowsz34gsnRfUDNvHrFPMTjtOBqHBAFiXSFOTx6IVrX5JHyV7XJH4XqHuHTUuYVTm4-Ih7ljUSl_64kLF3lQ0VZiAADW-HZQqAmQ9CO2RtZXa54DT0kFl0xNAir8k/s1600/aphickwkc15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6MLhymKR-ut2b0aowsz34gsnRfUDNvHrFPMTjtOBqHBAFiXSFOTx6IVrX5JHyV7XJH4XqHuHTUuYVTm4-Ih7ljUSl_64kLF3lQ0VZiAADW-HZQqAmQ9CO2RtZXa54DT0kFl0xNAir8k/s320/aphickwkc15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I was getting the definite impression that the beavers hadn’t abandoned this pond, and that the shag-barks, which beavers usually ignore, were paying the price. The shag-barks around the pond seem all about the same size, about one foot in diameter at the base of the trunk, and all straight and tall for their width. As the beavers move from one to another, they hardly have to adjust their incisors. All the trees are the same. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzjUYYEoMIlLCE3s8SeEKcfiQ6bLC64sYoDI7u9J0ZzVlh_VbzwLlqKRmIuZ2_sED4TpXuC_ExtYaD6YJ7zZnD4O02f0jxopuXN_ri6-S-G9C5_fv2DqfSC09SvRxTh53Ai4CbaDqt-Y/s1600/aphickwkd15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzjUYYEoMIlLCE3s8SeEKcfiQ6bLC64sYoDI7u9J0ZzVlh_VbzwLlqKRmIuZ2_sED4TpXuC_ExtYaD6YJ7zZnD4O02f0jxopuXN_ri6-S-G9C5_fv2DqfSC09SvRxTh53Ai4CbaDqt-Y/s320/aphickwkd15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Last summer they did most of their tree cutting along this shore well into the woods, but they did cut and strip an ash near the pond. Now a hickory that they cut fell almost touching the ash. They cut the branches off the hickory but gnawed off only a few patches of the trunk.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6QqBRwSnNZtiN3CUmMXQ0zhe551S6K0TAIxTSyYZWsF5OQEuIyajT_ZYH36v_kNlMcX8uHeyjiNS1uQOBafF4TPUew7wPjk7mkKc4V34Fj85zq3LslsZJX6XOkW36CDsk6SsqmObaeQ/s1600/apwkb15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6QqBRwSnNZtiN3CUmMXQ0zhe551S6K0TAIxTSyYZWsF5OQEuIyajT_ZYH36v_kNlMcX8uHeyjiNS1uQOBafF4TPUew7wPjk7mkKc4V34Fj85zq3LslsZJX6XOkW36CDsk6SsqmObaeQ/s320/apwkb15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The trees are roughly the same size, equally convenient to the pond. The hickory bark is obviously less palatable than the ash. I saw a couple more trees being cut more in the woods but conditions were deteriorating for evaluating beaver work. The snow squall was covering up the evidence. I hurried over to the west end of the north shore where Leslie found some trees cut. One trunk was almost snow covered,</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6jEjM2DZgU-LYNgvSa2nNFYgoJ-1Bb4_VR9wsvC2MFsqodYNo7fBZgyXtKIN0s0UZ083RIr0tmQZaJLRKG2qa1hUVCj-IJ2LeR5aipzMVkFd2Ylwc15XrucMxsb6tPoaPZHdGRwTkRw/s1600/apwkc15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6jEjM2DZgU-LYNgvSa2nNFYgoJ-1Bb4_VR9wsvC2MFsqodYNo7fBZgyXtKIN0s0UZ083RIr0tmQZaJLRKG2qa1hUVCj-IJ2LeR5aipzMVkFd2Ylwc15XrucMxsb6tPoaPZHdGRwTkRw/s320/apwkc15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>and I couldn’t be sure of what type of tree it was, ash probably. I was impressed that the beavers left a chunky log next to the trunk. It doesn’t look like they cut it off the tree it was laying next to.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB27frps6aI-K2snBAducHxFB4ue5tUWS-kNdKx32g2No-dhLC-zAlvMvwUkcsqu6tUo57LRi-zVr7Xhe4rrp0moH9myJXsmzAuxO3fAsBnp1-04O6tjpz-fmsDPfXAnqO4jSfbseQcCM/s1600/apwkd15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB27frps6aI-K2snBAducHxFB4ue5tUWS-kNdKx32g2No-dhLC-zAlvMvwUkcsqu6tUo57LRi-zVr7Xhe4rrp0moH9myJXsmzAuxO3fAsBnp1-04O6tjpz-fmsDPfXAnqO4jSfbseQcCM/s320/apwkd15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>A few yards away there was a choke cherry trunk down next to a stump that appeared to be bleeding sap.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsv_ILpWt2Zsl8PRP4E8wpjjk180q4rkJPf7o8zfE1uOnVD4sDbtDVpHcgKkLvuy6dd_f5tx0YYdF2qDu_HKKyRMLWkvI9jCLrj6f5Rlij30UYkRycz5L6yDpz6bZBxn7P1brZ-M4u9H8/s1600/apwke15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsv_ILpWt2Zsl8PRP4E8wpjjk180q4rkJPf7o8zfE1uOnVD4sDbtDVpHcgKkLvuy6dd_f5tx0YYdF2qDu_HKKyRMLWkvI9jCLrj6f5Rlij30UYkRycz5L6yDpz6bZBxn7P1brZ-M4u9H8/s320/apwke15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There seemed to be nothing living in the two bank lodges, save for minks, so we walked out to check the lodge in the pond just off the north shore. Some twigs from a possible cache of branches were peaking out of the ice far from the lodge.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyNA8Odvs_uN9K5OABNIrYpcYLS_Swg69HdyIV6u-J-ygun0UYaMwlvopj8m8oz-yws6SCy41JM2NDVvwlweD5Kb0ozAe__ydzWF05_jLy1LCiYWU6pnfexgMHsl6wXBrlKhsdX_TPa0/s1600/apldg15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyNA8Odvs_uN9K5OABNIrYpcYLS_Swg69HdyIV6u-J-ygun0UYaMwlvopj8m8oz-yws6SCy41JM2NDVvwlweD5Kb0ozAe__ydzWF05_jLy1LCiYWU6pnfexgMHsl6wXBrlKhsdX_TPa0/s320/apldg15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>And there were stripped logs on the lodge which looked like they might have been added in the fall.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2Jvb1DPINd4TgPi-uxfvyFeg7vkUuWAc6F06Bh6a5aufAt2qcnTcQd-4LHfDpasVORxgZlhmuqgnGxU__tifRJ7gozCK8xESH1Vjq9cYQtnCa6Mvj_oulJhSMFfagIGCUrUibrKmISA/s1600/apldga15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2Jvb1DPINd4TgPi-uxfvyFeg7vkUuWAc6F06Bh6a5aufAt2qcnTcQd-4LHfDpasVORxgZlhmuqgnGxU__tifRJ7gozCK8xESH1Vjq9cYQtnCa6Mvj_oulJhSMFfagIGCUrUibrKmISA/s320/apldga15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The beavers are probably living in there. Last summer, they cut down quite a few ash not far from the lodge in the northeast corner of the pond. I walked over there but didn’t see any fresh beaver work between the snowflakes.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>In the afternoon we went to our land and with the snow losing its ferocity, we went down to the Deep Pond via the Third Pond. That meant we walked toward the pond along the path in the snow the beavers had made when they went foraging from their hole in the northeast bank of the pond. When the snow was deep I had difficulty seeing what they had cut. Today we could see a line of small stumps, and not honeysuckle bushes. Leslie identified them as nannyberry bushes.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvM_qLc_7N_JRXDJ5xvfS0JxXnKhS0Q5AkSZ30qLrbCoehju3Jq4_syi-zhd1bNv3ykBE4JSk4X_kg55slaZt-G1ezt1M4pupbekHhV0N8ktsCzcntpFvbIOJa4KA0M1jRKN2QddvPXVs/s1600/dpbvwk15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvM_qLc_7N_JRXDJ5xvfS0JxXnKhS0Q5AkSZ30qLrbCoehju3Jq4_syi-zhd1bNv3ykBE4JSk4X_kg55slaZt-G1ezt1M4pupbekHhV0N8ktsCzcntpFvbIOJa4KA0M1jRKN2QddvPXVs/s320/dpbvwk15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The beavers seemed to favor the smaller trunks.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTokdfN8GqcMYRD9mgVKiZC02pmiQfqkhuP5tSLfx54djkDerJm-zxFjO90E5JkHeUC9WBA3h8T-T7FOgkb3XZXPnUetoEwSib6jTKqpg3uOicS1XVq4OnzsUmK-b7IpaZIn_6p0YQX28/s1600/dpbvwka15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTokdfN8GqcMYRD9mgVKiZC02pmiQfqkhuP5tSLfx54djkDerJm-zxFjO90E5JkHeUC9WBA3h8T-T7FOgkb3XZXPnUetoEwSib6jTKqpg3uOicS1XVq4OnzsUmK-b7IpaZIn_6p0YQX28/s320/dpbvwka15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Nannyberry is not one of their favored meals and in the past we noticed they cut only them as a last resort. When I turned around and took a photo looking back at the pond, it was easy to see that the beavers had a limited choice. One large nannyberry clump remains and honeysuckles.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPX-eEvJ_gedFvePB1gvb8BqeAVOIU5ZOCbw-C48uN7IouNye3toee8poi8_oAEUGApAisDOElWW9CHDO478ceCjv1OjAHfK8bDXCz51cJn7YpiPFP0WJsME_6Bq9xV27-FmvIl5wQtJY/s1600/dpwkb15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPX-eEvJ_gedFvePB1gvb8BqeAVOIU5ZOCbw-C48uN7IouNye3toee8poi8_oAEUGApAisDOElWW9CHDO478ceCjv1OjAHfK8bDXCz51cJn7YpiPFP0WJsME_6Bq9xV27-FmvIl5wQtJY/s320/dpwkb15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There are ironwoods, elms, ash, basswoods and apple trees between the pond and the ridge just a few yards from these nannyberries, perhaps too far away in this snow. Of course I am not sure when they cut these trees and some could have been cut before the snow got deep. There were no fresh tracks coming out of the hole in the bank and when I got down on the pond, I saw that the hole was completely exposed and no longer safe for a beaver to stay there, not that it was that safe when it was almost completely covered with snow. A nosy coyote might be able to dig down to get into it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5u2-ywxVyUxwexL5JxDhfUtRIwCtKlpo6germTm0LZYsRRlDO-nvB-1ab41tBeIwWVk5vnemQtZKmU6y5Y_7txYlQoLOoxk-n4F9hGeH5_qEZ4TkCg7UCZ5ydafFzXf8F4lA9G0XeTTM/s1600/dpbankhole15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5u2-ywxVyUxwexL5JxDhfUtRIwCtKlpo6germTm0LZYsRRlDO-nvB-1ab41tBeIwWVk5vnemQtZKmU6y5Y_7txYlQoLOoxk-n4F9hGeH5_qEZ4TkCg7UCZ5ydafFzXf8F4lA9G0XeTTM/s320/dpbankhole15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>As always there were some coyote trails on the pond, as well as the tracks of browsing deer.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2G495jvOlRrZyAiJLixy2Hq53Ym_rB-sqtltEzIkPAMTafGAT5G77Gtk21u64P04wm8V0ZfecLkFcn_hyphenhypheniKzcqHsqmSdJbjuk1Xx0xx1UIkjZYFG0ZydzoV_ELKxKpGt7RWBftU5_Ms/s1600/dptks15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2G495jvOlRrZyAiJLixy2Hq53Ym_rB-sqtltEzIkPAMTafGAT5G77Gtk21u64P04wm8V0ZfecLkFcn_hyphenhypheniKzcqHsqmSdJbjuk1Xx0xx1UIkjZYFG0ZydzoV_ELKxKpGt7RWBftU5_Ms/s320/dptks15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>At the low end of the southeast shore, directly opposite the hole in the bank, I saw a well gnawed log peeking out of the snow. It was the largest log I have seen beavers here gnaw in the last two years.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQ5TUQwFLrZPdhZIdx6xYxejisxAVUuynOaXjgaR5acLlTR7nNvcfzNn0do9DeFxGQi3Aq9B67xiUBLEZ9tvp_twzuUuiQ4c7cct4dc4G1C7SBLK7qrC3kcCIi0gutbDzLTMW_c041zQ/s1600/dplog15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQ5TUQwFLrZPdhZIdx6xYxejisxAVUuynOaXjgaR5acLlTR7nNvcfzNn0do9DeFxGQi3Aq9B67xiUBLEZ9tvp_twzuUuiQ4c7cct4dc4G1C7SBLK7qrC3kcCIi0gutbDzLTMW_c041zQ/s320/dplog15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Thanks to our on again off again thaw the inlet creek has been running. It was iced over today.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsY3Mx_3V_CoJFG2hzQ1AAS92PfnH98hSvz_kzOQe7H1ma24VnnS4KI5InAhosr39s8QoeicdcXIcje8qQX_l2OsSSbBKxpSsu-3_cWHuvzRbi20-K6nAS1aBj93l23T9hyphenhyphenGqb6WQkNHo/s1600/dpinlet15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsY3Mx_3V_CoJFG2hzQ1AAS92PfnH98hSvz_kzOQe7H1ma24VnnS4KI5InAhosr39s8QoeicdcXIcje8qQX_l2OsSSbBKxpSsu-3_cWHuvzRbi20-K6nAS1aBj93l23T9hyphenhyphenGqb6WQkNHo/s320/dpinlet15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I could see some beaver gnawed sticks frozen in the ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGPrPda5ZG_CUO0NcRscXIA49KyJ7AuNpLdPLADBx8k9kyKC9UOC39bYoddWAc-YQDU-1K7ZvFcg0QVs2Z-Htbis6QKgmLmMNADOQaavOn4jU9c4tWdNZN-55DD4pl92QAXnUt428Qv4/s1600/dpinleta15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGPrPda5ZG_CUO0NcRscXIA49KyJ7AuNpLdPLADBx8k9kyKC9UOC39bYoddWAc-YQDU-1K7ZvFcg0QVs2Z-Htbis6QKgmLmMNADOQaavOn4jU9c4tWdNZN-55DD4pl92QAXnUt428Qv4/s320/dpinleta15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There were also snowed-over and half thawed tracks around the area that had been open water. I didn’t see the tracks leading to any major work. One went over to the nearby brush and the beaver must have nipped something to eat that had very little heft because I couldn’t see any remains of it next to all the large sticks the beaver left standing.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjytarSvHYLTHYr9zIl3uQ45Dzzd2ztQpNQh77sjrezYbL62wv38rfl2aaXXPSIPmjxR8g3DKwbOnSHlPhZmOMsNyPIgWuYmsWkAyltlhUXc0d_8AuDobbwRKId7G63NRgwFQEOt7P9K1c/s1600/dpbvtks15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjytarSvHYLTHYr9zIl3uQ45Dzzd2ztQpNQh77sjrezYbL62wv38rfl2aaXXPSIPmjxR8g3DKwbOnSHlPhZmOMsNyPIgWuYmsWkAyltlhUXc0d_8AuDobbwRKId7G63NRgwFQEOt7P9K1c/s320/dpbvtks15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then I checked out the dam, where of late I have seen the most evidence of beaver nibbling and gnawing. I could see where the thin ice had been broken and plenty of bubbles under the ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOVtFSMaa7V8cD8LCg7O1mqv-zqCf6KF5w4ppv0KlrUj58nnQVSJNd6e0xJhl5I_WSOqlRe4x_HT0Unaf9-0D8DqWS_TSCqJAbUVL4c6FbvIU69MHg5vM1OJQV9iQXMV3OPrbmqPL2uA/s1600/dpdam15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOVtFSMaa7V8cD8LCg7O1mqv-zqCf6KF5w4ppv0KlrUj58nnQVSJNd6e0xJhl5I_WSOqlRe4x_HT0Unaf9-0D8DqWS_TSCqJAbUVL4c6FbvIU69MHg5vM1OJQV9iQXMV3OPrbmqPL2uA/s320/dpdam15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>A beaver must have been eating there last night or this morning because some of the nibbled sticks were half up on the ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLbES4itXqCHqpcKFvIWARdvgAFKxfM8kIEGnzJDSHJ57suptatZuQfjVoMbygW31AHaBkx3P7k1XP9Ejc0BYzxJ7QtuMwp66_THCK9ETErxkDWvbkIqke91yhL-k0CEcjdZsr7DwNPA/s1600/dpdamnibs15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLbES4itXqCHqpcKFvIWARdvgAFKxfM8kIEGnzJDSHJ57suptatZuQfjVoMbygW31AHaBkx3P7k1XP9Ejc0BYzxJ7QtuMwp66_THCK9ETErxkDWvbkIqke91yhL-k0CEcjdZsr7DwNPA/s320/dpdamnibs15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>It crossed my mind that a beaver might have been collecting sticks to patch a hole in the dam. There was still water flowing out of the dam, but not at that particular spot. There was a bit of mud where water would have flowed there, or is that where an animal dug into the dirt of the dam?</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj16hxJCvqmBiuLUA6spB3cYbeX-zS4mzFFznhRxYBdovqeSz9lY5Rdc9_-iqQt_JgZdxNZ4RWHmNAnOX0JxMCTTcjqKGS_KJaxWRal_k7FK1RtIxdOscgw4FD84G1UHQjYX2NtWaPCEU/s1600/dpoutflow15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj16hxJCvqmBiuLUA6spB3cYbeX-zS4mzFFznhRxYBdovqeSz9lY5Rdc9_-iqQt_JgZdxNZ4RWHmNAnOX0JxMCTTcjqKGS_KJaxWRal_k7FK1RtIxdOscgw4FD84G1UHQjYX2NtWaPCEU/s320/dpoutflow15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Being away for four months, I missed that story. But if a beaver did patch the dam, it did so rather sparely. So I don’t think a beaver patched the dam there because beavers usually over do their repairs. Standing below the dam, I took a photo of the whole pond,</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpMDl7z1fzFQMl0rEJtpu71VN5Y0dusNCcxxkCPSVamJWUdBjzu_Mtmq8ebjMHptF3P3js8q72HCK-4lwVzi20qCUv5Jj8-ywK2WyitiepicLW9Azk7L3aaCgID9lLcf7xsU54LRDzSI/s1600/dp15mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpMDl7z1fzFQMl0rEJtpu71VN5Y0dusNCcxxkCPSVamJWUdBjzu_Mtmq8ebjMHptF3P3js8q72HCK-4lwVzi20qCUv5Jj8-ywK2WyitiepicLW9Azk7L3aaCgID9lLcf7xsU54LRDzSI/s320/dp15mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>just to show how far the thaw has to go.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 18 we went up to Montreal for the weekend and walked along the St. Lawrence River up to the Lachine rapids where they have wrapped trees with chicken wire because beavers have moved into two large side pools which are surrounded by willows. I saw the stump of a smaller beaver cut willow right above the raging edge of the huge rapids. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera. Today we went to our land to collect sap and despite the cold temperature and wind we almost got a gallon to boil. I went down to the Deep Pond and picked up where I left off, analyzing the clearer ice right behind the dam. It looked about the same.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_RVZzMkScXWvBXgrN3r8s0ETRV99Qdw6ILnwzIA9FWBZGH1RcWvEVOHjoZetVuAIpv-QBqs4X9jj9dEOEfzbGR1LebkOPlvNnfZA3bFXGmaeS8IDrf7gW2g8t9Z_A0TXv0lzIs7qbXg/s1600/dpdamice18mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_RVZzMkScXWvBXgrN3r8s0ETRV99Qdw6ILnwzIA9FWBZGH1RcWvEVOHjoZetVuAIpv-QBqs4X9jj9dEOEfzbGR1LebkOPlvNnfZA3bFXGmaeS8IDrf7gW2g8t9Z_A0TXv0lzIs7qbXg/s320/dpdamice18mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The cold didn’t prevent the beavers from breaking out from under the ice where the inlet creek flows into the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2JP9Xlid2yAigtZxyy9QChFJbR0mmfYj_ko8WpibgSxLQSIYk8URmW7ir8zT92VSfrcLvl9OMOaLd_X6rkBC53GJolwYkllyOXvIEimIXgqAHbjM2o1lbFK-SiAEA_NAxZUV9UHJo30/s1600/dpinlet18mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2JP9Xlid2yAigtZxyy9QChFJbR0mmfYj_ko8WpibgSxLQSIYk8URmW7ir8zT92VSfrcLvl9OMOaLd_X6rkBC53GJolwYkllyOXvIEimIXgqAHbjM2o1lbFK-SiAEA_NAxZUV9UHJo30/s320/dpinlet18mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There were some trails from and back to the inlet but it wasn’t immediately apparent what they went out and back for.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0E7F32utTfnqNQf4gvLCcrfVcaMoe4t7tW-MeqfqSR4F8t29Jw9NwVKfdhMFxXT7FHE4i0_jq1vwdk6WkJudfCfmhEkPcqPhdLhPuV0HZwF6sULGyHlDVWhmolF_xNl4wTEHwv4HbqpA/s1600/dpinleta18mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0E7F32utTfnqNQf4gvLCcrfVcaMoe4t7tW-MeqfqSR4F8t29Jw9NwVKfdhMFxXT7FHE4i0_jq1vwdk6WkJudfCfmhEkPcqPhdLhPuV0HZwF6sULGyHlDVWhmolF_xNl4wTEHwv4HbqpA/s320/dpinleta18mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>We could see what looked like thin stalks and wee twigs on the snow, and the clumps of bushes a few feet from the inlet looked well browsed.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKobyTWpRVzt0i-3y8SwSMhHgczGlOxMdDMALyulk5ipYl_bioJLlx3IfL_q8EKqYSJosVDLTW9dop8afpL2Dk1dc4W05_vCTQAuP9vBhdljubkVtREl7ErWSQ2HpFO-GB2Q9bpTrpJgs/s1600/dpinlettks18mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKobyTWpRVzt0i-3y8SwSMhHgczGlOxMdDMALyulk5ipYl_bioJLlx3IfL_q8EKqYSJosVDLTW9dop8afpL2Dk1dc4W05_vCTQAuP9vBhdljubkVtREl7ErWSQ2HpFO-GB2Q9bpTrpJgs/s320/dpinlettks18mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>We didn’t see any drag marks suggesting that the beavers took anything more substantial into the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BTbks18p1OxY4NHTrI0rH1_f3nxN4VwrVUPnh0VOSxmsiKdG5WllJmgIBchBPWWsI8pQHaDy5gCIu1aMQGAbg3IYEUTZof0CAX-IzWGTR1twAktqdsLuwf1EFjR4E1MMSG2BATmm3D0/s1600/dpinletnibs18mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BTbks18p1OxY4NHTrI0rH1_f3nxN4VwrVUPnh0VOSxmsiKdG5WllJmgIBchBPWWsI8pQHaDy5gCIu1aMQGAbg3IYEUTZof0CAX-IzWGTR1twAktqdsLuwf1EFjR4E1MMSG2BATmm3D0/s320/dpinletnibs18mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>One trail going up from the inlet to the bushes just to the west was quite fresh and I could count the beavers toes.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsr0kG5upJ8pkeBoji2HFaeoANt_SukTr3sDax3MyQDYnDCQHPkc8-lrV7TDigL4761eFjNbzuF-h9t1EOa2OmKKv-fzOn-QaxCJXrmaKwIriXO_0xPVFLFoRwPrPr71DWHRLL3_8TiDc/s1600/dpbvprints18mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsr0kG5upJ8pkeBoji2HFaeoANt_SukTr3sDax3MyQDYnDCQHPkc8-lrV7TDigL4761eFjNbzuF-h9t1EOa2OmKKv-fzOn-QaxCJXrmaKwIriXO_0xPVFLFoRwPrPr71DWHRLL3_8TiDc/s320/dpbvprints18mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I followed the trail and couldn’t exactly tell what the beaver went off to get.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcjY84zcuuZkrQagqT_jj1X741GZOtW9h4v5qLdgxU_0Xg9192QVTQOzqN6-YszvC8w2pWLqZsh-ap0VsqL6mKDJ9q64nYT3fMocdf_UorPWBlsKlQD-tY0IBkd1FmTWzngafhcLj_to/s1600/dpinletwk18mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcjY84zcuuZkrQagqT_jj1X741GZOtW9h4v5qLdgxU_0Xg9192QVTQOzqN6-YszvC8w2pWLqZsh-ap0VsqL6mKDJ9q64nYT3fMocdf_UorPWBlsKlQD-tY0IBkd1FmTWzngafhcLj_to/s320/dpinletwk18mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The cold temperatures the last few days made the pond easy to walk across and as the snow retreats more of the bank hole the beavers had been using is revealed. It’s rather nondescript and I still won’t risk kneeling right in front of the hole to get a photo looking into it. When snow covered the area the beavers must have had access to the pond there so the ice might be thin.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurjs-sxQfZQtVWUgmJpddzLH89Y_bnVZjFaq4zsLcNiCM4lV8bwoE6li7D-LBMvhuqXCJa3TXU37-GYiM6-V7rDVutwVdASQkEIXhTrQVNV2kgtZd7pTndd8ITb2xZjdyyKlPu8VvKJ0/s1600/dpbankhole18mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurjs-sxQfZQtVWUgmJpddzLH89Y_bnVZjFaq4zsLcNiCM4lV8bwoE6li7D-LBMvhuqXCJa3TXU37-GYiM6-V7rDVutwVdASQkEIXhTrQVNV2kgtZd7pTndd8ITb2xZjdyyKlPu8VvKJ0/s320/dpbankhole18mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Before we left in September I saw that one of the beavers here, at least, was building a mound of sticks over a very low burrow on the low northeast shore that I had once seen muskrats use. When I came back in early February snow covered the shore and I saw no sign of the lodge. Now as the snow thaws I can see that bank lodge.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4GNIdXsZOwdfTfxiRr4zyint_QQ4kpUDfWKPEAelqAbSFdMW4MCz2TUT3meGp33BqUTqN-_BlINwn-_QM3ffJA6-MjJ0h5UMibpvjUSZA-v3gy5YEuB-m2euJyUFy1F47aBKVLxggYg/s1600/dpauxldg18mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4GNIdXsZOwdfTfxiRr4zyint_QQ4kpUDfWKPEAelqAbSFdMW4MCz2TUT3meGp33BqUTqN-_BlINwn-_QM3ffJA6-MjJ0h5UMibpvjUSZA-v3gy5YEuB-m2euJyUFy1F47aBKVLxggYg/s320/dpauxldg18mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>It certainly did not look like the beavers added more sticks to it since September. Many of the sticks over the burrow over at the highest point of the shore where I had noticed a vent opening looked like they were recently nibbled. But that area is still covered with snow. When I see the beaver, I expect to see it swim back into that burrow. Last March the beavers had open water behind a hole they made in the east end of the dam. There was no open water there now and evidently no hole. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroXLYOiQOwvJE0chHilByK2YYLMkB7Qg59vRfu-mwECnI3FVZq5fygczk1YIWHYDRMtwGFIo-z4c4C5jTmzTp5rrc8b-uwyIHzdXLIS6k0cwauSAJCV-RpvaoL0R4E7N0uSvFNb5MeBw/s1600/dpeastdam18mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroXLYOiQOwvJE0chHilByK2YYLMkB7Qg59vRfu-mwECnI3FVZq5fygczk1YIWHYDRMtwGFIo-z4c4C5jTmzTp5rrc8b-uwyIHzdXLIS6k0cwauSAJCV-RpvaoL0R4E7N0uSvFNb5MeBw/s320/dpeastdam18mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I forgot to mention that when I walked on the parts of the dam that lost their snow cover, I looked for otter scats. I haven’t see any. So my guess is that the beavers made the holes in the dam and this year picked new spots to dig through.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 19 last night we had 4 or 5 inches of wet snow and this afternoon I got the great notion of walking to the East Trail Pond to see how the beavers reacted. It was above freezing and wet snow often makes it easier to open new holes in the ice. However it was not easy snow to walk in. We couldn’t cross South Bay because the ice along the north shore has melted leaving a band of slush. So we had to take the long way around the bay. Of course, I hoped to see the beaver outside a hole in the ice behind the dam again. There were brown lumps there but the binoculars revealed the lumps as earth. Leslie took a breather on a downed trunk and I walked around the west end of the pond on the trail. When I got half way up to the plateau I saw some gnawing and cutting I didn’t see the last time I was here, but there were no tracks in the snow. So much for my hunch that a beaver would come out after the snow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AuGA9jsLRwAKY5XI9H8sxfgeFjc_IzfLT6abqELkRSNrsOK_PDfnQIV4ygPU3tg2nzS-7D2rLCOQMqgsuJ6TsbOa-0tgs8KirGnyrxKRITGmjQlBjwCcC9TQpDi4sDc4MG-07_9jncg/s1600/etwk19mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AuGA9jsLRwAKY5XI9H8sxfgeFjc_IzfLT6abqELkRSNrsOK_PDfnQIV4ygPU3tg2nzS-7D2rLCOQMqgsuJ6TsbOa-0tgs8KirGnyrxKRITGmjQlBjwCcC9TQpDi4sDc4MG-07_9jncg/s320/etwk19mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The small angled trunk the beaver cut looked like the most convenient meal imaginable. Beavers were up here two years ago foraging but missed that morsel. A straight small tree nearby, probably a red oak, that they cut proved to be too tall and it was still hung up. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpFr_GO0lUWsz3JuAL5caUO7WNldj5nvyRKLJUUHW2IoG1UIIBUhPRHXFwLcG0RMJQ1wKnNCYK1L8r-DBXX9qfZ83gvxkTQ09VLXTLEYufaz8BpCZ9ABpn7KAB5xJvIJ5lQw78WKpiu8/s1600/etwka19mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpFr_GO0lUWsz3JuAL5caUO7WNldj5nvyRKLJUUHW2IoG1UIIBUhPRHXFwLcG0RMJQ1wKnNCYK1L8r-DBXX9qfZ83gvxkTQ09VLXTLEYufaz8BpCZ9ABpn7KAB5xJvIJ5lQw78WKpiu8/s320/etwka19mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>In the background center and left in the photo above, you can see the work I saw when I was last here. To the right, you can see the pond. I have no idea if the beaver took that easier slope but I suspect it climbed up over the plateau. The trees that I saw cut the 12th were in the same state. They are probably too thick for double cutting at this time of year.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqT5pNep9ca_gw0_B2W7LZ9bvQvW_Oc0YVwYQb75fb50L9iVJCtYqN1OWRvTaN6_a5cffuqSBcSic1RWNKXiVCq3Bck2x1bWOi-OCk72zNLuBI5fk7KSjSfra9Y6UW0LKQdoac4U9qrFU/s1600/etwkb19mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqT5pNep9ca_gw0_B2W7LZ9bvQvW_Oc0YVwYQb75fb50L9iVJCtYqN1OWRvTaN6_a5cffuqSBcSic1RWNKXiVCq3Bck2x1bWOi-OCk72zNLuBI5fk7KSjSfra9Y6UW0LKQdoac4U9qrFU/s320/etwkb19mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then I saw wood chips on the snow around another red oak that they had been cutting back on the 12th. A beaver had come out this morning after the snow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIcWnAAUe-AQ5ICUkyQGOqWbzufEokCU_EVIvAyxVZYaD5jEK6dkiM6zs33ehaLb3xYM7oaMU1qtel41yGA-BhpmCLsJLjGrsSHTwCMbc7OGXzFNjHOw7aW5QWpx6fdCBNMYKvlExEkw/s1600/etplatwk19mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIcWnAAUe-AQ5ICUkyQGOqWbzufEokCU_EVIvAyxVZYaD5jEK6dkiM6zs33ehaLb3xYM7oaMU1qtel41yGA-BhpmCLsJLjGrsSHTwCMbc7OGXzFNjHOw7aW5QWpx6fdCBNMYKvlExEkw/s320/etplatwk19mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I could see tracks in the snow coming to the tree and following them back I saw where a beaver had just cut a pine tree (with a red trail marker on it.)</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nekXWOe1WUeibMiYGY58ZWgk5AoBZLIQHc-RpyfjMdkxylarR-AeROOrZIEnJ37MAGQGneJcx2aoUvwmopeZp7qG6ViAjxenGykTKNs6tpS-lZAwpTHuVzS5s6Gc0yWPJcOaSqanKCE/s1600/etpinewk19mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nekXWOe1WUeibMiYGY58ZWgk5AoBZLIQHc-RpyfjMdkxylarR-AeROOrZIEnJ37MAGQGneJcx2aoUvwmopeZp7qG6ViAjxenGykTKNs6tpS-lZAwpTHuVzS5s6Gc0yWPJcOaSqanKCE/s320/etpinewk19mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then I followed the beavers tracks from the red oak that headed over to the precipice going down to Shangri-la Pond. Incidently when this beaver family was in that pond they sometimes climbed the steep cliff and cut small trees on this ridge.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtw9am6Lf3wBYDXvO3Q-a0nGoE4ky2m0aMq6DuhI-r3DnqgJzR6IFacTKscQU2Xg6onkCSCziTQa3z8x5CSqXzTqyFeUFxIcrWdGniOe5xS_9na1o2LvRXfmagJidDjj302aK6SZn53s/s1600/etplattks19mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtw9am6Lf3wBYDXvO3Q-a0nGoE4ky2m0aMq6DuhI-r3DnqgJzR6IFacTKscQU2Xg6onkCSCziTQa3z8x5CSqXzTqyFeUFxIcrWdGniOe5xS_9na1o2LvRXfmagJidDjj302aK6SZn53s/s320/etplattks19mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The beaver seemed to wander over there to get nothing in particular. There was no gnawing on the trees there. I did see what looked like a wood chip or two in the snow at the base of a large ungnawed tree trunk. Perhaps the beaver was nibbling the needle-less pine bough lying there in the snow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9B6_E-8Q2cpKFowc_B3xAbd00hnIhU8ohGakk4jz3dTwlUH2ljxqeTRDwvKluaSY7CioRlWWnDHIeBJ8EQs-c6Dsqo7vezLT4WYdEY9rampGdRNpmCd09gsLhyphenhyphen-qmXj9nikgdPC41GIM/s1600/etplatnib19mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9B6_E-8Q2cpKFowc_B3xAbd00hnIhU8ohGakk4jz3dTwlUH2ljxqeTRDwvKluaSY7CioRlWWnDHIeBJ8EQs-c6Dsqo7vezLT4WYdEY9rampGdRNpmCd09gsLhyphenhyphen-qmXj9nikgdPC41GIM/s320/etplatnib19mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There were meandering tracks back to the red oak the beaver gnawed and I saw that the trail went to and from the little pine the beaver cut up on the slight ridge in the middle of the plateau.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsq6H1MCDn92vZ2rK_pqGs5leCw2lRCavysDVXdfcGwuAO-I3-0zLrNBqJ-M3o_cGlxWbIyGvxFzCZyhSEmVkAv9-197fL3TqIJFQCmmN6OCs_kDGTKIdr5oLjdtA4c3i0Hb2msnL0yyo/s1600/etplatwka19mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsq6H1MCDn92vZ2rK_pqGs5leCw2lRCavysDVXdfcGwuAO-I3-0zLrNBqJ-M3o_cGlxWbIyGvxFzCZyhSEmVkAv9-197fL3TqIJFQCmmN6OCs_kDGTKIdr5oLjdtA4c3i0Hb2msnL0yyo/s320/etplatwka19mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I went up to the pine stump and fancied I could see exactly how the beaver did it, cutting the pine without any hesitation</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZRJ4M1mnAVeRS0_ZUy6yBWWGF60hzwMzVsg52JPSYXF1qzk2SYnrSWYiqz4tHbRk9NPq_p-lFwVtgubUrWIOkwv9G-l33pnLqVHBIxHyAipKashCsOILF_pGPZY6X39Zw8nE-18Guq0/s1600/etpinewka19mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZRJ4M1mnAVeRS0_ZUy6yBWWGF60hzwMzVsg52JPSYXF1qzk2SYnrSWYiqz4tHbRk9NPq_p-lFwVtgubUrWIOkwv9G-l33pnLqVHBIxHyAipKashCsOILF_pGPZY6X39Zw8nE-18Guq0/s320/etpinewka19mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then it cut off two of the smaller lower branches.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5I5lHU5AGS5hyaXQNUqbwzXTdGhHdS6J6L4au4GRrZR8OqTndkPHxlN5F1gS10wqu-8gF5nJ81YNDkcT-dSG_aKQhUU9-Hgd8o7G2olX2KSjGKsHJkSkJgg820Kuw4acZcCqLbTiCXrQ/s1600/etpinewkb19mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5I5lHU5AGS5hyaXQNUqbwzXTdGhHdS6J6L4au4GRrZR8OqTndkPHxlN5F1gS10wqu-8gF5nJ81YNDkcT-dSG_aKQhUU9-Hgd8o7G2olX2KSjGKsHJkSkJgg820Kuw4acZcCqLbTiCXrQ/s320/etpinewkb19mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Looking at the trail going back down the ridge I could see the drag marks.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ICuGBe60ZuSBCJb_IsEwU0nA4YjM4kjHn7zaKpx-KPa3F9PXJ6Md0tk1PdNqP4hv8k_fUVDjZgC54TTjmIidlHdF6get2nPbbuHycwlnBIqKeNlc_BN-IzwzHtggm6e1V9zCDOLU_l8/s1600/etbvtks19mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ICuGBe60ZuSBCJb_IsEwU0nA4YjM4kjHn7zaKpx-KPa3F9PXJ6Md0tk1PdNqP4hv8k_fUVDjZgC54TTjmIidlHdF6get2nPbbuHycwlnBIqKeNlc_BN-IzwzHtggm6e1V9zCDOLU_l8/s320/etbvtks19mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I have never gotten down on my hands and knees in the snow and parsed the comings and goings of a beaver. Obviously the beaver approached this pattern of trees differently than I did and I couldn’t tell if it cut the pine and then resumed gnawing the red oak or vice versa. But I think the beaver cut the pine, took the boughs back to its hole in the ice then came back and went over the knoll for a taste of red oak, then wandered a bit and returned to the pine to take back another bough. Let me quickly add that I like to plod around like that in the woods, I like to poke about, it suits my personality. I don’t walk fast down trails lusting for vistas and counting the miles. The beaver took its usual route down to the usual hole.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnhufOu067hMY3ozSvsrgWj3F_kMwFmpDOvjySxx8kaofpZvQjTgL_Im6jD06GsAoIv5u67PiROmz7yFZvnktfw79K8t32OwHHwtCgPBN0zc5VZxcZQGwpzngP4n6ki4k0nccej5bUQE/s1600/etbvtksa19mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnhufOu067hMY3ozSvsrgWj3F_kMwFmpDOvjySxx8kaofpZvQjTgL_Im6jD06GsAoIv5u67PiROmz7yFZvnktfw79K8t32OwHHwtCgPBN0zc5VZxcZQGwpzngP4n6ki4k0nccej5bUQE/s320/etbvtksa19mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The pond water was up to the brim in the hole. Since the water level in the pond was so low back in February this suggests to me that the beavers are patching some of the holes in the dam. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWaLHRhcb0blkicmFb5ooNydmnN49v9Y05oEsBZ4QpbBAb6expg7FAz9-VR3iYtJCYs2D75Zn-p5Sm6gEXZy1Pls0VA_v-E1SZsG8VQ0zTnlb3rfEAEDSU7yqAt_E_ldNJ2lz0Vsmc67A/s1600/etbvhole19mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWaLHRhcb0blkicmFb5ooNydmnN49v9Y05oEsBZ4QpbBAb6expg7FAz9-VR3iYtJCYs2D75Zn-p5Sm6gEXZy1Pls0VA_v-E1SZsG8VQ0zTnlb3rfEAEDSU7yqAt_E_ldNJ2lz0Vsmc67A/s320/etbvhole19mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I didn’t see pine branches around the hole which suggests that the beaver took it back to the lodge. I didn’t walk out on the pond, not trusting the ice along the north shore. I walked back up the ridge and I noticed that the beaver didn’t follow the lowest direct path to the pine. It went up the knoll like it was going to look for a branch on the big pine that blew over months ago from which it has trimmed a number of branches.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfKlZzH5RZHXWR4NfV4FHQFyUvKh4-08LJ8wrYJu0ap_Ct41OVZ89wbRaKYnkZB5tGkEURhwu7oyLhZnnIbXdvxhdZaG-Ba_d3Ypxa0echyphenhyphen-av6yH6KGY95EUeohktgGusUSdi-hFPVo/s1600/etbvtksb19mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfKlZzH5RZHXWR4NfV4FHQFyUvKh4-08LJ8wrYJu0ap_Ct41OVZ89wbRaKYnkZB5tGkEURhwu7oyLhZnnIbXdvxhdZaG-Ba_d3Ypxa0echyphenhyphen-av6yH6KGY95EUeohktgGusUSdi-hFPVo/s320/etbvtksb19mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Veering up on the high ground also seems prudent since it would quickly reveal what was happening up on the plateau. But I tend to think that if a beaver worried about possible predators every time it went up a snowy ridge, then that beaver would be so paralyzed with fear that it would starve.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 21 the first full day of spring dawned well below freezing but with brilliant sun. That hardened the wet snow we had two days ago. Plus we keep having lake effect snow showers and that light snow over hard snow can make for good tracking. We headed across the golf course bound for the Lost Swamp Pond and had to pause to admire the stampede of goose tracks on the fairways.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55XgSjkdLSRxzgqE5zGrThSpe4FkyK1hSydm2iGL_3tuugMRmQBWNe1V3qx_XHNBRJEsf6GVe_zSdulbzz2OapqSZise3gzwuxHccoDwhd6k9SFfEpujaYEXj7mLn35FYO6K9JxiSQjA/s1600/goosetks21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55XgSjkdLSRxzgqE5zGrThSpe4FkyK1hSydm2iGL_3tuugMRmQBWNe1V3qx_XHNBRJEsf6GVe_zSdulbzz2OapqSZise3gzwuxHccoDwhd6k9SFfEpujaYEXj7mLn35FYO6K9JxiSQjA/s320/goosetks21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>We seem to have more geese than other springs. Probably 50 to 100 are in our cove most days and nights. We can hear them from our bed at night but their arguments are mild compared to what it will be like when they battle for and defend nesting sites. We assume that these are migrating geese but the human war against geese is on-going and perhaps the local geese have determined that the ratio of people to lawns is better for them at this time of year when there are so few people about since almost all the houses are empty. The usual complement of turkeys was on the golf course but some of them surprised us by flying up into trees and then flying off as we trudged closer to them. Once up walking through the plateau that forms the entrance to the valley down to the Big Pond, we were gratified to see that it was a good day for tracking. It was easy to see a fisher’s trail as it made one of its characteristic adjustments to its almost never-straight trail.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uLJYT2uTjsXBVBNDbdqOQE68Ft-7HmfAcIaGmwVngaVddwr1wmyDW8nbCqyX4q0zgOzCl4bsjgGiTFlfzdwwQXN6sxXF810EcLMSv8yTIRZdPY0ClaUGGlALOhRpNqZYVRnKf8dY4Vg/s1600/fishtks21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uLJYT2uTjsXBVBNDbdqOQE68Ft-7HmfAcIaGmwVngaVddwr1wmyDW8nbCqyX4q0zgOzCl4bsjgGiTFlfzdwwQXN6sxXF810EcLMSv8yTIRZdPY0ClaUGGlALOhRpNqZYVRnKf8dY4Vg/s320/fishtks21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Last time we were here a week ago, we saw a porcupine den and trail in the snowy rocks east of the valley for the first time since we got back in February. I feared that because of a complete thaw we wouldn’t get back to the valley this year and wouldn’t know if we were seeing fresh tracks or old tracks revealed because of partial thawing. Today we could see a new porcupine trail coming down from a higher rock den. The photo below scarcely shows it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3p4YJJShMg03SWZwz8FzJUN-05LRuCay0-0J8ZgDMM050kz3hwsh0_oaQ09XzHi1rm25dJE5Dl8XzmDibEUVn-Id5XNsEqw30qiVI1ekzPD3we_0EbGC6Pk3OKBJGBsZ0XhXUAsFdASk/s1600/pptks21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3p4YJJShMg03SWZwz8FzJUN-05LRuCay0-0J8ZgDMM050kz3hwsh0_oaQ09XzHi1rm25dJE5Dl8XzmDibEUVn-Id5XNsEqw30qiVI1ekzPD3we_0EbGC6Pk3OKBJGBsZ0XhXUAsFdASk/s320/pptks21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The porcupine is still using the den in the low rocks just up from the Big Pond and as I followed its trail, I bumped into Leslie, now a bit bored with porcupine trails, who enjoyed some fresh squirrel and bird tracks in the snow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2BLh-I6CN3dxHqyjRaAHCm6wKQA3KmGgjHB6wLfqetYrIcpQ47HsmB-BEgdUjz00qPy3LyIkQkJQGzrxCQf_JzZFLNKW9hgHJ82Ahv3XF0DOKYsMzHu6qgVgHyCnJVujZ6m4NPqaP_8/s1600/birdtks21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2BLh-I6CN3dxHqyjRaAHCm6wKQA3KmGgjHB6wLfqetYrIcpQ47HsmB-BEgdUjz00qPy3LyIkQkJQGzrxCQf_JzZFLNKW9hgHJ82Ahv3XF0DOKYsMzHu6qgVgHyCnJVujZ6m4NPqaP_8/s320/birdtks21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>We have seen chipmunks around our house, but not in the woods. I took a photo of the porcupine’s trail which as usual seemed to go farther than necessary to get a bite of bark.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMglvifX6pF4ZCMfU3EyT1XHRIjC5wUC-Pgw5kASRrF-M96F6_y0nEVUTdkT5HDL3k50sJRf_kH9xl4oAvtrVWaQ50ZjMUqVC7uViQxWgotqxpGd1Zq3vz1PvBWv6ZmtjVzlkC08J6mo/s1600/pptksa21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMglvifX6pF4ZCMfU3EyT1XHRIjC5wUC-Pgw5kASRrF-M96F6_y0nEVUTdkT5HDL3k50sJRf_kH9xl4oAvtrVWaQ50ZjMUqVC7uViQxWgotqxpGd1Zq3vz1PvBWv6ZmtjVzlkC08J6mo/s320/pptksa21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I am not sure if the tendency of animals to go to the farthest extent of their range to forage arises from fear of other animals moving in or if, at this time of year, they are entranced by the ease of walking about and they go as far as they can. The Big Pond looked to be all ice and snow but we were careful to avoid the pools which we know had melted. Most winters we get a pretty good sense of how many coyotes are patrolling these swamps and what they are excited about. Usually we can account for 3 to 5. Last year I saw 3 at once. But judging from the tracks this year there are only two and they don’t seem to be together much. When we saw some more delicate looking rounded tracks we thought a bobcat might be about but with a closer look decided a coyote had the same trouble we were having, sometimes making a light impression on the snow and sometimes sinking into it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7F_aXyZN9M2977ygOEQZu7pH4sg3xh_GCOx75N1p7Uo2H3DagwoxQfrv61LTInadU-a25wrl3AygtA2ZroEYAawo75h2A35kfuOlsyyLAdy5ixGtK_tW5wVw4xeIfhej2FBPl0cdbVM/s1600/bpcoytks21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7F_aXyZN9M2977ygOEQZu7pH4sg3xh_GCOx75N1p7Uo2H3DagwoxQfrv61LTInadU-a25wrl3AygtA2ZroEYAawo75h2A35kfuOlsyyLAdy5ixGtK_tW5wVw4xeIfhej2FBPl0cdbVM/s320/bpcoytks21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>We figured this was our last chance to see rabbit tracks where we often see them in the woods between the Big Pond and Lost Swamp Pond. None were there. Last time I came to the Lost Swamp Pond, I decided that the otters had left. Often at this time of year when otters are mating and mothers and pups separate, otter tracking can be at its wildest. Every pond can be crossed by slides. And last years I was astounded when the otter family stayed together until May. That fueled a crazy theory that one otter was adapting totally to the remnant ponds and now extensive beaver meadows. So much for that theory, there were no otter tracks or slides on the snow of the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9hJ9h-WcWar_BZzQxetoe46hu79pV7kU-sEZ4h-DbeeKJAZzk2H1NRpDXhj6vs_RcaaLK5Gt84GtB7NLaB-B5mrofSjWKPc-b8YlnUbUHEBeop_OPd8RODKHRIoOwJb20R0NkoUApKA/s1600/ls21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9hJ9h-WcWar_BZzQxetoe46hu79pV7kU-sEZ4h-DbeeKJAZzk2H1NRpDXhj6vs_RcaaLK5Gt84GtB7NLaB-B5mrofSjWKPc-b8YlnUbUHEBeop_OPd8RODKHRIoOwJb20R0NkoUApKA/s320/ls21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>All was flat and I suddenly switched my tracker’s hat with my art curator’s hat and motioned Leslie to look at the winter sculpture garden.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQgha6H-hqRrF_XNnjVJ7hZKMkYJBtDhw45TQ-X0_U9U1zIKvKLxYuCSLYkiUx2FuPBfKrfPmybtvhgSR0cjqTyhVnAyrWHfleNcAaPHYbjS6EtVJqMFiab7HNvH3tGMLzNJ0Xn2sRHE/s1600/lsa21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQgha6H-hqRrF_XNnjVJ7hZKMkYJBtDhw45TQ-X0_U9U1zIKvKLxYuCSLYkiUx2FuPBfKrfPmybtvhgSR0cjqTyhVnAyrWHfleNcAaPHYbjS6EtVJqMFiab7HNvH3tGMLzNJ0Xn2sRHE/s320/lsa21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I must confess however that every year more dead trunks are biting the dust. Art is enduring but not, I am finding, in beaver ponds. We also didn’t see the usual parallel mink trails rushing toward the dam. I saw that one mink did duck into a slit through its old hole in the ice on the shore just before the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQe87zRSXNKWnA51zH1TW4R_IJZg8D0m0qmD1h3KmlTYjdIAw6eUzkBcOL-9zgFRYCu8pUDk9v4_vxC9CiJR7axE7nktJRJtpmAjiBJFNP4cLDTKTkTV1kyvmB3qm_4pePAZUEo4e0VU/s1600/lsminktks21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQe87zRSXNKWnA51zH1TW4R_IJZg8D0m0qmD1h3KmlTYjdIAw6eUzkBcOL-9zgFRYCu8pUDk9v4_vxC9CiJR7axE7nktJRJtpmAjiBJFNP4cLDTKTkTV1kyvmB3qm_4pePAZUEo4e0VU/s320/lsminktks21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The once roly-poly ice behind the dam was now almost perfectly flat. Water was still flowing out of the hole in the dam, but no otters seemed to care anymore.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4piUyGSk_NomAxZEHRhbniQNozvpTmZRWulzRW1hiiy7SW_fs6rMZUZAses8yy0SqoDQwwA9JJy3t6Alh9_kRI_2iaRH8HbaUtcS5ZlIXXcZbDY-xJrjR0lcOpHFRhuG34LkWtasPz4/s1600/lsdam21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4piUyGSk_NomAxZEHRhbniQNozvpTmZRWulzRW1hiiy7SW_fs6rMZUZAses8yy0SqoDQwwA9JJy3t6Alh9_kRI_2iaRH8HbaUtcS5ZlIXXcZbDY-xJrjR0lcOpHFRhuG34LkWtasPz4/s320/lsdam21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There were some tracks at the foot of the rocks just west of the dam, all from deer browsing what plant matter than thaw revealed.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5RqW12HaNX_xFQOoPL3Mevq_-ExEGfL_FD2lAK1GHkv6bheqQrMLj3X_RQPM10cryUUuLMIN_io8T8PBK3i4DLCkbfK_BxZNtyUVI3xzASgast3S8thZQHerFTxNis4yOYGGBeGbCWg/s1600/deertks21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5RqW12HaNX_xFQOoPL3Mevq_-ExEGfL_FD2lAK1GHkv6bheqQrMLj3X_RQPM10cryUUuLMIN_io8T8PBK3i4DLCkbfK_BxZNtyUVI3xzASgast3S8thZQHerFTxNis4yOYGGBeGbCWg/s320/deertks21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Back tracking home, we paused at the lodge in the middle of the west end of the pond. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWCPSw5fwmhVyI2IUiQYmPIuUFCxn3F82f4HiUZUgdLcgzBSem85eWUHaMcB9o4vCtR9ed8d0fyHV4MEMeUzVuVkVdl1aMNsnHX8JM1D819lIWoBjxVG6NlUoZyRIinyCDrb21GYL_-8/s1600/lsldg21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWCPSw5fwmhVyI2IUiQYmPIuUFCxn3F82f4HiUZUgdLcgzBSem85eWUHaMcB9o4vCtR9ed8d0fyHV4MEMeUzVuVkVdl1aMNsnHX8JM1D819lIWoBjxVG6NlUoZyRIinyCDrb21GYL_-8/s320/lsldg21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Last summer the pond had very little water but there was still depth and plenty of underwater vegetation between this lodge and the dam. I saw muskrats and snapping turtles using the lodge but something kept piling cut honeysuckle branches on top of it, and only beavers do that. The July 21 photo below shows how the lodge looked one the honeysuckle leaves all died.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3YeQIR-E5OC-7oAw6VhSu8xU4LRO84sQJzg8RUqQSmGkFTap-YTvOY3DzZ9n-Qc2Q__GqmYGpZP5I3_6cQtZ8rwyfu4Zb-vVCICWHX4TUjq3rBUL3ta86fK_Yt842HJ4DwUY3TD9OxU/s1600/lsldg21july12.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3YeQIR-E5OC-7oAw6VhSu8xU4LRO84sQJzg8RUqQSmGkFTap-YTvOY3DzZ9n-Qc2Q__GqmYGpZP5I3_6cQtZ8rwyfu4Zb-vVCICWHX4TUjq3rBUL3ta86fK_Yt842HJ4DwUY3TD9OxU/s320/lsldg21july12.JPG" /></a></P><p>Beavers generally don’t eat dead leaves nor honeysuckle bark, so I assume the branches simply blew away. But if a beaver is not there now or if one doesn’t move in this spring and patch the dam, this pond which I have enjoyed so much since 1987 will be almost completely dry. While it is certainly no sign of spring, a lichen flourishing in the pervasive spring thaw damp, even on sunny days, certainly looked happy.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4oBW__PKa36E0-lGb4v9S89WN8XzjbM3y1NgnGuaGKB6kFZBvDpweCMyFtbNKDN6iNVH__xat3ukFvlwafixRWWBhMgdXzKdJo7q4umfbDXJ_loppsAVsSCnFmy2FDgXNp8fDbmM5WA/s1600/lichen21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4oBW__PKa36E0-lGb4v9S89WN8XzjbM3y1NgnGuaGKB6kFZBvDpweCMyFtbNKDN6iNVH__xat3ukFvlwafixRWWBhMgdXzKdJo7q4umfbDXJ_loppsAVsSCnFmy2FDgXNp8fDbmM5WA/s320/lichen21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>We kept seeing insects, mostly flying, and also a snow scorpion. The day was so beautiful we were in no hurry to get home. As we went up the valley Leslie looked like the thoughtful tracker she is.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSLsVLVAsfPwKznZxOx-Hzplshz46onxaHj4UYr2doufIpAHLVndDmADwo7AWwzmKBuw5RtZeCAdTxBwB2ZcxG6J1mhlj-mfUq9ljc__MTVW7JfdcBXNaANhgje7WvuwFtbrtxzqoCsY/s1600/valles21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSLsVLVAsfPwKznZxOx-Hzplshz46onxaHj4UYr2doufIpAHLVndDmADwo7AWwzmKBuw5RtZeCAdTxBwB2ZcxG6J1mhlj-mfUq9ljc__MTVW7JfdcBXNaANhgje7WvuwFtbrtxzqoCsY/s320/valles21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Even though we went back the same way we came, our excitement was not over. We were sure we crossed fresh porcupine tracks that were not there as we walked down the valley. And sure enough we followed the tracks, mostly with our eyes, and saw a porcupine up in a pine tree above the rocks forming the west side of the valley.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7udgBXSJquJ1WJdlZkDYgYaHfSfr8ePeqy2D01t_bnqmoFJ72rP1BOR5CJblNWoyddHe8GVWGce7-mt14tiQMDpVlj7OHxx1314JUg9RjyydkLMyUV3BujqerNMCRe2gfEi3x5EvU-YM/s1600/ppine21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7udgBXSJquJ1WJdlZkDYgYaHfSfr8ePeqy2D01t_bnqmoFJ72rP1BOR5CJblNWoyddHe8GVWGce7-mt14tiQMDpVlj7OHxx1314JUg9RjyydkLMyUV3BujqerNMCRe2gfEi3x5EvU-YM/s320/ppine21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>When we got up to where we saw the fresh fishers trail, Leslie went off tracking it. I warned of a long winding ordeal, but then I saw a fresh porcupine trail and following that can sometimes provide instant gratification. I soon saw a big rotting trunk, now more or less a glorified stump, with porcupine poop scattered around the snow below it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5LKOrLhmMQEgdpzAHl7r9tWpGVmlRkjCS3-o8RzXp79f4nbhHb1LEVVAb3hhkQzmk3bh4F8pEd8q8HXkHXInAY_FRfnHumbNPVqNFZEETFuGOnheLppGScgK50J7fQCuddAAdxXrESc/s1600/ppinepoop21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5LKOrLhmMQEgdpzAHl7r9tWpGVmlRkjCS3-o8RzXp79f4nbhHb1LEVVAb3hhkQzmk3bh4F8pEd8q8HXkHXInAY_FRfnHumbNPVqNFZEETFuGOnheLppGScgK50J7fQCuddAAdxXrESc/s320/ppinepoop21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>When I looked around it, I saw fresh tracks and the small porcupine who made them. It quickly climbed up into a gaping hole in the trunk.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiko6t-59JP9BivG0fGeFvvGrbJjLvdnBGZ9ottkfOwKHDTYL3tPUxWlazfkiPMhkkl2Ea5dwANcPzlbn6epz2zV55Qo6cPNeEOY_gVkOXrEb2BKbVplflC5vWNENT1y5Zuo2IYuaFZ3U8/s1600/ppinea21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiko6t-59JP9BivG0fGeFvvGrbJjLvdnBGZ9ottkfOwKHDTYL3tPUxWlazfkiPMhkkl2Ea5dwANcPzlbn6epz2zV55Qo6cPNeEOY_gVkOXrEb2BKbVplflC5vWNENT1y5Zuo2IYuaFZ3U8/s320/ppinea21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Meanwhile Leslie was seeing crisscrossing fisher trails</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWueeluVMHn-ABIFsMUNFZs3T9zzyfig4UKT5aqO_WhuwOV76QOIUNpivsK7wwOKCD_ZWdqTtuJEMJ64PM_NPDZezQSflNjj-qV4Q4PCy_QJvyysK9nFXsTHPFG5rYX56oVDov1b5wHk/s1600/fishtksa21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWueeluVMHn-ABIFsMUNFZs3T9zzyfig4UKT5aqO_WhuwOV76QOIUNpivsK7wwOKCD_ZWdqTtuJEMJ64PM_NPDZezQSflNjj-qV4Q4PCy_QJvyysK9nFXsTHPFG5rYX56oVDov1b5wHk/s320/fishtksa21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>and they crossed fresh porcupine trails.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfaFx2oMWfpocW58w5uKHW0GLpRtzj2wZEOdEZPKhQVX8_6mlysSD0JwrhA2uoFKDI6FZxv6rlj3jXpKOHhXsHe56d2wSUNqjVRNXoZ3CXpJCp0vDkRQyM8xDVCvyyarXI1Teym2kzoA/s1600/ppinetksb21mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfaFx2oMWfpocW58w5uKHW0GLpRtzj2wZEOdEZPKhQVX8_6mlysSD0JwrhA2uoFKDI6FZxv6rlj3jXpKOHhXsHe56d2wSUNqjVRNXoZ3CXpJCp0vDkRQyM8xDVCvyyarXI1Teym2kzoA/s320/ppinetksb21mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I have never seen such a dramatic juxtaposition of fresh porcupine and fisher tracks, and the latter is one of the animals that can kill the former, but the porcupine, as I had just seen, was still kicking.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
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Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-31888297497245773052013-04-01T08:18:00.000-07:002013-04-03T18:46:59.518-07:00March 8 to 14, 2013<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 8 We had a very light snow last night and it dawned a cold morning. I knew no beavers would be out at the East Trail Pond, so I walked up the golf course aiming to get to the Lost Swamp Pond to check the otters. I probably didn’t need them but snowshoes kept me going at a steady pace, and the light snow on top made them a little less noisy than usual. I hoped that the new snow would be enough to record fisher tracks, yes, but proved only by the fact that I saw squirrel tracks. I didn’t see any porcupine tracks in the valley and no tracks from the porcupine den in the low rocks just south of the Big Pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPETiDnYKaz-jCymUqPpna8-LMo0bc-3jMBDjCijNYoTy-BLYuSrxOKtT7yjsizJosj6FI2z3JOyK7hTz6d0imTCDcFfc2WXtzC5yq5NUVj9xCeuaosDcpJ-R25XbyBO4UtS_hpPVav34/s1600/ppineden8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPETiDnYKaz-jCymUqPpna8-LMo0bc-3jMBDjCijNYoTy-BLYuSrxOKtT7yjsizJosj6FI2z3JOyK7hTz6d0imTCDcFfc2WXtzC5yq5NUVj9xCeuaosDcpJ-R25XbyBO4UtS_hpPVav34/s320/ppineden8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Perhaps the plunging temperature kept the animals in their dens last night. The last time I crossed the Big Pond there was brown ice in the upper end, soaked by muddy thaw water. There seemed to have been a blockage in the narrow creek that links the upper and lower part of the pond because the lower part was still white. Today I could see that while the upper ice of the pond was all white again, the lower part had a grayish tint.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0okxU05H-xnmYC_SGyovjDDTiikPoHxdSeQZD6Mi03WkN4gzYw1f_JjDd9wSYYndhjm2Avp968n1Xd7kc6hX2PQXs7rRmpkOa22J8WK6crRQqwDQq1h7thdMv8lxUP3RGOqOqrl3POCE/s1600/bp8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0okxU05H-xnmYC_SGyovjDDTiikPoHxdSeQZD6Mi03WkN4gzYw1f_JjDd9wSYYndhjm2Avp968n1Xd7kc6hX2PQXs7rRmpkOa22J8WK6crRQqwDQq1h7thdMv8lxUP3RGOqOqrl3POCE/s320/bp8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The thaw had finally trickled down into the lower pond. I didn’t see fresh tracks in the narrow woods between the Big Pond and Lost Swamp Pond and as I approached the latter pond, I worried that the otters were gone and I wouldn’t see anything new. Indeed, I wasn’t greeted by the usual pair of mink trails heading toward the dam, but I did see impressions on the pond. The question was: are these new or just old tracks covered by the light snow?</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"></P><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJyv2ZZ3xD89vwBqezdmAdsGIQRNtjzH8kp3mjQalPr05Ee8oVUH8FRQes-ltM7DQgzrHsBHmOgEVyc4mLX4ve0Au1PyT4tjZNH44uER7JwNm0LFqqDmW1UuABcCx3pr7OJ8IV6YpJB0/s1600/lstks8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJyv2ZZ3xD89vwBqezdmAdsGIQRNtjzH8kp3mjQalPr05Ee8oVUH8FRQes-ltM7DQgzrHsBHmOgEVyc4mLX4ve0Au1PyT4tjZNH44uER7JwNm0LFqqDmW1UuABcCx3pr7OJ8IV6YpJB0/s320/lstks8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I saw a raccoon’s trail heading across the pond, and that was new to me.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKqci74bexDLJGagpSkIxAdKajr7RkBZPT7wINu65aKHwQ0kBAkHl5I-NnyPwnkqO92RnDCwwxm-dfsb0cN2sKBVPmF-iWlkv-jnPSL3DjHOvQWjeb7x_OOOpQ7ZMJVXwFUmK6PwWeUQ/s1600/lsractks8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKqci74bexDLJGagpSkIxAdKajr7RkBZPT7wINu65aKHwQ0kBAkHl5I-NnyPwnkqO92RnDCwwxm-dfsb0cN2sKBVPmF-iWlkv-jnPSL3DjHOvQWjeb7x_OOOpQ7ZMJVXwFUmK6PwWeUQ/s320/lsractks8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then I saw a hole in the snow bank now forming the north shore of the pond and it appeared to be a hole used by minks, which I think I’ve seen before.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYK4MXCooOedM7Mvj_nV3LoPxDejrhUEH2bw_eLxqpZdjigTQ2Vj2TJ6Tfn23BkuIuBuO8aq9ny5cXX93SAHboege0YkJDpwbtSWepC6OpC8rmXmTG-AUhtNRn-qKwLrKBtdYPVZHdlag/s1600/lsminkhole8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYK4MXCooOedM7Mvj_nV3LoPxDejrhUEH2bw_eLxqpZdjigTQ2Vj2TJ6Tfn23BkuIuBuO8aq9ny5cXX93SAHboege0YkJDpwbtSWepC6OpC8rmXmTG-AUhtNRn-qKwLrKBtdYPVZHdlag/s320/lsminkhole8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The mink tracks coming out of it looked rather faint and at least a few days old. Then as I got closer to the dam, where I have grown accustomed to seeing otter tracks, I saw what looked like otter tracks and slides. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTlqxYScQmPPrRJvPf3zkJbPeHLczU2G98LekPU6XMKgehRwoEzOCiWwfChiBhAB3loo89zdXSBPO1UzzrVqkVI6lZYam3nTK9zTDtsguUorbmhZGNtlmPkvsn13eEg_5Qwik3NijydY/s1600/lstksa8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTlqxYScQmPPrRJvPf3zkJbPeHLczU2G98LekPU6XMKgehRwoEzOCiWwfChiBhAB3loo89zdXSBPO1UzzrVqkVI6lZYam3nTK9zTDtsguUorbmhZGNtlmPkvsn13eEg_5Qwik3NijydY/s320/lstksa8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I have seen slides in this flat relatively snow free area before but the slides were a few feet farther out in the pond, and today I could also see slides and a prints making another trail. But nothing that I saw looked like it had been made since the light snow fall of last night so I was seeing tracks new to me, and I haven’t been to this pond since March 3. I got no sense of where the slides were going and when I looked at the hole which a few weeks ago was the principal hole the otters used, I saw that it was closed for business. Instead of a dark gap in the hole, I saw a narrow gap between two slabs of ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfKI4hjH35eUilfrG4SJG-tzalcfmkNPkSdPX86uh_0SjwKJ3mmVLwJ_2s74fOepkfJjQFZxDfYHvenSlMavOeUhIS5r7HHkuBDcqSVVQK_ym7meiYOKhVI1IpEWGxNXVk0ka1hjMuM8/s1600/lsotthole8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfKI4hjH35eUilfrG4SJG-tzalcfmkNPkSdPX86uh_0SjwKJ3mmVLwJ_2s74fOepkfJjQFZxDfYHvenSlMavOeUhIS5r7HHkuBDcqSVVQK_ym7meiYOKhVI1IpEWGxNXVk0ka1hjMuM8/s320/lsotthole8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Ice gives the illusion of being locked in place but it is always changing. So animals who chose to live under it have to keep finding a way out so when the ice starts dripping or water starts flowing they can get out from underneath before the water displaces the air they breathe under the ice. I walked out on the dam and found fresh otter tracks in the fresh snow coming out of the hole in the ice behind the middle of the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ue-dS8ngPno9mkT8W19Vaa9QnQPGUAJ5jAExKnL736-MEOBFlAf-w_swtb4762f0FUe6MCmf-617EpMOK5ys5Dc1n1e9qbmzqE47yvSx1ApxnSG4-uJVqPcqQI_wtKuIjwipHqXWFUA/s1600/lsotttks8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ue-dS8ngPno9mkT8W19Vaa9QnQPGUAJ5jAExKnL736-MEOBFlAf-w_swtb4762f0FUe6MCmf-617EpMOK5ys5Dc1n1e9qbmzqE47yvSx1ApxnSG4-uJVqPcqQI_wtKuIjwipHqXWFUA/s320/lsotttks8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I couldn’t strictly interpret the tracks: was it two otters going out and coming back to the dam, or one otter dancing on the ice behind the dam? What fresh snow had been on the ice behind the dam was gone so that told no tales,</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBb517fe4Qt7iynC01sHLcooP9sWgCpMhnmxejpyfweNpAPeklrCozJ6w9KH1R1Oi9LRrqwyA-0Ve5MRkil8D0viqPtTj8oVaVSa1PA09hzEqG3AXF4hdYD8GZarSdGu3Ur33SnGeGEc/s1600/lsottholea8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBb517fe4Qt7iynC01sHLcooP9sWgCpMhnmxejpyfweNpAPeklrCozJ6w9KH1R1Oi9LRrqwyA-0Ve5MRkil8D0viqPtTj8oVaVSa1PA09hzEqG3AXF4hdYD8GZarSdGu3Ur33SnGeGEc/s320/lsottholea8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>unless I interpret the darkened ice as dirt brought up by the otters. I walked down on the pond to get a closer look at the slides which allowed me to see some fresh prints pointing back to the lodge. But what looked like a sharp right angle turn was puzzling. The prints there looked to sunk in the ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JkNpFBO1YIDocsHpCjEvxp0K_kwEC7l29RucXc4lILpy8PbJoygOeMYwnYMbKpgE_3oBiZV0-lu03pii8xbg3aH-SB-JqXMwE3ITrEeXZ75rclvFRtvm2P6m7bXx-lxbLzlOvqgGKFg/s1600/lsotttksa8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JkNpFBO1YIDocsHpCjEvxp0K_kwEC7l29RucXc4lILpy8PbJoygOeMYwnYMbKpgE_3oBiZV0-lu03pii8xbg3aH-SB-JqXMwE3ITrEeXZ75rclvFRtvm2P6m7bXx-lxbLzlOvqgGKFg/s320/lsotttksa8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>With the weather we’ve had, today the deeper the print or slide the older it is. As I walked out to the beaver lodge just east of the dam, I saw the otter slide I saw back on the 1st and, making less of an impression, I saw another otter slide that must be more recent.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQspcWpPm9khaXV4Bq1Ce9R_ai_kPjD3cJfcURgLIrqVi6_d81aBwcEcFG0iLNUUpVjPGV_Wc37Z5MYmka4KGUsw4mSVyV59907hJ1qj9HzwnoS-LdHGna64mJZKA6cWEYrOXKlEEeC3M/s1600/lsotttksb8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQspcWpPm9khaXV4Bq1Ce9R_ai_kPjD3cJfcURgLIrqVi6_d81aBwcEcFG0iLNUUpVjPGV_Wc37Z5MYmka4KGUsw4mSVyV59907hJ1qj9HzwnoS-LdHGna64mJZKA6cWEYrOXKlEEeC3M/s320/lsotttksb8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The older trail veered over to the brush north of the pond, this new trail pointed toward the peninsula to the south. I turned back to get a photo of the slide coming from the hole in the dam, which is just to the right of my snow shoe tracks. That slide struck me as being not connected with the tracks I saw behind the dam and I got the impression that the otter had been heading to the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsS2JLvciNt-Feynx_n7YusnROY9Bg03LnS_cZUaFfaXXVsQlPd0px4jkNeFRmiSboV_z2cqajzGwuSHsgA0SDn72r2nKPwTxzRYLYvXGArqx4Y0FDpWhn5BCdQkN4ipQdFmfKe8B-fGk/s1600/lsotttksc8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsS2JLvciNt-Feynx_n7YusnROY9Bg03LnS_cZUaFfaXXVsQlPd0px4jkNeFRmiSboV_z2cqajzGwuSHsgA0SDn72r2nKPwTxzRYLYvXGArqx4Y0FDpWhn5BCdQkN4ipQdFmfKe8B-fGk/s320/lsotttksc8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>But I seem to always get the impression that the slide is going in the direction I am looking. Then I turned and followed the trail toward the peninsula, and I got the impression that the otter was still heading toward the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsjWJErD4ENz0iw8w_YTo8Et0ZpgaxFEKcPx7qCyWRaTlMsX5P6e5ivUjC1Fv7y8jWVQKgb1wdaCBlG4dkNAwOxEJyh4C-CZgbw-6-44yUMzmYyoczMQlLKBPhraBUoZ4wBmsiuyZnUc/s1600/lsotttksd8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsjWJErD4ENz0iw8w_YTo8Et0ZpgaxFEKcPx7qCyWRaTlMsX5P6e5ivUjC1Fv7y8jWVQKgb1wdaCBlG4dkNAwOxEJyh4C-CZgbw-6-44yUMzmYyoczMQlLKBPhraBUoZ4wBmsiuyZnUc/s320/lsotttksd8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>When otters go out on a frozen pond they often nose into stumps and edges where they might find a way under the ice. This otter went by a stump with a possible hole without any investigation. So I think it knew that a hole was waiting for it back at the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMWTQ4jU-7-sbFB6BSGy-7HvHFkWQRQwK46zmphingd3YVLVZqkldcfA60jCqEHUXs0gETNEL5H59b43LrQjz600HT7u3v2bskaX4nNd-5P1OsgDa_MmykoLX0sZTIUao5inHd2uUqiw/s1600/lsotttkse8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMWTQ4jU-7-sbFB6BSGy-7HvHFkWQRQwK46zmphingd3YVLVZqkldcfA60jCqEHUXs0gETNEL5H59b43LrQjz600HT7u3v2bskaX4nNd-5P1OsgDa_MmykoLX0sZTIUao5inHd2uUqiw/s320/lsotttkse8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I followed the trail to the peninsula where I lost it in the brush. I walked around the point and then up the south shore of the peninsula and I didn’t have far to go before I saw a trail going into the brush -- no sliding here. The otter had to get up a slight slope.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdywLjxbUXcxrAKyaDc8eYlAI9AiPYPBwxnvwbu8ZLMH1RVbvHbsPJIC4CKzxQ3qlfQKWZpgwkqUF8NUnTUtrRmRRwrRwuzH2L_NHXfx9ljE7he4KL5m_Ij_kcuo1K7mZ38oulQe9x_8/s1600/lsotttksf8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdywLjxbUXcxrAKyaDc8eYlAI9AiPYPBwxnvwbu8ZLMH1RVbvHbsPJIC4CKzxQ3qlfQKWZpgwkqUF8NUnTUtrRmRRwrRwuzH2L_NHXfx9ljE7he4KL5m_Ij_kcuo1K7mZ38oulQe9x_8/s320/lsotttksf8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>On the flat ice the otter made short slides and it looked like it had come from the beaver lodge in the east end of the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgHjPPgVYKhsxfVPL4aQvfvE82cMNWOyjlNfDLdTuqTZcv4sBYA5ibTpB0qdWXiwgidQCbGR9seOM0SiTrsoGt1-s5srEK5hMgqYocfb_tIl5yC0FBxwBspXL9z6GPMkM-kMmoFoAz2k/s1600/lsotttksg8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgHjPPgVYKhsxfVPL4aQvfvE82cMNWOyjlNfDLdTuqTZcv4sBYA5ibTpB0qdWXiwgidQCbGR9seOM0SiTrsoGt1-s5srEK5hMgqYocfb_tIl5yC0FBxwBspXL9z6GPMkM-kMmoFoAz2k/s320/lsotttksg8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The trail crossed what may have been a pool of melted water when the otter was on the ice. At least there were no tracks on that low pool of ice. The otter may have also nosed into the old shrub stumps near that pool.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7iCfAxWnsbgkqDV1dxzemha7eMfXvt62hGSBd0YTZaV0Oi6rF_AjpkcO6-z0ZFl-8NC098wdXHmFDcg8NjQ_jKQQ5S6g7SlrMl2NiqSGINONo9ZBJOdXcPQ2ubXKxt1gRAMme8HEgU8/s1600/lsotttksh8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7iCfAxWnsbgkqDV1dxzemha7eMfXvt62hGSBd0YTZaV0Oi6rF_AjpkcO6-z0ZFl-8NC098wdXHmFDcg8NjQ_jKQQ5S6g7SlrMl2NiqSGINONo9ZBJOdXcPQ2ubXKxt1gRAMme8HEgU8/s320/lsotttksh8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then the otter did not go where the ice dips down where the main channel is. It came straight down from the lodge on the higher ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQukoyY_tvBe4TjGrJN45hOUIIWNZLX22TOMEBhQNRJVvxFg50Xg4y2zlXe4Kkw0IQnzcPNYhq5Og18M_PZRvM81KCG-yElNbrVEiRJUBFRFIXgyQta2RF_sCHYyUQ9uCVuPaJqOGPE4/s1600/lsotttksi8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQukoyY_tvBe4TjGrJN45hOUIIWNZLX22TOMEBhQNRJVvxFg50Xg4y2zlXe4Kkw0IQnzcPNYhq5Og18M_PZRvM81KCG-yElNbrVEiRJUBFRFIXgyQta2RF_sCHYyUQ9uCVuPaJqOGPE4/s320/lsotttksi8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The pattern of prints and slides gives me the impression of an otter going as fast as it can. When I got up close to the lodge, I could see that the otter at least looked for into it for a hole and perhaps found one. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPbG_V38cySWMCDuUUM-yJKFawuaYM54yJaCeDGsJDv0r3bF1-7SZlqq3ZN3UXSqkkRdNjpZHxlQuhWQykH0aDx1D5YjO7g3o-NQcl3-Z6fFW5F8qm4hip4wCbDuJROcOGgQPGpf9Gog/s1600/lsotttksj8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPbG_V38cySWMCDuUUM-yJKFawuaYM54yJaCeDGsJDv0r3bF1-7SZlqq3ZN3UXSqkkRdNjpZHxlQuhWQykH0aDx1D5YjO7g3o-NQcl3-Z6fFW5F8qm4hip4wCbDuJROcOGgQPGpf9Gog/s320/lsotttksj8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The only way I could be sure was to walk up on the lodge but I saw more low ice without any impressions suggesting that it had been a pool of melt water if not open water. Neither presented that much of a peril in a pond from which most of the water had drained out, but I was on snow shoes and getting them stuck in the ice can be bothersome. So I chickened out. I walked around the low ice around the lodge, which was rather extensive, and when I picked up otter slides on the other side, the slide look a good bit older, so maybe the otter stayed in the lodge a while.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtVD2IaHIhxibMa8MqfE-mVvxdp0zwlgMAcTSG9I-Od60WDN4jvp7i0rb8i0vfjvT4L2GeVJkl3BGYhNul6DFHZuk3pwmHfKc_UyUQmUF991jLvzazbMkloS6Q5O2CRiTxlphuexMftA/s1600/lsotttksk8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtVD2IaHIhxibMa8MqfE-mVvxdp0zwlgMAcTSG9I-Od60WDN4jvp7i0rb8i0vfjvT4L2GeVJkl3BGYhNul6DFHZuk3pwmHfKc_UyUQmUF991jLvzazbMkloS6Q5O2CRiTxlphuexMftA/s320/lsotttksk8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>But when I got closer to some dead stumps from which the slide came, I saw another bolder otter slide, which looked to be made by an otter that would have been coming toward me.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwj-M8OnNOl58mSbCsZRwGvoDFq1yfY3BBO1pg1BtwaKYIhDM-FUiy9d9XhgjWIqtlY3KVOouamYZIrAawPvJOJ5AScR592Ryh1geFW28Y23tHIYyQmUj4Czdo7D_Zfy2NseN4W3TEZg/s1600/lsotttksl8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwj-M8OnNOl58mSbCsZRwGvoDFq1yfY3BBO1pg1BtwaKYIhDM-FUiy9d9XhgjWIqtlY3KVOouamYZIrAawPvJOJ5AScR592Ryh1geFW28Y23tHIYyQmUj4Czdo7D_Zfy2NseN4W3TEZg/s320/lsotttksl8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I continued walking to the east until I thought I saw otter trails side by side. The slides to the right were easy to see but the strides just to the left of that were hard to follow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6Ct0Bnsz0x-nnZ0cJVD1faC4NzG0KrQkSk5GoVKokanKqAAcQgAu69yljVL95R8Y5_nUGl61SAK2AIG7Q1KOgA6bUIv6J5YH3wM99xk80rb8UKfTKYOnOBcEFRZpUgc0lOplg5qj0R8/s1600/lsotttksm8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6Ct0Bnsz0x-nnZ0cJVD1faC4NzG0KrQkSk5GoVKokanKqAAcQgAu69yljVL95R8Y5_nUGl61SAK2AIG7Q1KOgA6bUIv6J5YH3wM99xk80rb8UKfTKYOnOBcEFRZpUgc0lOplg5qj0R8/s320/lsotttksm8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The logical explanation is that one otter went up pond and then came back, but, to me both slides seem to be heading down toward the dam. I turned back hoping I could see the trails side by side and going in the same direction which would suggest a mother and her pup, but I only found one slide which looked to be coming up from the lodge.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIKAnynWI-4xShiEXfjOlz7up9p9ILaQA8rrG7WzvmXJg4D90cubcFfNF_rvmiXWgHyNv0BfZN1Lgm4nyk5dMSodDheFr-8zMH5QPadcSjfcNGVajGEe_T4XGMUfTv_lBtbyeofnrsoM/s1600/lsotttksn8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIKAnynWI-4xShiEXfjOlz7up9p9ILaQA8rrG7WzvmXJg4D90cubcFfNF_rvmiXWgHyNv0BfZN1Lgm4nyk5dMSodDheFr-8zMH5QPadcSjfcNGVajGEe_T4XGMUfTv_lBtbyeofnrsoM/s320/lsotttksn8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>What pleasurable confusion. I headed home, and because Leslie was anxious to get to our land to check the sap buckets, I followed my trail back, doubtlessly confusing any otter who might want to track me.</P><p>Our main job at the land is tending our sap buckets, and I always go get the one along the road down the hill which takes me almost to the Deep Pond. Of course, I check to see what the beavers have been up to. I could see that a beaver had been up on the ice around the patch of open water behind the hole in the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgx5U_nxTzEtgkPtpfTGBSPaJbwVp-Rlh6GMkl2oSR-ItkvdzK9sarTsTxnz-Uqb4B9CuxtdXvmNGGMtx9S4vng83_fbRDinybdjNY_iEHlxVtmqVN3M4N9djFgd_QNtobGnrvlV6z7I/s1600/dpdam8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgx5U_nxTzEtgkPtpfTGBSPaJbwVp-Rlh6GMkl2oSR-ItkvdzK9sarTsTxnz-Uqb4B9CuxtdXvmNGGMtx9S4vng83_fbRDinybdjNY_iEHlxVtmqVN3M4N9djFgd_QNtobGnrvlV6z7I/s320/dpdam8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Several thin and long stripped sticks had been left on the ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgee2CYruUHLzyzbAgqgjnOkBRuE10nMceXyq2waBw0UZu8S0FhHqwJCj8zYgtzaLln2ahpZs28CUZfboBh-fAIy7S2L7FscpW4kGOIBwfSzkvP9hXTPdz0QwHrEwGWhcAjiOoNNOhFCas/s1600/dpbvnibs8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgee2CYruUHLzyzbAgqgjnOkBRuE10nMceXyq2waBw0UZu8S0FhHqwJCj8zYgtzaLln2ahpZs28CUZfboBh-fAIy7S2L7FscpW4kGOIBwfSzkvP9hXTPdz0QwHrEwGWhcAjiOoNNOhFCas/s320/dpbvnibs8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There were also tracks on the relatively soft ice -- the temperature was above freezing and the sun was out. I came back later in the afternoon when the sun was brighter and at my back to get better photos of the beaver trails.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrKn8JNM28N1KttBaDq3WEmgf-zTU77VVn2wQRq41yr4IQv9tA3AqcaQBaDc0f5uJaga-Y6ykJbsHCiz9cw_-2iT2Qhww6G2xYuFzgB4w2BKyrvrUotNFddZK_DQNn6V4_TK97jpL1vU/s1600/dpbvtks8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrKn8JNM28N1KttBaDq3WEmgf-zTU77VVn2wQRq41yr4IQv9tA3AqcaQBaDc0f5uJaga-Y6ykJbsHCiz9cw_-2iT2Qhww6G2xYuFzgB4w2BKyrvrUotNFddZK_DQNn6V4_TK97jpL1vU/s320/dpbvtks8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Unfortunately the snow not mellowed by the ice underneath didn’t show the tracks. I couldn’t tell were the beaver went, and given that some of the tracks were circular perhaps the beaver was going no where in particular.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6pUJ4UyOXI9V0SzL0lrjnok7Z87nF8SAyO2mLmrUrjAyFsOHzfb2s83SzaWY7zqVhx-ODFy56uVsMVmKPevaxWCavnpJ9z4eUOlLxGDwSzQw6O4WTKv2r2-aPIyvCOo6KjJigj2tFRU/s1600/dpbvtksa8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6pUJ4UyOXI9V0SzL0lrjnok7Z87nF8SAyO2mLmrUrjAyFsOHzfb2s83SzaWY7zqVhx-ODFy56uVsMVmKPevaxWCavnpJ9z4eUOlLxGDwSzQw6O4WTKv2r2-aPIyvCOo6KjJigj2tFRU/s320/dpbvtksa8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>One warmish winter day at Wildcat Pond, I saw a beaver walk a big circle around the snow covered pond, rather slow going and little doing, but no better cure for cabin fever. There were also turkey tracks on the pond and it looked like their had been some strutting if not courting.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWqVX1955e__y7V1dqNeRxOVza2k3mVRGANLIxS1tJITJ4MiHUiVT_4v8eQZkEsEguFGbpScEZa7yrzHXWoPkoeUMbh7QmD2-ePWttJMRwqXKFCSZs56EKFvBAfiPBPF0P7SP2rwGSRY/s1600/dpturktks8mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWqVX1955e__y7V1dqNeRxOVza2k3mVRGANLIxS1tJITJ4MiHUiVT_4v8eQZkEsEguFGbpScEZa7yrzHXWoPkoeUMbh7QmD2-ePWttJMRwqXKFCSZs56EKFvBAfiPBPF0P7SP2rwGSRY/s320/dpturktks8mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There were no signs of beavers coming out of the bank hole. However, when I checked on the pond on the 9th, most of the sticks had been cleared away from the ice behind the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rxFfZLQx2LZwjL_xFU2I7BVOc7EmLy9Nn77KETqHZmq_CDt3KNkA1kxGoiSDmLFBnP9vlQyZ-_Ftsa_6IPkHmQSU6HqGrXh6DpuysEHM_ZUaN4i_sj_4-lCZQIOlsu7rIxeMmdCoQ7A/s1600/dpdamhole9mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rxFfZLQx2LZwjL_xFU2I7BVOc7EmLy9Nn77KETqHZmq_CDt3KNkA1kxGoiSDmLFBnP9vlQyZ-_Ftsa_6IPkHmQSU6HqGrXh6DpuysEHM_ZUaN4i_sj_4-lCZQIOlsu7rIxeMmdCoQ7A/s320/dpdamhole9mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The water behind the dam also looked higher to me. A cold night made it easier to walk on the pond without sinking into deep slush, so I walked out to the hole the beavers have in the bank and it looked like a beaver had been out there.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju90ZQZv8-O_F0wqTlstAtst91573AlnBLEGbxT4uCmm_FX3erEYRZP-p-TK4Msth2jr1vkWE8k41WCa-pLK83Mn7JMdx4wsh1_gpK1Bmq36HoFoiHAPJWnrkAisSrzvJvnBEjzmYguq4/s1600/dpbankhole9mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju90ZQZv8-O_F0wqTlstAtst91573AlnBLEGbxT4uCmm_FX3erEYRZP-p-TK4Msth2jr1vkWE8k41WCa-pLK83Mn7JMdx4wsh1_gpK1Bmq36HoFoiHAPJWnrkAisSrzvJvnBEjzmYguq4/s320/dpbankhole9mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I didn’t climb up in the still deep snow to investigate because I didn’t have my snow shoes on.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 10 as I walked down to check on the Deep Pond, I saw what looked like a just nipped sapling. Wood chips were on the top of the snow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicgC2nnjG7Fpwy-pC4aIBrT8mTzsTIQejwQv5Qlmcxh0vbuZgw10r66eDjE5Z3p8w0GluIS6J1DBXHY53iD7L3c8r9i1FPMCAb6moeHkIQFwY0VD5OTnTxehUiS7ohIZJ81UM-MxG3oQI/s1600/dpbvnip10mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicgC2nnjG7Fpwy-pC4aIBrT8mTzsTIQejwQv5Qlmcxh0vbuZgw10r66eDjE5Z3p8w0GluIS6J1DBXHY53iD7L3c8r9i1FPMCAb6moeHkIQFwY0VD5OTnTxehUiS7ohIZJ81UM-MxG3oQI/s320/dpbvnip10mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>As I stepped down to take that photo, I heard something dive into the open water behind the dam, something big, obviously the beaver. I still approached the pond cautiously and at respectful distance that still gave me a full view of the dam, I waited for a beaver to come back out of the water. None did. It looked like there were several saplings collected on the ice, most of them yet to be stripped by the beaver.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhV4HR7iFeb7n_-7MUzEqFs52iKcLCcksdCUR-vo6TIvXYagLsBexZi8jL9Sm9BwhPcxeGJNq6G6lXAaDCwmvW39WuD6QUzp3wtUvAuHtBpju3jBBeAgAMDsLXPuPwSVSbBS7fv0_XuMk/s1600/dpdam10mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhV4HR7iFeb7n_-7MUzEqFs52iKcLCcksdCUR-vo6TIvXYagLsBexZi8jL9Sm9BwhPcxeGJNq6G6lXAaDCwmvW39WuD6QUzp3wtUvAuHtBpju3jBBeAgAMDsLXPuPwSVSbBS7fv0_XuMk/s320/dpdam10mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>It was beginning to rain so the close-up photo I got of this newly collected meal was not too good, certainly not good enough to identify exactly what the beaver cut.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6157On0o788NkLeiiapLrUF07re6LzgX48fSq3Vw40X7lbwTUA5UaXsUc0qvXcga4bRbbi7hrTTJIw6vNHykgRWuFhsN-ULAKnKzNo1HVt9LdtEx1OP_w0dNHBcPvag-SJeozoAQ2deQ/s1600/dpbvnibs10mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6157On0o788NkLeiiapLrUF07re6LzgX48fSq3Vw40X7lbwTUA5UaXsUc0qvXcga4bRbbi7hrTTJIw6vNHykgRWuFhsN-ULAKnKzNo1HVt9LdtEx1OP_w0dNHBcPvag-SJeozoAQ2deQ/s320/dpbvnibs10mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Leslie has seen two blue rabbit pee stains in the snow, the residue from a meal of buckthorn bark.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BQ__VVwoP_8mnFgeMbyu2B0StRsS7LAKsTL-S_-ATIuzEo7ybxvUliiaPQJU4mqQwF3OgsOPUr2BG2W5E0oQjrKQ_K0O0ku0iR-rJ0YQyZdoDkGbl0Mf90OCHmZ4-y33AIK36Dq7IbM/s1600/bluepee10mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BQ__VVwoP_8mnFgeMbyu2B0StRsS7LAKsTL-S_-ATIuzEo7ybxvUliiaPQJU4mqQwF3OgsOPUr2BG2W5E0oQjrKQ_K0O0ku0iR-rJ0YQyZdoDkGbl0Mf90OCHmZ4-y33AIK36Dq7IbM/s320/bluepee10mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I usually don’t go out of my way to see and photograph this familiar late winter sight, but we had interested visitors today and had to find an example.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1IxUUClNkL7Ni1RUN3YWw6mesvNYFE9f13dO74EdLMpe0IKnwqkb0ubgxYp8-BbWrVVQ478LeLpnpZ4wE_erQpE1FUmeA7VzFNqp0DORuidSBuYE3zKYDOZKW0CvMht5ANcVq8drBqk/s1600/visitors10mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1IxUUClNkL7Ni1RUN3YWw6mesvNYFE9f13dO74EdLMpe0IKnwqkb0ubgxYp8-BbWrVVQ478LeLpnpZ4wE_erQpE1FUmeA7VzFNqp0DORuidSBuYE3zKYDOZKW0CvMht5ANcVq8drBqk/s320/visitors10mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>March 11 yesterday’s rain kicked off a serious thaw which kept us from hiking much save to pick up sap. When I went down to Deep Pond, I saw what 50 plus degrees and a half inch of rain had wrought.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08ALPlStVLNgqfqB3czTOdAeTLM_du2-7e161zWZOwiHWp4P15ckthTR50wQ5-kwfNtLKaolc4dEi_0lSnTDxEd8t3NEG4fPbJvOGL4nJaw96ivQOM5cfG-dJtZTUia3F4TtWir74GBs/s1600/dpthaw11mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08ALPlStVLNgqfqB3czTOdAeTLM_du2-7e161zWZOwiHWp4P15ckthTR50wQ5-kwfNtLKaolc4dEi_0lSnTDxEd8t3NEG4fPbJvOGL4nJaw96ivQOM5cfG-dJtZTUia3F4TtWir74GBs/s320/dpthaw11mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Such changes did not keep the beaver from nibbling the bark off all the sticks it had collected on the ice around the open water behind the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_eeyrlsufUWj5FXRwL-2GFUZVlojtyzwN1hW5rXu83oM5xwQGZqs0UKGggagj6n0R3SxramWXeBH5cxXNHuMb81nFIGSGyMg69qyMboWPnpAttb3xHL1LK42ds774JvNONdfdYsP_GI/s1600/dpnibs11mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_eeyrlsufUWj5FXRwL-2GFUZVlojtyzwN1hW5rXu83oM5xwQGZqs0UKGggagj6n0R3SxramWXeBH5cxXNHuMb81nFIGSGyMg69qyMboWPnpAttb3xHL1LK42ds774JvNONdfdYsP_GI/s320/dpnibs11mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I expected the thaw to be more violent but the lack of sun and what I thought were relatively small rain drops kept much of the ice and icy snow still intact.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 12 while the thaw continued the temperature dropped back down to the 30sF. I headed off to check the East Trail Pond by taking my old route via the Antler Trail and the South Bay trail. I feared the ice on South Bay would have a good bit of water on top of it. The slopes facing the south were clear of snow. The plateaus had patchy snow and it was easy to pick a snowless path. The slopes facing the north were icy, quite treacherous. But only when I had to cross the raging creek feeding the north cove of South Bay did I have to get on my hands and knees. The new footbridge on the trail was flooded </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXLukUb8Jr1iw_ho6b0ac2vE49QK_qRcHd7emyFQHftd4Oe11EKxO5CAEPEdHjObd5Wq8TuUAAKtAt7rBf9k4Bapqcg-7_NN-yMpHOtg8BPifJU3K59lHCqUsDNAe4VDbbUOuT4uCoao/s1600/bridge12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXLukUb8Jr1iw_ho6b0ac2vE49QK_qRcHd7emyFQHftd4Oe11EKxO5CAEPEdHjObd5Wq8TuUAAKtAt7rBf9k4Bapqcg-7_NN-yMpHOtg8BPifJU3K59lHCqUsDNAe4VDbbUOuT4uCoao/s320/bridge12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>and hopping across on rocks was out of the question.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CMEHvGvJGqKL4n3t4J5LgrTH2PyBiOXyAzZVtI-9K6jAJJc94OoxwcrGmW0YduTIpH0E20ehy_uosSTUfNqkjJCjtjYLu15Um3H2QqvkY0J5_zQduFJsMooa0q1hK1EebXUXcJphxxc/s1600/creek12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CMEHvGvJGqKL4n3t4J5LgrTH2PyBiOXyAzZVtI-9K6jAJJc94OoxwcrGmW0YduTIpH0E20ehy_uosSTUfNqkjJCjtjYLu15Um3H2QqvkY0J5_zQduFJsMooa0q1hK1EebXUXcJphxxc/s320/creek12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The ancient oak logs, supplemented last year by an elm log I threw across next to them, were out of the water but slippery. So I crawled across them. Once over that the rest of the way was easy enough. During a thaw even the snow that survives loses a good bit of its moisture. That’s what I had to deal with the rest of the way until I got down to the slush of the East Trail Pond. I sat on a downed trunk just up from the pond to contemplate the thaw. The slope north of the pond was bare brown while the pond, save for a slice of open water behind the north end of the dam, was still locked in winter.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnX73ERph_KwX0GRKl4MjPwSp9Q7Ec2WwXEAkDmWOzuGE7k4mVAScHi6MIXMW8Sf2OMiRCqsIIl50x-0dq74YCLoT5RVDVNhrscJDr67n9GCanyyn_WUB-AkgsVF4zeNY1IKRhyphenhyphenBSwUs/s1600/et12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnX73ERph_KwX0GRKl4MjPwSp9Q7Ec2WwXEAkDmWOzuGE7k4mVAScHi6MIXMW8Sf2OMiRCqsIIl50x-0dq74YCLoT5RVDVNhrscJDr67n9GCanyyn_WUB-AkgsVF4zeNY1IKRhyphenhyphenBSwUs/s320/et12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Leslie got a new pair of binoculars for her birthday, a gift from our son, and fortunately I had them around my neck. I checked the brown lumps along the dam, expecting that all were the butts of old beaver cut logs, and instead I saw a beaver hunched up in a munching position just behind the dam. I got out my camcorder which has better magnification than my camera and took a photo with that. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPpEGmuyBTksKHIu9RU4tw__Gc_iBkbMda7zcINZdtGZrk0v4I8AyylFncTB5Ls21k4yZ3yXRV6nVg0MQY8FmnUJYuigTPGfCc1HGmiknQD3tX4kTe_ecdV0eYdHTfA-M8EeYGXUs0p0/s1600/etbv12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPpEGmuyBTksKHIu9RU4tw__Gc_iBkbMda7zcINZdtGZrk0v4I8AyylFncTB5Ls21k4yZ3yXRV6nVg0MQY8FmnUJYuigTPGfCc1HGmiknQD3tX4kTe_ecdV0eYdHTfA-M8EeYGXUs0p0/s320/etbv12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I took video too, but thanks to the distance from where I sat, I couldn’t see the beaver move. I kept switching back from the camcorder and binoculars and while doing that the beaver suddenly splashed the water and disappeared. I scanned all the open water but as far as I could see through good binoculars, it never surfaced. I walked gingerly out on the pond and stayed on the far western end of it knowing that if I went through the ice there would be very little water there. Then I went up the slope north of the pond at a point that was steeped enough to prompt me to use a big downed trunk to keep me from sliding back down the slope. Looking up I saw two red oaks, both about a foot in diameter, cut enough so that the next strong wind might blow them down.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdH-v5S7fyIMr-s-wzW_mnC8_1hK1Ml3q47WwkxKuUX-OAOUmrhOFbuwQ6j_ilPw4EBoAnuaD4hB23c8_0Lhpohx6hVRQEJRT3n9aLO3Hj9NiP8b7uANwcOp0w6F4HOmBJuHAENKFdIac/s1600/etridgewk12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdH-v5S7fyIMr-s-wzW_mnC8_1hK1Ml3q47WwkxKuUX-OAOUmrhOFbuwQ6j_ilPw4EBoAnuaD4hB23c8_0Lhpohx6hVRQEJRT3n9aLO3Hj9NiP8b7uANwcOp0w6F4HOmBJuHAENKFdIac/s320/etridgewk12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Looking up in the other direction, to my right, I saw a larger well gnawed red oak, but it needed more gnawing to bring it down.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQSKIZp-7I-ojlZe3gEJEuTu7enGyLBsyB4UtZ2vXXtJ7FvW3MqgLLXQnIQIBdV7vb6Ji36SunGOkEVypXz-dw41zScyRLG0q6IUuvKeSysA377BMW6mHInwzcotmXi98j45OXai7V5o/s1600/etridgewka12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQSKIZp-7I-ojlZe3gEJEuTu7enGyLBsyB4UtZ2vXXtJ7FvW3MqgLLXQnIQIBdV7vb6Ji36SunGOkEVypXz-dw41zScyRLG0q6IUuvKeSysA377BMW6mHInwzcotmXi98j45OXai7V5o/s320/etridgewka12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Looking back down at the pond, I didn’t see any open water or broken ice. So I didn’t think any beavers climbed up to those red oaks taking the same route I was. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5D8ecTgs-vU5AGVL9AC5xxU-yYK26v2fOEc4P3-YDX0FkTi6zBsSJuJ7asDe3rwwnfBQvkfphYnf87OZu1-EoiMwRlwMjBmkNpDUFKlOCC832ZjTIWTSFn5KhLWphLPHXkkn7ui-1tA/s1600/etnshore12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5D8ecTgs-vU5AGVL9AC5xxU-yYK26v2fOEc4P3-YDX0FkTi6zBsSJuJ7asDe3rwwnfBQvkfphYnf87OZu1-EoiMwRlwMjBmkNpDUFKlOCC832ZjTIWTSFn5KhLWphLPHXkkn7ui-1tA/s320/etnshore12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>When I got up to the top of the ridge, I saw another red oak about the same size almost cut enough to blow down.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-54Qy_MOC5WGo-hN84R5At6QKS7kMqevdGx4ovF4gAXxhFVHBgpr7M28CjzbgNWq36lM1mEFCkQMzoLaGmTwbgd3DeMJBZT9EF1eEmhmBUHOLn3X3dKnyZI0W8KGjbMesWy9t8fOuE-0/s1600/etplatwk12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-54Qy_MOC5WGo-hN84R5At6QKS7kMqevdGx4ovF4gAXxhFVHBgpr7M28CjzbgNWq36lM1mEFCkQMzoLaGmTwbgd3DeMJBZT9EF1eEmhmBUHOLn3X3dKnyZI0W8KGjbMesWy9t8fOuE-0/s320/etplatwk12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>These beavers cut some smaller trees up here in the late summer. This area of the woods is rather park like. Usually the terrain seems to help chose what tree the beavers cut. On this plateau the beaver had equal access to every tree, or so it seemed to me now with all the snow melted.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdaqkfORB-oZSlZ7auM95-GuZI0q_YRj_2VCVVKDfICWH3eO7Nf-wWBbwpkEIVpRitrF9UhGerL7yPC_i3CJxDhsnufzbI4h_HqwBuh0OB-eCyW50KuMDx-N8RCpwLuMsTeokpskPj8iE/s1600/etplatwka12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdaqkfORB-oZSlZ7auM95-GuZI0q_YRj_2VCVVKDfICWH3eO7Nf-wWBbwpkEIVpRitrF9UhGerL7yPC_i3CJxDhsnufzbI4h_HqwBuh0OB-eCyW50KuMDx-N8RCpwLuMsTeokpskPj8iE/s320/etplatwka12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The beaver did all this gnawing since I was last up on the ridge a couple weeks ago. However, when the beaver stands on snow the cuts into the tree are higher than usual, and there was one cut that now makes it look like a beaver had to stretch up to gnaw it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMbdxmst-Q98OrKqxUrmgCk3OHuO5a78pTj16UG-J4j8Vz3owKQ0xpKiX7MjOQVDO8Pekjjx0QjD0kqzSGy2UwIZIOS49lpfFlSdbMlEhpUeBcIFyeFnVtMC4r9AvBj609nhuE83qHaE/s1600/etplatwkb12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMbdxmst-Q98OrKqxUrmgCk3OHuO5a78pTj16UG-J4j8Vz3owKQ0xpKiX7MjOQVDO8Pekjjx0QjD0kqzSGy2UwIZIOS49lpfFlSdbMlEhpUeBcIFyeFnVtMC4r9AvBj609nhuE83qHaE/s320/etplatwkb12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Meanwhile I took photos of everything, seduced by the beauty of the gnawing and the trees. As I focused on the largest red oak gnawed so far up here, I also saw a small cut pine lying on the ground next to it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bfaaFUkSUMCt-aNCqlRSWfgJtpl8p2XZPmYaFx2tt0-0YCw0kKGMzqwPObfl1pYLx7e7Jq-BqdCOHpnjlC44LIOZfW5kIBiOfDDGNYK452sh-SyFCQF5gu_MFFnfGz47gEEcGUYOs5Y/s1600/etplatwkc12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bfaaFUkSUMCt-aNCqlRSWfgJtpl8p2XZPmYaFx2tt0-0YCw0kKGMzqwPObfl1pYLx7e7Jq-BqdCOHpnjlC44LIOZfW5kIBiOfDDGNYK452sh-SyFCQF5gu_MFFnfGz47gEEcGUYOs5Y/s320/etplatwkc12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>When I looked down at that pine trunk into pointed me to another cut pine.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsx-_QCmYS31PB3iSyOz0HdBUe72340XQirszm1V9F3pNEpT_de2JLREGmG9Q_dy9PtzGKtDyQw8ZslY5zhoZZkNv3ECiarwLMexD5Iiwckex5Z0Sh0VzTVI9NMjSHysPA-eTCFfv_2EE/s1600/etpinewk12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsx-_QCmYS31PB3iSyOz0HdBUe72340XQirszm1V9F3pNEpT_de2JLREGmG9Q_dy9PtzGKtDyQw8ZslY5zhoZZkNv3ECiarwLMexD5Iiwckex5Z0Sh0VzTVI9NMjSHysPA-eTCFfv_2EE/s320/etpinewk12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I didn’t see branches nipped off but a beaver could have collected pine boughs and the trunks were somewhat segmented. The beavers evidently took them down the ridge to their hole. Then looking up a rocky knoll in the middle of the plateau I saw another thin pine peaking up over the knoll. The portion falling up this side of the knoll had been segmented and taken away.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00GiCWTyz18A-qvgktukcxqEK5uw2-dVPXh5HEZDQgXT9sIuBKNN7LzJIh6KJ55SSObTWnj3iPkCcQ0YCGEdgbgkwRys6l-yHHngwkagNfDumGf09gyKUrT5ujiEps9BQ6X6ot0l3LaQ/s1600/etpinewka12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00GiCWTyz18A-qvgktukcxqEK5uw2-dVPXh5HEZDQgXT9sIuBKNN7LzJIh6KJ55SSObTWnj3iPkCcQ0YCGEdgbgkwRys6l-yHHngwkagNfDumGf09gyKUrT5ujiEps9BQ6X6ot0l3LaQ/s320/etpinewka12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The fifth photo above showed, in the middle of the picture, the stump of a large pine blown down without any help from the beavers. When I tracked the beavers work while this ridge was covered in foot deep snow, I saw that the beavers cut off a few branches of this big pine that was probably mostly dead when it fell. Now I saw just about every branch cut, though I had to puzzle over whether some of them simply broke in the fall.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBvSSxfGmYRU0NsCs6KoZBGoRqvGe7KJQhloKS6GDwP3GPz7ubnCJPzyLxPahq-BnpneTlhYO6GOinPmdYKLnTPOnZ0xPjVeJoX1FiT_-FM222lA-J0NPkikUj2dm_bMJzhPMWL7YEFNU/s1600/etpinewkb12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBvSSxfGmYRU0NsCs6KoZBGoRqvGe7KJQhloKS6GDwP3GPz7ubnCJPzyLxPahq-BnpneTlhYO6GOinPmdYKLnTPOnZ0xPjVeJoX1FiT_-FM222lA-J0NPkikUj2dm_bMJzhPMWL7YEFNU/s320/etpinewkb12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I was kicking myself that I had not come out here more times in the last two weeks. I lost the thread of the narrative of this foraging. I took a photo of the small grove of pines that the beaver had cut back in the middle of the winter.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQ0ZsqJumGowsMOiO5n6KeVoJeWiKEnfstb4P59b3fQ9-WIkfSKKmZEtF8OOE-PyM9ymUri7WRiRWS0mNPqOQynNlCk8p7UF33jbRr-r6FcYeMdI1COtHQQIW4IWvqe4eVU4bKcqP-bI/s1600/etpinewkc12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQ0ZsqJumGowsMOiO5n6KeVoJeWiKEnfstb4P59b3fQ9-WIkfSKKmZEtF8OOE-PyM9ymUri7WRiRWS0mNPqOQynNlCk8p7UF33jbRr-r6FcYeMdI1COtHQQIW4IWvqe4eVU4bKcqP-bI/s320/etpinewkc12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Compared to what this area looked like over a month ago, it looked like the beaver did a lot more cutting,</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DyWKE6KGa9p61MdJPXD7-Seyexm1xfTs0LfD7vYxqMCrQ9uoVsCMJ58_pqvZt1C_TivPpUTwkiMYsYQf9ffwhkA1EpA6z_i4i-9oSi7fTs8aXIWmQgpCfvuBkD_EtXh3DkkDL-414WE/s1600/etpines3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DyWKE6KGa9p61MdJPXD7-Seyexm1xfTs0LfD7vYxqMCrQ9uoVsCMJ58_pqvZt1C_TivPpUTwkiMYsYQf9ffwhkA1EpA6z_i4i-9oSi7fTs8aXIWmQgpCfvuBkD_EtXh3DkkDL-414WE/s320/etpines3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>But some of the smaller stumps might have been covered in the snow. All to say, that I couldn’t jump to the conclusion that all the beavers in the pond came up here and just did all this work. The almost catatonic state of the beaver I had just seen in the pond is typical for beavers after a long winter. I looked down over the precipice of the ridge and saw open water in the pond, but no signs of beavers using it, must be very shallow there.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3L7AVvB_F1WruAKUbuuqaMBMLQ84T0jZ68RsLOszrjDyOb_ATKsk_zDAsoQ3DwHsKjU8iDGAz9lAUdADh-xlYgxsYs_NBSRFq9Zp_KZdp1z3QB0clpCY2iduRHRuTwdQFZvR9Fbsgdo/s1600/etnshorea12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3L7AVvB_F1WruAKUbuuqaMBMLQ84T0jZ68RsLOszrjDyOb_ATKsk_zDAsoQ3DwHsKjU8iDGAz9lAUdADh-xlYgxsYs_NBSRFq9Zp_KZdp1z3QB0clpCY2iduRHRuTwdQFZvR9Fbsgdo/s320/etnshorea12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then I looked down at the pine cut on the ridge that tumbled down onto the pond ice below. The beavers probably wished every tree they cut on the ridge had done that because it was easy trimming off all the branches and bringing them to a hole in the ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnxG3hVXhGYMOuDmQMp-Im26wqMC08ytsV02I8vkd96YBhFp_1_wa9yidIqrUaV2ylqtyU8tkv77C8qWVDgCWL4XekBT4bgOLqAVAHRKKQJB3qmncsyuiNkwvNSI6QUQerLsUsm12fwoU/s1600/etpinewkd12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnxG3hVXhGYMOuDmQMp-Im26wqMC08ytsV02I8vkd96YBhFp_1_wa9yidIqrUaV2ylqtyU8tkv77C8qWVDgCWL4XekBT4bgOLqAVAHRKKQJB3qmncsyuiNkwvNSI6QUQerLsUsm12fwoU/s320/etpinewkd12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>A few weeks before the beavers cut the pine that tumbled onto the pond, they cut one next to it and I never saw the trunk. Now I saw that it was right next to the stump and had been buried by the snow. The beavers trimmed off the branches and cut off the top of the trunk. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtY82rEBZ13ArefX3OotIfv4vJf-BRuB2CgDKuRxVH3WW8EaJY9uxWIqyaYiUGsXlzesIKDoqSZkuEDynLAALUdY7el7T8jUUfQNRmwg-y3N2m69a1KsLKV0x9-Xg7ljpJyVFzl_qCBuQ/s1600/etpinewke12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtY82rEBZ13ArefX3OotIfv4vJf-BRuB2CgDKuRxVH3WW8EaJY9uxWIqyaYiUGsXlzesIKDoqSZkuEDynLAALUdY7el7T8jUUfQNRmwg-y3N2m69a1KsLKV0x9-Xg7ljpJyVFzl_qCBuQ/s320/etpinewke12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The hole in the ice that the beavers used to get out of the pond is just a convenient slide down the rocks from that trunk. Given the amount of gnawing and cutting up on the ridge, one would expect a jam of logs in and around the hole much wider now thanks to the thaw. But there were just a few stripped sticks there, and only three with much heft.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yhIZ4P9P30L77SJ_J65yk74VpM0eStCVL1rBroW4EfQfU5FKOT916ubdz6et1Gue11JRqMxTmcEpg4zbwu6Px9qA08pcup_uJ0D6Fb-vQugTl7GUqxxgwFVT4e1ybeb-X_6zYIwUDvo/s1600/etbvhole12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yhIZ4P9P30L77SJ_J65yk74VpM0eStCVL1rBroW4EfQfU5FKOT916ubdz6et1Gue11JRqMxTmcEpg4zbwu6Px9qA08pcup_uJ0D6Fb-vQugTl7GUqxxgwFVT4e1ybeb-X_6zYIwUDvo/s320/etbvhole12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>And one could conclude that the smaller cut sticks there came from the winterberry bushes around the hole.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaPKM0QiPcPola6hL50GlDRrgFxqLN-pipeLCZOI91zzepNk3cg0u0bw19KR6hgCd7he1ZEeNFzr5JT5CC2xQcP2wFNPc5GQkgnMjTTu9fbjAXmMid-YBMD6acTecN-GGwUbEp4JI_do/s1600/etbvholea12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaPKM0QiPcPola6hL50GlDRrgFxqLN-pipeLCZOI91zzepNk3cg0u0bw19KR6hgCd7he1ZEeNFzr5JT5CC2xQcP2wFNPc5GQkgnMjTTu9fbjAXmMid-YBMD6acTecN-GGwUbEp4JI_do/s320/etbvholea12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I could no longer safely walk on the ice. I knew from experience how thin the ice was around those bushes. When my feet went in before the thawing there was no water below. Now the water was probably over my boots. So I took a photo of where the last beaver hole was on the south side of the bushes. I saw stripped sticks there still but couldn’t tell if they were the same ones I saw there a week or two ago.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgpoq5B-lD1hDNFzSek-JddZAtyZdCYeP1S32MfPnhXXXml05Gzqbxwa7xKbgDuVPkiiqhOJpGTU_QhLNXnmziMa_YW9-SIpaP-AsXjOilLJCLpmlcebl25YUYq1_WEMdBjGhoVnHYmM/s1600/etbvholeb12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgpoq5B-lD1hDNFzSek-JddZAtyZdCYeP1S32MfPnhXXXml05Gzqbxwa7xKbgDuVPkiiqhOJpGTU_QhLNXnmziMa_YW9-SIpaP-AsXjOilLJCLpmlcebl25YUYq1_WEMdBjGhoVnHYmM/s320/etbvholeb12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Last year as the ice thawed the beavers found a series of holes opening in the ice closer to the lodge they were using in the middle of the pond. The ice was thicker last year and seemed to fracture into more gaps caused, I suppose, by the freezing and thawing which seemed a bit violent last year. We’ve been more or less in a cloud for the last three weeks or so, without much sun and even when the temperature warmed above 50 there was no sun beating down on the ice. I really don’t know what I am talking about because at this time of year I keep anticipating the absence of ice don’t pay enough attention to its last two, three or four weeks of existence. The survival of the animals who live under the ice might depend on their clearly understanding what is going. Having missed the fall and first half of the winter, I still don’t know where the beavers are denning. In the large lodge in the middle of the pond, or the small lodge closer to the north shore?</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuj1cCVQsXRsQMDB8V5Che1LeHgogzJDcV3OyRe_NdGW4sDGsDl_fRuAB1XtpRD_gfvCH6dg-ZquUzBMZLmHvAGqjxBoucYXdKatPU7qTpRdubH4R4Wc62yhyphenhyphenODi2sjxvLU_O-0CeOm44/s1600/etldgs12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuj1cCVQsXRsQMDB8V5Che1LeHgogzJDcV3OyRe_NdGW4sDGsDl_fRuAB1XtpRD_gfvCH6dg-ZquUzBMZLmHvAGqjxBoucYXdKatPU7qTpRdubH4R4Wc62yhyphenhyphenODi2sjxvLU_O-0CeOm44/s320/etldgs12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Since all of the openings in the ice are in the north extreme of the pond, I should probably conclude that the beavers, maybe just two of them, are in the small lodge which hardly registers in the photo above. As I walked along the north shore, I got a better angle on the lodges and the smaller one looked more plausible as a den than it first did when I saw it revealed as the snow on it retreated.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbTaKnAQADrpUQWJsNzWqYbYJXEwiPbc3fa5JtKQ7l-2uwlm3pudnv7SOPCcImlm7LWEM2VPGS78khZsUmDG_xtqdxAXHvzRIJQ_tiyT-pcvhIwmSajMkju_gDXYiem-WNiaYc7kbLcU/s1600/etldgsa12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbTaKnAQADrpUQWJsNzWqYbYJXEwiPbc3fa5JtKQ7l-2uwlm3pudnv7SOPCcImlm7LWEM2VPGS78khZsUmDG_xtqdxAXHvzRIJQ_tiyT-pcvhIwmSajMkju_gDXYiem-WNiaYc7kbLcU/s320/etldgsa12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Here is how it looked on September 10 just before we left for four months.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2gDY8ABeXXlN7zFrsJPddm36Z9EX78kWe9tKtT2Dpn7y2WFzP-LB6vYZCRC90KY1fcv08s0wF4CMg0QQj3-qDGlWMboBzVsQu5wwBDHaDrxFzPOm5YcuzoNhboc5hsVyUmpzZc2kvC8/s1600/etnewldg10sept12.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2gDY8ABeXXlN7zFrsJPddm36Z9EX78kWe9tKtT2Dpn7y2WFzP-LB6vYZCRC90KY1fcv08s0wF4CMg0QQj3-qDGlWMboBzVsQu5wwBDHaDrxFzPOm5YcuzoNhboc5hsVyUmpzZc2kvC8/s320/etnewldg10sept12.JPG" /></a></P><p>This family usually makes a big lodge for the winter which suggests that if this is the lodge they are using this winter, it is no longer a very big family. As I continued along the north shore I saw a pine trunk with all its branches nipped off and I also found a collection of nipped boughs all with green pine needles.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkN9wOS-u8d0G5Zm_pHUgvd6cwsYTmvSMZXMEeLbJOY_2QDGJ92LPCUzYxXRkBRa0sAydqNUaSBnhD36Ewtjz1O_Quh8GQwYTkz3-OCFa1I8C9ZK4Qw0h8deHlo1c249ZJCjCYRry72k/s1600/pineboughs12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkN9wOS-u8d0G5Zm_pHUgvd6cwsYTmvSMZXMEeLbJOY_2QDGJ92LPCUzYxXRkBRa0sAydqNUaSBnhD36Ewtjz1O_Quh8GQwYTkz3-OCFa1I8C9ZK4Qw0h8deHlo1c249ZJCjCYRry72k/s320/pineboughs12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Was this a meal left on the shore, or bedding? The beaver obviously organized the neat pile for a purpose. I climbed back up on the ridge to get a better view of the dam. The first hole I had noticed in the dam back in early February seemed be at the north end of the dam. If one was there, it now has been patched and now there was a major leak in the dam more toward its middle.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlwCQUR7OIa3nH0HrvuhoyJ6okUTBMJk9clvQ4N8SibQZ-aPU-jjpJb_6iHlufYSovAHPElch3piHbcq77Z8si3d8xHeNuCjrZJACEE8kmuU1OmgGf2rfGYk7ouv3ikFMoScwNzwO1Gk/s1600/etdam12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlwCQUR7OIa3nH0HrvuhoyJ6okUTBMJk9clvQ4N8SibQZ-aPU-jjpJb_6iHlufYSovAHPElch3piHbcq77Z8si3d8xHeNuCjrZJACEE8kmuU1OmgGf2rfGYk7ouv3ikFMoScwNzwO1Gk/s320/etdam12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Judging from the streak of mud behind a hole in the north end of the dam, what I thought was a hole might have been a burrow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGYoBbNRq8hsNimAobpyRvsH6Kfpw4TU1uoeA4JBIuw8Lnz8RJPNUetBFf6b673tr-xPUgzmkFNyXUpLy5Gki_kPCdF4rcOimbYMC-X7MK5U6bNk4p66V1rowLeDmGmdg80jC08mcmRU/s1600/etdamwk12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGYoBbNRq8hsNimAobpyRvsH6Kfpw4TU1uoeA4JBIuw8Lnz8RJPNUetBFf6b673tr-xPUgzmkFNyXUpLy5Gki_kPCdF4rcOimbYMC-X7MK5U6bNk4p66V1rowLeDmGmdg80jC08mcmRU/s320/etdamwk12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There was a bit of foam backed up where the water was now rushing out of the pond. Yet, it was difficult to see any holes and at the same time it did not look like the dam was simply falling apart. It looked solid and was firm when I walked on it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF628ViyIcNYx7XkUarjWo22FwK0Ri4Lj-dk0ZpODjB2YIl69E3YUM2L1JB_ql2EPvALY-4wR86XjjZ2nooXBfp4WfaQmeu1Dz4bPmx_ki7mH1MWSVKlU2yNEdDyPKRcSCp5f1xrAWQ-w/s1600/etdamhole12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF628ViyIcNYx7XkUarjWo22FwK0Ri4Lj-dk0ZpODjB2YIl69E3YUM2L1JB_ql2EPvALY-4wR86XjjZ2nooXBfp4WfaQmeu1Dz4bPmx_ki7mH1MWSVKlU2yNEdDyPKRcSCp5f1xrAWQ-w/s320/etdamhole12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I was standing at about the same spot where I had seen a beaver about a half hour before. I had not seen where it swam after it dived. Looking back at the pond I saw a sheet of ice slanting down from the center of the pond and now flooded over with water. The ice was more broken toward the left and that likely marked the channel that the beaver swam up under the ice, probably a more convenient route to the big lodge in the middle of the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlICRk9aJgglcKGG7BO7hpBtBwnWo9Mx6m_tTjrZDYQQRwFwIopEXfKAb7aoxszEpgPs1N9jSzFCOHfthYVnnn_dMY8IiZopMbQtiWOnJ6VFGpQw8U9j1TnzVc-ss0L2FCz16H7NMOCU/s1600/etdepth12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlICRk9aJgglcKGG7BO7hpBtBwnWo9Mx6m_tTjrZDYQQRwFwIopEXfKAb7aoxszEpgPs1N9jSzFCOHfthYVnnn_dMY8IiZopMbQtiWOnJ6VFGpQw8U9j1TnzVc-ss0L2FCz16H7NMOCU/s320/etdepth12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Looking ahead along the dam, I saw another place where there was a hole in the dam though less water was running out of it and there was less open water behind the hole. Was the beaver simply making holes in the dam every 20 feet or so? Was that its way of hurrying the thaw?</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYJj0TPxomwbWaWAxYdfQaIKKSZ5edr6Nd8TL2JFKX-Wfvjx_CQbYokp-M8beiMnOfqhKWY6k9xW4EiV1XGo6VBqruowbwiO51gTd4BKhNaoLe1LA7k3tmVKetaEQZZVpIe-y2uaCQeE/s1600/etdamb12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYJj0TPxomwbWaWAxYdfQaIKKSZ5edr6Nd8TL2JFKX-Wfvjx_CQbYokp-M8beiMnOfqhKWY6k9xW4EiV1XGo6VBqruowbwiO51gTd4BKhNaoLe1LA7k3tmVKetaEQZZVpIe-y2uaCQeE/s320/etdamb12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>And then I saw another hole, smaller still with less water running out and no open water behind the dam. Those long sticks lying across the dam remind me of what I saw on this dam last March when the beavers began patching the dam. So maybe this is a case of an old hole in the dam opening up again.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjs-iXflDs2w8YaWcR50eSd9cc3T1Uo49Ah7fFfw40wKUgd_cv8T1AHvkwNX523Efp4Y4tTe7X47B6eog5tZ7QDsQOn0lSGIKmXts-jcUlPnqtOUyjopfhyphenhyphen-v0WXseQb5hy1bER-54zN4/s1600/etdamholea12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjs-iXflDs2w8YaWcR50eSd9cc3T1Uo49Ah7fFfw40wKUgd_cv8T1AHvkwNX523Efp4Y4tTe7X47B6eog5tZ7QDsQOn0lSGIKmXts-jcUlPnqtOUyjopfhyphenhyphen-v0WXseQb5hy1bER-54zN4/s320/etdamholea12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Walking on a narrow dam with so many evident holes is perilous no matter how frozen and firm it feels. The imperative is to keep moving so I stopped trying to count the leaks. But when I got toward the south end of the dam where I knew that what water was behind the dam was relatively shallow, I paused to take a photo of a mink hole in the ice and snow right behind the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5P_Qhz_-YURvIlX5ka1-MSzBmze6vFx2kAX6GXOSmQCJBN-0jT8iLBSbwvTe0DGhHSOjVXEzhHk6pIfhk0lvvCUZRXMUmSuKqS3RGrrpIAOlBRNohfmiHqGFN47Z8ssnfrhZuDnhtA2w/s1600/etminkhole12mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5P_Qhz_-YURvIlX5ka1-MSzBmze6vFx2kAX6GXOSmQCJBN-0jT8iLBSbwvTe0DGhHSOjVXEzhHk6pIfhk0lvvCUZRXMUmSuKqS3RGrrpIAOlBRNohfmiHqGFN47Z8ssnfrhZuDnhtA2w/s320/etminkhole12mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>That reminded me that the first impression of this dam on February 3, after I had not seen it for four months, was that only a few minks were still using it. Snow and ice conceal a great deal and one has to patiently wait for the stories working themselves out under it to be revealed.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 14 on a cold morning with a brisk wind we managed to get across the golf course and then headed down the valley where at least we were out of the wind. We thought it might be our last chance to cross the ponds on the ice. Once we can no longer do that going down the valley is quite out of our way if we want to get over to the Lost Swamp Pond. That’s where I wanted to go to see if there were any signs of otters. After two very warm days with much thawing I expected that the otters would have left the pond, and also that it would more or less impossible to tell if they were there or not, unless I saw a fat wet scat out on the ice. But even that might not be conclusive. Old scats thawing can look wet and fresh. As the snow and ice melts, old tracks can be revealed. We puzzled over that in the valley. On all our hikes here in February and March we didn’t see any porcupine trails on the east end of the valley nor did we see any dens up in the jumble of rocks like we usually do in the winter. Today, we saw a pile of porcupine poop up in a rock den and we saw what looked like a cascade of tracks, roly-poly snow, coming out of the hole and down the slope.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXP3HitQ4rCKISL5_Cruvh0TOdQEP0etOC7zE1WShyeTdcZYG4qH_oscvhE8LEdvT41vq-dJEdJmNQUzAih4IfJbIRjnccLNd-tJHwFjsBq8XSLVng8AARdFELB5FLAd6Uw1fGKjpI3Ww/s1600/valpptks14mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXP3HitQ4rCKISL5_Cruvh0TOdQEP0etOC7zE1WShyeTdcZYG4qH_oscvhE8LEdvT41vq-dJEdJmNQUzAih4IfJbIRjnccLNd-tJHwFjsBq8XSLVng8AARdFELB5FLAd6Uw1fGKjpI3Ww/s320/valpptks14mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Did a porcupine just start using this den or were these tracks made early in the winter and frozen into a layer of snow that since February has been covered by snow and for the same reason we didn’t see the poops in the den? I scanned the rocks forming the east wall of the valley and saw one other similar trail. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-M5iB5ANyfYXIB6OS6SxBHZHC233T0Ra4e-S8O8CS5vsDNKQ64mrvksRREYIS7Wmn_kcdckPDakjQpK6kxqFAKRuucM-utDIcKurG2IWu4ikUrrErR1fwPoBsoX5iWcFnZ7L3Iwp1XU/s1600/valwall14mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-M5iB5ANyfYXIB6OS6SxBHZHC233T0Ra4e-S8O8CS5vsDNKQ64mrvksRREYIS7Wmn_kcdckPDakjQpK6kxqFAKRuucM-utDIcKurG2IWu4ikUrrErR1fwPoBsoX5iWcFnZ7L3Iwp1XU/s320/valwall14mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>My hunch is that I am over thinking this and a porcupine just moved in. If I come back later and see fresh gnawing on the trees then there will be less doubt. But I probably won’t come back. The snow and ice are disappearing. I suppose I could doubt the freshness of all the animal signs I saw today. Maybe the poop I saw right in the front porch, so to speak, of the porcupine den just south of the Big Pond had been under a layer of snow for months. I could easily see the poop but not any fresh tracks, but there were no tracks because the snow hardened up during the cold night.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTujseW4HJqHQxYNKP2U0j3UBY4YM09mWOPz_TcFPUDbr_58J463_I7MtR46cZuSsxGJFMsBq7km5Y_3OWr-X4hFe6sgmDdLJLMkQhDa_euMxcDEAcpZezCupD5HOJPeV5IiYq6K8S96w/s1600/ppden14mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTujseW4HJqHQxYNKP2U0j3UBY4YM09mWOPz_TcFPUDbr_58J463_I7MtR46cZuSsxGJFMsBq7km5Y_3OWr-X4hFe6sgmDdLJLMkQhDa_euMxcDEAcpZezCupD5HOJPeV5IiYq6K8S96w/s320/ppden14mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Despite the cold we had to scout out a good route over the Big Pond ice. I choose the upper part of the big lower pool of the pond just below where the creek narrowed under the ice, and we had no trouble. The Lost Swamp Pond was still mostly snow covered. There was gray ice where the creek ran down the middle of the pond and a hint of brown ice. I got the impression that the creek might have been briefly ice free during the thaw. We certainly didn’t walk on that ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqicBVhtDNUt_cSMIA9-9xszk2ttToag-49FYNwlSfERXRzEvDrpduHTabD5pICRGoDAqbQ9RdmJ-8GMXTRYaktcteIpHc648Tn2TdgflOr9MXlWfcxEAe7Hr3mAU6dHMWxwGNXleKBc/s1600/ls14mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqicBVhtDNUt_cSMIA9-9xszk2ttToag-49FYNwlSfERXRzEvDrpduHTabD5pICRGoDAqbQ9RdmJ-8GMXTRYaktcteIpHc648Tn2TdgflOr9MXlWfcxEAe7Hr3mAU6dHMWxwGNXleKBc/s320/ls14mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The lower part of the creek is wider and there is still enough water to form a pond behind the dam. I checked the clearer ice for bubbles that an animal swimming underneath might leave and, while there were some bubbles, I didn’t see any convincing bubble trails.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWJ1yAMJsPKbCxdklDGTkhO3-b7zedDt_wCko-kfZWrBKvwrhzorMYh-qa3N9QI9bz0NX-588fuTehzaEI1S7uucq18Trk6reM9VCCYGv5yW5-SrpUti84Xo6KO1hMp3xRSpx5kfOB5s/s1600/lsa14mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWJ1yAMJsPKbCxdklDGTkhO3-b7zedDt_wCko-kfZWrBKvwrhzorMYh-qa3N9QI9bz0NX-588fuTehzaEI1S7uucq18Trk6reM9VCCYGv5yW5-SrpUti84Xo6KO1hMp3xRSpx5kfOB5s/s320/lsa14mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>On the way to the dam, I could just make out some mink tracks. Then standing on the pond bank just west of the dam, I could see that the thaw had melted the snow bank into which the otters and minks had made holes. Everything was flatter and harder. The pond ice no longer had the ups and downs caused by the water draining out of the hole in the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXm8j4ySepS5_jEFXWktWyqWRgNrQErps4yc5YL1RvGe8PEd3ny5cseCx9nNcI-ZugffvMRVOdwfg_QD-SDhYU8DdCicQpzrUc6WWnc_lCA9dnshsxZRHdD3Hdnfn9SQ0HotVsSAGBFsI/s1600/lsdam14mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXm8j4ySepS5_jEFXWktWyqWRgNrQErps4yc5YL1RvGe8PEd3ny5cseCx9nNcI-ZugffvMRVOdwfg_QD-SDhYU8DdCicQpzrUc6WWnc_lCA9dnshsxZRHdD3Hdnfn9SQ0HotVsSAGBFsI/s320/lsdam14mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Not that the pond was once again within its banks. There was still a rush of water draining out of the hole in the dam, and judging by the icicles above the flow the water had been higher yesterday before the freeze.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCjQQOquAQ4YDsvvcDkP-RA4-X9sAYYcd6e46KGN0TSK7SLpWRFY4HpHubAa9hqvFEFyUkZj6bDU8rtM6dp4kitWGP5s5F3uZE0ryAY5qVpyBcg6r2_eMQxxWOBD7L-TsoOoadoIrLGw/s1600/lsoutflow14mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCjQQOquAQ4YDsvvcDkP-RA4-X9sAYYcd6e46KGN0TSK7SLpWRFY4HpHubAa9hqvFEFyUkZj6bDU8rtM6dp4kitWGP5s5F3uZE0ryAY5qVpyBcg6r2_eMQxxWOBD7L-TsoOoadoIrLGw/s320/lsoutflow14mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There was still snow cover in the area just behind the dam where I had been seeing otter tracks and slides, but there were also blotches of melting. I didn’t see any tracks.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDTz5aYFHHjx2PO8ulymRIUBgb9JJ08qUVg8PmFuX2he_IU2_zzL-nDJHJm-LNGwOE6rO8yBjiLfaNWWKLSDn208TFLLPOpYWyvwcry55Z6iO-yyzfnhEF3Lfqac-FvM3mH0RbFzZWUQ/s1600/lsb14mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDTz5aYFHHjx2PO8ulymRIUBgb9JJ08qUVg8PmFuX2he_IU2_zzL-nDJHJm-LNGwOE6rO8yBjiLfaNWWKLSDn208TFLLPOpYWyvwcry55Z6iO-yyzfnhEF3Lfqac-FvM3mH0RbFzZWUQ/s320/lsb14mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There was no snow on top of the dam and I looked for scats new and old, and didn’t see any. However, I did see a hole on top of the dam and when I looked down in it, I thought it opened up into quite a cavern. I tried to get a photo showing that but I couldn’t quite get the camera into the hole.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMQiR7zh1C9BWauOWGJJY2l4GgaNROSuVdkKl912FNVGPFnudXbcPaEL3SzoDY7MLEw7M7I8K1secj403ife313baN0TW-L0lx5kRF5b9Z8n4hHCppMA6XYLvJ8Tuh1jEoPKY27PSFl8/s1600/lsdamhole14mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMQiR7zh1C9BWauOWGJJY2l4GgaNROSuVdkKl912FNVGPFnudXbcPaEL3SzoDY7MLEw7M7I8K1secj403ife313baN0TW-L0lx5kRF5b9Z8n4hHCppMA6XYLvJ8Tuh1jEoPKY27PSFl8/s320/lsdamhole14mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>That hole was right above the hole in back of the dam that I knew the otters had used. I got down on my belly and I tried to get a photo looking into that quite large hole. I saw that the hole did not go straight back to that cavern I discovered but went to the side, angling to the hole through the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUtTOBmfNEoAjc3Ae3dVS0LjJVSy96Ukqj_2FuPATaRDcvhX8bVsJ_esWtUwlJJXuV3a9pNZE-okZI_izUxlocHogIDlWVZbIwzyFpk8dSSppZ_BWaMP-zJtkH8VCQVksozxPeBLiboM/s1600/lsdamholea14mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUtTOBmfNEoAjc3Ae3dVS0LjJVSy96Ukqj_2FuPATaRDcvhX8bVsJ_esWtUwlJJXuV3a9pNZE-okZI_izUxlocHogIDlWVZbIwzyFpk8dSSppZ_BWaMP-zJtkH8VCQVksozxPeBLiboM/s320/lsdamholea14mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I also took a photo of the ice and snow behind the hole and I saw no otter tracks or scats there.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-Lyf8545Vmo6zYohSs3g0-JHP2Od3-UylPci8dKumjMj19pidUr4a_bGSuQFRJQ-KugPFcx4eFST6dqfobvYzAzfuk_Gxtf-_Sk9Fb_cGeTUMSfNWxdG-b9BUQZEvx2nR_1ioS8F3rY/s1600/lsdamholeb14mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-Lyf8545Vmo6zYohSs3g0-JHP2Od3-UylPci8dKumjMj19pidUr4a_bGSuQFRJQ-KugPFcx4eFST6dqfobvYzAzfuk_Gxtf-_Sk9Fb_cGeTUMSfNWxdG-b9BUQZEvx2nR_1ioS8F3rY/s320/lsdamholeb14mar13.JPG" /></a></P><p>My hands were rather cold now and I put the camera away. We headed home first circling behind the dam. Again, I saw no otter signs. Of course, soon I’ll want to see signs that a beaver is here. If that dam is not repaired, there may not be a pond here at all, just a creek.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-68596060973751099422013-03-13T08:48:00.000-07:002013-03-13T08:49:18.790-07:00March 1 to 5, 2012<FONT SIZE=4><SPAN LANG="EN"><P>March 1 we had about four inches of wet snow and we were duty bound to go to the Lost Swamp Pond to see if the otters had come out of their holes. It was slow going through the new wet snow even with snowshoes. The temperature didn’t drop after the snowfall. Sloppy snow makes bad tracking conditions and we didn’t see evidence of any activity in the valley save from deer who sunk into the snow deeper than we did. When we got down to the Big Pond, we saw that the ice and snow of the upper part of the pond was discolored.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfupze8kW8CsfLq9Yu8ruvqT3zEQFJgjV7GyAs2dC52cN729XIbCb9dAjhQqmRuaAEtGEZqJqcDfg4vzvpHJASCVpQKGkvMUdaIq8UHKwvS9XAnx34K0SGfCI4ELB25hX0jicUNQEnDA/s1600/bp1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfupze8kW8CsfLq9Yu8ruvqT3zEQFJgjV7GyAs2dC52cN729XIbCb9dAjhQqmRuaAEtGEZqJqcDfg4vzvpHJASCVpQKGkvMUdaIq8UHKwvS9XAnx34K0SGfCI4ELB25hX0jicUNQEnDA/s320/bp1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>However, where the creek narrowed we found slush that was still firm enough to stay white and we crossed there.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9cnzt_7jjQ5woz5clayppCCYkVpXh_N2GgNLIy7P11pDA9uC4fPb_32qnc6OUmTp1q_OnqIeSqBqz-M2xWZO-ep84plOFz_qCbPQm0EXRnVORwunLVzvq5M627UoFDW2qy6ROksQgwKc/s1600/bpa1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9cnzt_7jjQ5woz5clayppCCYkVpXh_N2GgNLIy7P11pDA9uC4fPb_32qnc6OUmTp1q_OnqIeSqBqz-M2xWZO-ep84plOFz_qCbPQm0EXRnVORwunLVzvq5M627UoFDW2qy6ROksQgwKc/s320/bpa1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The ice behind the dam wasn’t discolored. After the spring thaw it might be pretty dry down there. We pressed on to the Lost Swamp Pond which still looked mostly solid snow and we found it that way as we headed toward the dam. There were some faint mink tracks around a hole under the ice by a dead tree convenient to the old beaver lodge in the middle of that section of the pond.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRDXdk4oJ3sr469YngADCEZd1DuowJJ-Snjv1EE5RlXMORm9NT3Z_-IM0j19dH_Z6qGdUuVTfUoTWeIqHKGGL1P0crxmAMEOpLR8zKGVxvvcv0dcNhpcTo85laaBy2j7eF6O1JKjaHL8/s1600/lsminkhole1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRDXdk4oJ3sr469YngADCEZd1DuowJJ-Snjv1EE5RlXMORm9NT3Z_-IM0j19dH_Z6qGdUuVTfUoTWeIqHKGGL1P0crxmAMEOpLR8zKGVxvvcv0dcNhpcTo85laaBy2j7eF6O1JKjaHL8/s320/lsminkhole1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Much like last time I was here, we saw parallel mink trails heading toward the dam.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17Le_huIb5iY_r-_6LY4zpnRbCcKoFRqOxox7ihrXoRQ9gP5sln1l48NilqLVwMHirEDpuLxMjDfhs7ch9rZlJRSIulNQRVak1gAcuQM3-kQjuNJV1efJS-COkyVSNALbv6U7AoCzh8U/s1600/lsminktks1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17Le_huIb5iY_r-_6LY4zpnRbCcKoFRqOxox7ihrXoRQ9gP5sln1l48NilqLVwMHirEDpuLxMjDfhs7ch9rZlJRSIulNQRVak1gAcuQM3-kQjuNJV1efJS-COkyVSNALbv6U7AoCzh8U/s320/lsminktks1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>At a patch of wet brown ice near the otter hole just west of the dam, we saw otter slides. One has to be careful with otter slides in ice, even thawing ice, and I think these were the same slides I saw here a week ago.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCthSjlV0iydLjpMahaUctUIdFVySHKqo_P5ovOqOk_OdNCJYtH4YSIDz3rgOgHqtk_YA93G0XDKtLRAWuGK6d8U2H8zfBxDk4JMdqVPxbI_pGKsPx0QJQiIv4Uim6W6z1gFtfEkvOmE/s1600/lsotttks1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCthSjlV0iydLjpMahaUctUIdFVySHKqo_P5ovOqOk_OdNCJYtH4YSIDz3rgOgHqtk_YA93G0XDKtLRAWuGK6d8U2H8zfBxDk4JMdqVPxbI_pGKsPx0QJQiIv4Uim6W6z1gFtfEkvOmE/s320/lsotttks1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The other tracks were another matter. An animal had just been stepping around in the fresh snow.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMfh4dSuXE8og_3G3SX_iBaii6BvtbOlod5zQ6V1w1M2i5enjcjp8q50z0B6fwTrD0MhbRXn3gXk25iCdVBqfF3vx68Hr45lehlgAN_6wfJdDmJAbdPvwvq-S5V-XBQ8UMKJEkAqSYAs/s1600/lsotttksa1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMfh4dSuXE8og_3G3SX_iBaii6BvtbOlod5zQ6V1w1M2i5enjcjp8q50z0B6fwTrD0MhbRXn3gXk25iCdVBqfF3vx68Hr45lehlgAN_6wfJdDmJAbdPvwvq-S5V-XBQ8UMKJEkAqSYAs/s320/lsotttksa1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>We also noticed more noise from the dam. Thanks to the thaw more water was coursing out of the pond through the deep hole that the otters presumably put in the dam. </P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQ_rmb_zTL6HtRj9TW6F5Sw2kOCbbiqhJOuK_l4xKoRxEhOLxpmqQcNNMM9WmFA12geN-cpq17U_OKfzmWT8_WPcjO5DrgCOLNRD5asJDNAN2Air_5KO2TxAy0riPOOw0PkR-_kciO7I/s1600/lsoutflow1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQ_rmb_zTL6HtRj9TW6F5Sw2kOCbbiqhJOuK_l4xKoRxEhOLxpmqQcNNMM9WmFA12geN-cpq17U_OKfzmWT8_WPcjO5DrgCOLNRD5asJDNAN2Air_5KO2TxAy0riPOOw0PkR-_kciO7I/s320/lsoutflow1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The last time the flow increased I saw evidence that the otters went into the dam and perhaps deepened their hole. Today, the recent thaw could explain the rush of water. Plus for the first time we didn’t notice the sulfurous smell from the water. This was melted snow and ice water not long standing pond water that had putrefied under the ice. Standing on the dam, I took a photo looking back at the otter hole and it didn’t look like otters had come out of that. I didn’t go down on the slushy ice in front of it to identify the tracks there.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5BBH1D6tvLeevk6TZbxp39pet-QXNBa1v9LP7wI6sIVIssb9VtF6FJ5RfuYD6ucpMQLKKsXfiIotiG7a3lSemSQB7OxnbtJQkutmoUvMz8QY9IKsRP5USbiCE3eMiUeMJ-zqxPlooUY/s1600/lsotttksb1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5BBH1D6tvLeevk6TZbxp39pet-QXNBa1v9LP7wI6sIVIssb9VtF6FJ5RfuYD6ucpMQLKKsXfiIotiG7a3lSemSQB7OxnbtJQkutmoUvMz8QY9IKsRP5USbiCE3eMiUeMJ-zqxPlooUY/s320/lsotttksb1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>An otter probably danced around there. Looking behind the dam, I could see a clear otter trail to the hole around the big dead tree behind the dam.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iXKisXPg1-yrIxEmlzZt7PXkT12ypgznWo_D0f69ipa-DVmrDfmAEG66MrrnLDSL_-cggfIbFTtJT3A2il7VJuXxcGT9kVXerYEsxahMtU_1KTZ0KA3cD-Ypu4N2iP-zAFKcPmPFq8o/s1600/lsotttksc1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iXKisXPg1-yrIxEmlzZt7PXkT12ypgznWo_D0f69ipa-DVmrDfmAEG66MrrnLDSL_-cggfIbFTtJT3A2il7VJuXxcGT9kVXerYEsxahMtU_1KTZ0KA3cD-Ypu4N2iP-zAFKcPmPFq8o/s320/lsotttksc1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The tracks came out of the hole into the middle of the dam and we could see fresh otter prints outside of it as well as a blood stain and what was probably the head of a bullhead.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghW2WNu2EdVxgMEN7pKpuziSi4a7hnI-L0b3mmWmnTIt8kZ1N34Nbm-GCCAc3F3A_FIs5M9gcxeZVPLu75qC7pgwUolwHTCtEajIQsdsEFAEYArGllJDMlLmFneEG16ma9Phn0Ox8vXE/s1600/lsotthole1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghW2WNu2EdVxgMEN7pKpuziSi4a7hnI-L0b3mmWmnTIt8kZ1N34Nbm-GCCAc3F3A_FIs5M9gcxeZVPLu75qC7pgwUolwHTCtEajIQsdsEFAEYArGllJDMlLmFneEG16ma9Phn0Ox8vXE/s320/lsotthole1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>There was an otter slide coming down from the beaver lodge east of the dam heading into the hole into the dam. Only by editing the photo in black and white does the slide show up so it was not that fresh but certainly came after the snow we had two days ago.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqW3ZGh6mAHq3Dk8b316whraNG8nO4tnFAure01xcw3OTsH5E8Mm8_8d6sK6rfIXfWDb7xzeCDEAShCDYebQqVPlR8T5EM3CM-Nv3ETkSxEZJfrbkJwJfkrI3GEaxYkx_J9-RPrHqw6d8/s1600/lsotttksd1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqW3ZGh6mAHq3Dk8b316whraNG8nO4tnFAure01xcw3OTsH5E8Mm8_8d6sK6rfIXfWDb7xzeCDEAShCDYebQqVPlR8T5EM3CM-Nv3ETkSxEZJfrbkJwJfkrI3GEaxYkx_J9-RPrHqw6d8/s320/lsotttksd1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I back tracked the slide to the nearby shore of the pond behind the lodge. The otter came down over where, in other years, otters had denned in muskrat burrows. But the otter had come down to the pond from the brushy high ground that soon slopes back down to what had been the upper reaches of the Upper Second Swamp Pond which has completely dried out in the last two years.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOBor05j4lEdB3yJwKyKw826VS6bbcbEvgqNfrbAumrydOteEdGB0Ye69eo6LglXJzcZkaLyYiKwh6w8BY5ynpZdRTS-MDH3aahbKkHvvCmIj976UxRbLToAdccNBAEtmP6Z4OISaY6Y/s1600/lsotttkse1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOBor05j4lEdB3yJwKyKw826VS6bbcbEvgqNfrbAumrydOteEdGB0Ye69eo6LglXJzcZkaLyYiKwh6w8BY5ynpZdRTS-MDH3aahbKkHvvCmIj976UxRbLToAdccNBAEtmP6Z4OISaY6Y/s320/lsotttkse1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>While I can’t imagine there were places to fish along that route, in other late winters otters have preferred traveling through all that brush rather than always go up Lost Swamp Pond to the east and continue over flats were there was once a string of ponds. And this otter was coming to the Lost Swamp Pond, and it may have gone right out. We saw a slide from the hole in the dam crossing the pond to the long peninsula that divides the northeast from the southeast sections of the pond.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuVGHtwgBb0PschHbX6XTyzler7doQsCPdLs0GZQdS8swEI5_tkWu96MrWELUz3uhVxU3bAO8lMnPE1FzbFbaylbHySFHFNlJgHWdzhFZNvmmogaiOgBYxE5c-jWg3k-JlaWBw_lmUeA/s1600/lsotttksf1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuVGHtwgBb0PschHbX6XTyzler7doQsCPdLs0GZQdS8swEI5_tkWu96MrWELUz3uhVxU3bAO8lMnPE1FzbFbaylbHySFHFNlJgHWdzhFZNvmmogaiOgBYxE5c-jWg3k-JlaWBw_lmUeA/s320/lsotttksf1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>In other winters otters have had holes through the ice into the pond all along that peninsula. But we soon lost the trail of this otter. I don’t think it got under the pond. We were too weary to continue walking around the pond to see where it might have gone. We backtracked ourselves to make our return trip easier. As we crossed the Big Pond, Leslie noticed a bluish tint to some of the ice in the middle of the big patch of browned ice.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbditZGDBrsQsP3l9MG5dZxqWkSmC3pCCHwGiGJeV_iPIrRY-A-wOoHppkHVFGUf8ujffiCqrXbyk7DAPLViPUCkuqMKf7GJi9I7Bos2N6HFIvAInLLtPQscnnEmNyVKipe_e1Dug0QBE/s1600/bpb1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbditZGDBrsQsP3l9MG5dZxqWkSmC3pCCHwGiGJeV_iPIrRY-A-wOoHppkHVFGUf8ujffiCqrXbyk7DAPLViPUCkuqMKf7GJi9I7Bos2N6HFIvAInLLtPQscnnEmNyVKipe_e1Dug0QBE/s320/bpb1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I’m not sure why there is so much water under the ice here and not below. Maybe the ice fell into the narrow creek below this section of the pond damming up the melting water. Usually the area of the pond behind the dam retains more water than this upper part. Going back on our trail, I was at the right angle to see more gnawing in the pine tree near the porcupine den just up from the Big Pond.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqaqbJHuAAMyZmhnT8S-QX-YGsg3IVQ0db4praFzl0cxZdx6AniSTDh7USzAhv8tujT0JIrDinW5sZdlhr1ayT9NFG-KKwgYMuDgrg1s1_Ln4n8_sxBeaQc8XDyBWJA5DSXTWQuuifMYw/s1600/ppwk1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqaqbJHuAAMyZmhnT8S-QX-YGsg3IVQ0db4praFzl0cxZdx6AniSTDh7USzAhv8tujT0JIrDinW5sZdlhr1ayT9NFG-KKwgYMuDgrg1s1_Ln4n8_sxBeaQc8XDyBWJA5DSXTWQuuifMYw/s320/ppwk1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>There was a fresh porcupine trail to the pine, but no porcupine to be seen. After examining all this fleeting activity, it is nice to rest the eyes on billion year old granite. Rocks can look so young sticking out of the snow.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEspiWZV0hU9UCvzfGbfq0WbjizwmpxMHf1NUbX8NR__WEcSewUAt7t5Wuz5U-uFg0UMv9mcqycRto_uRxO2MXQIw57KaqEQWAtAMYMWOkM3KndAFHHa0QxpD67yZiPkjNoiEbVl7xnlw/s1600/valrocks1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEspiWZV0hU9UCvzfGbfq0WbjizwmpxMHf1NUbX8NR__WEcSewUAt7t5Wuz5U-uFg0UMv9mcqycRto_uRxO2MXQIw57KaqEQWAtAMYMWOkM3KndAFHHa0QxpD67yZiPkjNoiEbVl7xnlw/s320/valrocks1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>To be sure, I re-broke the trail for Leslie who walked behind me. </P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3OWLsc-HFy4QmUWAPTWoWSBlPbVgocno3sOWCnnOSQh4EUNaBimSc6soosgjjcthv_ps28vXOohQ4euRM9UBTyaX5c4fZGU0VlHwmRUJcgrsIk40Z_dgBRLF3TRy8ecM1ekrGGNNdLc/s1600/leslie1mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3OWLsc-HFy4QmUWAPTWoWSBlPbVgocno3sOWCnnOSQh4EUNaBimSc6soosgjjcthv_ps28vXOohQ4euRM9UBTyaX5c4fZGU0VlHwmRUJcgrsIk40Z_dgBRLF3TRy8ecM1ekrGGNNdLc/s320/leslie1mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I took the photo just before she began to flap her wings and stick her tongue out at me.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<FONT SIZE=4><SPAN LANG="EN"><P>March 2 we went to our land to prepare for the flow of sap from the maple trees -- always slow business. Meanwhile I decided it was now warm enough to use my old camera, but on a cloudy day photos of the snow never look good. I took a photo of rabbit gnawing on a small woody plant. </P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKgisVDop79k5F2drW9MfeCAuTAw5fqCfr3300EPq4GmR6lpv7Twro0OK4I85yZVUyAllhldZkhbljCpKhDkG0f56u-qHneN133jE_FnUlcAq6Z0o1VXJl4LEbTi9Eq4PXO_xFKBpyEc/s1600/rabbitwk2mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKgisVDop79k5F2drW9MfeCAuTAw5fqCfr3300EPq4GmR6lpv7Twro0OK4I85yZVUyAllhldZkhbljCpKhDkG0f56u-qHneN133jE_FnUlcAq6Z0o1VXJl4LEbTi9Eq4PXO_xFKBpyEc/s320/rabbitwk2mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>While Leslie checked the trees, I scouted dead ironwoods that I can cut up for firewood. Walking down the mossy cliff, which forms the east side of our inner valley, I bumped into two ironwoods that grew up together but they weren’t quite the same. I’ve longed noticed that some ironwoods are lighter and their bark not as flaky. They always seem to get bigger than the darker, flakier variety.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmuXQmYXvOcyN18v_jsmGAE-MzHgFa0i4UNggQvSkaK5ICquISN3aUj8hUMjNIMZ2OeQtK7PV6t13sA2qCexxE_RZzDO3oz3hycYj9N-VagrwIvLq7zvMLgtJM3vLFazMQ5qnpzzL2ENw/s1600/ironwoods2mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmuXQmYXvOcyN18v_jsmGAE-MzHgFa0i4UNggQvSkaK5ICquISN3aUj8hUMjNIMZ2OeQtK7PV6t13sA2qCexxE_RZzDO3oz3hycYj9N-VagrwIvLq7zvMLgtJM3vLFazMQ5qnpzzL2ENw/s320/ironwoods2mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The pleasures of cutting firewood in March are well known. I was told about them my first winter here in 1994-5. The woods in March are often quiet and with firm snow easy to get around in. But those qualities are only noticed by a real man once he turns off his chain saw and ATV or tractor. The manly game is to cut and split all the wood one will need for next winter in a matter of a day or two which seems to me a waste of precious time. The photo of the mossy cliff below hardly catches the beauty of it and the rhythmic cutting of my saw hardly mars the quiet. The idea is to take advantage of every good day in March, sometimes there are not that many.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqQu7oUyJAWBv5o8OPrTeUFxFLuLr_IeKHFYf0rIxTLgDolt2iSWnlnl_0jH8oDeHNKxWgjyuuX7finb-ML3VsQJHFV1Biw0IE5mevgevrl9_A2hL_XJMRs5e6QV_z15rdwSSNMzMXhw/s1600/mossycliff2mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqQu7oUyJAWBv5o8OPrTeUFxFLuLr_IeKHFYf0rIxTLgDolt2iSWnlnl_0jH8oDeHNKxWgjyuuX7finb-ML3VsQJHFV1Biw0IE5mevgevrl9_A2hL_XJMRs5e6QV_z15rdwSSNMzMXhw/s320/mossycliff2mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Thoreau was wrong about wood warming you twice, when you cut it and when you burn it. It warms me more than that: finding the dead or dying trees, cutting the tree down, cutting it into long logs, carrying logs to a better place to saw them into smaller logs, splitting the logs, stacking the logs so they can season, moving the logs to a convenient dry spot in or near the house, carrying the logs to the fireplace and then feeding the fire. Several of those operations can work up a sweat. On my way farther down the valley where I cut three ironwoods, I saw where some turkeys had a meal.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5yA3e3jazBCBylmX1MmQjfwie8otFw8xNcjmZ2VuptVKCB4q93BHPpRyePcyrBuH6J_KgPKmgrG0SJFcVDQRY8vhn38_zfGPpa9keEtg5hthE2-NQlprxzcrbP73z_LWge_5P9Ebquk/s1600/turkeywk2mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5yA3e3jazBCBylmX1MmQjfwie8otFw8xNcjmZ2VuptVKCB4q93BHPpRyePcyrBuH6J_KgPKmgrG0SJFcVDQRY8vhn38_zfGPpa9keEtg5hthE2-NQlprxzcrbP73z_LWge_5P9Ebquk/s320/turkeywk2mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I've already collected the ironwoods that the beavers cut down last year. This year I’ll cut down the ones that died as the beaver pond flooded back in the valley. If the beavers were still here I would be discrete in my cutting and collecting and enjoy watching the beavers forage instead. Of course, there was absolutely no signs of the beavers still being in their old haunts in or around what I had called the Last Pool.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyfYRw9slaXigJOF0Yg98G3TkGM8jkyrWHcgcTIMEEGWX2xH8aB8TJRWRsp0o7aBlqt7UY-GKwoa5UArQxcataqZR-ymlFIewPtSse6JKKpnhS6U-gd4yyuFJJL1cqXdvChg0S3f0Xuc/s1600/lastpool2mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyfYRw9slaXigJOF0Yg98G3TkGM8jkyrWHcgcTIMEEGWX2xH8aB8TJRWRsp0o7aBlqt7UY-GKwoa5UArQxcataqZR-ymlFIewPtSse6JKKpnhS6U-gd4yyuFJJL1cqXdvChg0S3f0Xuc/s320/lastpool2mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The pleasure in watching beavers is that except in the deeper ponds, you can always tell what they are eating. With rabbits for example, it is only easy to keep track of their meals during the late winter.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jC5GcaAKD336uo1LI9FaYC9WloFmq3aA8cEKKaXPMVnUU-uk3DmuS2PmI9hJqYag3mSAMkAqN-Cs5pACqZP_SDDQgtIPxdm5oSeASZkPax6lc6WzwlPFXhlmUzDjJ5mtBcaosiupNyk/s1600/rabbitwka2mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jC5GcaAKD336uo1LI9FaYC9WloFmq3aA8cEKKaXPMVnUU-uk3DmuS2PmI9hJqYag3mSAMkAqN-Cs5pACqZP_SDDQgtIPxdm5oSeASZkPax6lc6WzwlPFXhlmUzDjJ5mtBcaosiupNyk/s320/rabbitwka2mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>My work done, about 90 minutes worth, I headed down to the Deep Pond. We are still getting light snowfalls at night so the tracks left by a beaver the last time it came out the newer hole it made for getting out of the pond had since been covered by light snow.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPVzn3-NOnl0ZT_0Xd3h4Q0guIaufN_2mzppEvaxuiRrkuEu-HxFETUYOtiBkMRg9bpWyGWSsA7b4yFwe3nqvkeDS7niUir1t7-nuM-2W2L0FB1fGElTpa8ijqAPp6EgLzoLmOl7h05E/s1600/dpbvhole2mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPVzn3-NOnl0ZT_0Xd3h4Q0guIaufN_2mzppEvaxuiRrkuEu-HxFETUYOtiBkMRg9bpWyGWSsA7b4yFwe3nqvkeDS7niUir1t7-nuM-2W2L0FB1fGElTpa8ijqAPp6EgLzoLmOl7h05E/s320/dpbvhole2mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I last looked at the hole on February 28</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGvhww2uQgNjkrPBvfI_oGq4DK9abHPYrrX6nPx8gJPiiPeixhDrb6rNMaGhzxOiwl-7IZ0kW6k59Q4hD2zs1uZkjacMZjy4Fx_bluCSWRA6hMoAXHfoQnlUAKJEiptUJizzlVH2T5Io/s1600/dpbvhole28feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGvhww2uQgNjkrPBvfI_oGq4DK9abHPYrrX6nPx8gJPiiPeixhDrb6rNMaGhzxOiwl-7IZ0kW6k59Q4hD2zs1uZkjacMZjy4Fx_bluCSWRA6hMoAXHfoQnlUAKJEiptUJizzlVH2T5Io/s320/dpbvhole28feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>And then there was one trail up and back from the hole to a honeysuckle bush.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6NFSwfCcZyr-oxx97ZfW-TJV5wC7dQkmU3MMLzffKKigYj5YQblVSme-ZtUfRMDo1otaIGSAlHwtWWfODd1e5gl6zcvjIHrIXFf5LRPFZWvs2hJsSdmbP9ZTlVzP4WuzLEnOQY9DLXo/s1600/dpbvtks28feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6NFSwfCcZyr-oxx97ZfW-TJV5wC7dQkmU3MMLzffKKigYj5YQblVSme-ZtUfRMDo1otaIGSAlHwtWWfODd1e5gl6zcvjIHrIXFf5LRPFZWvs2hJsSdmbP9ZTlVzP4WuzLEnOQY9DLXo/s320/dpbvtks28feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>There were other trails today going to another honeysuckle bush.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQp8EGkWuUgBpmsM5WstfOdkjeR_hoGXTQhUUq83JHytAjlRWWd6E1emDLLl1qCm1Lv6UMsJK1GZPSOCyFWR64KqIXYO8CWoam_fhie81PRd9G0w0H4LsNGRz3wLmwkhpH3VHOwGSisTU/s1600/dpbvtksa2mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQp8EGkWuUgBpmsM5WstfOdkjeR_hoGXTQhUUq83JHytAjlRWWd6E1emDLLl1qCm1Lv6UMsJK1GZPSOCyFWR64KqIXYO8CWoam_fhie81PRd9G0w0H4LsNGRz3wLmwkhpH3VHOwGSisTU/s320/dpbvtksa2mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>And on the way to that bush I could see where a beaver nipped low twigs from another kind of bush.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Jo_jyBDzPOfVjR6ReLKipSAnm6dXEIxUcgpxczi9OETYWYJVLANRC4aVFU7HBwrD8qSMm0wZ6IFPfZluQkdD_6pEuMbdWeYNB2OcvUPG7_TG8GhyphenhyphenLRcGV6cqaegS6OqS8eVBuz9gG6c/s1600/dpbvnip2mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Jo_jyBDzPOfVjR6ReLKipSAnm6dXEIxUcgpxczi9OETYWYJVLANRC4aVFU7HBwrD8qSMm0wZ6IFPfZluQkdD_6pEuMbdWeYNB2OcvUPG7_TG8GhyphenhyphenLRcGV6cqaegS6OqS8eVBuz9gG6c/s320/dpbvnip2mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Here was nipping more worthy of a rabbit, though I must say the more I looked the more low nips I saw.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4v2boHrh76mQC8O0JNsjcGo-vfBYced-SiLEaujbds1nhjkNy8DO_No8u1Q3UBQBRwrPCOhY3FbEzrRFyQmE1pfKZJkN6Rfth58ZiLxZKt2TUM6yD49eR1elMww_9R_N2QlBzvfSBHI/s1600/dpbvnipsa2mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4v2boHrh76mQC8O0JNsjcGo-vfBYced-SiLEaujbds1nhjkNy8DO_No8u1Q3UBQBRwrPCOhY3FbEzrRFyQmE1pfKZJkN6Rfth58ZiLxZKt2TUM6yD49eR1elMww_9R_N2QlBzvfSBHI/s320/dpbvnipsa2mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I'm not familiar enough with what the beaver nipped to say that it's beginning to swell with sap providing a good meal to both rabbits and beavers. I walked back down on the pond and then over toward the road. There were many track in the snow on the dam above the hole in the dam.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHi5TYiI-I0bC6SYcK1UelrNe6SKZU1qy9h8nXzubbpeN_C3VHcjm5nWnWVBXhK90tgJPCWn7zlh5fEUlINBkLzbjfR6o6F5G0X2Uf8rywOKPB9FNFGS3u_NjWE_gA0r1s83fG_IC_TA/s1600/dpdamhole2mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHi5TYiI-I0bC6SYcK1UelrNe6SKZU1qy9h8nXzubbpeN_C3VHcjm5nWnWVBXhK90tgJPCWn7zlh5fEUlINBkLzbjfR6o6F5G0X2Uf8rywOKPB9FNFGS3u_NjWE_gA0r1s83fG_IC_TA/s320/dpdamhole2mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I think deer and turkeys made most of the tracks. I didn’t get close enough to check every track but I think if a beaver had come out there, it would have flattened the snow surrounding the hole.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<FONT SIZE=4><SPAN LANG="EN"><P>March 3 We headed to the East Trail Pond via South Bay where we saw no remarkable tracks. It has been warm enough for beavers to be out on the frozen ponds, and at first glance at the East Trail Pond, I thought a pine tree was missing up on the ridge.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8K04XgvuS-mU0cnwv2TwdqjcXrLQYwrYDwZCL8gI16NoBKtIygmn2ckOuIKKHU8juk0aRigLLDHzZf4jsduOhxPTdogZlasnzuG5hqXsdnTrScmnEyR4ugLlzWO5Yo7f0W3kLdQCQL0/s1600/etridge3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8K04XgvuS-mU0cnwv2TwdqjcXrLQYwrYDwZCL8gI16NoBKtIygmn2ckOuIKKHU8juk0aRigLLDHzZf4jsduOhxPTdogZlasnzuG5hqXsdnTrScmnEyR4ugLlzWO5Yo7f0W3kLdQCQL0/s320/etridge3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I headed in that direction to investigate but before I got to the pond I saw gnawing on a tree that I had not seen before which looked relatively recent, but I think it has been covered up by the snow since I got back to this pond a month ago.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkRyjuWwn_t3siSxJzx254j8wH0yheMLVmmUwwiuRiE8NUMg0GuAHcVJuIZPPn3k3NX7ovkuHyKsHsrX04o6c1Cyzbi-fa7IjF8h-zJR6KI__OxrNiqfOCtzMfPsvQehOLLvPZuqUc-Q/s1600/etoldwk3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkRyjuWwn_t3siSxJzx254j8wH0yheMLVmmUwwiuRiE8NUMg0GuAHcVJuIZPPn3k3NX7ovkuHyKsHsrX04o6c1Cyzbi-fa7IjF8h-zJR6KI__OxrNiqfOCtzMfPsvQehOLLvPZuqUc-Q/s320/etoldwk3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>This gnawing is near the branches of the fallen tree that I noticed here February 3. Maybe this was the last work the beavers did on this shore before the pond froze. As I crossed the pond, I couldn’t resist a photo of the lodge looking like a mountain beaten but not bowed.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_3qqXt3_i4rO37OtakGYrd7gjPHI5DZQA6n9Y0yuLTSzF4YLPPl7mnz1CQku41HSBbTdK6Em0nXzFP47CM58TGq3ErDo0O-Yx3Bm6ndLFecLQafwUaNbDp3Wdris7RttMK_Iet8kVQA/s1600/etldg3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_3qqXt3_i4rO37OtakGYrd7gjPHI5DZQA6n9Y0yuLTSzF4YLPPl7mnz1CQku41HSBbTdK6Em0nXzFP47CM58TGq3ErDo0O-Yx3Bm6ndLFecLQafwUaNbDp3Wdris7RttMK_Iet8kVQA/s320/etldg3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Then I had to focus on the snow and ice framing the granite vortex in the wall of rock that forms the north shore of the pond.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8uo27V4A733kOBs00zwlzfYkuXoBIaY0L_6GPjY0WWG3JQcyLTVvvujf8PwySk5-LYjRiwSkMA58HfpqvxSC00gO8KIZpxvzUVLy9vwjfFiFS7c-zTpRFKPUXHEDvGdGtA5krMumwx0/s1600/etridgea3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8uo27V4A733kOBs00zwlzfYkuXoBIaY0L_6GPjY0WWG3JQcyLTVvvujf8PwySk5-LYjRiwSkMA58HfpqvxSC00gO8KIZpxvzUVLy9vwjfFiFS7c-zTpRFKPUXHEDvGdGtA5krMumwx0/s320/etridgea3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The “missing” pine had been atop the stump closest to the precipice.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAyku8gBO6ipowrGdg6QM0oTaddjTbV7Sjme6Bpghz5l9majJErKsIigdgfThHLf4IesoideOXKaP7xdmivmntYCtjVW6kJfb5OmoaRbsPHxCeugw75OimrVDjxSoqvRpvZjhb41xknk/s1600/etpinewk3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAyku8gBO6ipowrGdg6QM0oTaddjTbV7Sjme6Bpghz5l9majJErKsIigdgfThHLf4IesoideOXKaP7xdmivmntYCtjVW6kJfb5OmoaRbsPHxCeugw75OimrVDjxSoqvRpvZjhb41xknk/s320/etpinewk3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The trunk of the pine evidently flipped as it fell down to the pond because its thick end was pointing toward the middle of the pond. The beavers had not gnawed or stripped any bark off the trunk of the tree but they cut off several branches.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARqokYCoCFCNXHywKXoGF4cDkG3RxKeR5HtNTENr3jstG2O0oWUepztZzFzKr57eZ8O2nd6C_YifDZ4GUrI3bNue8sHFmG55f2cJrZHyB7B-NzxAGQ8X8VpP3axUad1jAHg2UEfbT6G0/s1600/etpinewka3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARqokYCoCFCNXHywKXoGF4cDkG3RxKeR5HtNTENr3jstG2O0oWUepztZzFzKr57eZ8O2nd6C_YifDZ4GUrI3bNue8sHFmG55f2cJrZHyB7B-NzxAGQ8X8VpP3axUad1jAHg2UEfbT6G0/s320/etpinewka3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The snow on the trunk suggests that this tree fell a few days ago and the tracks coming to and from it were not fresh. I followed the old tracks past the clumps of bushes.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OX7sGfhKb4GYgiSO3mqN7eTZxcyDoXpb9CNssDDksc63F83gXCgLpLuM61q05yA3t3auY1YKCT-4T5JZ9HtD5AFpiQZDEd5vrw3vLMSHKKK6EK-bprfJ2OWF6PDBXl7-BwBZUSS7I0E/s1600/etbvtks3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OX7sGfhKb4GYgiSO3mqN7eTZxcyDoXpb9CNssDDksc63F83gXCgLpLuM61q05yA3t3auY1YKCT-4T5JZ9HtD5AFpiQZDEd5vrw3vLMSHKKK6EK-bprfJ2OWF6PDBXl7-BwBZUSS7I0E/s320/etbvtks3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>They led me to a hole in the ice surrounded by several small stripped sticks. A branch was half way down hole with the bushy end with pine needles in the hole. That pine branch was not stripped. I picked up the largest of the stripped sticks near the hole and judging by its smell, it was definitely pine.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNbHlFO0YX3aS_gvUDuDq-FVCBwpM6chbXgekeG4NPvk9z7_0vWavQLvU2uvU4xD_7NqcUjW1xogUUWiizm_aGPhBM9mVa9kKnLlGcNRvpTmG0g9-pBGbbzw9Ck6ZgFYx4ReNIKRpuf2U/s1600/etbvhole3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNbHlFO0YX3aS_gvUDuDq-FVCBwpM6chbXgekeG4NPvk9z7_0vWavQLvU2uvU4xD_7NqcUjW1xogUUWiizm_aGPhBM9mVa9kKnLlGcNRvpTmG0g9-pBGbbzw9Ck6ZgFYx4ReNIKRpuf2U/s320/etbvhole3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Smaller stripped sticks were right next to nipped branches coming up out of the ice, winterberry I suppose.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqDRa_IGckr-PokjIn7Sziz6ZkfpBxxzppq_CE9I9onf1w-7gqJEHH-wmYvlGv3EuLaVitvLwi1sH4yvB6JKj6_GghIkegVnBWntLcLPXB6Edq6mzd2Jn1bRvmiNLc8dxJC2sb1UMyBo/s1600/etbvwk3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqDRa_IGckr-PokjIn7Sziz6ZkfpBxxzppq_CE9I9onf1w-7gqJEHH-wmYvlGv3EuLaVitvLwi1sH4yvB6JKj6_GghIkegVnBWntLcLPXB6Edq6mzd2Jn1bRvmiNLc8dxJC2sb1UMyBo/s320/etbvwk3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I can draw some conclusions about how these beavers use pine. Unlike other beaver families I’ve watched, they don’t strip bark off the pine trunks. They do gnaw the bark off smaller pine sticks, and they may well prize the pine needles for bedding. Still, it would be nice seeing the beavers dealing with the pines. There were tracks from the hole in the ice going off to over to bushes some just about nipped down to ice level</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qrxKZXdJ39POs1q5_BGx8ZZgs4pX_ShIpuQ4hUaMPccyCNwhCvUET4zNQ4mE_CxRBAUUKLmnSsIbjIOf_NwH98OBjh70URJj4BcJ4NyzdpUf60HSlYHFv5XJ0xylHuPZDTB4hesilYE/s1600/etnibs3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qrxKZXdJ39POs1q5_BGx8ZZgs4pX_ShIpuQ4hUaMPccyCNwhCvUET4zNQ4mE_CxRBAUUKLmnSsIbjIOf_NwH98OBjh70URJj4BcJ4NyzdpUf60HSlYHFv5XJ0xylHuPZDTB4hesilYE/s320/etnibs3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>And others with plenty of woody branches at their full height.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4kmfJicRSKAiNaIXe8wXbWaShzUR59kPuy8cQ1Oa2MbSG6PhdujuFVoYtKBte61QNaV1jxXHGIEZlJ5rpWNd3BtCJUu4NJTHF0C3hN0LBlIP2jWvjmxHvi873X1Ch0_EBKWOEKpUIcmc/s1600/etbvwka3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4kmfJicRSKAiNaIXe8wXbWaShzUR59kPuy8cQ1Oa2MbSG6PhdujuFVoYtKBte61QNaV1jxXHGIEZlJ5rpWNd3BtCJUu4NJTHF0C3hN0LBlIP2jWvjmxHvi873X1Ch0_EBKWOEKpUIcmc/s320/etbvwka3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The hole next to the rock shore which the beavers used a few weeks ago and most of last winter looked to be frozen and snowed over.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXqinz9FxnRvJYmrgBs6H78nNsPr6DNzmsrxlIDPYrSDkyG0zhwY4QKOe3NTcLjmVxqQxz6-zcI58vqHhlx4GstAkGT7hyphenhyphentDIdLBZDU1OMDmFITja41vBBn4JYebBVUmWOlMZ9iZT2IU/s1600/etbvholea3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXqinz9FxnRvJYmrgBs6H78nNsPr6DNzmsrxlIDPYrSDkyG0zhwY4QKOe3NTcLjmVxqQxz6-zcI58vqHhlx4GstAkGT7hyphenhyphentDIdLBZDU1OMDmFITja41vBBn4JYebBVUmWOlMZ9iZT2IU/s320/etbvholea3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Many of the winterberry branches coming out of the ice there looked freshly nipped but to get to them, I think the beaver came out of a small hole in the ice more or less in the middle of the largest clump of bushes nearby.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTAiJRl_ZoeI_PMWK0TtfXZr19r2IX4IAQGwfvWA2ceeK9Wf39u4LDjOUBLUh5byzBUpPyvpz2Hdqjc0PzOHcqEvn_UuE7gpjcirtvsRXh0Il69iwWY0PS3pTXiAyf8MHZokHa3ojK1s/s1600/etbvwkb3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTAiJRl_ZoeI_PMWK0TtfXZr19r2IX4IAQGwfvWA2ceeK9Wf39u4LDjOUBLUh5byzBUpPyvpz2Hdqjc0PzOHcqEvn_UuE7gpjcirtvsRXh0Il69iwWY0PS3pTXiAyf8MHZokHa3ojK1s/s320/etbvwkb3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>There was also a cut pine branch there still sporting needles and larger stripped sticks that looked like pine to me. Last year we didn’t have a long winter and didn’t have much snow either. The hole in the dam wasn’t as deep either which all meant that the beavers’ hole here appeared and expanded a bit with the thaw before it disappeared. The beavers didn’t have to keep breaking out of other holes under the winterberry, though they had holes elsewhere in the pond. Apparently beavers like the comfort of water under their holes and don’t like to walk any distance on the dry pond bottom under the ice if they don’t have to. This pond might be mostly thawed in a week or two and I still have much to think about in regards to the beavers life under the ice. We walked over to the dam and at first look it seemed the beavers last stepped out onto the dam where the water was deeper</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHabC0rQS7CTq9hyHmF6dRNzAaOicqbpqNlHE-uaItz64ulZHgc7v0MIAMzHj7D7lDUK6oeXbntEr7OdplCwfJ66006FRlerCXipMKephvtWb2Q6646dst3FJ8Uma6Wv6xCQeWV3r8CM/s1600/etdamtks3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHabC0rQS7CTq9hyHmF6dRNzAaOicqbpqNlHE-uaItz64ulZHgc7v0MIAMzHj7D7lDUK6oeXbntEr7OdplCwfJ66006FRlerCXipMKephvtWb2Q6646dst3FJ8Uma6Wv6xCQeWV3r8CM/s320/etdamtks3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>They also broke the ice toward the middle of the dam.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpn1dqGUXi-2Fh8X6a77SZpIET0QgJ6TSxnwu5IPXSKaXc3hDHeCUxjJ4-X37lNPhfYMzD9Z6gnO3zgQDhcGEI_LqySmAo1SWqJjveTr3hzKSJWUy1MWzK00KJ-T87OVx4yW1RE4nA8xU/s1600/etdamhole3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpn1dqGUXi-2Fh8X6a77SZpIET0QgJ6TSxnwu5IPXSKaXc3hDHeCUxjJ4-X37lNPhfYMzD9Z6gnO3zgQDhcGEI_LqySmAo1SWqJjveTr3hzKSJWUy1MWzK00KJ-T87OVx4yW1RE4nA8xU/s320/etdamhole3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>And made a trail through the cattails and sedges below the dam</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76qRdhJDTYwABXbzOIS4hA1oOk7CpNNgUkp-10AF0Fe2Onm6rG2-vO_UmVmxq4gDcLKmflXNcDnSzwiJvy2zkpnlSjjyTKYPeYfd_tTFFdyXysGK3cpJBi7b984BhHM6DmfByzbEUj2Q/s1600/etdamtksa3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76qRdhJDTYwABXbzOIS4hA1oOk7CpNNgUkp-10AF0Fe2Onm6rG2-vO_UmVmxq4gDcLKmflXNcDnSzwiJvy2zkpnlSjjyTKYPeYfd_tTFFdyXysGK3cpJBi7b984BhHM6DmfByzbEUj2Q/s320/etdamtksa3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>to the red maple they’ve been gnawing that is next to the old boardwalk.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFH0U1doHTVPzC5lnm_hCUAYd2FfUqkgj1YXdnKoqMUSYGo4_YtQnJqnIn3nidEYfD0O9uvypmiruvzhBHKi-aPCHbkJUR4SUpoodqUQmXPHhj5Ap4lLX8dJQOlk9lVBk3ihGep88kOE/s1600/etmaple3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFH0U1doHTVPzC5lnm_hCUAYd2FfUqkgj1YXdnKoqMUSYGo4_YtQnJqnIn3nidEYfD0O9uvypmiruvzhBHKi-aPCHbkJUR4SUpoodqUQmXPHhj5Ap4lLX8dJQOlk9lVBk3ihGep88kOE/s320/etmaple3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Leslie, who is an expert on maples, verified that it was red maple. Beavers are not supposed to like red maple. One might ascribe their major gnawing into the trunk as arising from the necessity of working their incisors so they don’t grow too big, but the intimate gnawing around the base of the trunk suggests a taste for the bark.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLNyV6Z_IEN1X4DAvG1XhtJS6xV616M8MMtiTHUTc9eZZ38llMnFAg0QMbOYOm8T45ll3-m_CnwafcxQmNM8rbzKLqj3klHN2JdIux8h4nUx8leJDS42EFz8o7XAlk2_hz-Qaao90urg/s1600/etmaplea3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLNyV6Z_IEN1X4DAvG1XhtJS6xV616M8MMtiTHUTc9eZZ38llMnFAg0QMbOYOm8T45ll3-m_CnwafcxQmNM8rbzKLqj3klHN2JdIux8h4nUx8leJDS42EFz8o7XAlk2_hz-Qaao90urg/s320/etmaplea3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>When I was behind the dam I saw that the beavers had not used their old trails from the dam to the trees they cut on the gentle slope northeast of the pond. But looking from the maple, I saw that there was a new cut on the farthest tree they’ve cut down recently.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4HVUDC3Yxa9GPX2uOoUo0O1wN0wkhv7hzUHysDasd1RAPcTJWxhcM-YQQpvlP9P5lkd749AT7gEsbG0OPqzLYDm4SxS9NcVF7OYutXdlNyVPYXkd_hmLwfAwwpXYLauZi_gKXP2pp2I/s1600/etbvwkc3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4HVUDC3Yxa9GPX2uOoUo0O1wN0wkhv7hzUHysDasd1RAPcTJWxhcM-YQQpvlP9P5lkd749AT7gEsbG0OPqzLYDm4SxS9NcVF7OYutXdlNyVPYXkd_hmLwfAwwpXYLauZi_gKXP2pp2I/s320/etbvwkc3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I think they made a trail through the cattail marsh to it, not that they did much gnawing, just two cuts into the trunk that I could see. I didn’t go over to check because Leslie wanted to move on and I promised to guide her across the Second Swamp Pond and then point her toward Antler Trail, which I did. Meanwhile I headed up the Second Swamp Pond to the Lost Swamp Pond to see what the otters have been doing. Standing below the Second Swamp Pond dam, I took a photo looking up stream at the pond that the beavers abandoned in 2009, save for one beaver‘s brief visit last summer.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiRbvR6k1YT3pcfLQzQtRNzkPdUERdPPiF_vczkoA-qBC3ElGGSjbvk96yuBgboaKQAeNDPFawl_zrREPUW5sGWs23uAMW-vziO7Ot-vG6XlYUpz92-K9YC8RfeL1P6XXMT9uJfme7LI/s1600/sp3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiRbvR6k1YT3pcfLQzQtRNzkPdUERdPPiF_vczkoA-qBC3ElGGSjbvk96yuBgboaKQAeNDPFawl_zrREPUW5sGWs23uAMW-vziO7Ot-vG6XlYUpz92-K9YC8RfeL1P6XXMT9uJfme7LI/s320/sp3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>And a photo looking downstream toward Otter Hole Pond, where there have been no beavers since 2003. </P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCryBJ_YAS5EzXQ1RzjmE_JmTIFj9MiCoyMdzDpOR4T40ah46CPKFo4ECsuKd_kb684Buc_SCLas8SFatoiohuzMhq0sJJIPhpGxMId17PoMtzY8KCcrDumAfvtuGasOofBeRnusB-Ddc/s1600/spa3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCryBJ_YAS5EzXQ1RzjmE_JmTIFj9MiCoyMdzDpOR4T40ah46CPKFo4ECsuKd_kb684Buc_SCLas8SFatoiohuzMhq0sJJIPhpGxMId17PoMtzY8KCcrDumAfvtuGasOofBeRnusB-Ddc/s320/spa3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>However, my guess is that beavers were active here for about 30 to 40 years. Indeed around 10 years ago, I discovered the remnants of an old lodge and out lines of a small pond just below the Second Swamp Pond dam. I got the impression that this might have been the first lodge in this end of the island. There is not the least hint of the lodge and small pond now. Indeed, a considerable stand of trees is not far from where I thought those early developments were.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuo_PQtv6Lig7nMD36g71fpYxao5e7T6MFpLCK7AHRSPeHatg5q7pLVsNOGqi76O8ApfU7bqZyaoHmwP03yKv7wavAqoOmpZx8xUEHwJUkafivoxhBI2GUBpw-KAQQeEjdxKmcHdOC_s/s1600/trees3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuo_PQtv6Lig7nMD36g71fpYxao5e7T6MFpLCK7AHRSPeHatg5q7pLVsNOGqi76O8ApfU7bqZyaoHmwP03yKv7wavAqoOmpZx8xUEHwJUkafivoxhBI2GUBpw-KAQQeEjdxKmcHdOC_s/s320/trees3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Before the beavers left these ponds, they did cut a few trees there, but when I try to picture beavers moving back into this valley, I see them cutting trees in that stand and building a dam on the far side of it where the creek coming down from the East Pond flows. But why didn’t they do that years ago? Maybe the photo above gives the answer. The trees are all on a slight elevation, a mound of land, that must have deterred beavers who saw the difficulty of building canals in that area. Beavers commonly scaled all the ridges around to bring down trees but dragging a tree down a ridge can be easy. Slightly elevated ground just too far from a creek seems most problematic for beavers. I still think the area just below the Second Swamp Pond dam might attract beavers because there are several clumps of alders, I think.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjBU5sr1rH1StUeuC7Rh0gjoe9nqnmxIgv1zv6mjEvMPL9o3RuWKLYWx9K0abp4lTNB2x14H7W7Eho2sxX06HUuaCEp29F5QPbdDuFD8xgnEAQKxdaV091YJlo4SFUZSYArtBGSBe2yY/s1600/alders3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjBU5sr1rH1StUeuC7Rh0gjoe9nqnmxIgv1zv6mjEvMPL9o3RuWKLYWx9K0abp4lTNB2x14H7W7Eho2sxX06HUuaCEp29F5QPbdDuFD8xgnEAQKxdaV091YJlo4SFUZSYArtBGSBe2yY/s320/alders3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>At least in past years a beaver cut a few of the saplings sprouting out from common roots. </P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6dQNUV2w2m6qJh-Ym05XfirpdkuihS4pcNXEXq9XMjNEKd4ToAIzdRr8DejypWv9d3C-V-5gSLDvN5jNNiBKMF8Q9q4iJC_Ls5-KJzsVXXQbM6f1wtPye483NuHJ877XFT3jNBXAMe0/s1600/aldersa3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6dQNUV2w2m6qJh-Ym05XfirpdkuihS4pcNXEXq9XMjNEKd4ToAIzdRr8DejypWv9d3C-V-5gSLDvN5jNNiBKMF8Q9q4iJC_Ls5-KJzsVXXQbM6f1wtPye483NuHJ877XFT3jNBXAMe0/s320/aldersa3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Up at the Lost Swamp Pond, I saw no new signs of the otters and I worry that the more venturesome trails I saw here two days ago meant that the otters left the pond, which would make sense because there is not the usual amount of water under this ice in the late winter. I did see another mink hole behind the dam where we had only seen one two days ago.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_g9a3jRj7uB4-mbmbYGLDh9yuTO34AaloWME6mDahX22BJrE4hPATcMsZhaTu5jw1QiJcqatUKEoYAr8eWLCYwHakA8nadg3kCW6Kx5JlCG525Vd7uBFM_KPOo-pkD2PSHu8nCIheK8/s1600/lsminkholes3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_g9a3jRj7uB4-mbmbYGLDh9yuTO34AaloWME6mDahX22BJrE4hPATcMsZhaTu5jw1QiJcqatUKEoYAr8eWLCYwHakA8nadg3kCW6Kx5JlCG525Vd7uBFM_KPOo-pkD2PSHu8nCIheK8/s320/lsminkholes3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I got down as close as I could and took a photo which suggests that the minks took advantage of a fracture line and fissure in some rather thick ice for a mink. </P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7Z_2xUblGj7-_NgUFCIt7Gnnin_XkmY1oPEBqNTxoGAdwn-q-HJHFWMQAoXxOWpkxmm1Y7090oloiEr0warIdQDKbGGFFtT_s1x4fKdB4os5WRhd1ZnRw_sLdw1qQjW_LDY3bwxPsPw/s1600/lsminkholesa3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7Z_2xUblGj7-_NgUFCIt7Gnnin_XkmY1oPEBqNTxoGAdwn-q-HJHFWMQAoXxOWpkxmm1Y7090oloiEr0warIdQDKbGGFFtT_s1x4fKdB4os5WRhd1ZnRw_sLdw1qQjW_LDY3bwxPsPw/s320/lsminkholesa3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I decided to go home via Antler Trail too. The snow was firm so I didn’t have to break a trail and I soon had Leslie’s tracks to follow. I saw some old fisher trails, not worth a photo and trails that mice made,</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_cVfKPn_8-77zKQvR1O4HAsK_ghHMp1fN5AsE8fI-tKXqDIAIR9JsrcWyL-7BpxzPac59d2fXzXbQ5Fub18X6qEJgNSIv29Gn3wOjELDCKFypTqdzkituR4u7w1SuZZKkCeqL6oiB9Q/s1600/micetks3mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_cVfKPn_8-77zKQvR1O4HAsK_ghHMp1fN5AsE8fI-tKXqDIAIR9JsrcWyL-7BpxzPac59d2fXzXbQ5Fub18X6qEJgNSIv29Gn3wOjELDCKFypTqdzkituR4u7w1SuZZKkCeqL6oiB9Q/s320/micetks3mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>which always have surprising turns. I flushed 3 or 4 deer along the trail, but didn’t find any antlers.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<FONT SIZE=4><SPAN LANG="EN"><P>March 4 despite it being a blustery day, Leslie insisted on taking a hike on the ice through the Narrows and I finally gave in figuring that once I got through the eye watering cold wind of South Bay, the sun gleaming sheets of icy snow would make the lee side of the Narrows doubly warm. I was right about the cold and the warmth and out of the wind all was pleasant. We began walking along the rocky south shore of the bay just southwest of the entrance to the Narrows. We found crow tracks around the well picked remains of a deer vertebrae.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKm_s-PtnYxZHIJLV1cx8TPEqO-Cba-d2bphYgahU46bopnmzGObPccgdU8vmfKURr0kNyzR1Fs9BoG9lwhjbGoTVRcNjNB5j3CyRUNOeYXyTHU2LOwg5mELfEtUnohZd3bkD4mzEpQ0/s1600/narrowsmeal4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKm_s-PtnYxZHIJLV1cx8TPEqO-Cba-d2bphYgahU46bopnmzGObPccgdU8vmfKURr0kNyzR1Fs9BoG9lwhjbGoTVRcNjNB5j3CyRUNOeYXyTHU2LOwg5mELfEtUnohZd3bkD4mzEpQ0/s320/narrowsmeal4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>There were mink tracks going in and out of a hole at the base of the granite rock behind those remains. We then followed mink trails into the bay, which, I believe has a name -- Escanaba?</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZEqKI7JgnhOsVnofC0jvT6Ps7eThE95XO0ss6L_bIi6EfZGuqXwxsye2vPTJWFFFlu9ONDftl3H7u948VjESU7KROvHBhsufHtICiJws0xBH63GPgL4BuGEHCGSSxZ9GwvF1sfgQd5Q/s1600/narminktks4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZEqKI7JgnhOsVnofC0jvT6Ps7eThE95XO0ss6L_bIi6EfZGuqXwxsye2vPTJWFFFlu9ONDftl3H7u948VjESU7KROvHBhsufHtICiJws0xBH63GPgL4BuGEHCGSSxZ9GwvF1sfgQd5Q/s320/narminktks4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>We weren’t surprised that the mink tracks led us to the huge beaver lodge tucked in behind a rocky point, with its back to all the action in the river and facing the western sky.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOxq3twwwlm6bvMCm1NeBWlXV4tifx868UDWB5-vLBzuJ70ynyQHiNu6V0zg0RdHw_IR0rkqbuI1pvkRAEUvBw0shqoCcgiLMjMNJxOXWx0ITzO3opwgO60EUyNQSSqbZwQtm_3Re3qI/s1600/narldg4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOxq3twwwlm6bvMCm1NeBWlXV4tifx868UDWB5-vLBzuJ70ynyQHiNu6V0zg0RdHw_IR0rkqbuI1pvkRAEUvBw0shqoCcgiLMjMNJxOXWx0ITzO3opwgO60EUyNQSSqbZwQtm_3Re3qI/s320/narldg4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The last time I kayaked here in the late summer, there were no signs of a beaver using the lodge. Today we saw a large tree almost gnawed to the point where a strong wind might blow it down.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiYeofV6s64Av8arOu9k1wunjWApiBmWljScDKiKcnQ3A0IoUh-sMSPEuA0iqvAJwB4yhGcZUPRXg-R5pxWrzffS2CE-WFrto-YQY3L2dzwOz7CzrqISsFO8uMBDupiGchPkWOeKilNc/s1600/narldgwk4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiYeofV6s64Av8arOu9k1wunjWApiBmWljScDKiKcnQ3A0IoUh-sMSPEuA0iqvAJwB4yhGcZUPRXg-R5pxWrzffS2CE-WFrto-YQY3L2dzwOz7CzrqISsFO8uMBDupiGchPkWOeKilNc/s320/narldgwk4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>But that was the only sign of beaver activity that we saw. As we walked away, I took a photo to show how the lodge relates to the river. That the huge lodge that fills the whole western face of that point was almost completely covered with snow suggests that there are not any warm bodies living in there.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkiJvZP7UN-w0e7RNpXTWEISLO7hy8MwMPFe6nasLy0cN4NUELvO7v71dmlN9uPVmJs3VtPvp39BWQW0r88NRsse3GyQ9j1whusS3DKb8eNxaCFP7liZ3bAwgX7Nd1Tk12d8rLbQSltU/s1600/narldga4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkiJvZP7UN-w0e7RNpXTWEISLO7hy8MwMPFe6nasLy0cN4NUELvO7v71dmlN9uPVmJs3VtPvp39BWQW0r88NRsse3GyQ9j1whusS3DKb8eNxaCFP7liZ3bAwgX7Nd1Tk12d8rLbQSltU/s320/narldga4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>We’ve long enjoyed the mossy grottos formed in the rocks but I don’t recall them ever looking so lush in the winter.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgx_QToV69yJqXZUHygNZQH-Dp6_GXoQ7gsSJL-xiMJxqUBGWerxrb52D7MPIb3RAORmHjG65dCBXxZtOICzIXZzV8PoS_noEIzfn3toOiSRDtnSNqrU0jh08YoYUmRr_5aUdcA7p_Es/s1600/moss4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgx_QToV69yJqXZUHygNZQH-Dp6_GXoQ7gsSJL-xiMJxqUBGWerxrb52D7MPIb3RAORmHjG65dCBXxZtOICzIXZzV8PoS_noEIzfn3toOiSRDtnSNqrU0jh08YoYUmRr_5aUdcA7p_Es/s320/moss4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>At the foot of the rock forming the largest of the small islands in the bay, we saw clumps of red osier exclaiming that they were still alive.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu66Q285ReLZ3Nj3PaEX94H88gGgb4odpaATpZkZ33ixXks9mbbG9J_2xQb8Jbs7Wj0tpg3QZm2sJCsrKTxbudKPkdpad_d67nAHTHU_lX6pZvladsLm3EQWpdcHCIf9rlOnJTITwh1G0/s1600/redosier4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu66Q285ReLZ3Nj3PaEX94H88gGgb4odpaATpZkZ33ixXks9mbbG9J_2xQb8Jbs7Wj0tpg3QZm2sJCsrKTxbudKPkdpad_d67nAHTHU_lX6pZvladsLm3EQWpdcHCIf9rlOnJTITwh1G0/s320/redosier4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Unfortunately, a family eager to show off its airboat has a house in this area. Leading the way, Leslie tried to ignore the boat and snowmobile tracks. I kept my nose to the snow and saw an otter slide going from the Murray Island shore and heading out to a rock island in the little bay,</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQhpI7mXPbS5Orm6PWyFi-1V1EIN5BJysMoI3tY6AbNEt7jHqIsQQOf2UKnu6ftxlFan9cMtJKvGZvt_VAnogsFMkQabjQnllVVXOqCH4841X_3qAF0P3H_Z55FtVk4uldOTu70R7f9s/s1600/narotttks4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQhpI7mXPbS5Orm6PWyFi-1V1EIN5BJysMoI3tY6AbNEt7jHqIsQQOf2UKnu6ftxlFan9cMtJKvGZvt_VAnogsFMkQabjQnllVVXOqCH4841X_3qAF0P3H_Z55FtVk4uldOTu70R7f9s/s320/narotttks4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I back tracked the slide to the little cattail marsh along the shore. Coming straight from that direction an otter would cut the distance if it was trying to get from Eel Bay to South Bay or to the main channel of the river, that way over Murray Island is rather flat -- about the only flats crossing the island, not that I am suggesting that an otter prizes flats at this time of year. Usually going high up and over rocks is part of their late winter mating rituals.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz__jbj3qpDzCX-ny1v7vEVXG9JVuFOybLFPNmsY47jW3firWjb5BvONBMiRxL-zC1AEJ0Few8saqfhAdH608U_MOYre8BI_abfQzoxrMwb4ajl5dtsgRvZjp-IOey5sx9OSnO3ZVs2Qw/s1600/narotttksa4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz__jbj3qpDzCX-ny1v7vEVXG9JVuFOybLFPNmsY47jW3firWjb5BvONBMiRxL-zC1AEJ0Few8saqfhAdH608U_MOYre8BI_abfQzoxrMwb4ajl5dtsgRvZjp-IOey5sx9OSnO3ZVs2Qw/s320/narotttksa4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Then we followed the otter’s slides. It looked like it checked out some of the holes the minks had along the rock shore of the island</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8Q854lNqE1rKkWc9gtX5jNuNlsM3IhwzIxl58_TpoVTc5GnkbDcVZXyr6jS_RgYlCP_OmyFdlxVe4h1BuFaeg6ACpiT5YjOZdcJ9LHGLxdZ43vZpluZlwmhNoox8LiD4DTNok7CvzLQ/s1600/narotttksb4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8Q854lNqE1rKkWc9gtX5jNuNlsM3IhwzIxl58_TpoVTc5GnkbDcVZXyr6jS_RgYlCP_OmyFdlxVe4h1BuFaeg6ACpiT5YjOZdcJ9LHGLxdZ43vZpluZlwmhNoox8LiD4DTNok7CvzLQ/s320/narotttksb4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>But then seemed to ignore the island</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-v2EV3ZXaLSOli7RFrmOcRTvo66BF6sNVs9FbKh3QBZmnPApfbrdvP2cfPWg5gfPjF9ZKMBpGCOh_Ui5gk8ltXU7Ln_aH19Y00kwGwwF5G8iFsTyF2ZUA9bSOgOPpiCgqx_T8ESYhUs/s1600/narotttksc4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-v2EV3ZXaLSOli7RFrmOcRTvo66BF6sNVs9FbKh3QBZmnPApfbrdvP2cfPWg5gfPjF9ZKMBpGCOh_Ui5gk8ltXU7Ln_aH19Y00kwGwwF5G8iFsTyF2ZUA9bSOgOPpiCgqx_T8ESYhUs/s320/narotttksc4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>and seemed to head straight toward the main channel of the river, the nearest open water.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0Ot-T-fqRQnsE1Jd9_ripmI6q5S1-1RWG75o-9iMCC2MOUxbCKtbCGHdAQb_Y9HQjkqKuu8jBNVouizoOrQT4dcb504R013f4UOj4QwOorf7HbUwcaM5ynx8jwfa95Cbqg5Kh4RUiFU/s1600/narotttkse4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0Ot-T-fqRQnsE1Jd9_ripmI6q5S1-1RWG75o-9iMCC2MOUxbCKtbCGHdAQb_Y9HQjkqKuu8jBNVouizoOrQT4dcb504R013f4UOj4QwOorf7HbUwcaM5ynx8jwfa95Cbqg5Kh4RUiFU/s320/narotttkse4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The photo makes the distance look farther than it really is. Then we turned around and walked back halfway through the Narrows, where we saw a fisher's trail heading directly across the Narrows.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfVQ-D4Tox834DnmtcOuIldXDINIlLUFAdMrrrz_uiCVIxxPRRIOHpBsQZi3X_fPH7husxbHk2vWtCyf-QHTsI0iuRBB_dhwQJW3OsGYa7bEz0dLGxHdqmahmKmNJP0f2FGOMSKRKjB4/s1600/narfishtks4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfVQ-D4Tox834DnmtcOuIldXDINIlLUFAdMrrrz_uiCVIxxPRRIOHpBsQZi3X_fPH7husxbHk2vWtCyf-QHTsI0iuRBB_dhwQJW3OsGYa7bEz0dLGxHdqmahmKmNJP0f2FGOMSKRKjB4/s320/narfishtks4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Fishers prefer to roam under the cover of trees. With better light and a better camera, I got a photo of the porcupine work up on the east cliff of the Narrows.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMrlgoK6mViFixmgyDxDqr6REJtzOahhW8eWwZVYR84LldkT992nfy7t2mZ0N-cK5ivE-6J-eh_fsCWW1EICvFyqRSp_hhwqBXZFy8gqdo3G6E82tWfBBel6MA9wSXQ8NAvQzmd2DYDU/s1600/narppwk4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMrlgoK6mViFixmgyDxDqr6REJtzOahhW8eWwZVYR84LldkT992nfy7t2mZ0N-cK5ivE-6J-eh_fsCWW1EICvFyqRSp_hhwqBXZFy8gqdo3G6E82tWfBBel6MA9wSXQ8NAvQzmd2DYDU/s320/narppwk4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Then as we headed back into the cold wind, I could just make out another otter slide in the ice, though I couldn’t be sure which way the otter had been going.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qzFkouMXVu6J8HwTI9iIjv-ZXBwbkuqPEoYAZxH9lUGf2_7_o6djGWxsmBJ8RujVL68loK4LnQYxQA45QVauBBbn1BaDu8nw-ZKNg7tBG5HxJaBm7y3lZiHcUI1coabA1MvYo1kORv0/s1600/narotttksf4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qzFkouMXVu6J8HwTI9iIjv-ZXBwbkuqPEoYAZxH9lUGf2_7_o6djGWxsmBJ8RujVL68loK4LnQYxQA45QVauBBbn1BaDu8nw-ZKNg7tBG5HxJaBm7y3lZiHcUI1coabA1MvYo1kORv0/s320/narotttksf4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>We quartered the wind at our back by going down South Bay. In the days when the island beaver ponds had water, an otter might go down that way to find shelter in those ponds. No slides today. We went down to the point of the peninsula. I wanted to see how the willow there, that beavers had half cut down, was springing back to life.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBvWNCfX_lRdwKpVz4PkMU7OaQCxAw00cAPo15yZK_aoQ7ZbE-peu1rFOCMU2WlbNSSWGg3uwa9zCD-zo5XgK0bhsE5_INnLJix7u_VnawcBv50gPy3we2m9pgm4wBaGMkcdKJb2-o-I/s1600/sbwillow4mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBvWNCfX_lRdwKpVz4PkMU7OaQCxAw00cAPo15yZK_aoQ7ZbE-peu1rFOCMU2WlbNSSWGg3uwa9zCD-zo5XgK0bhsE5_INnLJix7u_VnawcBv50gPy3we2m9pgm4wBaGMkcdKJb2-o-I/s320/sbwillow4mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The sprouts around the stump looked rather feeble. There was a tree budding atop the surviving trunk. </P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<FONT SIZE=4><SPAN LANG="EN"><P>March 5 we keep anticipating a gushing flow of sap from the maple trees but our 13 buckets still only yield enough to make it more sensible to boil the sap at home. It is still cold. So I have plenty of time to wait for a beaver to come out at the Deep Pond. I saw today that one, at least, had been out of the widening hole in the ice behind the hole through the dam.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_-PSqYCfHjeWBe9c68WIXez2fqkahxDiwBlIrfUfNku_pnxWJ-jfJJv4dfF6BVj6TPppNMYAEXZGCtMDrzQhAnxuESYSiSI3IZcrIsr78CIsxD9uRqFqGUzwa_fE5hNUi-h7OTyz5mk/s1600/dpdamhole5mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_-PSqYCfHjeWBe9c68WIXez2fqkahxDiwBlIrfUfNku_pnxWJ-jfJJv4dfF6BVj6TPppNMYAEXZGCtMDrzQhAnxuESYSiSI3IZcrIsr78CIsxD9uRqFqGUzwa_fE5hNUi-h7OTyz5mk/s320/dpdamhole5mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I could also see turkey tracks between the hole and where I was standing on the pond. I walked farther onto the pond ice and took a photo looking square at the hole in the dam. I could see a freshly nibbled stick, rather small stick, but it suggests that the beaver is getting more comfortable about sitting on the ice or dam to nibble rather than take everything back into pond.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDi0mw9VdI6GP6e2A-UVx2f8yHbUAxWOCrahB9h_V0AsBdI9adtBCF0aMgsg2eDJ8rwqUTYx7A8tL24_uubg_l98-pjMpqJQA2IjR6iMAjhHG97Wo6K72gDOWlLrS6giZBRaQbRGT_xs/s1600/dpdamholea5mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDi0mw9VdI6GP6e2A-UVx2f8yHbUAxWOCrahB9h_V0AsBdI9adtBCF0aMgsg2eDJ8rwqUTYx7A8tL24_uubg_l98-pjMpqJQA2IjR6iMAjhHG97Wo6K72gDOWlLrS6giZBRaQbRGT_xs/s320/dpdamholea5mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Since the ice gets enough warmth and sun to melt and there is a flow of water into the pond, the dry nooks the beavers might have had under the ice are getting flooded, especially here at the dam. I was momentarily excited when I saw slides coming out of the hole in the ice, thinking an otter might have come out of the pond, but otters make straight slides and these slides wavered. The beaver was dragging its tail, probably as it went back to the hole because there was no mud on the ice.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDeiHj0VYebBGJDsr97HuIvaeB4L1tdZyojIRF_JGk0ops0PtOFsfcPP8i-kEr9nC8wqWCOWmIm1YHIM_9H0j6t74gT-k9tWhAlou9u8Rb-NZZ-Y086bE7ePZ_OYzhCpov6QtTZGXjro/s1600/dpbvtks5mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDeiHj0VYebBGJDsr97HuIvaeB4L1tdZyojIRF_JGk0ops0PtOFsfcPP8i-kEr9nC8wqWCOWmIm1YHIM_9H0j6t74gT-k9tWhAlou9u8Rb-NZZ-Y086bE7ePZ_OYzhCpov6QtTZGXjro/s320/dpbvtks5mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>A beaver went up and over the dam and also along the dam for about 10 yards.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEdTOfW2x6g-w44psraIDu80PYDpFXzprqccrRwOfDs5iKe-rvT3eIN9mYIKZrAoi5ssZqZzyZ2W6duqFTmWMzIvCPro7I6zuU3W16RdvSbgT4Cgid9AvCAmrMwNw6BrAmCroDvHyDTE/s1600/dpbvtksa5mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEdTOfW2x6g-w44psraIDu80PYDpFXzprqccrRwOfDs5iKe-rvT3eIN9mYIKZrAoi5ssZqZzyZ2W6duqFTmWMzIvCPro7I6zuU3W16RdvSbgT4Cgid9AvCAmrMwNw6BrAmCroDvHyDTE/s320/dpbvtksa5mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Along the dam there is only honeysuckle bushes to browse, but it looked like the beaver cut a sapling below the dam.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvA3PQLXyb-7lfx9-02brIBCyuIuCi2Rv6EppjPyW_0HbQ31LE0n1UE-iw1J93EVwutPVTQ8nUjCVyW-eTQJtbcEtHjxv7T18t6yo-wg-KAEpuh6WH7kyWVmPBpzpjpyvggO5DZWTBr0w/s1600/dpbvwk5mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvA3PQLXyb-7lfx9-02brIBCyuIuCi2Rv6EppjPyW_0HbQ31LE0n1UE-iw1J93EVwutPVTQ8nUjCVyW-eTQJtbcEtHjxv7T18t6yo-wg-KAEpuh6WH7kyWVmPBpzpjpyvggO5DZWTBr0w/s320/dpbvwk5mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>A beaver also browsed the brush along the west side of the outlet creek. I am remiss in not identifying all that the beavers nip. But when these plants are leafed out, either the beaver doesn’t eat them or I don’t notice it if they do, and in the winter when such fare can seem to be their only meal, and thus crucial to identify, it presents a few sere sticks and nothing else as clues as to what it is. The other tracks along the creek were from coyotes. They probably came for a drink but perhaps they are interested in the beavers too.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9OEg29tjbv6T_NqJ4yOu2tuo2_tPdZqy7UW9ZX7H6Je18hdismNRk3iyYQJ94GPpWglP-2HJpyNopGrY9EH2Oe6DKi_XXl_AVENEkmqUwAmxMhl6URRkSPukdKj-f6QkNKRBXNqHd9g/s1600/dpbvtksb5mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9OEg29tjbv6T_NqJ4yOu2tuo2_tPdZqy7UW9ZX7H6Je18hdismNRk3iyYQJ94GPpWglP-2HJpyNopGrY9EH2Oe6DKi_XXl_AVENEkmqUwAmxMhl6URRkSPukdKj-f6QkNKRBXNqHd9g/s320/dpbvtksb5mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, it did not look like a beaver had been out of the hole half way up the bank of the pond. It did look like a turkey strutted up to the hole to take a peck inside.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiio2MZslGqhBxXQG7-mKftyYv_mxcpGnbVfmxgNA4emq_EFwYemIWIGzMH7Iio2sxnhXld41oxIcJSxsE2HDxrProeEthBgFD31PV4UpmpoXP_FSJsRoLCHSZDr1jfCw1KXCCDK1_KuzU/s1600/dpbankhole5mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiio2MZslGqhBxXQG7-mKftyYv_mxcpGnbVfmxgNA4emq_EFwYemIWIGzMH7Iio2sxnhXld41oxIcJSxsE2HDxrProeEthBgFD31PV4UpmpoXP_FSJsRoLCHSZDr1jfCw1KXCCDK1_KuzU/s320/dpbankhole5mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I also took a walk down our inner valley to continue sawing and collecting dead ironwoods for next winter’s firewood. The snow there was soft enough to reveal tracks but I think hard enough to prevent wandering porcupines from making troughs.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Vurmf47JIquz1KNjsR3jYmySUPDz4OEf3hLQyvu0jNfIXpP_iJFldipPTkkfMxEUQSSDiK4vso1fZbDaH6JrjRzJm55CmaKilwRXvKqt45YPt5Dt4Neg-68VXhM3_aomn_NbZhbbWJ0/s1600/ppinetks5mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Vurmf47JIquz1KNjsR3jYmySUPDz4OEf3hLQyvu0jNfIXpP_iJFldipPTkkfMxEUQSSDiK4vso1fZbDaH6JrjRzJm55CmaKilwRXvKqt45YPt5Dt4Neg-68VXhM3_aomn_NbZhbbWJ0/s320/ppinetks5mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>At least that's who I think made the wavering tracks I was seeing here.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Sme3OG4QFkV6I2kgJ0bb1F9rmnmXb7LBiuPMTA9uKh8Vxg_SfN5IU2ZaixRXC3p6iXIFTvw0TAEdCFItfrrxWkX6vLR6T0fjPaZXhCrdnPr0QoUmrT8tO9-NnB-WyACfm0qbI800iMY/s1600/ppinetksa5mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Sme3OG4QFkV6I2kgJ0bb1F9rmnmXb7LBiuPMTA9uKh8Vxg_SfN5IU2ZaixRXC3p6iXIFTvw0TAEdCFItfrrxWkX6vLR6T0fjPaZXhCrdnPr0QoUmrT8tO9-NnB-WyACfm0qbI800iMY/s320/ppinetksa5mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The snow everywhere is basically hard and only me and the deer are prone to plunge into its full depth which probably varies from 6 to 16 inches. Looking forward to the thaw, I am hoping that my attempt late last summer to patch the hole deep in the Boundary Pond dam worked and that there will be ponds here in the spring. I can now see down into a few feet of the Lost Pond channel,</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASWtAE1siiuHIzlbC4018fm3HQS-AgMxurBfuygM5pmhdIGp4PrWfRvE-bgf94OdHtnOgnUJ2F2iloWY_9VJJlIU_HCQsFyVqBRcb9kLeca-yTFnuDzGBc-CJZdW86FumQR-0XI1GpC0/s1600/lpchan5mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASWtAE1siiuHIzlbC4018fm3HQS-AgMxurBfuygM5pmhdIGp4PrWfRvE-bgf94OdHtnOgnUJ2F2iloWY_9VJJlIU_HCQsFyVqBRcb9kLeca-yTFnuDzGBc-CJZdW86FumQR-0XI1GpC0/s320/lpchan5mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>And the water is just a few inches deep, </P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchtjMCfKGxF8rP5cfxuU5ENZuF5Fal0AoIi1kcDnyZn-bki07c4jVgNJht2YPkMBdpUp0qJ_XwSLrcnZyZFZOELhAT_TPbC3ggf9BxVFraBnxvLWkPEhWy_Viix83HKQgt7241LO9S0A/s1600/lpchana5mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchtjMCfKGxF8rP5cfxuU5ENZuF5Fal0AoIi1kcDnyZn-bki07c4jVgNJht2YPkMBdpUp0qJ_XwSLrcnZyZFZOELhAT_TPbC3ggf9BxVFraBnxvLWkPEhWy_Viix83HKQgt7241LO9S0A/s320/lpchana5mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>but all beaver ponds leak throughout the winter and there is no telling how much water will back up in the spring and with enough rain last well into the summer. Last but certainly not least, the tracks that were almost every where I looked were left by rabbits.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi297V2G8gpfOWMPqUiSMc795shzEAxkJEnFSrWa_QtMsNNMbgpiV5kPu8Of9r4eaNJwC-Y_EAVP1biyz4FB1BV1JYeLvE3XVawfnGA3kwZ3AbwPurwSwJPpqP7Z_xEo4rXnOfAemPc8RE/s1600/rabbittks5mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi297V2G8gpfOWMPqUiSMc795shzEAxkJEnFSrWa_QtMsNNMbgpiV5kPu8Of9r4eaNJwC-Y_EAVP1biyz4FB1BV1JYeLvE3XVawfnGA3kwZ3AbwPurwSwJPpqP7Z_xEo4rXnOfAemPc8RE/s320/rabbittks5mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>They also scattered their poops all over the snow. I took the photo above because it shows two rare spots were a rabbit seemed to slow down enough to leave 5 or 6 poops in a pile. We came again to the land on the 6th and I saw that a beaver had been out of the bank hole.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOScPtYXl_AKp0YGq0aI1-VFG-B5PF0dPygD4-xZjxJUZ4VpC6Fhu1m11-Ztuwk4vhXT93GWQ7Xo24fT4PnCaFoHP4Gl4w4qVwmFYcaYQHpchdfpZqyh1Yh_mKVBak0wBNu7hMH9JNRow/s1600/dpbankhole6mar13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOScPtYXl_AKp0YGq0aI1-VFG-B5PF0dPygD4-xZjxJUZ4VpC6Fhu1m11-Ztuwk4vhXT93GWQ7Xo24fT4PnCaFoHP4Gl4w4qVwmFYcaYQHpchdfpZqyh1Yh_mKVBak0wBNu7hMH9JNRow/s320/dpbankhole6mar13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>That day I threw myself into my work on the ironwood and let the tracks take care of themselves.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-31857958613723624712013-03-11T18:44:00.000-07:002013-03-11T18:47:12.671-07:00February 20 to 26, 2013<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>February 20 a pattern of light snow and deep cold at night is making it easier to tour the ponds. At the top of the valley down to the Big Pond, I saw that a porcupine found a meal up on a pine trunk on a high spot in what will soon be a frog filled vernal pool. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vNwCfF1kL721hAu9iuyfnmi9_wUtf_zdKqSFPLaW4uAb8vvGZPyiB8hNY0JkZ0PfATzd7iybQhG2RZ_OqY76-cJSMDXnUv9RYYrzLu_v6QaeCMWKeID3pIkvPtS3Vj5cU6VuIGCDfp2I/s1600/ppinewk20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vNwCfF1kL721hAu9iuyfnmi9_wUtf_zdKqSFPLaW4uAb8vvGZPyiB8hNY0JkZ0PfATzd7iybQhG2RZ_OqY76-cJSMDXnUv9RYYrzLu_v6QaeCMWKeID3pIkvPtS3Vj5cU6VuIGCDfp2I/s320/ppinewk20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then, making a quarter turn toward our trail to the valley, I saw a series of fresh woodpecker holes on another pine tree.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIulKnCQ2HiEUx0WAA1cVUUoGLbQF2aGRwwFEImVmqN-WlOwrYnKQhUNliKQ7FVH97w1APW7AKMmO2Wf7tIruyMXBuu6QuRDHjDiDjvdaZtnSql9oZW48kJslrMLKI9puIUV7NR8bSAqJ/s1600/pwpwk20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIulKnCQ2HiEUx0WAA1cVUUoGLbQF2aGRwwFEImVmqN-WlOwrYnKQhUNliKQ7FVH97w1APW7AKMmO2Wf7tIruyMXBuu6QuRDHjDiDjvdaZtnSql9oZW48kJslrMLKI9puIUV7NR8bSAqJ/s320/pwpwk20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Again, I saw no signs of any activity on the east side of the valley, the shady side, but up from the lowest part of the valley on the west ridge I saw that a porcupine had stripped the bark of several small branches and had almost completely gnawed the bark off a medium sized white oak. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbs3tNH3OPj4HTPl6p35Pqg6_J-xc1AOoXWeohb_ztuusQg_Ei4aIJvlWnbehfy1LLfL_nES6e42BBUhPqPQCc599U-vbJLIJQ13WO_AgVbFQ0IzQFpgDB4wIKwNMjppuVLozKZbX8zbGY/s1600/valppwk20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbs3tNH3OPj4HTPl6p35Pqg6_J-xc1AOoXWeohb_ztuusQg_Ei4aIJvlWnbehfy1LLfL_nES6e42BBUhPqPQCc599U-vbJLIJQ13WO_AgVbFQ0IzQFpgDB4wIKwNMjppuVLozKZbX8zbGY/s320/valppwk20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I couldn’t see a trail to the tree so perhaps the porcupine came to it when the snow was at its hardest. I don’t think I am crediting the wrong animal for this. The porcupine who dens in the rocks just up from the Big Pond had been out. I saw a trail from a pine it had been browsing not far from its den. There were fresh pee stains on the trail.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Sjr88G1K1w6l1G_eiRJb3SP4Ewl1TUMhx4TOQ3E-AgzEIL1RREH4vvszoeY5hQ_QifvkQ74MHrDDmlNHXe0IVF3mn6Yy0s0dZnf9OlnMWq2HOktsOXn3fcXDQ4Z0RsgnquagHLRW34Dn/s1600/ppinetks20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Sjr88G1K1w6l1G_eiRJb3SP4Ewl1TUMhx4TOQ3E-AgzEIL1RREH4vvszoeY5hQ_QifvkQ74MHrDDmlNHXe0IVF3mn6Yy0s0dZnf9OlnMWq2HOktsOXn3fcXDQ4Z0RsgnquagHLRW34Dn/s320/ppinetks20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The porcupine also made tracks to the woods west of its den and there was a neat perpendicular intersection where it met the trail to the pine to the east of the den. There was one poop pellet right at the intersection.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78IRf3T-McSaWovNwnCsFYaPcbstuCkAUlZZAIhsij-qHJRl_uuAxOGNZov0xvyBDWbOuDwTE8OVuchrymFR97i54-3dbpYV3RTzP_baAVnZ_UNC_NTJaOWP-J4s9McaTPJ0SURh86xvQ/s1600/ppinetksa20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78IRf3T-McSaWovNwnCsFYaPcbstuCkAUlZZAIhsij-qHJRl_uuAxOGNZov0xvyBDWbOuDwTE8OVuchrymFR97i54-3dbpYV3RTzP_baAVnZ_UNC_NTJaOWP-J4s9McaTPJ0SURh86xvQ/s320/ppinetksa20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>In deep snow a grid pattern makes some sense, but I am not sure I’ve seen this before. Leslie had taken the high road to the Big Pond and when we met she reported seeing a good bit of porcupine pine work up on the ridge west of the valley. We crossed the Big Pond without investigating anything, and then walked directly over to the holes the otters were using in and around the Lost Swamp Pond dam. It did not look like there was any fresh activity.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUBtcysy_SbtxEsvqtr6rkdQ9aopO0vSvAb_nh1xz9v_fxhZHdlubApu9Qs5e8LLNAFVhaik4ggCpxvLo4z7u3LYBKDeRgz9HmgsCZjMxbNR7EZyUALuN5z1TXFXCTrU7GY39hr0Or9cZ/s1600/lstks20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUBtcysy_SbtxEsvqtr6rkdQ9aopO0vSvAb_nh1xz9v_fxhZHdlubApu9Qs5e8LLNAFVhaik4ggCpxvLo4z7u3LYBKDeRgz9HmgsCZjMxbNR7EZyUALuN5z1TXFXCTrU7GY39hr0Or9cZ/s320/lstks20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The outflow from the pond seemed to be diminishing.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-Cb5dQNCHS4Yk_XW9J1hHjpV1VtzfKKJaTq9eeR9cJZKXC72X_d_j-2dO_AkoVA_AXpfkf6dozmxWPvzWn1EKGqat8rr5gNXTDIpPQehyphenhyphenBPcTgYTwJZf8iWjE9seq_Zs4BqvHw8iMZaV/s1600/lsoutflow20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-Cb5dQNCHS4Yk_XW9J1hHjpV1VtzfKKJaTq9eeR9cJZKXC72X_d_j-2dO_AkoVA_AXpfkf6dozmxWPvzWn1EKGqat8rr5gNXTDIpPQehyphenhyphenBPcTgYTwJZf8iWjE9seq_Zs4BqvHw8iMZaV/s320/lsoutflow20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Back up on the west side of the dam Leslie spotted some scat, which we hadn’t seen yet outside any of the holes the otters were using. But with a close look that scat on the dam looked more like a mink scat, and the hole in the snow next to it was about the size a mink might make.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8A9QmjAbRwoXJ_kKetBTScW6tYsWSYMPMu3RSHS5ks0g9v0nPbqiPyt68PRuyw2GnI1qflHzNEdnYh3GiyEWf-7b6oUej0COfOrX0NzYWy7-mMUdEUUu1YQfPWYNALhsyNugGxiJlzWl/s1600/lsminkscat20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8A9QmjAbRwoXJ_kKetBTScW6tYsWSYMPMu3RSHS5ks0g9v0nPbqiPyt68PRuyw2GnI1qflHzNEdnYh3GiyEWf-7b6oUej0COfOrX0NzYWy7-mMUdEUUu1YQfPWYNALhsyNugGxiJlzWl/s320/lsminkscat20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Leslie headed home and I continued on my usual route. Down on the Upper Second Swamp Pond, where the water coming down from the Lost Swamp Pond had stopped flowing, I looked back and took a photo of the Lost Swamp Pond dam. The snow on it made it easy to see.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibm1fbPzhAXiqUXCrhkwDt1iUYXnFkqqgrr40PplWPPlihF4UpntB5H6URcbFNwRtbIqupo4F4vbP06QzjksYad2fLC-viuAT5Ix7CzF4Ku4d8LocSGtyjhlCEZ4jJpDrFLKyhusFpPTwe/s1600/lsdam20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibm1fbPzhAXiqUXCrhkwDt1iUYXnFkqqgrr40PplWPPlihF4UpntB5H6URcbFNwRtbIqupo4F4vbP06QzjksYad2fLC-viuAT5Ix7CzF4Ku4d8LocSGtyjhlCEZ4jJpDrFLKyhusFpPTwe/s320/lsdam20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>While that little pond below the Lost Swamp Pond was mostly dry underneath the snow, I was not so sure about the Second Swamp Pond where a good bit of the snow had the brown color of possible slush underneath the ice that formed after the last thaw. So I took a land route to the East Trail Pond and went up and over the ridge that brought me near the porcupine den in the rocks on east end of the old East Trail Pond dam. The porcupine trail curling into the den was the least of the activity. Deer prints were all around a cedar tree that was bending down touching the snow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hPXAK2XIv1ykqwW7giQYQdjbW7yMAqLYtLUS6-GrIjMMn5LYhX5TknaycZX7yRuxwzpsJmFAmD3F4c8vlwv9YxTQ-9qz_Cj4kDQWh5h0gQxIVn_jNtlxxgcFRhd8sU_e-qg-EOk4aFAw/s1600/ppden20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hPXAK2XIv1ykqwW7giQYQdjbW7yMAqLYtLUS6-GrIjMMn5LYhX5TknaycZX7yRuxwzpsJmFAmD3F4c8vlwv9YxTQ-9qz_Cj4kDQWh5h0gQxIVn_jNtlxxgcFRhd8sU_e-qg-EOk4aFAw/s320/ppden20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I angled over to the farthest extent of the beavers’ recent foraging below the new East Trail Pond dam and got a photo of the wood chips under a branch a beaver gnawed off the smaller tree they managed to cut down</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4T5dZ_VwF3TL4KYm4YTOQGIzRgosWN0dAN-QsZ-IbBxMZqQXGUS9yziIkNt3GSjebR7UjgxonfJA843zvpZKH29cuMMso46_1V7b7tY61hPEomVz4YHKVoW7pdF-GDNOMB5ufUWrWMnXx/s1600/etbvwk20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4T5dZ_VwF3TL4KYm4YTOQGIzRgosWN0dAN-QsZ-IbBxMZqQXGUS9yziIkNt3GSjebR7UjgxonfJA843zvpZKH29cuMMso46_1V7b7tY61hPEomVz4YHKVoW7pdF-GDNOMB5ufUWrWMnXx/s320/etbvwk20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>They gnawed two cuts into a fairly large red oak.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsM51N8oRU_SZ-txJ1TNBkc3ag3u2UY2-WYbtQfd5IB-V6tkVadyl1Xvmyx5jyU3i17sYRVBUhGf2bhnDfjHfhAfLU8jterpqJX5WU9uUqfyX-vvuwEbASTB51jXTv8mQ1PUs33kFcZE-/s1600/etbvwka20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsM51N8oRU_SZ-txJ1TNBkc3ag3u2UY2-WYbtQfd5IB-V6tkVadyl1Xvmyx5jyU3i17sYRVBUhGf2bhnDfjHfhAfLU8jterpqJX5WU9uUqfyX-vvuwEbASTB51jXTv8mQ1PUs33kFcZE-/s320/etbvwka20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Beavers do gnaw in the winter to keep their incisors in shape so they can seem to do extra gnawing at the time of year when we might think they’d want to be as efficient as possible. This tree is a bit smaller than the red oaks these beavers have cut down in other winters. A larger tree had some gnawing but not as big a cut into the trunk as beavers or porcupines did years ago. I’m not sure if this is an oak or maple. If the latter it may be spared. These beavers are used to cutting red oaks in the winter.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27z1p7feX0mQY6PB2aBKqbiM_1DfOcDI-gqYwfydE_JGzjcwhOjJnIvb0G-dBGi0_mIhr81BOxBCpzp0amEcYlKgMA1_L8qzaVUEvTZbUNNdQo2MTEg1D8S5azvofDTTGsfwU4X3d2dVX/s1600/etbvwkb20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27z1p7feX0mQY6PB2aBKqbiM_1DfOcDI-gqYwfydE_JGzjcwhOjJnIvb0G-dBGi0_mIhr81BOxBCpzp0amEcYlKgMA1_L8qzaVUEvTZbUNNdQo2MTEg1D8S5azvofDTTGsfwU4X3d2dVX/s320/etbvwkb20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I got the impression that beavers had not visited farther away trees they had been gnawing, but it looked like they had just gnawed the maple that fell on the dam that they probably cut months ago. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUS6vqqTA5pW67OaxnN2D2rWXfix0wgb4GYI0BYm-isMFsF9N4V5Ai7EGM5CFWqB0jHVu4pI7vDqizTPLPn0BZ0hEWGvnsqs3Ffehq1pr8St4Tanp72gogABYy84JBu9a-jvKw-1w0SSp/s1600/etbvwkc20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUS6vqqTA5pW67OaxnN2D2rWXfix0wgb4GYI0BYm-isMFsF9N4V5Ai7EGM5CFWqB0jHVu4pI7vDqizTPLPn0BZ0hEWGvnsqs3Ffehq1pr8St4Tanp72gogABYy84JBu9a-jvKw-1w0SSp/s320/etbvwkc20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I blush to say that I didn’t take a photo of this trunk earlier from the same angle as the photo above but if it had looked like that with tracks all around and gnawing on the trunk, I think I would have taken a photo. Over the years, I’ve asked myself why I keep taking photos of the beavers gnawing on trees. A great deal of the attraction is aesthetic but that’s not so much the case in the photo above. Then there is what might be called my shock and awe at the beavers’ audacity. That such a relatively small animal does such a number on trees demands to be recorded. (I very rarely chronicle my cutting down trees and cutting them up into logs.) I certainly have never approached all this beaver work with a scientific bias. I am incapable of calculating what nutriants they get from various trees. I never quantify how much bark they gnaw, how many branches and logs they cut and if those branches and logs wind up on their lodge or on their dam. I guess I basically think I am simply observing another animal's necessary compulsion. Cutting trees is how a beaver defines itself and rather than analyze that I simply record it waiting for some big realization to dawn on me, perhaps not until one of the trees falls on my head and instead of my life flashing through in my doomed mind, I’ll finally see what a beaver’s life is all about. Seriously, I think if I keep my observations more protean and less scientific, I will understand beavers better. I’ve also noted beaver trails going over the dam and through the cattails and over to trees along old boardwalk. Today I saw gnawing on what is probably a red maple. How else explain how it has survived over 20 years of beavers living in this pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsciH4M3IZMaJXgDHxheHguh05bOcO2mQNnyd6yBvgdaXjJowOq70YCitVNq2NoirmTeNr25B8wp7N8eJAis-f2nzyXByi-KIRPZfr-PsqQATh7ZpbadCRaGTlM3tJC6w8Yisn4a9I6W0f/s1600/etbvwkd20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsciH4M3IZMaJXgDHxheHguh05bOcO2mQNnyd6yBvgdaXjJowOq70YCitVNq2NoirmTeNr25B8wp7N8eJAis-f2nzyXByi-KIRPZfr-PsqQATh7ZpbadCRaGTlM3tJC6w8Yisn4a9I6W0f/s320/etbvwkd20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I think it has been scientifically established that beavers do not like to eat the bark of red maples. Indeed I’d be on safer ground scientifically if I assumed that tree was not a red maple simply because a beaver gnawed its bark. But I have seen this family cut down, gnaw the bark, and cut the branches off red maples in the fall when their leaves are red and easily identified. Beavers are not aware of the scientific literature about them, and consequently I may learn more by not judging these beavers by how they measure up to what the scientific literature says about them, certainly on the short term, which in the case of this family is getting on to 12 years of observation. Maybe later when, as far as I will be able to see it, their work is done. The patch of open water behind the dam was iced over, though it looked like the ice could be easily broken. At first glance some of the beaver tracks coming up out of the hole looked like they must have been made that morning, but on closer look they looked old.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13dcEdL2XVQPsuuugvH_e6LYMP0uE8BJ7jU-AGrySjHKoecgKSa7RoH2-FU6f8pfNOsENOdUjKW-g8dfFWoqIpJVhHYTq-khn7rWe9niPBgcQTObbV8Df0Fw0vfRHi67A4IqRaKTLXF2s/s1600/etholetks20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13dcEdL2XVQPsuuugvH_e6LYMP0uE8BJ7jU-AGrySjHKoecgKSa7RoH2-FU6f8pfNOsENOdUjKW-g8dfFWoqIpJVhHYTq-khn7rWe9niPBgcQTObbV8Df0Fw0vfRHi67A4IqRaKTLXF2s/s320/etholetks20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>On my way to check the holes beavers have used to get out from under the pond which are all along the north shore, I walked by the new lodge I had seen them making before I left in September. For the last few weeks the snow covered this low lodge. Now I could see that no mud or muck had been pushed up over the logs and branches crisscrossed to make this lodge which is good evidence that the beavers aren’t using it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxF0YU198YinuUhzrm9jQlMl_siPAnfoUwYZUrON1CpgAjApzma_cgpsXyu3IBweHaFXlSYSRnGRig3-eNYZYedtaIOcLtHN66whP8FKXotcFoKO2FYm4L9KG6mNpxFw5RehtXHlRRth_f/s1600/etauxldg20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxF0YU198YinuUhzrm9jQlMl_siPAnfoUwYZUrON1CpgAjApzma_cgpsXyu3IBweHaFXlSYSRnGRig3-eNYZYedtaIOcLtHN66whP8FKXotcFoKO2FYm4L9KG6mNpxFw5RehtXHlRRth_f/s320/etauxldg20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then I got close to the hole right under the rocks and saw that the beavers hadn’t used it and assume it is still frozen over. I moved around the nearby clump of winterberry bushes as I headed back to the middle of the pond and I saw a hole that a beaver must have come out of that morning. The ice surrounding it looked wet and I could see the little stumps of cut winterberry branches sticking up out of the ice and snow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzd3sB5ek_6y7IwWwGH5K5UGeJiXBJv186Jl1diPRMMowhPsnixsNoH9os7-uYitGjA9CUIoWuFHpOiponcUPpDniKVs_9elP_uKIUSPudi9kGIpSvT6I3tPGb68CHsmo6QCMeeewibjf/s1600/etbvhole20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzd3sB5ek_6y7IwWwGH5K5UGeJiXBJv186Jl1diPRMMowhPsnixsNoH9os7-uYitGjA9CUIoWuFHpOiponcUPpDniKVs_9elP_uKIUSPudi9kGIpSvT6I3tPGb68CHsmo6QCMeeewibjf/s320/etbvhole20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I took another photo of the hole from another angle which showed how the hole cut under the ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmy2Q3MF-0zEjJs-I43ng0VubuOg1UP9nekORTP2B0a9rIsJviXbt-gyET8Rn4bwDnIKdzYG9cAeuhkZ5bo-Dm4gx8NFR0zo3YmYNw7G1ClN_yHWx3QzFamZKDQfcMEswJl4cbyFREnQx/s1600/etbvholea20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmy2Q3MF-0zEjJs-I43ng0VubuOg1UP9nekORTP2B0a9rIsJviXbt-gyET8Rn4bwDnIKdzYG9cAeuhkZ5bo-Dm4gx8NFR0zo3YmYNw7G1ClN_yHWx3QzFamZKDQfcMEswJl4cbyFREnQx/s320/etbvholea20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I didn’t see any evidence that an otter used that hole, nor did I see any more holes on that side of the pond. I crossed over to the south shore of the pond where beavers, otters and minks had holes in the ice last winter. I didn’t see any holes there today. As the snow has fallen and melted off the downed trees along the south shore, I decided that trees were down that had been standing when I left in the fall.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UnThh-0Eqp6wc1ESiU0K7mJoCzpiIwY3rWN1qHPFOcHXUs9rDCkzCxPIbp5rhNt2T4SnxQNbEqOT689gsJnhNtlG08e2Qpo52fo8tOA5E7GZlUdMyX5Usmb5Awes2F6M1M9-vMJt4JyH/s1600/etswk20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UnThh-0Eqp6wc1ESiU0K7mJoCzpiIwY3rWN1qHPFOcHXUs9rDCkzCxPIbp5rhNt2T4SnxQNbEqOT689gsJnhNtlG08e2Qpo52fo8tOA5E7GZlUdMyX5Usmb5Awes2F6M1M9-vMJt4JyH/s320/etswk20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>To confirm my suspicions I will have to study photos from the fall. There were several trees down then especially along the edge of the pond. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErYcTlIcB_1Phyphenhyphen7Y-DG2DG4vtwabeD-6bAyQ068uBuFGN_CLsuV6osvFOAKhoF1Qb62AAU5Xa141YIkZ0Xc-0uQOKOI_Wv5Golt1ZS1fvHuDal3IO9sw60qefz_tlAPVYcEd7w65RZv7k/s1600/etswka20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErYcTlIcB_1Phyphenhyphen7Y-DG2DG4vtwabeD-6bAyQ068uBuFGN_CLsuV6osvFOAKhoF1Qb62AAU5Xa141YIkZ0Xc-0uQOKOI_Wv5Golt1ZS1fvHuDal3IO9sw60qefz_tlAPVYcEd7w65RZv7k/s320/etswka20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>But there were two maple stumps, I knew I would have taken photos of if I had seen them before this.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6yUTv5OyJQgjevEKPUrg81AKsNTOeXjk7Dt8wVfyN6TSUfrqGH63yZh9_zrIlwOjKuBgy3eOAxD4ggIuPR0hnC3Cjrl7N735rabRCqPKWUgOl1OQAiOiKfH3AKZOsjU8PY8WOJSDy4VB/s1600/etswkb20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6yUTv5OyJQgjevEKPUrg81AKsNTOeXjk7Dt8wVfyN6TSUfrqGH63yZh9_zrIlwOjKuBgy3eOAxD4ggIuPR0hnC3Cjrl7N735rabRCqPKWUgOl1OQAiOiKfH3AKZOsjU8PY8WOJSDy4VB/s320/etswkb20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>But since their trunks were gone, they must have been cut a good while ago. A stump with the cut trunk lying on the ground right next to it was bleeding sap.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBBO53I8c10gemIJ43_kkeavwFrpqvNhhhjfdmaCQp9lUOYS3xs3AoVMl8vqqJ0ax3dniG6HiMntGhn4clNf5v3GGChJl3zW1JRMzBwAX1vCQdwlWB5r6r7vC9PQXGX2bZDseCo73Z36y/s1600/etswkc20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBBO53I8c10gemIJ43_kkeavwFrpqvNhhhjfdmaCQp9lUOYS3xs3AoVMl8vqqJ0ax3dniG6HiMntGhn4clNf5v3GGChJl3zW1JRMzBwAX1vCQdwlWB5r6r7vC9PQXGX2bZDseCo73Z36y/s320/etswkc20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Does that suggest that it was cut down more recently than the stumps that were not bleeding? Higher up the ridge there was a large choke cherry tree that had been well gnawed around the trunks and looks like it was blown down recently.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKuRXDxTpnZcrsxL6NrmxG1DDpZIFjCpCJ1KkXWrjskW7vogwsEJJAVET-hW1rv3H7K99K5ITlXWN1O8BdUoQF6c5rwWmq_OIII_Mb2QrIa76NmDe-NH_5rE_lno0wBP0qYe1qh-fHHfN/s1600/etswkd20feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKuRXDxTpnZcrsxL6NrmxG1DDpZIFjCpCJ1KkXWrjskW7vogwsEJJAVET-hW1rv3H7K99K5ITlXWN1O8BdUoQF6c5rwWmq_OIII_Mb2QrIa76NmDe-NH_5rE_lno0wBP0qYe1qh-fHHfN/s320/etswkd20feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>None of the branches had been cut nor any trunks bark gnawed. This is the second tree like that. The beavers probably did the cutting at the end of the fall and then strong winds after the pond froze brought the trees down. It will be interesting to see if the beavers get back to these trees after the thaw.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>February 22 a combination of light snow then a very cold night lured me out to the ponds because that usually means good tracking. Plus it was a partly sunny morning, though, as it turned out, it clouded up soon enough. As soon as I got into the woods at the top of the valley down to the Big Pond, I saw a fisher’s trail.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xmdDmfQoTsQl7rvQ0ih8MGQvE3TemOEAlIuM-hQVKCZezcy6swMlhNtEmuqEvGi_X02dz_I5Com0AVHdMOTJffizY74wDmu7L7MQY3aBC1wba7VQkFAvgoI03kiylmPrVRE0fU-ryXc/s1600/valfishtks22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xmdDmfQoTsQl7rvQ0ih8MGQvE3TemOEAlIuM-hQVKCZezcy6swMlhNtEmuqEvGi_X02dz_I5Com0AVHdMOTJffizY74wDmu7L7MQY3aBC1wba7VQkFAvgoI03kiylmPrVRE0fU-ryXc/s320/valfishtks22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The trail went straight through the woods without any detours.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHl3vXpo7K_XqfYr9GKGco4XmmCJ90qSsW6aOImRcHXwNxWoryA31v8rEGnS4ZVfXpG2M3NN6yEmg0Jl1z3HOL541Uvt-00JWrRmQOpmq6k4ll4Ikggdz_hwh599rdW0sOegM1Amiahw/s1600/valfishtksa22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHl3vXpo7K_XqfYr9GKGco4XmmCJ90qSsW6aOImRcHXwNxWoryA31v8rEGnS4ZVfXpG2M3NN6yEmg0Jl1z3HOL541Uvt-00JWrRmQOpmq6k4ll4Ikggdz_hwh599rdW0sOegM1Amiahw/s320/valfishtksa22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>At the bottom of the valley I crossed another fisher’s trail and since it more or less went in the direction I wanted to go, I followed it. As I headed up the slope of the north front of the ridge west of the valley, the slope that faces the Big Pond, I saw the trail of a bigger fisher merge with the trail I was following. It looked like that fisher did a double take leaving a little circle of tracks in the snow. (I edited the photo below in black and white.)</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxUZI_NBc9FYaF7JBmQE-pHVteEesmLZwgCjgNCvPLfZQro9LJqf9NVPcqgW0a5JNT6Fanq8Z6kxM2g84M5hMDEzjxGky8Xw9AK512RWhySkQOHEnv_AmLSwtmD9_YgVXGSmoWkwwmDs/s1600/valfishtksb22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxUZI_NBc9FYaF7JBmQE-pHVteEesmLZwgCjgNCvPLfZQro9LJqf9NVPcqgW0a5JNT6Fanq8Z6kxM2g84M5hMDEzjxGky8Xw9AK512RWhySkQOHEnv_AmLSwtmD9_YgVXGSmoWkwwmDs/s320/valfishtksb22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The trails of the two fishers went up a slope. One fisher danced around the big tree,</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqox_6lxWuEz7uW90teTlSUbTr4mKZtzHGbUOuFLXBQDlMjqBqLJC3PvvE25pchAPgS8vxNKkd2Y6dba7hzHEHGUYKlqIwsYQsHKopNkjP3GEG_BQJ0sP8garTdG10N9Wo9qIYHruxpY/s1600/valfishtksc22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqox_6lxWuEz7uW90teTlSUbTr4mKZtzHGbUOuFLXBQDlMjqBqLJC3PvvE25pchAPgS8vxNKkd2Y6dba7hzHEHGUYKlqIwsYQsHKopNkjP3GEG_BQJ0sP8garTdG10N9Wo9qIYHruxpY/s320/valfishtksc22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then as fishers are wont to do, they scooted down a 5 foot high rock cliff with the aid of dead snow covered branches leaning over the rocks. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYbo6FjWrlJQg8hCfsmchMqVRaGSxAfIxdrdPrHYCXI236V9R5fOk87q2miWNHW9Wu1g347D5GaVokJAm7SbdTf_6Ap597MEhhcc_fBidBDQRweOHjnmz-jCh9DT04_U-SorNC9L1LTk/s1600/valfishtksd22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYbo6FjWrlJQg8hCfsmchMqVRaGSxAfIxdrdPrHYCXI236V9R5fOk87q2miWNHW9Wu1g347D5GaVokJAm7SbdTf_6Ap597MEhhcc_fBidBDQRweOHjnmz-jCh9DT04_U-SorNC9L1LTk/s320/valfishtksd22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>That the fisher with bigger prints was chasing suggests that mating has started. Fishers usually circle around these woods. (They usually race straight through what I call the Fisher Woods.) So I didn’t follow but turned away from their tracks going down to the Big Pond. Down in the rocks just above the Big Pond, the porcupine had been out and it must have been just after the cold dawn because it left a shuffle of tracks on the top of the snow not its usual trough.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaxwTi5FijbxI5w3ywnaYLqcUMohGuBWwkhCumeBQ4WEhZftS2Cr5zSln3h9a8fsHR5LdCv4HC2q601nrfVhyphenhyphenE_3wFir0RwZ5ycEe_EtksuaXdTBsZHtQ9GQxtiTUPFZ6gGNAUDPEAJA/s1600/ppinetks22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaxwTi5FijbxI5w3ywnaYLqcUMohGuBWwkhCumeBQ4WEhZftS2Cr5zSln3h9a8fsHR5LdCv4HC2q601nrfVhyphenhyphenE_3wFir0RwZ5ycEe_EtksuaXdTBsZHtQ9GQxtiTUPFZ6gGNAUDPEAJA/s320/ppinetks22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I wonder if it feels safer in the trough or freer in the hard snow. I certainly felt footloose, but still kept to my usual pattern as I toured the ponds. Who knows what I am missing, but I am continually delighted with what I keep seeing. I saw fresh mink tracks circling the lodge in the middle of the Lost Swamp Pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNOWEFdegrifd01H3vWjFiAoWUCq2ODjMkwy6odtgY86std6SteuNQeAeyG4HLxa2jrqVdFtfn1mfbVb2lZNA4DJEfjXuR_L_uM9Vad31OzX6L8OVlbrArCM45g6yRMyvjDP_MzlyTWQ/s1600/lsldg22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNOWEFdegrifd01H3vWjFiAoWUCq2ODjMkwy6odtgY86std6SteuNQeAeyG4HLxa2jrqVdFtfn1mfbVb2lZNA4DJEfjXuR_L_uM9Vad31OzX6L8OVlbrArCM45g6yRMyvjDP_MzlyTWQ/s320/lsldg22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I didn’t see any hole in the ice and snow around the lodge and can’t say that the mink got into the lodge or under the ice, but maybe it didn’t want to. It circled the lodge after seeming to probe it and in the photo below edited in black and white, it looks like it briefly danced around in a tight circle. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOl_I7odPCllZYL-b1KuBhHKuYHwp_pR-kZvKpj-N4CoZupI5qZuEB5fZBNp0Sm11u_q71psiV4XpApR6locjpThCJ_nQObk7_pBU61B-lhFRj3mzMWtkMwr6hUrsJ4SkqrDEO9UlmcQ/s1600/lsminktks22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOl_I7odPCllZYL-b1KuBhHKuYHwp_pR-kZvKpj-N4CoZupI5qZuEB5fZBNp0Sm11u_q71psiV4XpApR6locjpThCJ_nQObk7_pBU61B-lhFRj3mzMWtkMwr6hUrsJ4SkqrDEO9UlmcQ/s320/lsminktks22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I won’t say that it was chasing its tail, but that tail certainly makes an impression on the snow. As I got closer to the lodge, I saw that either one mink was making large loops around the pond or other minks were racing around too. I saw two trails heading toward the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YFuLO26IJZmQpmWTkxz9C8-IA75Yid6796iZh72uWUKzXy3JQSYKnmTDw8I3dvxpKez15p3RIiYu-XeBHSyMywITuRd0Z41XfmZRqIrlKG-QFC9MAN66LB9sc2cFkyrS28Xckmq4W_s/s1600/lsminktksa22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YFuLO26IJZmQpmWTkxz9C8-IA75Yid6796iZh72uWUKzXy3JQSYKnmTDw8I3dvxpKez15p3RIiYu-XeBHSyMywITuRd0Z41XfmZRqIrlKG-QFC9MAN66LB9sc2cFkyrS28Xckmq4W_s/s320/lsminktksa22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>When I got close to the dam, I lost interest in the mink trails. There were otter slides to try to figure out. I saw them on the bank and on the pond ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibd9AOXel1VmkZFrMRk372TVx15jECV-rCK3fcd1a24xBhABfO9L1gGB_QLn7rijUXYYDz-FvPoFoec8k2qgSjt4PAHXdZunygRS4KrdsC52krBsQmfotc4mMDzm3lUBgf2s0vH36EFIs/s1600/lsotttks22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibd9AOXel1VmkZFrMRk372TVx15jECV-rCK3fcd1a24xBhABfO9L1gGB_QLn7rijUXYYDz-FvPoFoec8k2qgSjt4PAHXdZunygRS4KrdsC52krBsQmfotc4mMDzm3lUBgf2s0vH36EFIs/s320/lsotttks22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>It looked like a otter slid down the slight slope straight for the low apron of ice around a dead tree trunk where, if it was looking for hole through the ice and into the pond, it didn’t find one and then hopped over to the next dead trunk and didn’t find a hole there either.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpklDgcSIHKf6xRoiqe3orQhzo-5fnbmbH7oDv4uel4lanQKTA0IVRqzFvpHYhiUtqSsRM459lAloYpkm6GgX8L8Gzzyu1eT5aLxnyz1O0R7_hWvMDCYPHjzTV8_EcfT5O41iLeolZq5g/s1600/lsotttksa22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpklDgcSIHKf6xRoiqe3orQhzo-5fnbmbH7oDv4uel4lanQKTA0IVRqzFvpHYhiUtqSsRM459lAloYpkm6GgX8L8Gzzyu1eT5aLxnyz1O0R7_hWvMDCYPHjzTV8_EcfT5O41iLeolZq5g/s320/lsotttksa22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>When I got close to the hole the otters had been using to get out on the ice, and I looked down on that area, it was hard to describe what the otters were doing.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnPiCc3_wewYdESEvz8_zmRJRNMPfILGpRFeTuuRR1OIvwnKA2FxNNq_sHas8nNSOzezcl_6hgWIM2tad6hyypKaaEnmHD9MvXezD3gob1YU0_mePxTSSlkvjHnDtUj0VWwmZPBRJeP8/s1600/lsotttksb22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnPiCc3_wewYdESEvz8_zmRJRNMPfILGpRFeTuuRR1OIvwnKA2FxNNq_sHas8nNSOzezcl_6hgWIM2tad6hyypKaaEnmHD9MvXezD3gob1YU0_mePxTSSlkvjHnDtUj0VWwmZPBRJeP8/s320/lsotttksb22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I should add that I don’t say “otters” with my usual confidence. Usually I see side by side slides as the otters make a trek of some distance either around a pond or from one pond to another. I suppose all the tracks I saw could be ascribed to one otter looking for new holes, but there was a trail going up a slope and a slide coming down that seemed to have nothing to do with finding a hole in the ice. I continue to puzzle over the two photos below just as I puzzled over the trails when I first saw them.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1IxZiWiKdrd32s8kBSvEwMOyMIiel5FPkdsupd__pAK3XZSxcSYk6uoK4E9hGxh7AsaeDjLoV2ioqfroWWC95kTfRJi91g1drHRs5PFN-LFfkJ7JCbwPNiXCQMOlBKquTAvXktb3KXM/s1600/lsotttksc22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1IxZiWiKdrd32s8kBSvEwMOyMIiel5FPkdsupd__pAK3XZSxcSYk6uoK4E9hGxh7AsaeDjLoV2ioqfroWWC95kTfRJi91g1drHRs5PFN-LFfkJ7JCbwPNiXCQMOlBKquTAvXktb3KXM/s320/lsotttksc22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Anyway, I think one otter ran to the top of the slope and then slid down and that another otter ran half way up the slope and followed in the first otter’s slide.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3O3g_IsMCYl6w4vij8PElfK9FRM6h9HpBbrpfHtZlxYXm6qDhKtmnL4ZFhdVQkLxblNjzARCuwfupAaHbJvBK_14BLgDvLRXpxriRoKCTIKj1XM2tvnGJErti9xMj-iSry-jwc5d8ptg/s1600/lsotttksd22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3O3g_IsMCYl6w4vij8PElfK9FRM6h9HpBbrpfHtZlxYXm6qDhKtmnL4ZFhdVQkLxblNjzARCuwfupAaHbJvBK_14BLgDvLRXpxriRoKCTIKj1XM2tvnGJErti9xMj-iSry-jwc5d8ptg/s320/lsotttksd22feb13.JPG" /></a><p>As approached I thought the otter activity radiated from the hole they had in the ice west of the dam but as I looked more closely at the hole, I saw that might not be the case.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWbyXzOTCi9w0ZmDw1Q81vyoEPIvBT053GhQZAQWXPz_N7MJUp71inYYs1uWIItMR7UA7ygVwG2Mq1D3jWZ12jJf22xVVhyWDmGwOe-WOemSjpH13l_QqQojBPj40UJlQqmQvL8Ojqjk/s1600/lsotthole22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWbyXzOTCi9w0ZmDw1Q81vyoEPIvBT053GhQZAQWXPz_N7MJUp71inYYs1uWIItMR7UA7ygVwG2Mq1D3jWZ12jJf22xVVhyWDmGwOe-WOemSjpH13l_QqQojBPj40UJlQqmQvL8Ojqjk/s320/lsotthole22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The ice outside the hole had been browned by sliding but now the hole looked more like a crevasse.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwl7Ei3mfyv8p10VC2hH_qGEygIZrRaCYWOeOMz33KwUaOC9rS_KogTSoub41zj0JWXpzJS9xB45qCvfobs0F7-jsGmp1JzAKJ8rXqm5xUhF3rrvZ-6CHElRLLiM7Yyulz_FwNxswDrwg/s1600/lsottholeb22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwl7Ei3mfyv8p10VC2hH_qGEygIZrRaCYWOeOMz33KwUaOC9rS_KogTSoub41zj0JWXpzJS9xB45qCvfobs0F7-jsGmp1JzAKJ8rXqm5xUhF3rrvZ-6CHElRLLiM7Yyulz_FwNxswDrwg/s320/lsottholeb22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Especially when the water drains out of a pond and the ice collapses, holes through it can suddenly lead to nowhere. When I walked along the dam, I saw a new hole into the dam and it looked like the otters couldn’t resist using it repeatedly once they dug it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8oAsgGyLxqg4t3-DiBB9aQLZiH5Bm8w0zLauTYoRx__gYfKxK0g75bDsvwnjtKLU-WI6dcGmZ-n96g7NuEsgihXv9AAGREG8LRydOY6VNgb7DHUv10jZuSJRqmYdlByhDr6ebe2ZJEk/s1600/lsottholea22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8oAsgGyLxqg4t3-DiBB9aQLZiH5Bm8w0zLauTYoRx__gYfKxK0g75bDsvwnjtKLU-WI6dcGmZ-n96g7NuEsgihXv9AAGREG8LRydOY6VNgb7DHUv10jZuSJRqmYdlByhDr6ebe2ZJEk/s320/lsottholea22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There was also more water flowing through the breach low in the dam, and there were fresh otter slides going down to evidently investigate the outflow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9akhaM_EpM8Ho62bLbmnIRKI5s28SlNzsT8qVYy5xPQ96rDm97_ysUipiBFzVqPJbqc1ExSqY_IFwX0T0dYTl7ZpGr8LVpR1Js01wkF6ttTgDiem6FYWsxvorCep4RnrLR33XDWHmEh8/s1600/lsdamtks22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9akhaM_EpM8Ho62bLbmnIRKI5s28SlNzsT8qVYy5xPQ96rDm97_ysUipiBFzVqPJbqc1ExSqY_IFwX0T0dYTl7ZpGr8LVpR1Js01wkF6ttTgDiem6FYWsxvorCep4RnrLR33XDWHmEh8/s320/lsdamtks22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I saw where a small dead fish was stuck in a dirt clod where the water was flowing.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvozv7i5gYpQOo80JYvA0T6_YBmQUBj930ZaygvcXdwLSfheIevoJw3ZYlwS3FBj2XSGPKhQxGHRU5tbpHczVcLlZejaB5uITHj-eucXqviRl9XMXGhCuA-S4Yg4CeKbZHffkymQVah0/s1600/lsfish22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvozv7i5gYpQOo80JYvA0T6_YBmQUBj930ZaygvcXdwLSfheIevoJw3ZYlwS3FBj2XSGPKhQxGHRU5tbpHczVcLlZejaB5uITHj-eucXqviRl9XMXGhCuA-S4Yg4CeKbZHffkymQVah0/s320/lsfish22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that the otters dug into the dam and did what they had to do to increase the flow of water which would in turn make it easier to get to the fish either in the water flowing out or in the pools of water left in the diminished pond. Standing on the dam, I saw slides and tracks going out to and back from the hole in the ice the otters had made several days ago at the base of the big dead tree 10 yards behind the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIsa7tHIiy_vtIumkXlOffGLz41GYmTA0-QzW8DJHzOSaGOVdgeBk2grNQxFbArhqJunQQL8eaH0p7EG8mLCT-HrvIccHXCnpan6IrFeofbf1FXtTRslEIJPN53Ks2r5xXyxxKJV_xTLY/s1600/lsotttkse22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIsa7tHIiy_vtIumkXlOffGLz41GYmTA0-QzW8DJHzOSaGOVdgeBk2grNQxFbArhqJunQQL8eaH0p7EG8mLCT-HrvIccHXCnpan6IrFeofbf1FXtTRslEIJPN53Ks2r5xXyxxKJV_xTLY/s320/lsotttkse22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There were also slides heading over to the old beaver lodge just east of the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAv8tRU8O6LgaK0f4RksPoRVrfHMTJGrluiyo15dl1Pzmlcithz4D1H2sUy8U4yHNFOKRtgwGYL68Vudxbsinc9CJRUkNNVGis6mNHNTXVwbvKSYDeWckxZVibhXtxoXfzlQyCFmYXSS8/s1600/lsotttksf22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAv8tRU8O6LgaK0f4RksPoRVrfHMTJGrluiyo15dl1Pzmlcithz4D1H2sUy8U4yHNFOKRtgwGYL68Vudxbsinc9CJRUkNNVGis6mNHNTXVwbvKSYDeWckxZVibhXtxoXfzlQyCFmYXSS8/s320/lsotttksf22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I didn’t see any sure evidence that the otters got into lodge from the pond surface. Looking back from the lodge I could see fresh tracks coming out of the two old holes they had into the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdr4QSc_HfgcfznEzKMh2AzoyYShF5SZ6YDFN3AZfcpmsSR_KV9uRKmNixZmlKxrylTEB7s-jGewYU6xf05cKZvFQvjByVdjuiR-t0LUBzFnUmW_NppIplk5Ew3SneKPwfcPEH6jewcBM/s1600/lsdamholes22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdr4QSc_HfgcfznEzKMh2AzoyYShF5SZ6YDFN3AZfcpmsSR_KV9uRKmNixZmlKxrylTEB7s-jGewYU6xf05cKZvFQvjByVdjuiR-t0LUBzFnUmW_NppIplk5Ew3SneKPwfcPEH6jewcBM/s320/lsdamholes22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I must have spent a half hour enjoying looking at these new slides and that may be more time than it took the otters to make them. Of course the otters may have ranged under the pond ice and found a hole elsewhere through the pond, but I scanned the pond with experienced eyes and didn’t see any slides at those likely weak spots in the pond ice where I have seen holes in past winters. Given the slides going down to the outflowing water, I thought it more likely that, if the otters left, they headed downstream on their way to the East Trail Pond where I had seen otter slides a couple weeks ago. The increased flow of water through the Upper Second Swamp Pond did wash a small dead fish up on the grass along the stream.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTcRYFHvyrzPaOmQ6oZ-XhyRsaSyUVPW7LOxClZORv-KkctvLAQ0NnnN27qyfIFFUOHK87LQhEl8webQlp8cWm64NUFhvOwtxkrcaF9QlKKc13ZJWyoUyaTwaHSqUWebbpXI2OXeUwBU/s1600/upspfish22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTcRYFHvyrzPaOmQ6oZ-XhyRsaSyUVPW7LOxClZORv-KkctvLAQ0NnnN27qyfIFFUOHK87LQhEl8webQlp8cWm64NUFhvOwtxkrcaF9QlKKc13ZJWyoUyaTwaHSqUWebbpXI2OXeUwBU/s320/upspfish22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>But I didn’t see any slides in the snow and there was not enough water for otters to swim under the ice of that now almost dry pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcmfc9hhd4cqofY6-KDbTulkoYrV8EYs3eQEsqUP-MlF8SC_-kPli-QH3hSxqeJF6h2lJtXigsyFIdf9v86HLbbJVyYHnjQDDoqByP6zGAoEcm5QNrSt_DXrTjUTJreYWAL_D7lioD2Y/s1600/upsp22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcmfc9hhd4cqofY6-KDbTulkoYrV8EYs3eQEsqUP-MlF8SC_-kPli-QH3hSxqeJF6h2lJtXigsyFIdf9v86HLbbJVyYHnjQDDoqByP6zGAoEcm5QNrSt_DXrTjUTJreYWAL_D7lioD2Y/s320/upsp22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>To get to the East Trail Pond I followed my overland trail not because it would be easier than walking on the Second Swamp Pond but because it would take me through more of what I call Fisher Woods. And I did bump into a fisher’s trail skirting the ridge south of the Second Swamp Pond. That fisher dug a hole into the snow where it might have cached some food. It must have been a small morsel because there were no meaty remains left behind, just some plant matter scattered around the hole. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tYBu-arxVPI0tsZEFzvqYGBp4v_ZZSEYhIHbodMUcK5FA4wV5S49kYf5D-czlQ5t30PJZMOwRSur3j7dpTuolL8o6MfnioOGKDl7VD4olfFQ_aKpI5IOrgno9eS-aBduQ-IsFnN1Lgo/s1600/fisherhole22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tYBu-arxVPI0tsZEFzvqYGBp4v_ZZSEYhIHbodMUcK5FA4wV5S49kYf5D-czlQ5t30PJZMOwRSur3j7dpTuolL8o6MfnioOGKDl7VD4olfFQ_aKpI5IOrgno9eS-aBduQ-IsFnN1Lgo/s320/fisherhole22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I crossed more fisher trails but they all went in a southwesterly direction, as they usually do here, and I was heading northeast. Since it had been well below freezing since the last time I checked the East Trail Pond, I didn’t expect to see fresh beaver activity there. But I was still surprised to see no activity at all.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNL0h0gd9lBXtDTUKxAVEnhmywZ6-GO0EStQFbDi2ZaoMAuOyD6L2lXq_-my9CrgFfK8FOeL5Ih-bnH9zULw2lZ3LD3dE-9u-7AFikjSOA4nFfH2oMA8O3rjsp4yxPIzPUPkPtOkJBm5c/s1600/ettks22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNL0h0gd9lBXtDTUKxAVEnhmywZ6-GO0EStQFbDi2ZaoMAuOyD6L2lXq_-my9CrgFfK8FOeL5Ih-bnH9zULw2lZ3LD3dE-9u-7AFikjSOA4nFfH2oMA8O3rjsp4yxPIzPUPkPtOkJBm5c/s320/ettks22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>When I crossed the foot bridge there and looked down, I saw why the beavers didn’t swim under the ice to this sometimes open water behind the dam where even on this cold day some water was open. The water is rather shallow, only a couple of inches deep under the bridge.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjlJ4W12hFXuqtTEeVIjlk0JjdBu1Ev_PaQ-osf7OLE22EwQwLzf8j1FE9mByBCmpes4SA-FNExiHPVgf4TeWeJNKFtbu3Ovtm9euyRrqxZ12AS_1XNEqE8VvNhcTXpmu1dgf5kfM0M8/s1600/etdepth22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjlJ4W12hFXuqtTEeVIjlk0JjdBu1Ev_PaQ-osf7OLE22EwQwLzf8j1FE9mByBCmpes4SA-FNExiHPVgf4TeWeJNKFtbu3Ovtm9euyRrqxZ12AS_1XNEqE8VvNhcTXpmu1dgf5kfM0M8/s320/etdepth22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The hole the beavers made through the ice under a clump of winterberries was now well frozen and snow covered. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFHQQXuiAqd6WCF6ynJtd00OwSZLBueOawGc6ogNwMbEk46JbheqglQFxoTd7l56oX-j2cBSa3VwgFjblZgfCWqzUvkS7YeGG9J7M4RCnFuvu9UqUxlopgee1tDUyuX0JprpJa1j26pA/s1600/ethole22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFHQQXuiAqd6WCF6ynJtd00OwSZLBueOawGc6ogNwMbEk46JbheqglQFxoTd7l56oX-j2cBSa3VwgFjblZgfCWqzUvkS7YeGG9J7M4RCnFuvu9UqUxlopgee1tDUyuX0JprpJa1j26pA/s320/ethole22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I walked to the center of the pond and from there looked around for other possible holes into the pond. Last winter an otter made a hole right next to the beaver lodge in the middle of the pond, so I headed in that direction. Along the way, I took photos of the winterberry clumps. I think technically what I am seeing sticking out from the snow are branches of thicker limbs snaking along the pond bottom. In other ponds I have seen winterberry grow back quickly, but the bushes I passed looked a bit anemic.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpa6CSZd5RBamm3Xi2VPOHcD0Gw6kjfPmV2Kgzm0Qn53_0Bn4IRA577kr1cwNVK5d7bC7jUIlFntDRlu1c9oGLBRp9H__nVwtmu5zCEk0Zh8QXSzN7Mta7WYrXuBY763YKeo0ClPClUU/s1600/etbush22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpa6CSZd5RBamm3Xi2VPOHcD0Gw6kjfPmV2Kgzm0Qn53_0Bn4IRA577kr1cwNVK5d7bC7jUIlFntDRlu1c9oGLBRp9H__nVwtmu5zCEk0Zh8QXSzN7Mta7WYrXuBY763YKeo0ClPClUU/s320/etbush22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The cuts I was seeing did not strike me as recent and other clumps looking rather spare.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDRFHSbPI3sd_BRsBaXKCWfrUjx-Dm3VobaYPWgTqxrk1Nj4aewaxmYEqqbkgvoyMyaM_NxIOZL91mPE73i8PNM39EW0ow-NPPUdh-RUI_GoEPS5n65mZD75fcsw33jBM5rImB4Lm1sE/s1600/etbusha22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDRFHSbPI3sd_BRsBaXKCWfrUjx-Dm3VobaYPWgTqxrk1Nj4aewaxmYEqqbkgvoyMyaM_NxIOZL91mPE73i8PNM39EW0ow-NPPUdh-RUI_GoEPS5n65mZD75fcsw33jBM5rImB4Lm1sE/s320/etbusha22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>If the pond fills with water again, if the beavers stay, I will be able to check these bushes again next winter. If the beavers don’t patch the hole in the dam, I will be able to see how all the vegetation here responds in the summer.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfD53zPUnEi4V8riUakWb7X9Nq5oy6nBP1beqswJuw6PundooU80bF25F6e-lxbUSli-uPBa0geSRH5wEl98NiqbIG0MmRTLJv_uCDmKdfZNkGnGtq9_qQ_7b7g1EuvBOyjRU5pXKIgY/s1600/etbushb22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfD53zPUnEi4V8riUakWb7X9Nq5oy6nBP1beqswJuw6PundooU80bF25F6e-lxbUSli-uPBa0geSRH5wEl98NiqbIG0MmRTLJv_uCDmKdfZNkGnGtq9_qQ_7b7g1EuvBOyjRU5pXKIgY/s320/etbushb22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I don’t think the beavers depend that much on these bushes for food. Back when this pond was three time as big, the beavers foraged in this upper end of that bigger pond in the spring and never came back here in the winter. They were most active behind the dam, what I call the old East Trail Pond dam now, and, as I recall, the water there was too deep for bushes. I don’t recall the beavers then ever cutting winterberry, but I’ll have to check old photos and videos. When I got to the lodge, I took a photo. It is looking more and more like it continues to be the beavers’ home.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9mqwL-nvK5dOSlpYBM1cweMnOsToiOma8aJRt8BEFkb4hsb_G9-E3_mWfHirbauOyiCN0SJtyWeAx9yCwAO4yQKLleQpMAD4In6APPfnacRnMMNiUeQobwKAI4TwVjp-k1vgMmdjQpM/s1600/etldg22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9mqwL-nvK5dOSlpYBM1cweMnOsToiOma8aJRt8BEFkb4hsb_G9-E3_mWfHirbauOyiCN0SJtyWeAx9yCwAO4yQKLleQpMAD4In6APPfnacRnMMNiUeQobwKAI4TwVjp-k1vgMmdjQpM/s320/etldg22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>While it is surely built with substantial logs, there does appear to be a few wispy winterberry branches on it. I hate to argue with poets, but I must say at this time of year when the winter snow firms up, I never see two roads diverging in the snowy woods. I find that I can easily walk in any direction and I was almost lured into going in the direction where I hadn’t broken any trails. I went down to the old dam, nothing new there, then walked up the ridge to the East Trail and took that down to South Bay, an old route after all. I was curious to see if the fisher trails I saw in the Fisher Woods continued across the East Trail, and they did. The two fishers, as far the portion of their trails that I saw there, didn’t do anything of note as they raced toward the woods north of South Bay. I did see a neat hole dug by a squirrel, with cracked acorns outside it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvda4Gb-dfR105kLo301VD1QLtxgBWJfGW5pC7RQfi9h2xbdTCmsQYZMBm9HtKyvg5_eIMo3QCGuZYLbZHszPBhefPqcWiIUY5A9eS3RSuX2lLJTuwNbkeskKw5b84TFpIjJgNpCh8Fg/s1600/sqhole22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvda4Gb-dfR105kLo301VD1QLtxgBWJfGW5pC7RQfi9h2xbdTCmsQYZMBm9HtKyvg5_eIMo3QCGuZYLbZHszPBhefPqcWiIUY5A9eS3RSuX2lLJTuwNbkeskKw5b84TFpIjJgNpCh8Fg/s320/sqhole22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then curious about tracks out there, I made the mistake of crossing South Bay. There was only a quarter inch of fresh snow on the ice so it was slow going with my snowshoes. I saw two coyote trails taking the usual direction going up the bay and probably on to other islands, pretty romantic when you think of it. But the mink trails always fire my imagination more.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGj2oI6qbvCIo3gFlx9c37GKVRWdxXhSITt4XZxgIfuV52AVT4upwKK0mi2KuiBSlW8sdOp5ycgSl4GndpMaZNEh6BI79_YgzyhWJwDnd4MR8hD28HetoDy-Dn5gEibotKqJrIrKggS0/s1600/sbminktks22feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGj2oI6qbvCIo3gFlx9c37GKVRWdxXhSITt4XZxgIfuV52AVT4upwKK0mi2KuiBSlW8sdOp5ycgSl4GndpMaZNEh6BI79_YgzyhWJwDnd4MR8hD28HetoDy-Dn5gEibotKqJrIrKggS0/s320/sbminktks22feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Maybe because they leave a tail mark, as the photo above, edited in black and white, shows.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>February 23 we went to our land to get maple sap and drill new trees, which Leslie did with the help of Marlee and Ottoleo.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29RO5LlBYlAZS062H81hYxLdiTPeceeYLKYNB-8q-1Tr-5oAKt8jFOAVju6KcHG3Z2OpKSx3rv1I8AubKKnITzhKgwO6BMMLkHLSlwggaV0WJ84FmxNmXrNMy_BvXp_gngMkv5j4saBQ/s1600/sap23feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29RO5LlBYlAZS062H81hYxLdiTPeceeYLKYNB-8q-1Tr-5oAKt8jFOAVju6KcHG3Z2OpKSx3rv1I8AubKKnITzhKgwO6BMMLkHLSlwggaV0WJ84FmxNmXrNMy_BvXp_gngMkv5j4saBQ/s320/sap23feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Such colorful caps must be a sign of spring. Meanwhile I went down to the Deep Pond to see if the beaver had been out. On the way I saw how neatly a rabbit can leave the remains of its meal.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkRo9AhSSKr3m2JFe4eArx6TOno1DZvqv9zxUG-5ZZJeiXRpozNieZDzVpnrSzuqRTNfQCsSPrkEV8XR_uYZotFPMtMpA1WghRjrNcjvkfvZRFRbChn7uo7wwqONCmGWxO5h9-lGydhQ/s1600/rabbittks23feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkRo9AhSSKr3m2JFe4eArx6TOno1DZvqv9zxUG-5ZZJeiXRpozNieZDzVpnrSzuqRTNfQCsSPrkEV8XR_uYZotFPMtMpA1WghRjrNcjvkfvZRFRbChn7uo7wwqONCmGWxO5h9-lGydhQ/s320/rabbittks23feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>As I crossed the pond, I first noticed that what I think is the vent hole of their bank lodge on the high east bank of the pond looked bigger.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTFQXI2o3UBofxn6pE3pe5NOF4KRnhRmUnLkleiejBvEN6jjkHabfcTjk_E-KqKEAkiYshECDDP6XtJiSC5ZHIQFVHx01Q_eP78pdE_94KPsTms2hvy8erPqW8fo2_igzY7cdivXr9Ps/s1600/dpvent23feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTFQXI2o3UBofxn6pE3pe5NOF4KRnhRmUnLkleiejBvEN6jjkHabfcTjk_E-KqKEAkiYshECDDP6XtJiSC5ZHIQFVHx01Q_eP78pdE_94KPsTms2hvy8erPqW8fo2_igzY7cdivXr9Ps/s320/dpvent23feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I walked up on the slope and admired the shape of the vent and saw what looked like recently stripped sticks on top of it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASTj94N2OKSSg0dQTmVNUmqHfFjIXiRlTmB3cRDTywCrkONPH6KK7lVnjQH5G-5isbS6U8VgUSBy9vdzzfE101H9RtN7pEcpWy0UiBl3c9jMpm5hvlP8Zk6cE_AvecaaGedhyphenhyphenD-LW6cg/s1600/dpventa23feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASTj94N2OKSSg0dQTmVNUmqHfFjIXiRlTmB3cRDTywCrkONPH6KK7lVnjQH5G-5isbS6U8VgUSBy9vdzzfE101H9RtN7pEcpWy0UiBl3c9jMpm5hvlP8Zk6cE_AvecaaGedhyphenhyphenD-LW6cg/s320/dpventa23feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The snow is still deep enough to make it worth my time to retrace my steps to get back down on the pond. Coming up a gentler slope up the east shore, I had noticed a small hole low on the slope with tracks coming out of it. I soon saw that a mink had dug its way out of the pond and ran toward the creek.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VaGSpg2GC8P1yo87la_BcB_4WP2s1e8-TAJPTpEbhpHxJzEmOcVZ_ADKrSMYbgS3pi7xS3uEzYYvnShbp2NkV2V-PW6WU32J9kUODdfjfjJwnVRf_Fp4ecHBNlHv4g8UXnJNyTYKqSw/s1600/dpminkhole23feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VaGSpg2GC8P1yo87la_BcB_4WP2s1e8-TAJPTpEbhpHxJzEmOcVZ_ADKrSMYbgS3pi7xS3uEzYYvnShbp2NkV2V-PW6WU32J9kUODdfjfjJwnVRf_Fp4ecHBNlHv4g8UXnJNyTYKqSw/s320/dpminkhole23feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I had also noticed a hole high in the opposite bank on the northeast shore of the pond. It looked like something had been out of it leaving tracks now covered by snow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkMyG8CcHH7vcE3g_evkiwYIpOU24rCmInf1XdrpgActJA29xt716abC4ODmorFykhTrsXLiiIjmfMZwVxVx9-YlFCvl1UP1L1y4sFP8bb3SNicWt5uRH38S04XiovQNemdCSGVqTNdo/s1600/dpbvhole23feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkMyG8CcHH7vcE3g_evkiwYIpOU24rCmInf1XdrpgActJA29xt716abC4ODmorFykhTrsXLiiIjmfMZwVxVx9-YlFCvl1UP1L1y4sFP8bb3SNicWt5uRH38S04XiovQNemdCSGVqTNdo/s320/dpbvhole23feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>My guess is that this is the new way the beaver or beavers get out from under the pond. To be sure, I’ll have to wait to see some fresh beaver tracks outside of it. Going back across the pond, I took a photo of the hole in the dam. Still no beaver tracks outside of it, but it looked like that mink may have gone through the hole in the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW48djzqRQorDtHxG93ZGTuBMw6ECmNDGEbTHjU_qSyJkaDIw58oPVMmnAI6VyNcxINiuIZxsuaP92zh35JhNRqo_y6xzsH9xKZWqpJo6fIwpB61ZCprpnWoHa3qIDZAys2WHnCQvixj8/s1600/dpdamhole23feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW48djzqRQorDtHxG93ZGTuBMw6ECmNDGEbTHjU_qSyJkaDIw58oPVMmnAI6VyNcxINiuIZxsuaP92zh35JhNRqo_y6xzsH9xKZWqpJo6fIwpB61ZCprpnWoHa3qIDZAys2WHnCQvixj8/s320/dpdamhole23feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I also saw some almost completely covered turkey tracks coming for the open water behind the hole. Perhaps they enjoyed a drink there.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>February 25 We walked out to the Narrows on the ice. We’ve had cold nights which might keep animals off the ice and we had enough snow this morning to obscure tracks. On cloudy days that are still bright my old eyes find it more difficult to relax and see. I miss the sparkle of sun on the snow and ice. Without the sunshine the camcorder I am using to take still photos doesn’t work well either. (My digital camera needs a plumbing clasp to keep the battery compartment closed and that’s hard to manipulate in the cold.) But there was not much to take photos of except Leslie and rocks.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkArxoO6NhzJ2h_D4_yXVl88CUIqbO6Opdo_vQ9Bs1vbjhyphenhypheniFzi-xOTgaYvnKlUDEPtQ8y_q0onz3wkZ8DASXUvP4H2sNTscLZMBOzCi427eTdDj9y_dubYHtU-ENnuzk7TzndmScAzcc/s1600/narrows25feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkArxoO6NhzJ2h_D4_yXVl88CUIqbO6Opdo_vQ9Bs1vbjhyphenhypheniFzi-xOTgaYvnKlUDEPtQ8y_q0onz3wkZ8DASXUvP4H2sNTscLZMBOzCi427eTdDj9y_dubYHtU-ENnuzk7TzndmScAzcc/s320/narrows25feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The snow was just a few inches deep and the ice firm below it, so we could carry our snowshoes.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><img SRC="February 2013pt3_files/lesnarrows25feb13.jpg" WIDTH=450 HEIGHT=333></P><p>The photos I took of porcupine work up in trees growing next to the rocks didn’t turn out at all, but I have many from other years, and, I think, even of a porcupine gnawing away up in a small pine tree oblivious to the 6o foot drop to the rocks below. We also noticed some rather fresh beaver dining on a large willow stump enjoying a few of the many thin branches sprouting out. And, as the photo barely shows, a beaver is gnawing the trunk below all the shoots.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVD-uWx1fveWw-c5uXs5YyiFF_JhmG4ueIP2hE3cHz7DkhKFgeaYv2kTStsYABJ4gls84WjrAQT_SL6dGntpHBDbdKgACc6yHXsBXdgXSfhDmSW5wBqPsOz5oKh-J8mvNAdC27sx62BmM/s1600/narbvnibs25feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVD-uWx1fveWw-c5uXs5YyiFF_JhmG4ueIP2hE3cHz7DkhKFgeaYv2kTStsYABJ4gls84WjrAQT_SL6dGntpHBDbdKgACc6yHXsBXdgXSfhDmSW5wBqPsOz5oKh-J8mvNAdC27sx62BmM/s320/narbvnibs25feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I wasn’t here in the fall, when a beaver must have done this. Walking through the Narrows, we saw some fresh mink tracks.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVtTrdj2tiGaS3oLWb8wV_jjauKPVjp1cKV1mjWZYTdkVORgWoyHiT45nV-nnJu3LU1y3lLk4Dxswiqyb4ieUJcXoNoXiW0cknzMN2op17qoILxDViD7YyYY54fi3QWmamWQTYnggSfg/s1600/narminktks25feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVtTrdj2tiGaS3oLWb8wV_jjauKPVjp1cKV1mjWZYTdkVORgWoyHiT45nV-nnJu3LU1y3lLk4Dxswiqyb4ieUJcXoNoXiW0cknzMN2op17qoILxDViD7YyYY54fi3QWmamWQTYnggSfg/s320/narminktks25feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Leslie spied the hole the mink used to get under the ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3HDe2wijox9QrjQdT2h0JShVMk5cbzBQutXscnqg3z8K1wVvzmIyZPYr0AbXxKY5N5I9G_RwZmtDiEREeE9lVwEbo3K7sLWryOKAUfQGMWRBL2n-6NbZyaQ1oh2wf3Vh38w3LVPecp8/s1600/narminktksa25feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3HDe2wijox9QrjQdT2h0JShVMk5cbzBQutXscnqg3z8K1wVvzmIyZPYr0AbXxKY5N5I9G_RwZmtDiEREeE9lVwEbo3K7sLWryOKAUfQGMWRBL2n-6NbZyaQ1oh2wf3Vh38w3LVPecp8/s320/narminktksa25feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Going around the bend into Eel Bay, we saw where a beaver had nipped sprouts on what looked like a small willow stump, and at least one little branch coming out of another stump, maybe a red maple.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokzX-r0WvAgzXcW-8etDlJKUdsFOpCMX3zkGprx3-gdjVdzCvBtCJ058YhSowbSUyAKv_ZFC1aTezcO-sVgzEoe-nHn4apQvxakzmgIjqEalmXSIpUhCAAebuMCWtkXYAVO9Jdxk-srI/s1600/narbvwka25feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokzX-r0WvAgzXcW-8etDlJKUdsFOpCMX3zkGprx3-gdjVdzCvBtCJ058YhSowbSUyAKv_ZFC1aTezcO-sVgzEoe-nHn4apQvxakzmgIjqEalmXSIpUhCAAebuMCWtkXYAVO9Jdxk-srI/s320/narbvwka25feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I kept looking for some more substantial tree cutting by beavers and saw none, so this was all probably just a meal for a passing beaver resting on this rocky shore before finding some place more comfortable to hang around. We walked down the south shore of Eel Bay as far as the trail that goes from that bay up and over a ridge to Audubon Pond. We saw two mink trails heading straight out onto Eel Bay. No ice fishermen out there so I don’t know where the mink was going to find anything to eat on the ice. We didn’t see any tracks on Audubon Pond. If the beavers are still there, it has been too cold for them to come out here. Beavers often don’t come out until well into March. I think that’s because they can find things to eat in the deep pond throughout the winter. Not that I am sure beavers are here, since I didn’t get a chance to see them in the fall. </P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>February 26 we went to our land and while Leslie collected what little sap was in the buckets, it’s been too cold for a flow, and drilled some more trees, I went down to the Deep Pond. A beaver, if not two, was out of the new hole in the northeast bank. It had muddy feet and seemed to do most of its nibbling on the honeysuckle bush right next to the hole.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjRaUTnzGKE4QGvosFCDzvok3PpmaHJfvJvT7ozyoQ2UGcBybl_x8xpSyuvdlk1Mu9mfycboqZP-RA1pKsAhrrwk3nZcz445CEk1ibIU1Ox_Lv-NvZYLTDSgly9nKQwiuMHzAWG-UPtLo/s1600/dpbvhole26feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjRaUTnzGKE4QGvosFCDzvok3PpmaHJfvJvT7ozyoQ2UGcBybl_x8xpSyuvdlk1Mu9mfycboqZP-RA1pKsAhrrwk3nZcz445CEk1ibIU1Ox_Lv-NvZYLTDSgly9nKQwiuMHzAWG-UPtLo/s320/dpbvhole26feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I walked along the east shore of the pond and saw that no beaver had been out of the first hole through the ice and snow. A browsing deer made what tracks were there.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7exalrNxsTgv2IcWfbS5wOJnaOk7GN3yZDeGzLu03TcbZN1Xnv3CfKrYq7AT02LtgAjAzs3_VWGhLG6gFlLIkpznimzxnYyTJBAeiuDPzGGVEYgSFbTvr5TkD9bus-j-5tSknVJSo6o/s1600/dpholea26feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7exalrNxsTgv2IcWfbS5wOJnaOk7GN3yZDeGzLu03TcbZN1Xnv3CfKrYq7AT02LtgAjAzs3_VWGhLG6gFlLIkpznimzxnYyTJBAeiuDPzGGVEYgSFbTvr5TkD9bus-j-5tSknVJSo6o/s320/dpholea26feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The little mink hole near the lowest part of that shore was now snowed over. I went up on the bank to get another view of the holes and to see where else a beaver might have gone. I got a better photo of the freshly nibbled sticks on top of what I assume is the new bank lodge above an old beaver burrow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_PDPifEKGX37Ahy8dMft74n0mxnBt__IHWgyRvywrIs2W3LxMloG1yEMr2LvyFpasFu1iSBsm-7JImmKKj3k-3nGSsK71hYNv5CbSsnLAcSFoPkkJa5awLrbp1lzRXTqmB22mhXsphI/s1600/dpvent26feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_PDPifEKGX37Ahy8dMft74n0mxnBt__IHWgyRvywrIs2W3LxMloG1yEMr2LvyFpasFu1iSBsm-7JImmKKj3k-3nGSsK71hYNv5CbSsnLAcSFoPkkJa5awLrbp1lzRXTqmB22mhXsphI/s320/dpvent26feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Here, I think, is how that area looked when I left it in September.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRM78USzDxEXqRDVOrCvnPjHwt8gMWW1BWwHnLpKA4_blbEjEAwbhEglLu6PF6UkJExbcGXRPHJT5mqMo0y-RO3gt-3Hb0POVT89jTkMsL2TLACl4E3LlbkfCFQSzjXJTIdZqN6we22BQ/s1600/dpbur10sept12.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRM78USzDxEXqRDVOrCvnPjHwt8gMWW1BWwHnLpKA4_blbEjEAwbhEglLu6PF6UkJExbcGXRPHJT5mqMo0y-RO3gt-3Hb0POVT89jTkMsL2TLACl4E3LlbkfCFQSzjXJTIdZqN6we22BQ/s320/dpbur10sept12.JPG" /></a></P><p>My guess is that it has been built up a bit more with sticks, but I won’t know for sure until the snow melts. Then I got over the hole the beaver came out and judging from the tracks, tried to picture what the beaver was doing.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1A9Gy1uAs398pXyMdwRJhdfcQP-lH7oO8dZdbrZ9DjkALvajsUEYTYiqu0CZWwI_ARz_Vk9JqL5x1Tv4xDU-yB_kV5fjSN6fofQX2OZw8qyWWoThua6DHauXe8Zzw68nW3nj9ZQ-dWKk/s1600/dpbvtks26feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1A9Gy1uAs398pXyMdwRJhdfcQP-lH7oO8dZdbrZ9DjkALvajsUEYTYiqu0CZWwI_ARz_Vk9JqL5x1Tv4xDU-yB_kV5fjSN6fofQX2OZw8qyWWoThua6DHauXe8Zzw68nW3nj9ZQ-dWKk/s320/dpbvtks26feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I didn’t crawl down in the snow to see if the sticks in the snow were the remnants of what was cut from above or from below. My guess is that the beaver was nuzzling down in the snow getting what woody parts of plants remained there. I didn’t see any nips on the honeysuckle branches. There was a faint trail to another honeysuckle bush and I couldn’t see exactly what the beaver went over there to eat.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsybPcKc0uKZPPh1NENXwQfURUlARDlWZRpa_TydgwZ34KKYv8FWSMwFhJheKgpos8NsOUHTtim1f9byU4ufyI7bkv9f9SinasyGQXZ4k4ffbz3A23H088D1loAlNRKdVVNvF8ISJnkbI/s1600/dpbvtka26feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsybPcKc0uKZPPh1NENXwQfURUlARDlWZRpa_TydgwZ34KKYv8FWSMwFhJheKgpos8NsOUHTtim1f9byU4ufyI7bkv9f9SinasyGQXZ4k4ffbz3A23H088D1loAlNRKdVVNvF8ISJnkbI/s320/dpbvtka26feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Curious. Over the years, in winter I got accustom to following beaver trails out of holes to sites of major lumbering with newly cut stumps blooming in the snow, the drag marks of major branches, and long trunks of gnawed wood that even made me hungry. I think it is a function of how many beavers there are, especially if there are kits in the lodge trying to survive their first winter. In the fall and early winter 2011-12, I lost track of White Swamp, the huge wetland into which the Deep Pond drains, and I missed the construction of a large beaver lodge along the south shore of the swamp right at a point where I customarily spend a bit of time. So today, while the ice was still good, I snowshoed down to the swamp. As usual the spring at the edge of a little cove off the swamp kept the water open and deer left tracks in the snow around it when they came for drink. No aquatic mammals seem to have taken advantage of it. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINf5pZxVWdyHGTqvGbGZPOxm4K5P1VfyhvVuF8VJ8BlKFMzadnEyZmyW321wNWaJRXpKGiavGzqmKUBboQFRbHACKlqS9r-cn_vM-VdRJCUPxyhH2Fuwco7xKGlKf6aI554G4vF3xIcE/s1600/wsspring26feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINf5pZxVWdyHGTqvGbGZPOxm4K5P1VfyhvVuF8VJ8BlKFMzadnEyZmyW321wNWaJRXpKGiavGzqmKUBboQFRbHACKlqS9r-cn_vM-VdRJCUPxyhH2Fuwco7xKGlKf6aI554G4vF3xIcE/s320/wsspring26feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There was a bit of oily film on the water. I think plants can exude this but I rarely have seen it in the winter. The lodge is nearby and it was almost completely covered by snow and no signs of beavers coming out from it. Parts of it were snowless and so there may be some hot bodies inside it. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVwRnYgYHccVzZXQg8ykTHlHNtr-ut31-w_xHEs0eT-hTAxhhvziwi48isw1RAMA4rnHEJWRClNAEijtVfZ3Y6XmYXbxUkgakxzMkyfcBBeD2ZouBCj8UFsESUZMg_SDe7Equlyd-BCA/s1600/wsldg26feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVwRnYgYHccVzZXQg8ykTHlHNtr-ut31-w_xHEs0eT-hTAxhhvziwi48isw1RAMA4rnHEJWRClNAEijtVfZ3Y6XmYXbxUkgakxzMkyfcBBeD2ZouBCj8UFsESUZMg_SDe7Equlyd-BCA/s320/wsldg26feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I scanned the trees along the bank and saw no beaver gnawing anywhere. I walked down to where I usually see an otter hole, or holes, usually surrounded by scats in the winter. I followed a coyote trail in that direction but the coyote showed no interest in anything happening along the shore. There appeared to be no activity at the old otter latrine site, save for the tracks of a deer running down to the swamp. It ran passed a small hole in the ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVASeF8siY7URjBjdpMD7R297NmeyyqRNRRznlPYMtafA65afdY6k6Yp7ti-P4x81Xw9hGPJiaazA3kWyVcnWvTD73ATgeE-9mbHkGCldixG2yYc01EXhEi0uQXdMI0d9M-kQ1ht-jI4/s1600/wslat26feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVASeF8siY7URjBjdpMD7R297NmeyyqRNRRznlPYMtafA65afdY6k6Yp7ti-P4x81Xw9hGPJiaazA3kWyVcnWvTD73ATgeE-9mbHkGCldixG2yYc01EXhEi0uQXdMI0d9M-kQ1ht-jI4/s320/wslat26feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I took a look at the hole and it appeared to lead to the bigger hole in the bank that otters have used over the years to get down into the water. Surely no otter used that little hole. A mink probably made it. Back up on our land, I found that I had time to kill so I headed back down to the Deep Pond. It certainly was warm enough for a beaver to come out so I thought of rehearsing spring and summer pleasures by sitting in the chair we have there and waiting for a beaver to come out of the hole. But the lawn chair was tipped over and frozen in place under the snow. I recalled that last winter the beaver, who cut precious few trees all year, did cut an ironwood on the slope behind the bank lodge under the knoll. Of course, I had been keeping an eye on the bank lodge and have seen no signs of anything living in it, save for a largely unused mink hole.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhErgh452y2b9sD9GuMhfE_RGEkYLFU6uPlvVCJ91dTusv4q66s-sXCK5XlxGFXTdrTagurEINIy0al3yBb0wOgukVPz-Dhyphenhyphen1yaqCjAu1EaVgIgmPOGlbD-_pDvoAbi6Jky1fpcjv4SlZ4/s1600/dpbvldg26feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhErgh452y2b9sD9GuMhfE_RGEkYLFU6uPlvVCJ91dTusv4q66s-sXCK5XlxGFXTdrTagurEINIy0al3yBb0wOgukVPz-Dhyphenhyphen1yaqCjAu1EaVgIgmPOGlbD-_pDvoAbi6Jky1fpcjv4SlZ4/s320/dpbvldg26feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I walked up the slope and sure enough I saw a small ironwood that had been cut and a few branches trimmed off it and a large ironwood cut enough around the trunk that a very strong wind might blow it down</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53p07MQjj0uPsTSIE7B_bpIi_Cq0lzwbKj4H7jIOf4YGPqJkAuRI-IG0jqO4Roma_kO6BWcnbuNuK-hI-fsovKA2KBfZkBhByrCYX-J96PkmLjQumVhmob7NjFTy_WuPok8npsrcAjHE/s1600/dpbvwk26feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53p07MQjj0uPsTSIE7B_bpIi_Cq0lzwbKj4H7jIOf4YGPqJkAuRI-IG0jqO4Roma_kO6BWcnbuNuK-hI-fsovKA2KBfZkBhByrCYX-J96PkmLjQumVhmob7NjFTy_WuPok8npsrcAjHE/s320/dpbvwk26feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>But this area is tucked a ridge to the west and gets little wind. I took a look at that ridge, more or less a cliff at that point.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZJZRWmm9DDze80N8jRT0sE5Cnrrp2vo2tcMjorP1kqAPtFgDjggVpkXfqlmkixjTiVpnk7RSQ9YsR6_J7PT6svGd1w2gGJiAtH9KKLA4oLeezkgum96BLbo65qEsGbgSOOmp38fJxds/s1600/dpcliff26feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZJZRWmm9DDze80N8jRT0sE5Cnrrp2vo2tcMjorP1kqAPtFgDjggVpkXfqlmkixjTiVpnk7RSQ9YsR6_J7PT6svGd1w2gGJiAtH9KKLA4oLeezkgum96BLbo65qEsGbgSOOmp38fJxds/s320/dpcliff26feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>In two months trillium will be blooming on the ledges overlooking the trout lilies and spring beauties that will be blooming where I was standing. Then I turned and embraced, in a manner of speaking, the pleasures of the winter. I walked over to the creek to make sure a beaver hadn’t come out from under the thin ice there. As one foot crashed through that thin ice going down about two feet, I had a lucky day -- all dry. Spring is a surfeit. Winter is a string of luck.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-12236888403569336182013-02-28T07:45:00.001-08:002013-02-28T07:45:32.971-08:00February 13 to 18, 2013<FONT SIZE=4><SPAN LANG="EN"><P>February 13 we had about a foot of snow on the 8th and that and the cold kept me out of the woods. On the 11th we had a minor thaw. The predicted rain did not amount to much and we had some flurries. Yesterday the thaw could have continued but it stayed cloudy. It was suppose to freeze up last night, down to 20F, but it hardly got below 30F. So conditions for crossing South Bay this morning were not perfect. The snowshoes just kept us up out of the slush below the crusty snow. What tracks coyotes and deer left were hard to distinguish and minks out early in the morning probably didn’t leave an impression. Some industrial strength ice fishermen were there too and they drove away other living things and we were soon in the woods heading up the East Trail. Tramping up the trail was not easy so when we got down to the East Trail Pond we sat on a downed tree for a few minutes and I told Leslie what I had been seeing at the pond. From where we sat the only tracks we saw were from deer circling the pond and nosing down for grasses. The snow was still deep. I noticed what looked like freshly gnawed pines up on the ridge north of the pond, but thought that might just been a case of the sun melting the snow up there and revealing old work. At first glance there didn’t seem to be any signs of life at the beaver lodge.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26E9OFrNj_FpkY5TfwL1W3-GaLcEmpN2zwgIY6lGUlNzq9l1Sb0MB5B-X_lTf_GVVfiSanXFTcv-401mfEzmM1gAHpE1_ZRyv4WG_BIWZZJoG2iClvYR0IYdQnpxqNxUFRfxWwpjtZKMu/s1600/et13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26E9OFrNj_FpkY5TfwL1W3-GaLcEmpN2zwgIY6lGUlNzq9l1Sb0MB5B-X_lTf_GVVfiSanXFTcv-401mfEzmM1gAHpE1_ZRyv4WG_BIWZZJoG2iClvYR0IYdQnpxqNxUFRfxWwpjtZKMu/s320/et13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>However, now that I could see it with half the snow blown off and melted, it looked substantial enough for a beaver to winter in.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXljRW91lcTa_n_WVEdLcGYMCBjrrQYFzb6Zxy4bKGtwi1QALX7sOiSHh9g09u-vdj7ROZQ4wKpb-tCx9WpNFCoBrgz1s9utDKCZL9wKzoiQ-rcdy4phvMtRTofF2_-5MevZWL3uU7DxIX/s1600/etldg13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXljRW91lcTa_n_WVEdLcGYMCBjrrQYFzb6Zxy4bKGtwi1QALX7sOiSHh9g09u-vdj7ROZQ4wKpb-tCx9WpNFCoBrgz1s9utDKCZL9wKzoiQ-rcdy4phvMtRTofF2_-5MevZWL3uU7DxIX/s320/etldg13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I checked the dam where the otter had made a hole and didn’t see any activity there. However, farther out on the dam, I saw a tunnel in the snow, more likely made by a mink than an otter.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEbSn68l_4H6YLy4Kyz-W78IzCk4EWE80pQ8YvpULvNAgHdNvylGTR7jQgChcvET2-khEBYbTkJOX9nou4wTkT6aDCWaJXxGPPLlWnBqtyUUPci_EFuK9ZpupcupLBOhxm5qZVWQ71IiL/s1600/ethole13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEbSn68l_4H6YLy4Kyz-W78IzCk4EWE80pQ8YvpULvNAgHdNvylGTR7jQgChcvET2-khEBYbTkJOX9nou4wTkT6aDCWaJXxGPPLlWnBqtyUUPci_EFuK9ZpupcupLBOhxm5qZVWQ71IiL/s320/ethole13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Of course, I am always looking around for beaver work and I saw some gnawing on a fallen tree at the south end of the dam. I don’t recall if that was done before I left in late September.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZUxr4ickXEIGShif2LZrTsb2O7JzYb2sbvi3On1oD2bPEUaEJ6mmlrYx3y3bGwSGcvu7_gHMhO-St8D_g2aZ73kOwlCid1PiuxFbVXevN8gZJEgomJMBgjpaSaK6mjA8Gn9ZNxshc_c8/s1600/etbvwk13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZUxr4ickXEIGShif2LZrTsb2O7JzYb2sbvi3On1oD2bPEUaEJ6mmlrYx3y3bGwSGcvu7_gHMhO-St8D_g2aZ73kOwlCid1PiuxFbVXevN8gZJEgomJMBgjpaSaK6mjA8Gn9ZNxshc_c8/s320/etbvwk13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>There were some deer tracks going over the middle of the dam. All the new tracks at the north end of the dam where beavers had been out were deer tracks too.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBr2NznccqxvV1rMhxyJWvTqWJEUonboUc7wDWQow8XmLg7akEIrK479-O4gjGg6-Jze4Ii9B9OUoe0lJLcq9S4Zb_m-q4pter4BiBHGyiHMsuh_UFR4a2QKsJRgnrAupHM3JmW9b3t6A/s1600/etdamtks13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBr2NznccqxvV1rMhxyJWvTqWJEUonboUc7wDWQow8XmLg7akEIrK479-O4gjGg6-Jze4Ii9B9OUoe0lJLcq9S4Zb_m-q4pter4BiBHGyiHMsuh_UFR4a2QKsJRgnrAupHM3JmW9b3t6A/s320/etdamtks13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I checked some apparent holes in the snow up on the dam and they were all made by deer nosing down for plants to eat. </P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2CdTnfRLuvMnfWPqPRfDs5P3iK7tI4Bd4D69Ri7vFkrVBaqJ86YYdJey3bXKSVMk6AOWVLVm_mXAqIM4KeqfALpOOuJMxFWXiGfnxtx3IPiNav6cVIihFYvld-KeoRXFLpbt-TeJBora2/s1600/etdeerbrowse13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2CdTnfRLuvMnfWPqPRfDs5P3iK7tI4Bd4D69Ri7vFkrVBaqJ86YYdJey3bXKSVMk6AOWVLVm_mXAqIM4KeqfALpOOuJMxFWXiGfnxtx3IPiNav6cVIihFYvld-KeoRXFLpbt-TeJBora2/s320/etdeerbrowse13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Back on the 3rd, when I returned to this pond after 4 months, I admired the beaver gnawing on a maple that must have fallen across the dam after I left, but not until today was enough snow off it so that I could get a good photo.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuFM98UoYxyMU9odNMO5dNnBq-uUzNgLyQr8dXhPISMjcr9DpA4I4CzMkQnF8gqh1sqSfsV97VCBtznUnWCr-f6BLWjipHe2ufRrBoVFqiwwpwLFqT5GkLSDu2IxKITNE0_39c0xgVaJV/s1600/etbvwka13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuFM98UoYxyMU9odNMO5dNnBq-uUzNgLyQr8dXhPISMjcr9DpA4I4CzMkQnF8gqh1sqSfsV97VCBtznUnWCr-f6BLWjipHe2ufRrBoVFqiwwpwLFqT5GkLSDu2IxKITNE0_39c0xgVaJV/s320/etbvwka13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>We headed up the ridge north of the pond and found the beds made by the deer whose tracks we saw all around the pond.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuo5s6YzRaEm4Wum0dZCtSl0fGMUm6F6HvXRif5XuUeqy8wacY07A79mmlFc8r5GvY7KdT7NpHacjAoJzave68PivOOWvFKTOLT1mOr_GhyOgcuJhyphenhyphenXQmO-adGL9NvVS8UfgqVEr_RgHb/s1600/deerbeds13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuo5s6YzRaEm4Wum0dZCtSl0fGMUm6F6HvXRif5XuUeqy8wacY07A79mmlFc8r5GvY7KdT7NpHacjAoJzave68PivOOWvFKTOLT1mOr_GhyOgcuJhyphenhyphenXQmO-adGL9NvVS8UfgqVEr_RgHb/s320/deerbeds13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Higher up on the ridge we saw a porcupine climbing up a small pine tree, but instead of going toward the top of the pine, it quickly climbed down and then climbed up a taller pine tree next to it. Never saw that before.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFvH-VZ-rY5RrWLY89I5Qxa_J0gT2tiFFehlxhVTtK0SzFO64wNrsh3vzKJ7tPIynBXJhkFaNNGPPj0pJrjMKPj9e9CyA41he7czArHWAPWqQCDzZx3nC7O5rPJtghtgHME8CtJNxIK3DI/s1600/ppine13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFvH-VZ-rY5RrWLY89I5Qxa_J0gT2tiFFehlxhVTtK0SzFO64wNrsh3vzKJ7tPIynBXJhkFaNNGPPj0pJrjMKPj9e9CyA41he7czArHWAPWqQCDzZx3nC7O5rPJtghtgHME8CtJNxIK3DI/s320/ppine13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>As we climbed the ridge we noticed trails coming up from the pond that looked a bit busier than trails deer leave when there is nothing to browse. We soon saw that beavers made the trails. I started my investigation at the top of the ridge where the beavers have been trimming branches off a mostly dead pine tree, rather large, that fell since the last time I was here.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxv5U9w0EamnrUl7PKX5RYunbInuJAfL2tAZgb_dCMk3KO53Qyz9gghuV7Tk7cdm_ZIpVDEa12JVdWqQBPacq5h4KA777IvcS4RySO2WS_DtbC8zXwcuJo1VE4kSsTNl1BIl93IvphI6u/s1600/etpinewk13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxv5U9w0EamnrUl7PKX5RYunbInuJAfL2tAZgb_dCMk3KO53Qyz9gghuV7Tk7cdm_ZIpVDEa12JVdWqQBPacq5h4KA777IvcS4RySO2WS_DtbC8zXwcuJo1VE4kSsTNl1BIl93IvphI6u/s320/etpinewk13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I could see drag marks next to the beavers’ trail heading down to where the beavers had a hole in the pond last winter. </P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ShNwitMCel1wsp4FlrONdpcJw76WHr7IPIUiarQkAW2dpJrK60nuW_HE510wiYKGzSIRAXUojNg69Yr0Ce0ewBMaIqEoqmuDOmWAHkhPR5quffX7G3hQxgRMW7W0XhqH7qnukIlw5ttg/s1600/etbvtr13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ShNwitMCel1wsp4FlrONdpcJw76WHr7IPIUiarQkAW2dpJrK60nuW_HE510wiYKGzSIRAXUojNg69Yr0Ce0ewBMaIqEoqmuDOmWAHkhPR5quffX7G3hQxgRMW7W0XhqH7qnukIlw5ttg/s320/etbvtr13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>As I followed that trail I passed other smaller pines that the beavers had cut since the big snow on the 8th. There were chips that they gnawed off the tree trunk on top of the snow.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOUcAx80eZcwliD3CRXFBrp7nfmTWcBnJBR099KRisihc0g9XgghyphenhyphengH9Aj7X-n-vr2lg5eNYOOreKs_jM1pdnQ7Wt3gvvJSPE61O5JYhHJ3zUr_fl1-wm4ktxtHnavHRBa1m6fDOiy1Y6M/s1600/etpinewka13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOUcAx80eZcwliD3CRXFBrp7nfmTWcBnJBR099KRisihc0g9XgghyphenhyphengH9Aj7X-n-vr2lg5eNYOOreKs_jM1pdnQ7Wt3gvvJSPE61O5JYhHJ3zUr_fl1-wm4ktxtHnavHRBa1m6fDOiy1Y6M/s320/etpinewka13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The beavers seem quite methodical in their pursuit of pines, all about 6 to 8 inches wide near the base of their trunk.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCR5dqziWS99JxF9FL3Ytr32JxH6Od1v8B115bwJtlH9s-dkDo9U8nryjxy6SrPY2Tk4anrNl-ZC5cvdemcVRngFc8wkKLEwce5iyJ2pflSXm3z3aZo43Kv3xfcoVlqntbznYP76fc6ndG/s1600/etpinewkb13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCR5dqziWS99JxF9FL3Ytr32JxH6Od1v8B115bwJtlH9s-dkDo9U8nryjxy6SrPY2Tk4anrNl-ZC5cvdemcVRngFc8wkKLEwce5iyJ2pflSXm3z3aZo43Kv3xfcoVlqntbznYP76fc6ndG/s320/etpinewkb13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I saw where a beaver tasted some pines with a small gnaw. It will be interesting to see if they spare or cut that tree down too.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTp1S6Kw4AWRxZzWPwv_ydwXuv5wH7wpW2oy5FgTrdOgiOnerpwqen5puoAtluCR-QWkGU_bWPe7lwLRUPER8HJvuMuIlfg5wC12y8VqRQliNu0BT4Ab7DPezQS8C2TbrLGPoSDn4-wBz/s1600/etpinewkc13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTp1S6Kw4AWRxZzWPwv_ydwXuv5wH7wpW2oy5FgTrdOgiOnerpwqen5puoAtluCR-QWkGU_bWPe7lwLRUPER8HJvuMuIlfg5wC12y8VqRQliNu0BT4Ab7DPezQS8C2TbrLGPoSDn4-wBz/s320/etpinewkc13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>When I was here on the 7th, I walked down this trail and got on the pond where I knew the beavers’ had their hole last winter. I didn’t get any sense that beavers had used the trail recently or had a hole there. My feet went through the pond several feet away. But the old hole was wide open today with a pine log next to it. </P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfzfG2iQmGaZEDwzJd_y0WY-Z9OoG-vYfALV23GJBCfhK1XhzuVqB_vxQtnVvqyNzz-kmll08ZqU-qy8OlOhXD_adrBZOximxNzzAShegtdP73GSySestYyZaxy0egPt_SR42btuApNp7/s1600/etbvhole13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfzfG2iQmGaZEDwzJd_y0WY-Z9OoG-vYfALV23GJBCfhK1XhzuVqB_vxQtnVvqyNzz-kmll08ZqU-qy8OlOhXD_adrBZOximxNzzAShegtdP73GSySestYyZaxy0egPt_SR42btuApNp7/s320/etbvhole13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Some boughs of pine needles looked to be half way down the hole.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RONb2BH5mmqnnKUUnI_qlsrh0ha7dVlHvr1IvQDGZzO1Cf975RWIJNJICVBTPVd15-fWWK60CxILRfhaKHeAOvefAvkYlxkOpfwfD0cvCMuijCYRYjCZEQqhx3wY1NXchVJnmpnTCFTw/s1600/etbvholea13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RONb2BH5mmqnnKUUnI_qlsrh0ha7dVlHvr1IvQDGZzO1Cf975RWIJNJICVBTPVd15-fWWK60CxILRfhaKHeAOvefAvkYlxkOpfwfD0cvCMuijCYRYjCZEQqhx3wY1NXchVJnmpnTCFTw/s320/etbvholea13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Looking closely, I could see some winterberry saplings had been nipped, but the pines were the big attraction. I climbed back up the ridge and before I left this recent beaver work, I noticed how juicy one freshly cut pine stump looked.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nUscZ0mmGmKzZwzzZNFvPElSHhhkSEFsM4Kf9nteHAFETGlgFiyRectiVEGPBrMbyRtFxj-jxjsiCG1L0LqvYDu0vIjqsdBrtpQ6Mdk9bn5hxx-A6Q0iaUaX4KSIhvCnkDQEzrALwdQc/s1600/pinestump13feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nUscZ0mmGmKzZwzzZNFvPElSHhhkSEFsM4Kf9nteHAFETGlgFiyRectiVEGPBrMbyRtFxj-jxjsiCG1L0LqvYDu0vIjqsdBrtpQ6Mdk9bn5hxx-A6Q0iaUaX4KSIhvCnkDQEzrALwdQc/s320/pinestump13feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>So the beavers are here after all. Now I’ll try to see them which I’ve managed to do the past two winters. This year I’ll have a chance to see how they gnaw into that sticky pine.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<FONT SIZE=4><SPAN LANG="EN"><P>February 14 we had some thawing and refreezing and we finally figured we could make sufficient progress on snow shoes. So we headed across the golf course, causing more turkeys than deer to flee but not impressing the geese around a small pond that must have had some open water. We reached the valley going down to the Big Pond in good shape. From there it is more or less downhill but we had things to check. At first glance the valley looked free of porcupines,</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0U-sccFOtLBl2O4S2ddhLIqJ9MnFRE3CJJNKYin8JrSTfVGEbtxJOWILnfI4LVIoTDL1h2H1QuOKG_1tA2Iw7x63jFSYve_1_l9LGMk43z8bKAP4HZ4UpcJWlcpbayj3B0GChZ84J5ixK/s1600/valley14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0U-sccFOtLBl2O4S2ddhLIqJ9MnFRE3CJJNKYin8JrSTfVGEbtxJOWILnfI4LVIoTDL1h2H1QuOKG_1tA2Iw7x63jFSYve_1_l9LGMk43z8bKAP4HZ4UpcJWlcpbayj3B0GChZ84J5ixK/s320/valley14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>But we did see some work high in an oak and maple on the ridge to the west.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnhJxR74rz6jhBaWxKQT5UuwXzaSLx2Ko9SKCcNVSlfQUh388iN-YZg0cg0209K_FF5B3lGHmW4ktty5PJDtEN2FnIuwq8Prdks_0Dao7NrBxDqr8UP-U76BEjwGkDUJK_hrx7Qt3Hnt2/s1600/valppwk14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnhJxR74rz6jhBaWxKQT5UuwXzaSLx2Ko9SKCcNVSlfQUh388iN-YZg0cg0209K_FF5B3lGHmW4ktty5PJDtEN2FnIuwq8Prdks_0Dao7NrBxDqr8UP-U76BEjwGkDUJK_hrx7Qt3Hnt2/s320/valppwk14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>There were no porcupine trails on the slopes or floor of the valley. However, we did see a fisher trail coming down the east slope from about where a fisher killed a porcupine last winter.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmo81adBlDg25JX7lTKd97g73Q5ZW66cCrlcAQsfirgWc5Wo1z9DNOJbjjV7f6lxDTB8klyR0u3yNYcDsZa5nS6YJfU2GlAE9RfEBZxlC1eTt-5z7dQopgGkONgePxwQ1LuVzqmzvIVArR/s1600/valfishtks14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmo81adBlDg25JX7lTKd97g73Q5ZW66cCrlcAQsfirgWc5Wo1z9DNOJbjjV7f6lxDTB8klyR0u3yNYcDsZa5nS6YJfU2GlAE9RfEBZxlC1eTt-5z7dQopgGkONgePxwQ1LuVzqmzvIVArR/s320/valfishtks14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The photo of the fisher trail is not very convincing but that animal hopped through the twinned trunks of a large tree, just like a fisher would do. The snow was too deep for me to trudge up and take a photo of that. Other than crossing a few deer trails our walk toward the Big Pond was uneventful. No more fisher trails and no grouse or grouse trails. I often see them in these woods. I was pleased to see that a porcupine is using the den in the small ridge of rocks just up from the pond. There was a deep trough through the woods.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4o-CNZdRw4C7cH9h1L2NGOSTfHEKQ4pHJM0eu8Wbtiq-wd76j1U9GyBBPYuJtwVULkOrLTJNbQK1RX_Wf88iYdN5UuFACEno6CM8tm3uAjR1qEgiUgZNVFkASi4qSh89F3oG48BW15oG/s1600/ppinetr14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4o-CNZdRw4C7cH9h1L2NGOSTfHEKQ4pHJM0eu8Wbtiq-wd76j1U9GyBBPYuJtwVULkOrLTJNbQK1RX_Wf88iYdN5UuFACEno6CM8tm3uAjR1qEgiUgZNVFkASi4qSh89F3oG48BW15oG/s320/ppinetr14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The trail came from the den into the low granite pile. A porcupine has been here every winter for the past 10 years or so and sometimes I see it hunkered down just outside its den, but not today.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWrmF6hp5V2ZQk_Noff43VKTB5DF7hOGJlogb8r4icx2Ye9FtfAxuMMLXdeYMZWzFmeLBeIMzTV-7VxM5md1R86KKCUEFVszoOobQiOfZ4JRChjfHLmzll9IaIPHmtN0ch7btqvC0VNqj/s1600/ppineden14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWrmF6hp5V2ZQk_Noff43VKTB5DF7hOGJlogb8r4icx2Ye9FtfAxuMMLXdeYMZWzFmeLBeIMzTV-7VxM5md1R86KKCUEFVszoOobQiOfZ4JRChjfHLmzll9IaIPHmtN0ch7btqvC0VNqj/s320/ppineden14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I warned Leslie that the Big Pond might be more of a frozen meadow than a frozen pond but at first glance there was not as much vegetation sticking up through the snow as I expected.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDh4D9hNfyhmzYSUipGuwKWskPCo0geb8l5fJjx1L6g3xfdB1SBaDHFfGpF4mSABTngY5sMZOoIeC-aaJ6c04gc3-8xPQUdrFEPzzTGtc6nDF59j4QT0gA_tL-O5SnqntazQ_JrpoVSC7F/s1600/bp14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDh4D9hNfyhmzYSUipGuwKWskPCo0geb8l5fJjx1L6g3xfdB1SBaDHFfGpF4mSABTngY5sMZOoIeC-aaJ6c04gc3-8xPQUdrFEPzzTGtc6nDF59j4QT0gA_tL-O5SnqntazQ_JrpoVSC7F/s320/bp14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>However there was not much water underneath the snow and ice. We headed up to the spring along the upper north shore of the pond. When this pond was deep, that spring kept a patch of water open all winter that was often pulsing with little fish and pollywogs. Last winter the spring barely registered on the ice of the pond and this year it looked even narrower. </P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH1C9oTEDDGlguQzF6izWKrljf7g1Nbk-BJS0yNd2TvnK8UXHgDu1UxycwQzG7ZWHKaEIjrFgvhO-x5VaZmbSXeGXTDku2Q3tBbcrDPQbk8HBG19qMExHrNFpfL_Pr-y6hvtf7L2FMUKb/s1600/bpspring14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH1C9oTEDDGlguQzF6izWKrljf7g1Nbk-BJS0yNd2TvnK8UXHgDu1UxycwQzG7ZWHKaEIjrFgvhO-x5VaZmbSXeGXTDku2Q3tBbcrDPQbk8HBG19qMExHrNFpfL_Pr-y6hvtf7L2FMUKb/s320/bpspring14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I saved checking the dam for another day and headed through the woods to the Lost Swamp Pond. We often see grouse and their tracks in those woods and sometimes rabbit tracks, but only deer had been along the trail since the snowfall. Back in the fall, the Lost Swamp Pond was half drained, but there was enough water backed up behind the dam then, below the hole in it that the beavers half heartedly patched, to make me think that there was still a beaver lurking in the pond. I could see at a glance that the pond was much lower now.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uS_39kjL2wPVlqORK11zci93bSu8vEyLFuTGdymH4E9oR8VTbnQ3oghcB3kBnbhDfC43iKqvaRvenSuDuxNXZXBbWJOwz41yiqoYoNWY6iK2uA1Uz75s8agb-qNaZjUZFFMNzZ89dFIn/s1600/ls14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uS_39kjL2wPVlqORK11zci93bSu8vEyLFuTGdymH4E9oR8VTbnQ3oghcB3kBnbhDfC43iKqvaRvenSuDuxNXZXBbWJOwz41yiqoYoNWY6iK2uA1Uz75s8agb-qNaZjUZFFMNzZ89dFIn/s320/ls14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>As we approached the dam we saw some thick chunks of ice either around or wedged between the trunks of the dead trees in the pond.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTZAtp3qXmcK5n9zEB6TxicpOOBxJ-PKkg7mOsKD7gnSSrGONmF4ib5SVBTEM7BuVmya9S9OwohOJuV_zuabFDVuYmtyoetb0eV_PhH5GmXzTc2EdHfg1anXktHdGqMGcbpwJDFIFmn6v/s1600/lsice14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTZAtp3qXmcK5n9zEB6TxicpOOBxJ-PKkg7mOsKD7gnSSrGONmF4ib5SVBTEM7BuVmya9S9OwohOJuV_zuabFDVuYmtyoetb0eV_PhH5GmXzTc2EdHfg1anXktHdGqMGcbpwJDFIFmn6v/s320/lsice14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>That suggests that the water drained out of the pond in the past couple weeks. So we started looking for otter slides. We saw a trail coming out of a hole next to a dead stump 10 yards behind the dam.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiga5YxFGZ8gtRz7NYa5IyI4JuyCh1q8ZrR_sOCuX_XNKpPObO4Fbvznz0RcOV0_idrIj5HkQpeyb2FBI4-h9r90A0Lj6LfZmZuEF51W3qhJX4uSlQri9EbJLR-7BUNMGuCZyzkJ83jtv51/s1600/lsotthole14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiga5YxFGZ8gtRz7NYa5IyI4JuyCh1q8ZrR_sOCuX_XNKpPObO4Fbvznz0RcOV0_idrIj5HkQpeyb2FBI4-h9r90A0Lj6LfZmZuEF51W3qhJX4uSlQri9EbJLR-7BUNMGuCZyzkJ83jtv51/s320/lsotthole14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>There were no holes nor otter tracks around the lodge, but when we looked along the dam, as we stood on its east end, we saw two holes with trails coming out of them.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCKsoZgXUae0ty2wT7iewOpqKlGTxRQD5GvD9grjAWoiAFNKz4ilP-E4lFnS_CXP_-xjvpC0AfUQgk_5xT6Rgf8Wkw6xrYDwVgL3wpjgiWNxHK7gUL0NcXWvW2z2nhzbGXDd3lwYPk52X/s1600/lsottholes14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCKsoZgXUae0ty2wT7iewOpqKlGTxRQD5GvD9grjAWoiAFNKz4ilP-E4lFnS_CXP_-xjvpC0AfUQgk_5xT6Rgf8Wkw6xrYDwVgL3wpjgiWNxHK7gUL0NcXWvW2z2nhzbGXDd3lwYPk52X/s320/lsottholes14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Coming out of the hole in the middle of the dam, we could see the otter’s tail prints in the snow left behind when it scampered toward the hole in the deep snow.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8SBIMnqbEGxEFQSn9VhoB0oTq53IV8W_nOYVq2UXIGwdyHm-dB61vezRNMj0cL7CVhat7NsvqLuppTnHCl6KMu4HVl51D-hTRSNfXn0TToLd9TJLTFdbmhL5DcsDUWFNo_znGc2JEARd/s1600/lsotttks14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8SBIMnqbEGxEFQSn9VhoB0oTq53IV8W_nOYVq2UXIGwdyHm-dB61vezRNMj0cL7CVhat7NsvqLuppTnHCl6KMu4HVl51D-hTRSNfXn0TToLd9TJLTFdbmhL5DcsDUWFNo_znGc2JEARd/s320/lsotttks14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I could see some prints just outside the hole, but no otter scats.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4ODRbFgnG0utfc5ZcW1ej-MxDNrR33w6qsWLztn17SJWayh0jdEXw6LIrQLTwhZILOZmYnD8moWuM3lwkrVUsUtkI11ICOZcfotG5LKyPqMZiHs5oqa28NLR6ZZe2gJQ1Rja49Rds7dv/s1600/lsotttksa14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4ODRbFgnG0utfc5ZcW1ej-MxDNrR33w6qsWLztn17SJWayh0jdEXw6LIrQLTwhZILOZmYnD8moWuM3lwkrVUsUtkI11ICOZcfotG5LKyPqMZiHs5oqa28NLR6ZZe2gJQ1Rja49Rds7dv/s320/lsotttksa14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The other hole, just west of the dam, is high up on the rock bank there. There were tracks and slides but no scats.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkgSf2QjF2CXR5C72g8IRKSsUrgFk-NasDDAl8VKmnuxqFtnZE8TkT7x7PacxWzSEhvtNsJHaKIt0IJth2QpHVowKuGjlTlNR1AjBbO4JaYfbgmABirDQNyJVBMcvFRFbykPKmSu-UaOv/s1600/lsottholea14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkgSf2QjF2CXR5C72g8IRKSsUrgFk-NasDDAl8VKmnuxqFtnZE8TkT7x7PacxWzSEhvtNsJHaKIt0IJth2QpHVowKuGjlTlNR1AjBbO4JaYfbgmABirDQNyJVBMcvFRFbykPKmSu-UaOv/s320/lsottholea14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The parallel slides down the slope suggest that there were two otters, but there was so little activity, I suppose that one otter could make all the tracks and slides I was seeing in a matter of a minute of wild activity. Otters get their food, fish and pollywogs, under the ice. Maybe they come out on the pond to get a breath of fresh air. We could certainly smell the sulfur dioxide in the water as it rushed out of the hole deep in the middle of the dam. I couldn’t get a good photo of the water rushing down the creek below the dam -- all in the shade, but looking down to the Upper Second Swamp Pond, I could see a ribbon of brown water on the ice of that almost dry pond.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7DPE8QbAlGTeJ64EK0VEK_iA55YpKrWoIGwR3leXT1V46xMKc89Yx8fBM9rWJvezEbLX9Y7BwxT-mygg5cTLSK76INQ7fyuXN69uCEKMgivArLs4NpQMDVJy62egP-GFGNabX_ecswCta/s1600/upsp14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7DPE8QbAlGTeJ64EK0VEK_iA55YpKrWoIGwR3leXT1V46xMKc89Yx8fBM9rWJvezEbLX9Y7BwxT-mygg5cTLSK76INQ7fyuXN69uCEKMgivArLs4NpQMDVJy62egP-GFGNabX_ecswCta/s320/upsp14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I didn’t have the energy to continue tracking otters in the deep snow, but I went far enough to get a sense that a coyote made the tracks going to the Upper Second Swamp Pond. Then I studied the otter tracks going down to the Lost Swamp Pond and found it difficult to make sense of them.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-buWY0v3WprSbVwG4zJuOMLiQ2dDEasSlVLiCMDO1LpkKp7wTs8ttmXK9F04am8PRP_rngYeKhlYYiOGRzkd7uv0TO0KueVvsM-UEyynTO4fTDzckc7r-Z4bUAYfPOje1FFLuoiBowyq/s1600/lsotttksb14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-buWY0v3WprSbVwG4zJuOMLiQ2dDEasSlVLiCMDO1LpkKp7wTs8ttmXK9F04am8PRP_rngYeKhlYYiOGRzkd7uv0TO0KueVvsM-UEyynTO4fTDzckc7r-Z4bUAYfPOje1FFLuoiBowyq/s320/lsotttksb14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>From a distance I saw some roughed up ice where brown melt water above the old ice of the pond had frozen. But I don’t think otters had anything to do with that. It looked like deer had cracked the ice trying to get down to water.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOC0qywVV43cmV_mcegDuIiUQbuSY_tVZxACiFWz6AsumkJ8-RydsU1xIMSOdbj_IDIGx9q2x621nrr7r1zcDGtXLDAah6cB7S5WmIBugl2UFN0hfrCYxkkobzCXuIEWHSU9-xJuSa9o9/s1600/deersmash14feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOC0qywVV43cmV_mcegDuIiUQbuSY_tVZxACiFWz6AsumkJ8-RydsU1xIMSOdbj_IDIGx9q2x621nrr7r1zcDGtXLDAah6cB7S5WmIBugl2UFN0hfrCYxkkobzCXuIEWHSU9-xJuSa9o9/s320/deersmash14feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I’ve noticed that deer seem to prefer still water that's a bit harder to get at than water rushing out through a hole in the dam. Maybe they don’t like the sulfur smell of the old pond water, which enveloped the dam today. We scanned the rest of the pond looking for more holes but didn’t see any. Then we walked home the same way we came and it was a half as hard negotiating the deep snow.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<FONT SIZE=4><SPAN LANG="EN"><P>February 15 we went to our land to pick up the sap from the maple trees and we got about 5 gallons. Then we walked down to see if there was anything new at the Deep Pond. I had tried to walk out onto the pond two days ago and was stopped by deep slush. Today we saw that the deep snow was disturbed over on the high bank that forms the east shore of the pond. We walked around the edge of the pond avoiding the slush. We guessed that the disturbance was either made by deer browsing on a honeysuckle bush growing in the bank, or beavers digging out from under the pond. To our delight, we saw that beavers had just dug out of the pond.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddKV5BPTf5jypZywwc7bAKeulV9h8S5YM0AoDkEH-HwEpHTrHn_ccXN6oKHq20nNL7ajsBAZm1OAKHEpzjHUeTF7EXJbFsx3iyPNP0lETUFiKGL6nM1tB5oQBKWwSQTGqF4oiQ5KXmfoI/s1600/dpbvhole15feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddKV5BPTf5jypZywwc7bAKeulV9h8S5YM0AoDkEH-HwEpHTrHn_ccXN6oKHq20nNL7ajsBAZm1OAKHEpzjHUeTF7EXJbFsx3iyPNP0lETUFiKGL6nM1tB5oQBKWwSQTGqF4oiQ5KXmfoI/s320/dpbvhole15feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>They broke through ice at what looks like a high water level so the beavers must have built the dam up in the fall.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbtaIl0ozIEj0bsQBH3KAW467ztcZqKFQ3s1XR2YDwnMU6XzCV28kttF0bRXs-BhjAwUPmt-u8ygGa6phEVo_EG-Wo5tlpcZoiJ3SU5KgL4Zvm53tY-rq9rUgBO6ouKturfH9Xwj33ekB/s1600/dpbvholea15feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbtaIl0ozIEj0bsQBH3KAW467ztcZqKFQ3s1XR2YDwnMU6XzCV28kttF0bRXs-BhjAwUPmt-u8ygGa6phEVo_EG-Wo5tlpcZoiJ3SU5KgL4Zvm53tY-rq9rUgBO6ouKturfH9Xwj33ekB/s320/dpbvholea15feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>It is likely that they also dug the hole deep in the dam that drained most of the water out of it.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTe-0dJCUUhmh7NHr5WnBok_YzTf7b2ymUMGtfiPX_A5V4qpNPnFItIweDL7_Xsjb1VTpjsJSNsUeuR_HqZhljaBScodV1cjeyNi2CYhp9jSXiTOCh5opOPHhhk249pqaBQePMd5R221v/s1600/dpdam15feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTe-0dJCUUhmh7NHr5WnBok_YzTf7b2ymUMGtfiPX_A5V4qpNPnFItIweDL7_Xsjb1VTpjsJSNsUeuR_HqZhljaBScodV1cjeyNi2CYhp9jSXiTOCh5opOPHhhk249pqaBQePMd5R221v/s320/dpdam15feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>When the snow settles I will check that hole to see if the beavers went out of it to cut trees or bushes below the dam. I probably won’t be able to check for otter scats until the snow melts. I followed the beaver trails from the new hole high on the bank,</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBmNk4KrUNb-7vlWwJ1MOfgvdl0RxPf3K9Az0KCB2OXohfpanOqIKp2EiA7Hp6xrR53p42beB0M-7LB__zbNzfIx2GIrrDGxtrhNuyEPSaQqR4A9it_m2YnOrkV9i5fZuS4WCq30_J1PE/s1600/dpbvtr15feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBmNk4KrUNb-7vlWwJ1MOfgvdl0RxPf3K9Az0KCB2OXohfpanOqIKp2EiA7Hp6xrR53p42beB0M-7LB__zbNzfIx2GIrrDGxtrhNuyEPSaQqR4A9it_m2YnOrkV9i5fZuS4WCq30_J1PE/s320/dpbvtr15feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Which led to a small ironwood they probably just cut down</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuiGiH3GWtdS-2vYDup0hk68OjMCx5vbhheyX9jw57EL4X8zSX_5rVY6vnJs8__kcNCojXCl3Zi_38WRarNnskHc1uJLguP24_vsYwkq61g_-GLIP9j5JRJ0Tx-lxrEgiq5fwwik-NLdP8/s1600/dpbvwk15feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuiGiH3GWtdS-2vYDup0hk68OjMCx5vbhheyX9jw57EL4X8zSX_5rVY6vnJs8__kcNCojXCl3Zi_38WRarNnskHc1uJLguP24_vsYwkq61g_-GLIP9j5JRJ0Tx-lxrEgiq5fwwik-NLdP8/s320/dpbvwk15feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I also saw a cut stump sticking up out of the snow, remains of a tree they cut weeks or months ago.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYG_dExf-sNXhEY73RUCPcjzYeO6dVdszjGcMzGKPPKSxFC-0SvLjEaLPCsDbg0t9jsfeJC_Kh90li5MESVrVy6YCayGrvex_-KoWK3_JqQ1ljENepC4Riya-j-qfkaxeAX6h5sskTVSW/s1600/dpbvwka15feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYG_dExf-sNXhEY73RUCPcjzYeO6dVdszjGcMzGKPPKSxFC-0SvLjEaLPCsDbg0t9jsfeJC_Kh90li5MESVrVy6YCayGrvex_-KoWK3_JqQ1ljENepC4Riya-j-qfkaxeAX6h5sskTVSW/s320/dpbvwka15feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>And I saw a few ironwoods partially girdled.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnMImpIxFmbpqZGVZE-0ZTpA1l7Q8TsiWGcjs3r6OKfpQlnzV2B2MHpP60ZtrHH58ARCqqyTkvR55xZckxRDJ4gKVs5LAXF9Etmv6j3DKSiklTYHnN3BEs1q33beBSHfe7T7O0f1dRc_S/s1600/dpbvwkb15feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnMImpIxFmbpqZGVZE-0ZTpA1l7Q8TsiWGcjs3r6OKfpQlnzV2B2MHpP60ZtrHH58ARCqqyTkvR55xZckxRDJ4gKVs5LAXF9Etmv6j3DKSiklTYHnN3BEs1q33beBSHfe7T7O0f1dRc_S/s320/dpbvwkb15feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The beaver here two summer’s ago lived off the lily roots and pond weed and this summer two beavers must have lived off what remained of the roots, several honeysuckle bushes that they trimmed, and a small grove of hornbeam saplings that they cut. They didn’t touch the ironwoods, save for one cut last winter, nor the maples. As we walked over to the grove of maples southeast of the pond, we saw where a beaver reared up on the snow and nipped off the top of a honeysuckle branch.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6aP7ak4awzimAt9XEFRLGCz1z5OBxkPmUJv7nqrDEOhxyIQuRoaIGeAh5vVmrDaEjYPVx-HwYG627mA2O7y387An15LoX1WOfixqdm5V7U_24-JCDY2Thb79i1FqMgpo1gG5rC1hyK2-/s1600/dpbvwkc15feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6aP7ak4awzimAt9XEFRLGCz1z5OBxkPmUJv7nqrDEOhxyIQuRoaIGeAh5vVmrDaEjYPVx-HwYG627mA2O7y387An15LoX1WOfixqdm5V7U_24-JCDY2Thb79i1FqMgpo1gG5rC1hyK2-/s320/dpbvwkc15feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Beavers who lived here several years ago cut many of the maples leaving many stumps. Meanwhile saplings have been sprouting up. Because of the deep snow I couldn’t see the saplings they cut, only the large trees, and those I could see well were hornbeams.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wABnhoucMXdJVaAgcEABccWMTxNXSYA0cImor9PW4Xh5gj7_-XuMCBeFC2gLQZJYTfdNZh_Hmo3OlRhkD0e50oFdbuNVgA32iqiJTnGWgZcwJBdOuz46PuVIG0v0wJVWvd2zLEw56tdS/s1600/dpbvwkd15feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wABnhoucMXdJVaAgcEABccWMTxNXSYA0cImor9PW4Xh5gj7_-XuMCBeFC2gLQZJYTfdNZh_Hmo3OlRhkD0e50oFdbuNVgA32iqiJTnGWgZcwJBdOuz46PuVIG0v0wJVWvd2zLEw56tdS/s320/dpbvwkd15feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>We were a bit hurried as we looked at all this. Not only was the snow deep but a cold front was blowing through. </P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRbUAIF-08jRjCoimGY01HMBVj6GctgcbSxGhim59MBblIyaJrFVXCxtHM_b0fhqu54TxHCvUR36pGpmB_FC5aPBKHWr86SvRjZo-qxqP_yjQlsgjYqja2miw6Nv6oeRzonxkn61MMG5n/s1600/dpbvwke15feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRbUAIF-08jRjCoimGY01HMBVj6GctgcbSxGhim59MBblIyaJrFVXCxtHM_b0fhqu54TxHCvUR36pGpmB_FC5aPBKHWr86SvRjZo-qxqP_yjQlsgjYqja2miw6Nv6oeRzonxkn61MMG5n/s320/dpbvwke15feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I saw one larger tree cut down with a few feet of the trunk stripped. Looked like an ash.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPL2KhhopHS3K1B-CDJiExknSSTMA8NUQcfkcm23XQLCLGO3QI5Zrnfu8eUIDIynDullY3sZOw0LsOw5eq9_D-WEbMxw52QKOgbP90Y85G0CIgmr6eUYZdpecYsPS8V5E1rTc5IGRbELw/s1600/dpbvwkf15feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPL2KhhopHS3K1B-CDJiExknSSTMA8NUQcfkcm23XQLCLGO3QI5Zrnfu8eUIDIynDullY3sZOw0LsOw5eq9_D-WEbMxw52QKOgbP90Y85G0CIgmr6eUYZdpecYsPS8V5E1rTc5IGRbELw/s320/dpbvwkf15feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>There was one stump with a short log hanging off it giving the impression that a beaver segmented the rest of the tree.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vEsYBWotT6Apkp3rsBkDc-oODvRPxNenAfcfPPENFN8MDrny7e3mNw3ys7LPq5_CKHhVjfnV8oXJMeY9sOY14pnHqU2m7M2uZMvjxRuiIdhQYoDWQq0M5ounK2bK82y02ypa_HqiJ5qc/s1600/dpbvwkg15feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vEsYBWotT6Apkp3rsBkDc-oODvRPxNenAfcfPPENFN8MDrny7e3mNw3ys7LPq5_CKHhVjfnV8oXJMeY9sOY14pnHqU2m7M2uZMvjxRuiIdhQYoDWQq0M5ounK2bK82y02ypa_HqiJ5qc/s320/dpbvwkg15feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I probably should have waited for better conditions to investigate all this work but I was so excited to see it that I couldn’t restrain my camera. Leslie was sure this meant that the pair of beavers here would have kits this spring. But there was a pair of beavers here last March and they seemed chummy for a while but we never saw any kits.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<FONT SIZE=4><SPAN LANG="EN"><P>February 16 cold day that I hoped would firm up the snow and make it easier to snowshoe, and I was right. I crossed the golf course and headed for the Big Pond. There was nothing new in the valley. No porcupine nor fisher trails. Once at the Big Pond I headed down to the dam, following coyotes trails that helped give an idea of how little water was in the pond. There is a dip to the center of the pond where the old creek is.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTIQ9cUaPsa6fgAuziiWdum227Vo6yNb8q_HIXhC34PrdHEI70VkD4M4LCFlp6nB3lIscuwHU54Yj2exTPWAatS1IS7YZS_g1B5UGO1z_Bk8FXVV3S69ELcx4Bk37LubB_5DR2iVfLr0E/s1600/bp16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTIQ9cUaPsa6fgAuziiWdum227Vo6yNb8q_HIXhC34PrdHEI70VkD4M4LCFlp6nB3lIscuwHU54Yj2exTPWAatS1IS7YZS_g1B5UGO1z_Bk8FXVV3S69ELcx4Bk37LubB_5DR2iVfLr0E/s320/bp16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Down behind the dam there is a hole in the ice with a few tracks radiating from it, but all the tracks were from animals coming to the small puddle of water, now frozen, for a drink.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUeer9zY5CGc5ErmRfPniQM9LtdQWcwGV0eoYmq4r8Muib6ZAD4U8WdAJ4dnB0vNzZO0i9kQwVgroizeLRi3dN-SlD9ywJsmfSXoJgExVZPonQPDd9lxZzQFmtziU3HNyJHR_n9Gwa3K4/s1600/bpdam16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUeer9zY5CGc5ErmRfPniQM9LtdQWcwGV0eoYmq4r8Muib6ZAD4U8WdAJ4dnB0vNzZO0i9kQwVgroizeLRi3dN-SlD9ywJsmfSXoJgExVZPonQPDd9lxZzQFmtziU3HNyJHR_n9Gwa3K4/s320/bpdam16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I don’t think there is enough water under the ice to even attract a mink much less a muskrat or otter. For an instant I thought I was seeing mud or spots of old blood around the dam, but all that proved to be cattail fuzz in the snow.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfONqyNxq8DZ3WijRwhz20EmN2v8oq6dbUM80rT97DgQyJjjfaJIOhyphenhyphenkhzQX2ribhMhjUpNzcSy1COMJS8hhB4X2wc2epx6u0qhjj-64ncac0I6cF5U6OUkZqKXrn-NqvV8OHQYsKao6mZ/s1600/cattails16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfONqyNxq8DZ3WijRwhz20EmN2v8oq6dbUM80rT97DgQyJjjfaJIOhyphenhyphenkhzQX2ribhMhjUpNzcSy1COMJS8hhB4X2wc2epx6u0qhjj-64ncac0I6cF5U6OUkZqKXrn-NqvV8OHQYsKao6mZ/s320/cattails16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Walking back up pond, I veered over to the beaver lodge along the north shore of the pond which now looks flayed out like a big bird nest.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3d4Wl-huCuhyphenhyphenp1OmFPfyRl72oHhWUad2we9LNHBd9dPFOlB7S9_aXZjK337MQUUDRExv5vPphsOpzFQbk79vxqucwGKsnuD7h0dowV5y5yg2eWcT3KxKhJYAuyLvwZdusJxH2H7vGb4u/s1600/bpldg16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3d4Wl-huCuhyphenhyphenp1OmFPfyRl72oHhWUad2we9LNHBd9dPFOlB7S9_aXZjK337MQUUDRExv5vPphsOpzFQbk79vxqucwGKsnuD7h0dowV5y5yg2eWcT3KxKhJYAuyLvwZdusJxH2H7vGb4u/s320/bpldg16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I headed for the Lost Swamp Pond and again saw no rabbit or grouse tracks. Since it was easier to walk on the snow, I walked up to the lodge in the east end of the pond. The ice had collapsed down where the narrow creek or channel runs.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxD7oh_mlmJPixmLrSQgvBbqx2e71xWA2Igcyq3aT9-7sgO7EhqYT4mrg2ABgrDW-Y8G0hRPAqWUulYJzKvODgYtWbXcAkjwGdEPWcJI9q_Y5gDFiX-vNM8rsrd5WLlG43KC7W00_KiGe/s1600/lschan16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxD7oh_mlmJPixmLrSQgvBbqx2e71xWA2Igcyq3aT9-7sgO7EhqYT4mrg2ABgrDW-Y8G0hRPAqWUulYJzKvODgYtWbXcAkjwGdEPWcJI9q_Y5gDFiX-vNM8rsrd5WLlG43KC7W00_KiGe/s320/lschan16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I think it is fair to call it a creek, but as far as I can remember, before the beavers built their dam this was an area that seemed uniformly flooded in the spring when we sometimes made the mistake of thinking we could take a shortcut through it to get back over to what we called the second ridge, the modestly elevated area north of the Big Pond. We didn’t see this area in the winter until 1994. Our longest hike back in the late 70s and early 80s was to go from the ridge north of the golf course as directly as we could to the highest ridge on the island that we called the third ridge. Then we walked along the ridge far to the east, out of the State park. When we had an urge to get home we cut across what became the Lost Swamp Pond. I think we tried it twice, getting miserably wet the first time as we slipped off the exposed branches of low bushes into a foot or two of standing water. The second time, I thought I saw a way through and we managed to find even deeper water. Maybe that deeper water was the creek. But it is such a straight ditch that will soon be revealed when the snow melts that it may be a channel dredged by the beavers after they built their dams. For the past 10 years or so, beavers here generally began the winter in the big lodge in the southeast end of the pond. Then when otters breached the dam, they moved into one of the three lodges nearer the main dam. I hoped this was a perpetual motion machine with the beavers living off pond vegetation and red osier and other small woody shrubs that were convenient to any of the lodges along with a few large hardwood trees. The latter, however, soon became only accessible near the lodge farthest from the dam, which may be why this perpetual motion machine ground to a halt. That lodge today looked unused by beavers though there evidently had been a patch of open water next to it.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabmecmxD0UCDmm76aQAUEuiaaO12-0Yds9X7q67szlUPlOAKs6vj8x30WalD1zDlPZTCtDRujSFr9hEug5bs8NnhyseWkBl5z731S_X1xu-KoohTskjXegpPEewa7tr6LpWUKUB9nOG1N/s1600/lsldg16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabmecmxD0UCDmm76aQAUEuiaaO12-0Yds9X7q67szlUPlOAKs6vj8x30WalD1zDlPZTCtDRujSFr9hEug5bs8NnhyseWkBl5z731S_X1xu-KoohTskjXegpPEewa7tr6LpWUKUB9nOG1N/s320/lsldg16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>But in past winters this was not an area the beavers usually kept open. I walked back down to the dam to see if the otters had been active since I last saw their activity here two days ago. I saw some very faint slides on the ice below their hole in the snow west of the dam.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWx5g4hNfIK6tphqQ_PRSQCKBta3dieT9417cz9tIKxQDr3PLT3uoKo2Bq2eOh3gcEzY56pcXxHQYxckZp_On13dO3t9wa230OMbVHJLd5A9aqbQaz2mJrFj31lmEdWkpx2xAjtVBwkvTB/s1600/lsotttks16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWx5g4hNfIK6tphqQ_PRSQCKBta3dieT9417cz9tIKxQDr3PLT3uoKo2Bq2eOh3gcEzY56pcXxHQYxckZp_On13dO3t9wa230OMbVHJLd5A9aqbQaz2mJrFj31lmEdWkpx2xAjtVBwkvTB/s320/lsotttks16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The slides made an impression in either the remnants of snow fog crystals or the hint of lake effect snow we had last night. It looked like one otter briefly came out of the hole and went back in. But multiple slides can mean another otter.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9oBFWxYYhG38qzKEaWv_zv0uu9zWgXpTy1AbULPcGLFnHlJ4ENU51cuA6V-7I6CdHX8bb53vKuw0RYAvYkV-GZvIavKiunIAsb_J9DNUluZ1VZ2PW-bdQC19tUwggSUwTLds1q754QJf/s1600/lsotttksa16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9oBFWxYYhG38qzKEaWv_zv0uu9zWgXpTy1AbULPcGLFnHlJ4ENU51cuA6V-7I6CdHX8bb53vKuw0RYAvYkV-GZvIavKiunIAsb_J9DNUluZ1VZ2PW-bdQC19tUwggSUwTLds1q754QJf/s320/lsotttksa16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The light was better for taking a photo of the water gushing out from the hole in the bottom of the dam.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJ0Vn-MpWriVrTZoPoGBicj08pAOO5jz7gdWYahUkspzBcr1mW40wmHYoErTwU5axKo0T6cq0Ukg3H5SOuM28_gJPuJZsh-CUMpd-ZomqY1Eg9jw_Yq0Jjd3XYPtUrmLuYKabB-AX-9Vs/s1600/lsoutflow16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJ0Vn-MpWriVrTZoPoGBicj08pAOO5jz7gdWYahUkspzBcr1mW40wmHYoErTwU5axKo0T6cq0Ukg3H5SOuM28_gJPuJZsh-CUMpd-ZomqY1Eg9jw_Yq0Jjd3XYPtUrmLuYKabB-AX-9Vs/s320/lsoutflow16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>But the snow was still too deep to try to get a look at the hole. I went down to the Upper Second Swamp Pond and was struck by how meager that pond remains. It was virtually dry last summer. Now with water flowing down from the Lost Swamp Pond dam, there is a pretty and very short meandering creek in the middle of the old pond bed.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxP_4ddiEzkDkN0RK2NyOKvWN3b1zZvPtiXISN8n1ZfwVLtENNzE3W5DQ5ISS63WJqbPvXSv0gLTb1CKkXnZ_8KVBN5HE35BeRUow1MckQHkg2OLZoyvaKBdlKe4YXTcap60nRdTJMcUE/s1600/upsp16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxP_4ddiEzkDkN0RK2NyOKvWN3b1zZvPtiXISN8n1ZfwVLtENNzE3W5DQ5ISS63WJqbPvXSv0gLTb1CKkXnZ_8KVBN5HE35BeRUow1MckQHkg2OLZoyvaKBdlKe4YXTcap60nRdTJMcUE/s320/upsp16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I don’t think there is any room under the ice there for any otter, muskrat or mink to forage or den. I headed down to the Second Swamp Pond and once again was struck by how full the pond looked after being almost empty when I left it in the fall.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8AO2ACyRcuguFNgycNYat6f68xk8rvOEEbr2cJt6hwmpYLePzShoQOIfP7W-V0du9IW2KsBw8by-pr_LEXC3QksugO8xY-eV-K_1glPrTaYFiBJ7vsuwFP5dlifHq_VBj0Jy6FWCDAKT/s1600/sp16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8AO2ACyRcuguFNgycNYat6f68xk8rvOEEbr2cJt6hwmpYLePzShoQOIfP7W-V0du9IW2KsBw8by-pr_LEXC3QksugO8xY-eV-K_1glPrTaYFiBJ7vsuwFP5dlifHq_VBj0Jy6FWCDAKT/s320/sp16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>That even got my hopes up that beavers had moved back into the pond. But I saw nothing along the shore and nothing at the old lodge to suggest that beavers were back. And right behind the dam, where the water should be the highest if the dam had been repaired, I saw many large clumps of vegetation, hardy sedges I suppose.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlu8rlaDyPfAeU0wPoeBH2wgtF7JXOTRC-WPGBGvRYV7e436Iqq6lqetyhIJb2swFOpg4Urv-1DPajvvnjxe9ZCygZznMEXvQPsfdnMw547M18Kz3Qc2GBnM3FUN4yL0m8OmAV13uOAySf/s1600/spdam16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlu8rlaDyPfAeU0wPoeBH2wgtF7JXOTRC-WPGBGvRYV7e436Iqq6lqetyhIJb2swFOpg4Urv-1DPajvvnjxe9ZCygZznMEXvQPsfdnMw547M18Kz3Qc2GBnM3FUN4yL0m8OmAV13uOAySf/s320/spdam16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I suppose the grasses that grew on the newly exposed pond bottom were fragile enough to be bent down by the snow. Perhaps in time the meadow will rule even in the winter. I headed for the East Trail Pond and at the old dam, I was pleased to see what I’ve seen for every winter as long as I can remember, a porcupine trail in the snow going from the jumble of granite rocks east of the dam across the dam and up the ridge to the west.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ3tzwfP5jRmGhAkMGEMOvYqaU4FzOqpQvVDiM7h1wdRSVot3R_T_-xvCn_P_6C389He74rykaXp0JMeGWFWZ28ejstaRWk-jo7k3jzW7bzLaxLCEbFwjUAxl6NAMw9bHsArC8IDr5XK5n/s1600/etpptks16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ3tzwfP5jRmGhAkMGEMOvYqaU4FzOqpQvVDiM7h1wdRSVot3R_T_-xvCn_P_6C389He74rykaXp0JMeGWFWZ28ejstaRWk-jo7k3jzW7bzLaxLCEbFwjUAxl6NAMw9bHsArC8IDr5XK5n/s320/etpptks16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I walked on the little pond behind the old East Trail Pond dam and then through the snow covered meadow to the new dam. I crossed over it at about its middle and didn’t see any otter slides or holes. I saw a large fresh trail coming up from the patch of sometimes open water behind the north end of the dam.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEq323qFfhyKXw3IeO5A_PbndUaO25lRjA5VpGUHE79_61iAs5ik1KcyTBwfHjhBfycN0LiZNLMSjLh9npcPU6pDROPMOLsNvBaDcRTTux2YMCqCjmZD4ZGdGjfNu0VhIc3hebeHzaAHG/s1600/etbvtrs16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEq323qFfhyKXw3IeO5A_PbndUaO25lRjA5VpGUHE79_61iAs5ik1KcyTBwfHjhBfycN0LiZNLMSjLh9npcPU6pDROPMOLsNvBaDcRTTux2YMCqCjmZD4ZGdGjfNu0VhIc3hebeHzaAHG/s320/etbvtrs16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>When that patch of water was open the beavers did some dredging or they left behind some of the vegetation they brought up to eat from the shallow bottom.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-U5KpEzGjRgjgFP_8cORST6hVidSn7QkT-zKFwsOG6HBfWYJewlSz0LX-ZCOOWOhGweUCx18NbEoyAdRgWDa86D8t6PPi-IA46jfiZ42enBSELtH0odPClIETpHRKTxLCMxjoJwre51X1/s1600/ethole16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-U5KpEzGjRgjgFP_8cORST6hVidSn7QkT-zKFwsOG6HBfWYJewlSz0LX-ZCOOWOhGweUCx18NbEoyAdRgWDa86D8t6PPi-IA46jfiZ42enBSELtH0odPClIETpHRKTxLCMxjoJwre51X1/s320/ethole16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Before I got to those beaver trails I saw from afar, I noticed a smaller beaver trail up and over the dam and then through the cattails below the dam over to a large tree next to the old boardwalk. A beaver had gnawed on that tree.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2LF2o1GhrKS2bjDDk-ZLGtuB1Nr-c-qyltRhe3TJwqdjW8xPeVDv0wt9_-ugawjyM0XEiiiBIvbiZiSYUcFxAbUSVMc_3_TaEVixWWltLD5FwwvnK7bjfsORQ-ejr9bglZMES3pcf1Ji/s1600/etbvrtr16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2LF2o1GhrKS2bjDDk-ZLGtuB1Nr-c-qyltRhe3TJwqdjW8xPeVDv0wt9_-ugawjyM0XEiiiBIvbiZiSYUcFxAbUSVMc_3_TaEVixWWltLD5FwwvnK7bjfsORQ-ejr9bglZMES3pcf1Ji/s320/etbvrtr16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>At the well worn major beaver trail coming out of the water that was open a few days ago, I could see beaver prints in the snow.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFhj40fnobzEtBhMmJ0P9iXU8a5iMv-3ion_elIinzTNWwhbuLPiONH3QWjNjRALwfATd7DTUMjC_rAcr3uEB0QSg9xXhtyej8G1rAF6kqxF02sL2IV1ARWl-MxBAl4uTtYFJ3_W07vFw/s1600/etbvtrsa16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFhj40fnobzEtBhMmJ0P9iXU8a5iMv-3ion_elIinzTNWwhbuLPiONH3QWjNjRALwfATd7DTUMjC_rAcr3uEB0QSg9xXhtyej8G1rAF6kqxF02sL2IV1ARWl-MxBAl4uTtYFJ3_W07vFw/s320/etbvtrsa16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The trail was wide, but I never have the patience to try to determine if one beaver going back and forth made the trail or several beavers.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6r2LmZsQkaGH-r0r7QQUU1x3BlOP1uasuw1VVLsmPlsXGyeez-BtzflP2SWKH6dQGVH8ZGB-hWgKUd3Xxu-a5AYTvAmLzXGBgHLlxn6CyCmDUJdOF5shcT9YocwfjJNAS2HOZFR3Gwif/s1600/etbvtrsb16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6r2LmZsQkaGH-r0r7QQUU1x3BlOP1uasuw1VVLsmPlsXGyeez-BtzflP2SWKH6dQGVH8ZGB-hWgKUd3Xxu-a5AYTvAmLzXGBgHLlxn6CyCmDUJdOF5shcT9YocwfjJNAS2HOZFR3Gwif/s320/etbvtrsb16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I could see some drag marks in the snow so I followed the trail, up briefly and then down a gentle slope.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93Ls4DRqiHTT5_Kcqqq0dpzHKLNZCzD_M8a5UXVC3cwqX_Uu4_lkvCg-gGzMXwJz_-4rwhP7bv7y1B0MVhkl4DMJYxZXJZjGxeervRFts5ivP0Wh7lLEGwxP9tNAE0MuZGdb3rbhyphenhyphenIYlg/s1600/etbvtrsc16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93Ls4DRqiHTT5_Kcqqq0dpzHKLNZCzD_M8a5UXVC3cwqX_Uu4_lkvCg-gGzMXwJz_-4rwhP7bv7y1B0MVhkl4DMJYxZXJZjGxeervRFts5ivP0Wh7lLEGwxP9tNAE0MuZGdb3rbhyphenhyphenIYlg/s320/etbvtrsc16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>To a smaller tree the beavers had cut down the trimmed.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPnKkP0mYoqndYWqjQtI4U1CCll_7vGemLNznKEB3czXoduuRo3jt6rcvxiXRVXEp8q67bk-255fStPQAPl5nZWIraxu_ku2PGf4ZpRyPrBsIQ1hAIFrHhozdgI7L-X6XhCyxE-nvf0pb/s1600/etbvwk16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPnKkP0mYoqndYWqjQtI4U1CCll_7vGemLNznKEB3czXoduuRo3jt6rcvxiXRVXEp8q67bk-255fStPQAPl5nZWIraxu_ku2PGf4ZpRyPrBsIQ1hAIFrHhozdgI7L-X6XhCyxE-nvf0pb/s320/etbvwk16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>On the way there was a large red oak that beavers had gnawed as it they hoped to cut it down.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5fC30elaBSNF6QMOExODCXPEenSMzFafMvHmxL2xc464ZurK49GR_mVW8KNI2qZQ9ApG_cjX_44B8-ZGoyHKKSByIpgq18llBmOBVQIUlQnEt11prHwbtGeWbJYWUv5zf9t_UctMHGMB/s1600/etbvgnaw16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5fC30elaBSNF6QMOExODCXPEenSMzFafMvHmxL2xc464ZurK49GR_mVW8KNI2qZQ9ApG_cjX_44B8-ZGoyHKKSByIpgq18llBmOBVQIUlQnEt11prHwbtGeWbJYWUv5zf9t_UctMHGMB/s320/etbvgnaw16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I saw other tracks coming up from the patch of water that had been open. Some trails went relatively far. To me it looked like beavers had made all the trails.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLNw9hg1n5FKcOBk_pYjIGslzihdVXso3K2OCo_PM5UN7iRykcide6zCKqZBnFeMDcZ4Ikso_-Ciw4VCtiF5lmh2_a8a-4quObQB1ml99D_xUQOIrNSxNZP5-2APx3p-91tQuXrbw0hBu/s1600/etbvtra16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLNw9hg1n5FKcOBk_pYjIGslzihdVXso3K2OCo_PM5UN7iRykcide6zCKqZBnFeMDcZ4Ikso_-Ciw4VCtiF5lmh2_a8a-4quObQB1ml99D_xUQOIrNSxNZP5-2APx3p-91tQuXrbw0hBu/s320/etbvtra16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Then I walked up the ridge north of the pond where the beavers had been cutting down and cutting up pine trees. I took a better photo of the big, half dead pine that looks like it was blown over.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvkTc9n73iaS3-jqKKc6Adpxm8skwUujBEUz0PySGZWMRZbxxu5Pq2mnoEpkCSPkJ_f3Uklr3Yzk0eUFkLoQ8KWdBXr7444RlQBQ6mG7fUAlvfPM1AksP-YCrNiBUln2yyM2t0WrlYejT/s1600/etpinewk16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvkTc9n73iaS3-jqKKc6Adpxm8skwUujBEUz0PySGZWMRZbxxu5Pq2mnoEpkCSPkJ_f3Uklr3Yzk0eUFkLoQ8KWdBXr7444RlQBQ6mG7fUAlvfPM1AksP-YCrNiBUln2yyM2t0WrlYejT/s320/etpinewk16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I managed to get a photo of wood chips under the stump of a branch that a beaver gnawed off.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-R70wKRzdUflNJbl68zCGBG03Tlifa4X2vMZ5NQXMwrcdFSvNTiqAJfFeolgmRT5JmrFIPWFeIQBbK7rO3hSWWdGGVAIP9jmZ0_vbPWP7qn-HSmie2j31xhak6ZX1JKn4agr1Uag2CoY1/s1600/etpinewka16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-R70wKRzdUflNJbl68zCGBG03Tlifa4X2vMZ5NQXMwrcdFSvNTiqAJfFeolgmRT5JmrFIPWFeIQBbK7rO3hSWWdGGVAIP9jmZ0_vbPWP7qn-HSmie2j31xhak6ZX1JKn4agr1Uag2CoY1/s320/etpinewka16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The photo also shows a tangle of branches that the beavers didn’t touch. I looked for new gnawing on the pines and didn’t see any, but I thought I saw fresh beavers prints on the trail coming up from the hole in the ice.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibvXtav1vsRxP3q4_ycoJ7PCdHx4CF0FaGfLApQPHK_ZKm9ZLGK7G3-P1VKQXgK_zgw7K-aF-4v9nK8zCnJFqi8JGA9yh_Ban88yb7fdVgybGNgFQsUyJQl9skpRE65KkjuhB-zVZ1Ux2/s1600/etbvrtr16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibvXtav1vsRxP3q4_ycoJ7PCdHx4CF0FaGfLApQPHK_ZKm9ZLGK7G3-P1VKQXgK_zgw7K-aF-4v9nK8zCnJFqi8JGA9yh_Ban88yb7fdVgybGNgFQsUyJQl9skpRE65KkjuhB-zVZ1Ux2/s320/etbvrtr16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>And the pine boughs that were outside the hole earlier were gone.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSP-KdpeRMvAgaYdfxR6VQ1gfULtX9GYCFE_ORJ-3jCk_tbeVXAfI4q3HhF40Jghc1rWqEw913eH3KtJtXv5Parl8uXkc6ZJmCeZSQey6rfRrHAACEOyGoaHZ5eAggNIUdqs_D4yCySTX/s1600/etbvhole16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSP-KdpeRMvAgaYdfxR6VQ1gfULtX9GYCFE_ORJ-3jCk_tbeVXAfI4q3HhF40Jghc1rWqEw913eH3KtJtXv5Parl8uXkc6ZJmCeZSQey6rfRrHAACEOyGoaHZ5eAggNIUdqs_D4yCySTX/s320/etbvhole16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The water in the hole was frozen over just like the water behind the dam. But when I looked down at this hole on the 13th, I didn’t see any water. So the water level below the ice must have risen with the thaw and the water froze some time last night. I wanted to get down on the pond ice to look for otter tracks, and as I did that I saw where a beaver dug down to get to some dirt and moss and other vegetation under the snow up on the step of rocks just above the pond.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVsgO-7pzFaSGiDIQIkL36vhqsKoM0zOaWCRhNNAvAFT1s-3CJqvbeFHmXtQOkqn0n5gNH8jMu9F7MwXdCx6Nlg8PcrSDEqUTl3H2fl7BfprwBjqz2RLk_C9toOAephuNFeO-ySx3u77N7/s1600/etbvdig16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVsgO-7pzFaSGiDIQIkL36vhqsKoM0zOaWCRhNNAvAFT1s-3CJqvbeFHmXtQOkqn0n5gNH8jMu9F7MwXdCx6Nlg8PcrSDEqUTl3H2fl7BfprwBjqz2RLk_C9toOAephuNFeO-ySx3u77N7/s320/etbvdig16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The tracks coming down to the digging came from the red oak stump from where four trunks sprouted. Two died years ago, the beavers cut down one last winter and now they are back at work on the last living trunk.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fcPKanbmwxFvMypvwlI0olTp0JRgtQINsBqZaAIKaMmnF-VJ8E4ysbZ0vL5sFXv27RsCV6jJAf8JHemJaDsVQU1Pc5MgvpGSOQ_oT7iGEHrQQkCzjEpsU6wnEWoPpqVugmElLvaKgfO2/s1600/etbvgnawa16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fcPKanbmwxFvMypvwlI0olTp0JRgtQINsBqZaAIKaMmnF-VJ8E4ysbZ0vL5sFXv27RsCV6jJAf8JHemJaDsVQU1Pc5MgvpGSOQ_oT7iGEHrQQkCzjEpsU6wnEWoPpqVugmElLvaKgfO2/s320/etbvgnawa16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I walked down onto the ice and found one hole in the ice under a clump of bushes that looked like it had been recently used by a beaver.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_WFu0L8d0EN_SQh8TNOyzeKy4l4PvnolIUvXJb5ljkSqXrJ-ZcNCTFwMyZE_fkAq_4XCRD0XbCpWskm-QjD8spbqkUSOxhxGy9yCd26IcPW5fIA3hgONhvYc_n6885ZTw64RGcv3rE1iv/s1600/etbushhole16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_WFu0L8d0EN_SQh8TNOyzeKy4l4PvnolIUvXJb5ljkSqXrJ-ZcNCTFwMyZE_fkAq_4XCRD0XbCpWskm-QjD8spbqkUSOxhxGy9yCd26IcPW5fIA3hgONhvYc_n6885ZTw64RGcv3rE1iv/s320/etbushhole16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>This was like the holes under the bushes that the otter used a few days ago. There were no signs of an otter moving on top of the pond and while I never saw tracks from here to there, I think the otter in the Lost Swamp Pond is the same otter that was in the East Trail Pond. I did see a brief mink trail that led to a small hole at the edge of the rock cliff.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMWArLKwMRRu_0QZQnNmgvPuKu75EFByHz8KdXjnqMpTGt1hxgT98BOS3lSMWOlW_A7ZEu3C0F0YJkJClVuXWCo5MqWV5cAFQfDkA_2oBuEGwqKSFeLvJ7bhLfqDfkITqOilpgT2g9FxL/s1600/etminkhole16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMWArLKwMRRu_0QZQnNmgvPuKu75EFByHz8KdXjnqMpTGt1hxgT98BOS3lSMWOlW_A7ZEu3C0F0YJkJClVuXWCo5MqWV5cAFQfDkA_2oBuEGwqKSFeLvJ7bhLfqDfkITqOilpgT2g9FxL/s320/etminkhole16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I walked across the pond to where I know there is a burrow in the bank that muskrats, beavers and otters have used, but there was no hole through the ice down into the pond near that burrow. I walked home via the East Trail and walked across South Bay. I went out of my way to go to the TI Park mail boxes, not so much for the mail but to see if the pine grosbeaks were still in the berry tree at the nearby corner. I saw them there yesterday, and they were still feasting on the berries.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKrJwLYQp3g-7C_dED-8f9borp2tRHZtHrzAUZnL9WvyMHw1qykxPq7DBPJACiT97DbfwAYM6xGVX5pP7BTyoYXRAHdda3S6TLe9yaE3tgkk1Nb5g5O6MLPW48a3Q49sYekhiZ6G3F-wP/s1600/pinegrosbeak16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKrJwLYQp3g-7C_dED-8f9borp2tRHZtHrzAUZnL9WvyMHw1qykxPq7DBPJACiT97DbfwAYM6xGVX5pP7BTyoYXRAHdda3S6TLe9yaE3tgkk1Nb5g5O6MLPW48a3Q49sYekhiZ6G3F-wP/s320/pinegrosbeak16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>There were about a dozen of them and they were not shy at all as I moved under them taking photos.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJokc4wtQd3KpxtWmi5wTwwweWsBHk_4M44IWllSq-3wDQSuse2JgiAFswsktw2zsbtKY0yBeYGtK8fMZeDmnER6W7qfbghdmWCiYYVbt5JwgIDUpcGwy4EvMtGgEOsDkfWkVXXIISZ5B/s1600/pinegrosbeaka16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJokc4wtQd3KpxtWmi5wTwwweWsBHk_4M44IWllSq-3wDQSuse2JgiAFswsktw2zsbtKY0yBeYGtK8fMZeDmnER6W7qfbghdmWCiYYVbt5JwgIDUpcGwy4EvMtGgEOsDkfWkVXXIISZ5B/s320/pinegrosbeaka16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>They also hopped down on the snow to get the berry seeds that dropped down there. In some varieties of this species, the males have striking red, but this seemed be what is called the russet variant judging by one male I caught on camera.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnHBw7g3j13r-uAMp1qRlb7DyDfxXkOokUKL4vh1g5-7ocEw2PbrHtMMyZsOd33btxhwwmpT_EhlW_6wVTPzQPIpQaedaZx50NKtqSC1d5HOWQtuh2c2I7xl9r3Ofjq2Fs1azUKZ8E0xT/s1600/pinegrosbeakb16feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnHBw7g3j13r-uAMp1qRlb7DyDfxXkOokUKL4vh1g5-7ocEw2PbrHtMMyZsOd33btxhwwmpT_EhlW_6wVTPzQPIpQaedaZx50NKtqSC1d5HOWQtuh2c2I7xl9r3Ofjq2Fs1azUKZ8E0xT/s320/pinegrosbeakb16feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>We’ve seen them in here in other winters, but not for a few years.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<FONT SIZE=4><SPAN LANG="EN"><P>February 18 the temperature has been well below freezing so I didn’t expect to see any fresh beaver activity at our land. But the snow has been settling and firming up so I thought I might get around better and see what the beavers have done. The slush in the middle of the Deep Pond had firmed up and I was able to get closer to the hole in the dam, which certainly looks like it was made by a beaver.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzIcx13OS2hHjOxVio8lF0TK26xFnlB3CQhDDq03-Re0Et2Kte-kmtcZ4dDmTSYlUZ_53bK0KdEYs4DyDGYU7xAFk0dGDCv12LwPCvsHPbT-5hVd-FjeejByu4WT1VUXRYIqoM5Ws2Yqu/s1600/dpdamhole18feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzIcx13OS2hHjOxVio8lF0TK26xFnlB3CQhDDq03-Re0Et2Kte-kmtcZ4dDmTSYlUZ_53bK0KdEYs4DyDGYU7xAFk0dGDCv12LwPCvsHPbT-5hVd-FjeejByu4WT1VUXRYIqoM5Ws2Yqu/s320/dpdamhole18feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Meanwhile Leslie had crossed the pond and up on the slope of the east shore of the pond found some claw marks in the snow below a urine stain on the snow under a small bush.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23jP_vhUlRkVHOSo_uVO3anVibh-6Lws7TJzJrBr_4t-X7secD3Bwy6M2pbnyrlvcoqZ9s_RE2m0l8PaafKTZNO2pO_Yl_yQWbpeLolabiLkYbddYrZq37sUwDXyHzMP58bqEyUFo3LZ0/s1600/clawmarks18feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23jP_vhUlRkVHOSo_uVO3anVibh-6Lws7TJzJrBr_4t-X7secD3Bwy6M2pbnyrlvcoqZ9s_RE2m0l8PaafKTZNO2pO_Yl_yQWbpeLolabiLkYbddYrZq37sUwDXyHzMP58bqEyUFo3LZ0/s320/clawmarks18feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>The claw marks looked big so I suppose a coyote did it. But since there was no trail of tracks on the hard snow perhaps a smaller animal did it, a bobcat.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1z8hAmloKQZhPqt_ogGi8sKpRe2raiqRVm6qYu8PDyt5JemBBKff9BWWDCB9imsbNvHV5R4FvwBaLk98YwpSRBm-7VzZMrxpX42xq2wUDXpc0mwcXcB8IoWU4q7M1rVCB1hJXb5vHHip/s1600/clawmarksa18feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1z8hAmloKQZhPqt_ogGi8sKpRe2raiqRVm6qYu8PDyt5JemBBKff9BWWDCB9imsbNvHV5R4FvwBaLk98YwpSRBm-7VzZMrxpX42xq2wUDXpc0mwcXcB8IoWU4q7M1rVCB1hJXb5vHHip/s320/clawmarksa18feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>So as I checked out the beaver activity around there I also looked for bobcat or coyote prints and didn’t see either. Today it was easier to see the beaver tracks around the beaver hole, and it looked like the pond ice was collapsing back making it look like a crevasse was opening to left of the hole in the ice.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QON-uBJxs-VdTBgc2iIEGXKqC-snX3piuCmfy3vyMU3Fp-aGHbqGSxCZrEc-oyK_bf5L5m2ql5RTXgN5GQXly0R87LAAt4NSKkVzvD9eHC_3y9MM95PNFMT7kx76GBZmknRbP3yfYdnF/s1600/dpbvhole18feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QON-uBJxs-VdTBgc2iIEGXKqC-snX3piuCmfy3vyMU3Fp-aGHbqGSxCZrEc-oyK_bf5L5m2ql5RTXgN5GQXly0R87LAAt4NSKkVzvD9eHC_3y9MM95PNFMT7kx76GBZmknRbP3yfYdnF/s320/dpbvhole18feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I also saw a small hole in the snow farther down the slope over one of the beaver burrows. I bet the beavers are staying in a burrow along this slope. As the snow compacted I expected to see the stumps of saplings that the beavers cut in the fall while I was away, but I didn’t. A large ash they cut down near the inlet creek had its few branches trimmed but there was very little gnawing on the trunk, just a foot of stripped bark. </P><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjxTk49yBoI8ntAoNKstVIsN_WO7-FR4N4n0bg4WLpQ6yW5GC5j3djh0W_RMv4e2yZeh726Nk54VtsqIAMAixTpDkjtPo18QnTCOxf2_xJwqU1JYdSrSGsNy-hC7uJ4AMP8SBzBdOXydn/s1600/dpbvwk18feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjxTk49yBoI8ntAoNKstVIsN_WO7-FR4N4n0bg4WLpQ6yW5GC5j3djh0W_RMv4e2yZeh726Nk54VtsqIAMAixTpDkjtPo18QnTCOxf2_xJwqU1JYdSrSGsNy-hC7uJ4AMP8SBzBdOXydn/s320/dpbvwk18feb13.JPG" /></a><br />
</P><br />
<P>All the smaller stumps around were the remains of trees cut months if not years ago. There was a smaller ash nearby that was still standing. The beaver didn’t gnaw into it enough to give the wind a chance to blow it down.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3b4WPdfYYmL8LDsBCTlUy9SwTfcde9BmPdgvRh9TSxnvhh7rdEHyJvSLKVIvIWnsaRtYt81oQgZCMozfAonEL_GiX9WatIccxIygykse1DhdhRP3fF6JSNPrUn9zhquGtBEBw5OOPMvr/s1600/dpash18feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3b4WPdfYYmL8LDsBCTlUy9SwTfcde9BmPdgvRh9TSxnvhh7rdEHyJvSLKVIvIWnsaRtYt81oQgZCMozfAonEL_GiX9WatIccxIygykse1DhdhRP3fF6JSNPrUn9zhquGtBEBw5OOPMvr/s320/dpash18feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>And I saw that two relatively small maples that should have been easy to cut down were still standing, only half gnawed.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEist4xnNj5pzegBNgd6pybGfJvKLLHzD7g6PRtVT-zPgusuWk_M5eIt_TQ7lB6KNwKU1sdumby3ghkEybxbtzGPHDJGuJ5OTxCVQKw_HOr27B0TWatiHa01aQFuCNAK3UAVtsmZAabM-BDH/s1600/dpbvwka18feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEist4xnNj5pzegBNgd6pybGfJvKLLHzD7g6PRtVT-zPgusuWk_M5eIt_TQ7lB6KNwKU1sdumby3ghkEybxbtzGPHDJGuJ5OTxCVQKw_HOr27B0TWatiHa01aQFuCNAK3UAVtsmZAabM-BDH/s320/dpbvwka18feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>Then I headed up the ridge planning to go along the boundary line to Boundary Pond. I looked for beaver work higher up the slope and saw none. So, though a beaver or two is obviously in the Deep Pond now, there was only a modest amount of tree cutting in the fall. As I continued up and over the ridge, I picked up a trail that had the gait of a bobcat if two bobcats made the trail.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzqqYjPbMGYD2Dt1koxUHDp7dvTBBAU4m1amb7cWdDlPkk0L5NgGvPXMYIAjOEIJi8ks-9noMg1EJP4ns4I1LxQfKVTTt4WtimINF4hG3-lZsGwXdB5gundqG66o4ABtenIdQ9fj1Zk3l/s1600/tracks18feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzqqYjPbMGYD2Dt1koxUHDp7dvTBBAU4m1amb7cWdDlPkk0L5NgGvPXMYIAjOEIJi8ks-9noMg1EJP4ns4I1LxQfKVTTt4WtimINF4hG3-lZsGwXdB5gundqG66o4ABtenIdQ9fj1Zk3l/s320/tracks18feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>But I never saw any prints that looked like a bobcat’s. So I began to suspect that I was following the trail a porcupine made through the harder snow. Then I saw a typical porcupine trough in the snow.</P><br />
<P ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEoMYoPY_IRbvkA9rurJ0xMfNNT5AAw2_L8uVoCBa_hYqvxgAOFC3ZpqIxhLSws389nkMBnFYD6Dw-w2yDGfa-0UfIN0dU2zebT879aPdPRtcYbxfxE-GhUGgJF-ks3lqLrDBn8eOCmBp/s1600/ppinetks18feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEoMYoPY_IRbvkA9rurJ0xMfNNT5AAw2_L8uVoCBa_hYqvxgAOFC3ZpqIxhLSws389nkMBnFYD6Dw-w2yDGfa-0UfIN0dU2zebT879aPdPRtcYbxfxE-GhUGgJF-ks3lqLrDBn8eOCmBp/s320/ppinetks18feb13.JPG" /></a></P><br />
<P>I also found that the snow in the woods was not that firm and I found myself in some deep snow. Tracking became difficult so instead of veering here and there, I made a beeline to Boundary Pond where there was nothing new and I headed home from there after sitting for spell on a log and enjoying the quiet.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
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Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-43025254776189986892013-02-15T08:02:00.002-08:002013-02-15T08:02:40.651-08:00February 3 to 7, 2013<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>February 3 we’ve been away since September 19, caring for Leslie’s father. It’s the longest time we’ve been away from the island and our land since we moved up here in the early summer of 1994. One reason it was easy for me to be away so long is that there are now fewer beaver ponds and fewer beavers to watch. Of course, while I was away, I hoped that the beavers and other animals would flourish. We arrived yesterday in the middle of a lake effect snow storm that left about 7 inches of snow. Since there was a major thaw a few days ago, except in some deep woods, it was the only snow around. Since mid-December it has been relatively cold here and it was cold today, in the low 20sF. I managed to head off for a hike around 2pm. I went to South Bay via the road expecting that a snowmobile might have broken a trail across the bay. It was the weekend after all, but none had. Ottoleo told me that the lower part of the bay was safe to walk on, but since there had been a thaw, then a quick freeze and then fresh snow, I worried that there might be a weak top layer of ice with puddles between it and the solid ice below. Never fun to walk on that. So I walked around the bay along the trail. The 7 inches of fresh, relatively dry snow was easy to walk through. Few animals had stirred since the storm and I saw no tracks on the trail usually well used by animals. Looking down on the ice, I didn’t seen any tracks there either.</P><br />
<br />
<p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPxSBDmv_Fr9MXMGZEE5KuRjqiriiapBu1Uw8hjhB7xH8NrL2P8e7-Jxl6tzujlNKSqbyj86CprON0W-WSZT_9A1sf2UAoQxiJi8NbTyFuxYb7wcIc_LSgBMdBYWvO2TRP-7qrskH-kt6t/s1600/sbay3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPxSBDmv_Fr9MXMGZEE5KuRjqiriiapBu1Uw8hjhB7xH8NrL2P8e7-Jxl6tzujlNKSqbyj86CprON0W-WSZT_9A1sf2UAoQxiJi8NbTyFuxYb7wcIc_LSgBMdBYWvO2TRP-7qrskH-kt6t/s320/sbay3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Not until I got to a small wooden foot bridge on the East Trail did I see where a mink took advantage of the shelter afforded by that.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3S3Mbi_OjKCIgb0KtybCC8TQlFZyLpDuyyNqgK5_dWou6znEGae_QBztKltoXW4WpKctk2ReFQaQgrmG0Rn4NSB-9e0JmGe9yDfN7METjHtRj9ZGkHyip01_iAZSMh8-Cki2As437uuNS/s1600/minktks3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3S3Mbi_OjKCIgb0KtybCC8TQlFZyLpDuyyNqgK5_dWou6znEGae_QBztKltoXW4WpKctk2ReFQaQgrmG0Rn4NSB-9e0JmGe9yDfN7METjHtRj9ZGkHyip01_iAZSMh8-Cki2As437uuNS/s320/minktks3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I approached the East Trail from one of the valleys coming down from the high ridge south of the pond. The beavers seemed to flourish here last winter and I saw three now and then. During the summer I seemed to see less of them but just before we left, I saw a beaver, perhaps two, evidently building a new lodge closer to the north shore. Seven inches of snow can cover a good bit of evidence of beaver activity since in the winter beavers often eat out of the cache of logs they sink in the pond in the fall. So that the pond, at first glance, looked almost featureless was to be expected.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYeVy-5LCPofxO9EGtCI2plTsrW-FpbKUVfGXpXR0WefkHQUMuEQP_kWeCllF0GVk15P1ZiloPe7Sn8PdpPnUnJNyK2kqtDzN0H_YCXbImYiSaGO0j6bqwfXIA4FqnXgbmD0uT7YxAkyWB/s1600/et3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYeVy-5LCPofxO9EGtCI2plTsrW-FpbKUVfGXpXR0WefkHQUMuEQP_kWeCllF0GVk15P1ZiloPe7Sn8PdpPnUnJNyK2kqtDzN0H_YCXbImYiSaGO0j6bqwfXIA4FqnXgbmD0uT7YxAkyWB/s320/et3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>But this family, who I have followed for a dozen years, usually cut a good number of trees during the winter. As I walked on the pond over to the lodge, I looked along the shores for fresh tree cutting and didn’t see any. This family often made small caches outside their lodge but I couldn’t see any today, and something should stick up out of just 7 or so inches of snow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Gi6IqpNV_jyrQ7H6mT6u5lFDpIAMbKYeqf60L55Fo00Inl2Bkifd_ugvvQynb-fP1ZqD3OKRlH6WUMGo6MhxN20B96L168i7FTHTi4NmdXD4rXYEgy0TU4lXgkP9g47mFpmta0aJPcI3/s1600/etldg3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Gi6IqpNV_jyrQ7H6mT6u5lFDpIAMbKYeqf60L55Fo00Inl2Bkifd_ugvvQynb-fP1ZqD3OKRlH6WUMGo6MhxN20B96L168i7FTHTi4NmdXD4rXYEgy0TU4lXgkP9g47mFpmta0aJPcI3/s320/etldg3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then I walked toward the dam until I cracked some ice underfoot. I didn’t see any holes in the ice behind it. Certainly the water level of the pond was not too high when the water froze. Hard to judge that after a snowfall.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhS3M5upqTivyzIZUZRoxDTvn2uNCpDpcRFiMQwdRs-EIaoDcBAz2xK8vYcxX0aAEuQMj0AV-h0vTYptjGDuyDPwiws2bBE_PmePgLqGxPjMx-LSQNxKpHnRryVj0FEZKiwfXA8jxxjDWc/s1600/etdam3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhS3M5upqTivyzIZUZRoxDTvn2uNCpDpcRFiMQwdRs-EIaoDcBAz2xK8vYcxX0aAEuQMj0AV-h0vTYptjGDuyDPwiws2bBE_PmePgLqGxPjMx-LSQNxKpHnRryVj0FEZKiwfXA8jxxjDWc/s320/etdam3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then I walked over to where the new lodge was being built and I had trouble finding it since it sits rather low in the snow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_5sODx_-EN0qSXEr42OZXpGSnwrYC7-sG6YIgykxa1DooAQnGxnV46DLosxsJJyhpJFiP9eIU9N2hAf5MW8Ep3szBPL7_5kjJLpGkKGaR8IMfxjrs292lELnEzNlVUhrSzSJ9AcWwjsx/s1600/etnldg3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_5sODx_-EN0qSXEr42OZXpGSnwrYC7-sG6YIgykxa1DooAQnGxnV46DLosxsJJyhpJFiP9eIU9N2hAf5MW8Ep3szBPL7_5kjJLpGkKGaR8IMfxjrs292lELnEzNlVUhrSzSJ9AcWwjsx/s320/etnldg3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then I recalled that the water in the pond, thanks to a dry summer, was rather low when I saw them build it. No sign of a cache here, no holes that a beaver might climb out of, but those would be covered by the snow and a beaver might not want to dig out at this cold time of year. Then looking in the direction where the beavers had a big hole in the ice last year, I saw some tracks going from one clump of bushes to another, the usual pattern browsing deer make and they are usually the first animals browsing after a snowfall.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8IWT4RTwoj8w9ay1mm19FRhYMY3KmiN147dZO_cSE-ANDH3DMsmW1AmNq0UcqW5YxWShk0BINmRMPTjrs0ZVbi-ZZrwrkMk9uMH-nz-FrSpt9C7Jprz7iFqChTPz8DlEuFBNXnVuXtm02/s1600/ettks3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8IWT4RTwoj8w9ay1mm19FRhYMY3KmiN147dZO_cSE-ANDH3DMsmW1AmNq0UcqW5YxWShk0BINmRMPTjrs0ZVbi-ZZrwrkMk9uMH-nz-FrSpt9C7Jprz7iFqChTPz8DlEuFBNXnVuXtm02/s320/ettks3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>But the trail was really a trough, and around the clump of winterberry bushes to the right I saw the holes the animal or animals came out of.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRBCCw7wRy-N7iTPAgr0mepFbJXUNBs3dfMhK41NFYguqlx_tSFMmLqHkEAD7Fr7O8vxBFvL_7sjqypehcWz3qdclugoretLmbGp30VVoLrVIFbXff2UR0eT3BIyXgaoMYhO2URFeASfO/s1600/ethole3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRBCCw7wRy-N7iTPAgr0mepFbJXUNBs3dfMhK41NFYguqlx_tSFMmLqHkEAD7Fr7O8vxBFvL_7sjqypehcWz3qdclugoretLmbGp30VVoLrVIFbXff2UR0eT3BIyXgaoMYhO2URFeASfO/s320/ethole3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The size of the area of packed snow outside the hole looked like what one otter could do. But otters often scat outside their holes and I couldn’t see any scats.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tC_5PmkChA9YhifTgXuBJ_xBL-iuagxcufBIzNKDc6AKAkmVHW764Hotl2P5LTsdbXCkEgCS3Jiwu5aH4twdBkxAmwyC4NVXpc2zMLjQ7qzlIGqPwiV593F2uRTqzXXXB9-7uCnkGH85/s1600/etholea3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tC_5PmkChA9YhifTgXuBJ_xBL-iuagxcufBIzNKDc6AKAkmVHW764Hotl2P5LTsdbXCkEgCS3Jiwu5aH4twdBkxAmwyC4NVXpc2zMLjQ7qzlIGqPwiV593F2uRTqzXXXB9-7uCnkGH85/s320/etholea3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I also didn’t see any evidence that a beaver made the hole, even though the size and shape of the hole is typically how beavers break the ice. The animal’s tracks were sinuous, but didn’t go far from the hole and ducked under the snow covered bushes, not something I picture an otter doing.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRwOa1F-kCCCJSvrivVpdQ5xLmG2uObr2H4Fvzo7aEnNdiNcOD65Bw2XiX1QokVMh50TvhvFJ9F0KzkiRnA5CTa-G-jBokvGgW_ndcid9ru5goVlu3NtiNXKXZ1jcKYrI_oMA21yNdrmd/s1600/ettksa3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRwOa1F-kCCCJSvrivVpdQ5xLmG2uObr2H4Fvzo7aEnNdiNcOD65Bw2XiX1QokVMh50TvhvFJ9F0KzkiRnA5CTa-G-jBokvGgW_ndcid9ru5goVlu3NtiNXKXZ1jcKYrI_oMA21yNdrmd/s320/ettksa3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Of course, I looked for a good print and studying the few I found, I got the impression that it was more likely that two minks in a chase made the troughs and not an otter.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrUsFQBfLKT4cQEhK_zSEkD1v3PAsTkO8hg2NAdzeyhyphenhyphencY0tr5cJfagzWolTAed6YJ3s6jCW5Z5nJq4TE5UDrQ6ZkHuTN3yuPAyvUjN-iXuyB4gn0JvOAs0yLS9l_WYq2MWunyZeUZZIf/s1600/etprints3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrUsFQBfLKT4cQEhK_zSEkD1v3PAsTkO8hg2NAdzeyhyphenhyphencY0tr5cJfagzWolTAed6YJ3s6jCW5Z5nJq4TE5UDrQ6ZkHuTN3yuPAyvUjN-iXuyB4gn0JvOAs0yLS9l_WYq2MWunyZeUZZIf/s320/etprints3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Minks are light and usually when I track them in the winter, they rarely make a deep impression in the snow. But the snow we had yesterday was quite fluffy, and probably wouldn’t support minks. Anyway that’s how I explained the deep trough from the holes to a fallen log where there might have been another small hole where a mink could disappear.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQmeLWJDSSnx2A_GonxFyVSVTr9C4NowI1UdzYnGeu5iyeKLKyjokaS_hWfND_vp0T0Oa8dCu1UxzDfBqCfwlljOrwDqCgBrwQAbnMAfLZ-6WqzNlIq38IUsULPk0s8mSLGho0or6FOnZ/s1600/ettksb3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQmeLWJDSSnx2A_GonxFyVSVTr9C4NowI1UdzYnGeu5iyeKLKyjokaS_hWfND_vp0T0Oa8dCu1UxzDfBqCfwlljOrwDqCgBrwQAbnMAfLZ-6WqzNlIq38IUsULPk0s8mSLGho0or6FOnZ/s320/ettksb3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I climbed up on the ridge north of the pond to get an overview. From their I could only see my tracks on the pond. I took a photo to show how much bigger the old lodge in the middle of the pond is than the new lodge in front of the last clump of bushes on the right side of the photo.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRg3WxhBzn9SxiEYK_KoeH6cPn6DRODtG-2T8R9-YkIQ5m58NH6GeApXdK8TnfqZ161qAfC-zBPqved17840Aa4I8rDAN2pJMr53BhjpZgJnMrkyMeQj796S2bQ6UulIzXgPYOV6uAH1zW/s1600/eta3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRg3WxhBzn9SxiEYK_KoeH6cPn6DRODtG-2T8R9-YkIQ5m58NH6GeApXdK8TnfqZ161qAfC-zBPqved17840Aa4I8rDAN2pJMr53BhjpZgJnMrkyMeQj796S2bQ6UulIzXgPYOV6uAH1zW/s320/eta3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then when I looked down at the dam, I saw some tracks and a hole in the ice and probably through the dam, something otters often do in the winter.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvxaouYc8sfQcvokbIX4q16RGwE-9q-ISgqoDsInWfPD5uWiJN8PkVxCDx9Nv7AULBN87vujNJDMQ6r37M4E8-hPrpaGSJssxkZ3cDQU9RyXbHYDQ-q5Z40HQORvQASKA9lkB2Cyea7Wz/s1600/etdamtks3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvxaouYc8sfQcvokbIX4q16RGwE-9q-ISgqoDsInWfPD5uWiJN8PkVxCDx9Nv7AULBN87vujNJDMQ6r37M4E8-hPrpaGSJssxkZ3cDQU9RyXbHYDQ-q5Z40HQORvQASKA9lkB2Cyea7Wz/s320/etdamtks3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I saw one trough coming out of the hole in the dam and then two troughs coming up from the hole in the pond ice and heading in the direction of where I saw the other tracks that I was tending to think were made by minks.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Rl-iEJS-2-71ivxAis9Cvny_F4BwnlqZw4frdahk5ew-EaxKY7ybv2YHAOgl1g1vbBFF1m-fPc-h8fAAm4-kfqIUsu8S-0_e_hqLsBzB2jJs0LT7sDL5n-rnh6QHqrOr5x1s4287XWO4/s1600/etdamhole3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Rl-iEJS-2-71ivxAis9Cvny_F4BwnlqZw4frdahk5ew-EaxKY7ybv2YHAOgl1g1vbBFF1m-fPc-h8fAAm4-kfqIUsu8S-0_e_hqLsBzB2jJs0LT7sDL5n-rnh6QHqrOr5x1s4287XWO4/s320/etdamhole3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I looked just outside the hole to see if there were any otter scats and saw none. I didn’t see any distinct prints but I did see some small tunnels in the ice like minks often make. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgYHCd4D9tlOcRTcYo4z5vVEkctbLYm_XFsStsd1EpjaRZ1fw3EBE6DFOB5kcmF_0OSJI2_GEcMEOSHgXnrDWZO2Be2CR0-Esje-Xj5tsIJJjTgK8f-TAubWe2gpPkAgTza1WABACImkt/s1600/etdamtksa3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgYHCd4D9tlOcRTcYo4z5vVEkctbLYm_XFsStsd1EpjaRZ1fw3EBE6DFOB5kcmF_0OSJI2_GEcMEOSHgXnrDWZO2Be2CR0-Esje-Xj5tsIJJjTgK8f-TAubWe2gpPkAgTza1WABACImkt/s320/etdamtksa3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Last February I saw a big play of mink tracks in holes below the dam. There were troughs worn down into firmer snow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewSxRkYaiD-BqjB1WFLKFRVb9ke9Tpf1L5Ly3ksbdSbYYttiBGqK-Wm3paA02x8ifwPVfbV0XX7gpW0v3-XitPX5klJzPeUDowHmjS9Oe2V72ti0H_7yEXkUCLHCFOhivjZEofjyz2-rt/s1600/etminktks23feb12.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewSxRkYaiD-BqjB1WFLKFRVb9ke9Tpf1L5Ly3ksbdSbYYttiBGqK-Wm3paA02x8ifwPVfbV0XX7gpW0v3-XitPX5klJzPeUDowHmjS9Oe2V72ti0H_7yEXkUCLHCFOhivjZEofjyz2-rt/s320/etminktks23feb12.JPG" /></a></P><p>Of course, I also looked for beaver work and didn’t see any nibbled sticks in or around the hole in the pond. However up on the up slope to the north, I saw some gnawing on a large tree which was done since September and perhaps relatively recently.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnch1AvfydPubXlS9dM7d-y-y1PSOJCSl2oXmmS7zBIrTKshpIamIxm-mlRzpz6euKhAYGLAeVRvE9EGXnI9NoY14bo87HiX_UG1DiPLZdWDXgfzMInic3d8wtNJ9Gr4SAdj905FJ8hW0/s1600/etbvwk3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnch1AvfydPubXlS9dM7d-y-y1PSOJCSl2oXmmS7zBIrTKshpIamIxm-mlRzpz6euKhAYGLAeVRvE9EGXnI9NoY14bo87HiX_UG1DiPLZdWDXgfzMInic3d8wtNJ9Gr4SAdj905FJ8hW0/s320/etbvwk3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Last winter the beavers cut down several trees high up on the ridge north of the pond and to get there I just had to walk up the East Trail. I didn’t see anything cut this winter, but I did see some cut pine trees on the lower part of the ridge. Last August these beavers cut several big pines and perhaps they cut these sometime this fall.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwM3ljcCr0UXlBhqQZz0-sIFLl5YIjl2XU6JqNrjnXceb20dzrzd8LFMBV0CRCy1vnaqKoCMhYPKlPBxiRc3Ghf0pTBgDm25fzHvFpg3ID10rfuuQv4PVzk9GZEqed9EboR-84YMSvJMSG/s1600/etpines3feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwM3ljcCr0UXlBhqQZz0-sIFLl5YIjl2XU6JqNrjnXceb20dzrzd8LFMBV0CRCy1vnaqKoCMhYPKlPBxiRc3Ghf0pTBgDm25fzHvFpg3ID10rfuuQv4PVzk9GZEqed9EboR-84YMSvJMSG/s320/etpines3feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Once the snow melts I might get a better sense of that. Walking home on the East Trail, I saw one porcupine trail but not the porcupine.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>February 4 we got over to our land today after being away since late September. The house was fine, and the cabin too. Even all the woodpiles were still covered. Some of the fences in the upper garden had been blown over but they needed some work anyway. We walked down to the Deep Pond via the Third Pond. That smaller pond had good ice and the water level looked high. A mink had scampered across it since the snow fell. We saw the trails of two coyotes going around the Deep Pond. Of course, I was looking for signs of beavers. I was seeing one beaver there in September and thought there were two, plus they were building a bank lodge on the low part of the north shore. Today, if it was there, the snow had buried it. And there was no sign of beaver activity at the bank lodge below the knoll, the usual home of beavers during the winter. There was a hole in the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPvz9TrhTMJUvyX5Hv-CV9rA-Vxv6l85CTO8CdBakjmFrjTMgpjV8w-sD9KGtZQRBoSi90scxD6QlvLe6zmSfKdKal6ax_u0ciz4aGhgp9lgTn_3eO3EmEnsrgEsSGZ0Tl-_OOFH2jO93/s1600/dpdam4feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPvz9TrhTMJUvyX5Hv-CV9rA-Vxv6l85CTO8CdBakjmFrjTMgpjV8w-sD9KGtZQRBoSi90scxD6QlvLe6zmSfKdKal6ax_u0ciz4aGhgp9lgTn_3eO3EmEnsrgEsSGZ0Tl-_OOFH2jO93/s320/dpdam4feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>But no signs that any animal used since the snow fell two days ago.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQv5o6k5MZYUL2UalXjq6q9yGK0YTJ4zbWCp2fa0OGtsnU_Yk898OClhHVUoNLwbu4dMg1VBPyWaTQ-30dCNZWM2cCN0xkhyphenhyphen6QXEUQnw57TDKofxVNP8mQUmInr33-412Nvmlfva1D_LYW/s1600/dpdamhole4feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQv5o6k5MZYUL2UalXjq6q9yGK0YTJ4zbWCp2fa0OGtsnU_Yk898OClhHVUoNLwbu4dMg1VBPyWaTQ-30dCNZWM2cCN0xkhyphenhyphen6QXEUQnw57TDKofxVNP8mQUmInr33-412Nvmlfva1D_LYW/s320/dpdamhole4feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>When the snow melts, I’ll check for otter scats. There were no beaver cut or gnawed trees that I could see. We walked down the road to White Swamp, following coyote tracks now and then. No activity that we could see on White Swamp but we didn’t poke around the shore. Before I left in September I tried to patch the hole deep in the Boundary Pond dam and after a few rains it looked like the patch was doing some good. So I went down to the Last Pool and Boundary Pond to see how high the water rose. There appeared to be some snow covered ice in the Last Pool channel, but not much.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XALLRFjDRfigvgxjU7n0biPnYBoLJrd1HHwZNlBM6XE0KVwqjshMPaHpI35TIZzydxK3-iX0twpYBQ-46AaRE7GHO90CPhe4SCt0JVd67K8Ht7S0cP8asSQQcArjSK6rdgtz3xw_PMsA/s1600/lpchan4feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XALLRFjDRfigvgxjU7n0biPnYBoLJrd1HHwZNlBM6XE0KVwqjshMPaHpI35TIZzydxK3-iX0twpYBQ-46AaRE7GHO90CPhe4SCt0JVd67K8Ht7S0cP8asSQQcArjSK6rdgtz3xw_PMsA/s320/lpchan4feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>And I knew with the water that low in the channel there was no water in the Last Pool. I walked down to Boundary Pond and it was obvious that there was no big pond but it looked like the lodge was surrounded with now frozen water and the water level was much higher behind the dam than it was before I patched the hole.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA38nnLx4_jY_IGTbgRN3X44g_ZhGhKIZJ_CfP1zDXYoVyZN4v1aIFx79EXVbOAIggc3WQ5E8uEk0xrG8hray4rPqC2aDTfVI61mBDXbpUmnnu3tXH7PpUKIrSxXHjRQjI1L9BMJ_FXA8a/s1600/bpldg4feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA38nnLx4_jY_IGTbgRN3X44g_ZhGhKIZJ_CfP1zDXYoVyZN4v1aIFx79EXVbOAIggc3WQ5E8uEk0xrG8hray4rPqC2aDTfVI61mBDXbpUmnnu3tXH7PpUKIrSxXHjRQjI1L9BMJ_FXA8a/s320/bpldg4feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>With the thaw I might get a big pond briefly, but obviously without beavers tending it, the dam is only half as effective, if that. Then I climbed up the west ridge to meet Leslie in the Hemlock Cathedral. At the edge of the hemlocks there was a beautiful porcupine trail. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0rQQl-uKV-bMjoRl6piErR-ZPfaAmzFjZ5onjzLjVXykOZy5IcJesu4FfAv4xFzB94YHnCfpHKZ3IBewFMhkhbPgrasFpt2KxFGPAzRq76i9EEZ649sC2hx-e67SoKaqDpXmRZi1s8rZ/s1600/ppinetks4feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0rQQl-uKV-bMjoRl6piErR-ZPfaAmzFjZ5onjzLjVXykOZy5IcJesu4FfAv4xFzB94YHnCfpHKZ3IBewFMhkhbPgrasFpt2KxFGPAzRq76i9EEZ649sC2hx-e67SoKaqDpXmRZi1s8rZ/s320/ppinetks4feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then I took my annual photo of Leslie walking into under the snow covered hemlocks.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOMlWLt3OhpeTEkL0H1e4CqknzUAZLlmxvH_uyjeVHbU3m9r7VpzO1FGQZb3zKpY1LwHAYjBNT_jmtTHlNZ0xY9jjdzwDhagVNyxHHEmCjYNkeEvaEIWGa3cUOmPcCCHRVBmT2UHgp__i/s1600/hemcath4feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOMlWLt3OhpeTEkL0H1e4CqknzUAZLlmxvH_uyjeVHbU3m9r7VpzO1FGQZb3zKpY1LwHAYjBNT_jmtTHlNZ0xY9jjdzwDhagVNyxHHEmCjYNkeEvaEIWGa3cUOmPcCCHRVBmT2UHgp__i/s320/hemcath4feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>As we drove out, we checked the First and Second Ponds. A deer crossed the latter. No rabbit tracks anywhere. Mammals are not really what I am looking forward to seeing at the land. I can’t wait for the flowers, frogs, turtles and birds.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>February 5 We headed to South Bay and on the way along one of the main roads in mostly deserted TI Park, we saw a screech owl up in a hole in a big tree</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxnvoURT89Cnco76R4rlHyq0xCIZNu7DglId8G0q88DbBuGkFs-XvRxckYrk3iAs_5VIYfm8meU4GHof0c-Jgvzlqz8-T7_jh2oYkGk5DmJ1N7FPpM4OpWyjysQatfwMKXNYKCYoaPs-a/s1600/owl5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxnvoURT89Cnco76R4rlHyq0xCIZNu7DglId8G0q88DbBuGkFs-XvRxckYrk3iAs_5VIYfm8meU4GHof0c-Jgvzlqz8-T7_jh2oYkGk5DmJ1N7FPpM4OpWyjysQatfwMKXNYKCYoaPs-a/s320/owl5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Its eyes were closed and we got pretty close. Not until we walked away did it jump back in its hole. As we crossed South Bay we saw two crows out on the ice near the point.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEwfD9sYE__YV_jPOWqSC_2r7Kym-RkQZHml4NHcVP9IHD78V-isJ3ycmeGXz0jhg1V37aN_TK1dpCVZ1ZBHQJuVsgk2n1KdHBjp3MKbApR5rmlRmx_U7fr0T_eLtEE3tP6x9iDqCnLG5/s1600/crows5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEwfD9sYE__YV_jPOWqSC_2r7Kym-RkQZHml4NHcVP9IHD78V-isJ3ycmeGXz0jhg1V37aN_TK1dpCVZ1ZBHQJuVsgk2n1KdHBjp3MKbApR5rmlRmx_U7fr0T_eLtEE3tP6x9iDqCnLG5/s320/crows5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>As we approached they flew off and we saw that they pecking at the remains of a deer.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_dOzfU2zVUODLrymSsNaV_1heB66SZElaM9yfxBZvt_WBrB_2CVHP2pxu7iIV3OvTp8qypHCXs-IGLFB4JMfYCf2sVzDOMHKYQ3hqcEVoQl9iAyXZ22ifrfAgqWT5NLYRG6b15zMzEOr/s1600/deerremains5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_dOzfU2zVUODLrymSsNaV_1heB66SZElaM9yfxBZvt_WBrB_2CVHP2pxu7iIV3OvTp8qypHCXs-IGLFB4JMfYCf2sVzDOMHKYQ3hqcEVoQl9iAyXZ22ifrfAgqWT5NLYRG6b15zMzEOr/s320/deerremains5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There were coyote prints all around the remains and coyote trails going to and from it. Although it’s good to see them, coyote trails on the South Bay are usually not that exciting to follow. At the point there were mink trails, once again a deep trough in the soft snow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQkIA9SY6G6-g8kM79P3WmXtl7Ili5KW_f7GR-GIU7eaPdvASJocuFdzU2ExAEmDmSpHHGi6bufzOhyphenhyphenZOlgQxw1wcNnDnRC4wh5K5KV1vGeSrZv-DyTSIcj4mZI22zr2UKl0DFioB_TZJ/s1600/sbminktks5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQkIA9SY6G6-g8kM79P3WmXtl7Ili5KW_f7GR-GIU7eaPdvASJocuFdzU2ExAEmDmSpHHGi6bufzOhyphenhyphenZOlgQxw1wcNnDnRC4wh5K5KV1vGeSrZv-DyTSIcj4mZI22zr2UKl0DFioB_TZJ/s320/sbminktks5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Mink trails are common along the shore of South Bay, but usually have mysterious ins and out. There’s no exercise in tracking them, except for the imagination.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxa91mW_0nprHBbFB3IoGJ0ZBypJYQtLckVoG9kDQjVlUVj2ROzD2_Iqu_nJwWHaS9oVgyE-xkagRP2EW6yyM9g3g4HYvfKgxnnsAHmnSZV4RtkcU2TCrNqpA4Gjh0qPhSLDAoIsjJtS2/s1600/sbminktksa5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxa91mW_0nprHBbFB3IoGJ0ZBypJYQtLckVoG9kDQjVlUVj2ROzD2_Iqu_nJwWHaS9oVgyE-xkagRP2EW6yyM9g3g4HYvfKgxnnsAHmnSZV4RtkcU2TCrNqpA4Gjh0qPhSLDAoIsjJtS2/s320/sbminktksa5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Minks always seem to find a way to get through the ice and into the water. There was more mink traffic along the north shore of bay where there are burrows into the soft bank. The trough the minks made in the snow was even bigger.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFWBEAHRR_Q4Io_gcAMZqdt5ZP1CJ8BGX6Di_kuBlA8ujAJj2yrjxR-O80bJc-Mz772cuPZfxIlRgB_5PUJePeiai4SZ6E97hczFLOdodamPwzOugIqdYWOiOD7vduKr9NSjFcxZ5pAiQ/s1600/sbminktksb5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFWBEAHRR_Q4Io_gcAMZqdt5ZP1CJ8BGX6Di_kuBlA8ujAJj2yrjxR-O80bJc-Mz772cuPZfxIlRgB_5PUJePeiai4SZ6E97hczFLOdodamPwzOugIqdYWOiOD7vduKr9NSjFcxZ5pAiQ/s320/sbminktksb5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I must say I prefer the trails one mink makes in harder snow. One can sense the lightness and strength of the little animal. In the snow conditions today, the coyote prints were quite elegant.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpV51b_975aEO4MMl4iBq2bA_JzQIHBQiliZCzBZRqpuAuDft60YiwayMZXrF8w290W5RZWR56r0ZXenP03mdgCWqVuXMtvWqR0E1JZRiKUGcJzQs5c2z0EILbSsOELvyixQRqRO1mHaT1/s1600/coyprints5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpV51b_975aEO4MMl4iBq2bA_JzQIHBQiliZCzBZRqpuAuDft60YiwayMZXrF8w290W5RZWR56r0ZXenP03mdgCWqVuXMtvWqR0E1JZRiKUGcJzQs5c2z0EILbSsOELvyixQRqRO1mHaT1/s320/coyprints5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>And when coyotes dash up from the bay into the ridges, a likely route in mating season, they leave a token of their strength, speed and grace.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK7-WTc6EEnphN1czZbDEnv6ZLjSogM6eHNPQzIBBj9V1ecoVPbkp6AbczXyF7SZSUKCNmsIH8XoQx_mBk2pbraj2bo-ginfy2bYCmFqhpe__b0KnEAQlFpjQxphL3buw9uHIgYRcT9MF/s1600/coytks5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK7-WTc6EEnphN1czZbDEnv6ZLjSogM6eHNPQzIBBj9V1ecoVPbkp6AbczXyF7SZSUKCNmsIH8XoQx_mBk2pbraj2bo-ginfy2bYCmFqhpe__b0KnEAQlFpjQxphL3buw9uHIgYRcT9MF/s320/coytks5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The trail in the photo above crossed the old otter latrine overlooking the entrance to South Bay, an area that has also always been of interest to coyotes and foxes. No signs of the otters having been there. From higher up on the ridge, I took a photo of the river. The snow had been blown off a good bit of the ice and the ice looked thin. At least, I thought it might be dangerous walking out on it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNb4byUATjyrR6gpA03R38gCQg87cymn83dhUNZeSmzza9Q_mVkMrlN1LKfYfGAs0zpBz3nKTSbJnYiiJGhxZ32KJiuQ2KfhaxXfuItlfMvh1DIYIryH9vZdcAIyNWuDtONgHq0z8ayz4X/s1600/river5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNb4byUATjyrR6gpA03R38gCQg87cymn83dhUNZeSmzza9Q_mVkMrlN1LKfYfGAs0zpBz3nKTSbJnYiiJGhxZ32KJiuQ2KfhaxXfuItlfMvh1DIYIryH9vZdcAIyNWuDtONgHq0z8ayz4X/s320/river5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>We walked along the embankment that forms the south shore of Audubon Pond. Two beavers were here in the summer, but we saw no signs of them today, though we just scanned the shores for cut trees. The bank lodge where they spent last winter was covered with snow. There were a few twigs sticking up suggesting there might be a cache under the snow and ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_GID5pqvG1PnOkV0BxQqd53TBYPahh65Mwa6M3VFKNSzzMjzhu1ZmHldi_mJIgUHDk6ovbJRnbkYm9td599AvDrSnsdNm2hw4S2whI8h-qa1ZctkecPPH8ZCr3m4gWZnII0mb6BaqxOX/s1600/apbldg5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_GID5pqvG1PnOkV0BxQqd53TBYPahh65Mwa6M3VFKNSzzMjzhu1ZmHldi_mJIgUHDk6ovbJRnbkYm9td599AvDrSnsdNm2hw4S2whI8h-qa1ZctkecPPH8ZCr3m4gWZnII0mb6BaqxOX/s320/apbldg5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There was some recent porcupine gnawing up in some trees at the edge of woods,</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqks3gZCNZTscaS2N1fNwrJ2iY2EeRouxlDDHfLDRROQPGYcHC3m5fSRpCAEig2KCCu2b9uBKkUOdtoAcRqujOZZ8X_IOk5-nfYXHeEhmwXyxGPFFL5r0p8_FqmQp4s6GrHKfGNGvhlLb/s1600/apppwk5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqks3gZCNZTscaS2N1fNwrJ2iY2EeRouxlDDHfLDRROQPGYcHC3m5fSRpCAEig2KCCu2b9uBKkUOdtoAcRqujOZZ8X_IOk5-nfYXHeEhmwXyxGPFFL5r0p8_FqmQp4s6GrHKfGNGvhlLb/s320/apppwk5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>But no porcupine trails in the snow. Leslie headed home back across South Bay, and I pressed on to the East Trail and then up to the East Trail Pond following trail I made two days ago. Animal activity in the middle of the winter is usually sporadic so I didn’t expect to see anything new, but the bright sun might lend itself to better photos. I walked over a bit north of the lodge and took a photo that better shows the lack of a cache anywhere around the lodge.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAY9Yw9KScZ4w0CNC4Em1XYKpQpv4EWOu8Hm1BF0AMTon4LgBAD7IewaAJ8kZYMipGd3NUjJgXw86iLhP_litk0JNIV3QrYbb2yycQQg1jwPi0vQXn0wJsTx5rgdqsk7JgSyE-xQHSb90_/s1600/etldg5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAY9Yw9KScZ4w0CNC4Em1XYKpQpv4EWOu8Hm1BF0AMTon4LgBAD7IewaAJ8kZYMipGd3NUjJgXw86iLhP_litk0JNIV3QrYbb2yycQQg1jwPi0vQXn0wJsTx5rgdqsk7JgSyE-xQHSb90_/s320/etldg5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I walked over to the holes I saw in the ice over near the north shore of the pond, and saw nothing new around them. Then I noticed some tracks coming over the middle of the dam and going down to the hole in the ice behind the north end of the dam. That looked interesting. On my way to investigate that, I saw another hole in the ice, much like a beaver would make about 15 yards from the lodge in the middle of the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIb93iB9-795NUAGjcBVoG_6d3Ot6AUFYFz_KILZXh8omLWFrpS_vfMOQ8_eIQ5wKZ50F_fykJzk8zzAhHzGu69sHbd5VTzmWndMhuaJXW9I5nmxOx4PLK5sCHIGDGs1lISwYn8kGUh69N/s1600/ethole5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIb93iB9-795NUAGjcBVoG_6d3Ot6AUFYFz_KILZXh8omLWFrpS_vfMOQ8_eIQ5wKZ50F_fykJzk8zzAhHzGu69sHbd5VTzmWndMhuaJXW9I5nmxOx4PLK5sCHIGDGs1lISwYn8kGUh69N/s320/ethole5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>It was frozen over today. Given the slight apron of packed snow around it, a mink was most likely the animal nosing outside of it just after the snow fall. At first glance, I saw that the tracks coming over the dam made a trough in the snow bigger than chasing minks would make.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3doj8K_QbA8C6FlND6x0brJmzrV5K0jNfl-O6klEE606-ATxVlRecDM24p205JUZVHgl31yBA22orwI17EDCp8dd94HvhUluAeMcLTpTleyzmGNqXikGnIgp_vArb5hK4VEnZEvvmiK8P/s1600/etdamtks5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3doj8K_QbA8C6FlND6x0brJmzrV5K0jNfl-O6klEE606-ATxVlRecDM24p205JUZVHgl31yBA22orwI17EDCp8dd94HvhUluAeMcLTpTleyzmGNqXikGnIgp_vArb5hK4VEnZEvvmiK8P/s320/etdamtks5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I hoped they were the trails of two otters coming in and out of the pond, but when I got closer I saw that humans made the trails. That was disappointing. Then I saw an older looping trail, that no human would make.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXN8eQhutsUO4vk6bxdu6YTsE_rOb2JndyakS4uljEsm_J19UlzYLU8OBUKTDP82DzaK75sXJIiRU25JaPU_VMAs3QHEfLh_-EpIeHjORJC7TkhCiioE2Z6_r6vkrqfRe9hV3IWDmVz08b/s1600/ettks5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXN8eQhutsUO4vk6bxdu6YTsE_rOb2JndyakS4uljEsm_J19UlzYLU8OBUKTDP82DzaK75sXJIiRU25JaPU_VMAs3QHEfLh_-EpIeHjORJC7TkhCiioE2Z6_r6vkrqfRe9hV3IWDmVz08b/s320/ettks5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I checked the trails around the hole in the ice north of the dam and saw that it was still too cold, low 20s, for anything to break through the ice. I decided to cross the pond on the old boardwalk well below the dam. Perhaps that human broke a trail to the other ponds I needed to check. I didn’t get far before another trail distracted me, a definite otter trail heading back up to the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQSIryUOG8T36-w14Nf8NxqLoTZ_KUKTZ_amRFo794YTibLPWeADqN1sUnoGnFrJmqVQ_Ulp0BJXii92uxpbFmjXVoWMh9ZIEJjGxzlGB20HeBZzNk86h_93Ain6LDG4Zo5hcaqp4nHcW/s1600/etotttks5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQSIryUOG8T36-w14Nf8NxqLoTZ_KUKTZ_amRFo794YTibLPWeADqN1sUnoGnFrJmqVQ_Ulp0BJXii92uxpbFmjXVoWMh9ZIEJjGxzlGB20HeBZzNk86h_93Ain6LDG4Zo5hcaqp4nHcW/s320/etotttks5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I’ve seen trails like this before at this time of year as otters moved from one pond to another. I decided to back track the trail, but first followed it back to the dam to see where it went once it got to the dam. I took a close up of the trail noticing the large tail prints.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg594HKa2zGjaPedGpcIfcBvDPgMddpqoQ4gU-mPBHjvDKgw9VM3dCC3SqAaX1FdxAm7C_aqrgPJsCWpj2bZElkvUlIH3vJcg6sg-AaOShmfOU7igymhoMJc_Z8w40A7ikjjIkf1ID6DUtZ/s1600/etotttksa5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg594HKa2zGjaPedGpcIfcBvDPgMddpqoQ4gU-mPBHjvDKgw9VM3dCC3SqAaX1FdxAm7C_aqrgPJsCWpj2bZElkvUlIH3vJcg6sg-AaOShmfOU7igymhoMJc_Z8w40A7ikjjIkf1ID6DUtZ/s320/etotttksa5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The trail led to some open water below the dam but I couldn’t see clearly where the otter might have gotten into the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvU4oKUTcwoHx73KLadlDvKq0VTOrypZQxSliWRT_9nVAUrggCT6WgthObOZ6L5VBGgamZBUG98LGU2rwJcOsSyLJreiUQKUCTABA4jMsfjYUPO6LlRby2lXaaXb2PsSMHFrV3sDMHL_w/s1600/etotttksb5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvU4oKUTcwoHx73KLadlDvKq0VTOrypZQxSliWRT_9nVAUrggCT6WgthObOZ6L5VBGgamZBUG98LGU2rwJcOsSyLJreiUQKUCTABA4jMsfjYUPO6LlRby2lXaaXb2PsSMHFrV3sDMHL_w/s320/etotttksb5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The otter ran along the top of the dam and must have slipped into a hole since covered by wind blown snow. So I turned back and tried to find where the otter came from. Briefly the human prints went over the otters. Maybe somebody else is tracking otters here. But the trails diverged just a few steps farther, and I saw that the otter had come from the ridge south of the pond. I scanned the ridge expecting to see an otter slide coming down, but instead I saw that the otter had come down from the south end of the dam behind me.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXS35DXrzmqvzOZaQL7MyC8MMvsLV_9p8wERIjw9bsAGrJ23IHCXH4ludLdTGVb8eKQn0f63jXygx9su3bGrktrzOK2VuSgtNnE5p7G3B2-7BL00SjZuApwQZAV_1mXiFNZxbrZ7e2jUaa/s1600/etotttksc5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXS35DXrzmqvzOZaQL7MyC8MMvsLV_9p8wERIjw9bsAGrJ23IHCXH4ludLdTGVb8eKQn0f63jXygx9su3bGrktrzOK2VuSgtNnE5p7G3B2-7BL00SjZuApwQZAV_1mXiFNZxbrZ7e2jUaa/s320/etotttksc5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>When I got back up on the pond, I saw where the otter ran behind the dam. There was also a mink trail there and I was reminded of how small minks are.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4fXVBGa7lXZDVO0YRW2yOHBZY3klDuqWi0pTMUT_vRgDmcgccU5l62Dr4lYP5C_xC5Ah0JHtzly5oM2XHHcl6eIH9SISlXvaj2p5o-mJoQHomQDQTu5r8zzZjjXOxlkfgEAR-S7uuZMu/s1600/etotttksd5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4fXVBGa7lXZDVO0YRW2yOHBZY3klDuqWi0pTMUT_vRgDmcgccU5l62Dr4lYP5C_xC5Ah0JHtzly5oM2XHHcl6eIH9SISlXvaj2p5o-mJoQHomQDQTu5r8zzZjjXOxlkfgEAR-S7uuZMu/s320/etotttksd5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>My back tracking, which can go for miles this times of year, ended in a few more feet. I saw the neat hole in the dam that the otter had come out.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQSH8rCXVkMFyfVpylFw_DyDUomOWfIXbDwF-yYrQpe9XEekSpaM8T_ezS5rkek5G0Amt8jBy9LkzW2kABwFs5d5f8feccykCEgblAwZze71vq2b_AixraVLyeBTq_UvFTne4P7jkEQed/s1600/etotttkse5feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQSH8rCXVkMFyfVpylFw_DyDUomOWfIXbDwF-yYrQpe9XEekSpaM8T_ezS5rkek5G0Amt8jBy9LkzW2kABwFs5d5f8feccykCEgblAwZze71vq2b_AixraVLyeBTq_UvFTne4P7jkEQed/s320/etotttkse5feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>While I am positive that an otter made the trail, I was surprised not to see any scats. I think that testifies to how fast the otter moved when it was out from the safe darkness under the ice. Minks and otters can live together under the ice so I don’t have to let today’s observations change my identification of the tracks I saw two days ago that I attributed to minks chasing each other. Fortunately, now I have nothing better to do than keep an eye of this pond.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
<br />
<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>February 7 Yesterday was sunny and relatively warm in the morning, in the 20s, but we had errands to do and spent just enough time at our land to hike up to the Turtle and Bunny bogs. We saw more rabbit tracks in the Turtle bog.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBhERVm-5qNoQ2OuuDrIql3aoZS_Jq1pQPyHe8U7uhSaHV2EBoNE0xcBzyLvb24N1yBF46AdKIDDx163hQAshLZZhG9XYT3JwD8NEddNil1rIcapkWAr9K3Dph-bhn30Y5IWmNF3BtNJK/s1600/turbogtks6feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBhERVm-5qNoQ2OuuDrIql3aoZS_Jq1pQPyHe8U7uhSaHV2EBoNE0xcBzyLvb24N1yBF46AdKIDDx163hQAshLZZhG9XYT3JwD8NEddNil1rIcapkWAr9K3Dph-bhn30Y5IWmNF3BtNJK/s320/turbogtks6feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>At this time of year the bog always looks filled with water, albeit mostly frozen, just waiting for Blanding’s turtles to emerge in March.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLc0OrQAPOnewgsxfVuhZFVjXKGlPWnsyyOs-npc1AS8G7lCGfHhsM2hUgdpuAKZ5tMHRTW9tmFGRP6v6CkIZt1sG9HKPE7-p5_EYLbH_uBp9-0p94HAJ4PYJqKWT9y8cbRmwBy-o8b2WH/s1600/turbog6feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLc0OrQAPOnewgsxfVuhZFVjXKGlPWnsyyOs-npc1AS8G7lCGfHhsM2hUgdpuAKZ5tMHRTW9tmFGRP6v6CkIZt1sG9HKPE7-p5_EYLbH_uBp9-0p94HAJ4PYJqKWT9y8cbRmwBy-o8b2WH/s320/turbog6feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Today it was just below zero at dawn but warm enough in the afternoon, 12F, to hike out to the East Trail Pond. A big snow storm is on its way and the clouds were thickening all day. The snow we had on the 2nd has settled to about 3 inches and is now easy to walk through. So I went via Antler Trail, where there were plenty of deer trails but no antlers from the annual shedding. I got down to the South Bay trail and continued to just see deer trails, no trails of coyotes or fishers. As usual it was warmer walking in the woods, but when I walked down from the East Trail to the East Trail Pond, I walked into a stiff northeast wind and it was cold. I assumed there was a good chance that I could make short work of checking the pond, but I walked down to it taking a different angle and walked by a tree that the beavers cut and that the wind probably blew down weeks ago that has been untouched by the beavers but rather well browsed by the deer.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTghkRpp5511d7sojpnI-BcJxm733SMkQoGRtAErlkaOVZllhJqUnF2t_1Edghg1F9Q8Pvdlr9moW3uDdxiYG0WRvM76FnfX3E5tRgBKrjNtN9qU9-TcxqpDYTRd6Au7n_MLi4NI4l3Y0g/s1600/etbvwk7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTghkRpp5511d7sojpnI-BcJxm733SMkQoGRtAErlkaOVZllhJqUnF2t_1Edghg1F9Q8Pvdlr9moW3uDdxiYG0WRvM76FnfX3E5tRgBKrjNtN9qU9-TcxqpDYTRd6Au7n_MLi4NI4l3Y0g/s320/etbvwk7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Here was an indication that the beavers have left the pond. I soon realized that I have put too much thought into the this pond, both long term and short term, to make short work of inspecting it even when the wind chill was below zero. However, there was nothing new at the hole an otter made in the dam, </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc_vASLGM2c_y5efLPhr85iF_lBiifeIaOCamh2zNRNnbzXUR8eDOLJpRywwVx47pPEL2-FeWjGkgxzxZhQdVjf1gyN3P3UqRYEQXkNpTc9BBcpC-Ke60PzT_aHvU3VsRki3D8xfdqlbP/s1600/etdamothole7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc_vASLGM2c_y5efLPhr85iF_lBiifeIaOCamh2zNRNnbzXUR8eDOLJpRywwVx47pPEL2-FeWjGkgxzxZhQdVjf1gyN3P3UqRYEQXkNpTc9BBcpC-Ke60PzT_aHvU3VsRki3D8xfdqlbP/s320/etdamothole7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>and no new otter tracks at the dam, unless the trails I attributed to minks at the north end of the dam were made by otters. Something had been out of the hole in the dam there since I first saw it on the 3rd.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNjyEQykElWleToGcVsdA1EOyPrSum6Z37zBV5de2ezlQHG0izORCObS-_iyFiDSPhTn6avcSFVRksEGUWJJz2AR39_BJlQ45EWZZsDvPUYz4lIgQqNwXwadvCm5sCYx5m1fMNk_V68gm/s1600/etdamhole7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNjyEQykElWleToGcVsdA1EOyPrSum6Z37zBV5de2ezlQHG0izORCObS-_iyFiDSPhTn6avcSFVRksEGUWJJz2AR39_BJlQ45EWZZsDvPUYz4lIgQqNwXwadvCm5sCYx5m1fMNk_V68gm/s320/etdamhole7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Blowing snow would have smudged those trails. I went over to the dam and took a photo looking down at the runway outside the hole.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdhi3ZOEy0M-kB61Tg8SQK1SqrXmmNvc7Q92LYM4qAgY7xVyZJt7M4uUb0-K7EYA6DLqxC2ZittMvzyz5K4LnhkdGk1nlkTt_hCs59OyiVXb-ynxVSJfRd48rwAePXma6L0qyovc1QfuD/s1600/etdamtr7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdhi3ZOEy0M-kB61Tg8SQK1SqrXmmNvc7Q92LYM4qAgY7xVyZJt7M4uUb0-K7EYA6DLqxC2ZittMvzyz5K4LnhkdGk1nlkTt_hCs59OyiVXb-ynxVSJfRd48rwAePXma6L0qyovc1QfuD/s320/etdamtr7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I couldn’t distinguish any prints but I did see some spots of blood. Again the width of the impression all that activity left in the snow suggest the bigger otter did it, but otters usually leave scats outside their holes. The iced over area behind the dam had one small chunk of ice knocked out of it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMUJVI1sh0NGJBBukZjz-HHk9zAqlM-2X8Cl3KgIn-Inyj2ja-suJjLaKPARvWel0YWsQ6LBqmkXYkhrWL-nWRDnyViED76CzpquZh42KeUqBT4FA63J_FGqBc-okJGklI-JBVgRHShzm/s1600/etice7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMUJVI1sh0NGJBBukZjz-HHk9zAqlM-2X8Cl3KgIn-Inyj2ja-suJjLaKPARvWel0YWsQ6LBqmkXYkhrWL-nWRDnyViED76CzpquZh42KeUqBT4FA63J_FGqBc-okJGklI-JBVgRHShzm/s320/etice7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The bubbles under that ice suggest minks more than otters. Then I walked over to check the holes on the north side of the pond below the rocks of the high ridge. I didn’t see any signs of new activity even though I saw the dancing trail of single mink running over there. Last year the beavers had a large hole in the ice at the foot of the rocks which they used to climb out of most of the winter. From where I stood the ice looked a bit uneven so I climbed up the ridge so I could look down on it. No hole there this winter.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQGSamQyqIHTrBzOBqDIFE-vGlaidrUm1lRe8O_NnUWHsVE6bkkvBCj0EWnz6upDASb2RrInDv4I9vtOPHqgS02fY_PILoMjMDM49EZDqec-I-J94AQEufAA6NptjKtLXqpNBhSn2b-16/s1600/etshore7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQGSamQyqIHTrBzOBqDIFE-vGlaidrUm1lRe8O_NnUWHsVE6bkkvBCj0EWnz6upDASb2RrInDv4I9vtOPHqgS02fY_PILoMjMDM49EZDqec-I-J94AQEufAA6NptjKtLXqpNBhSn2b-16/s320/etshore7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Looking up the ridge I saw the stumps of more small pines that the beavers cut.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8mKJv0wL5_Hz9Qwm70i4ZChhOSQmEExtntAPZ4j9KYGkWuzWhPT4pKYHiUI8UUZHUTPwMybs0CGgfMhtDKeKKXt9JG6KbA5CRP6fF7T1IEAnesON88gUB8ud06ao5heLXr4HLmqr7-4M/s1600/etpinewk7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8mKJv0wL5_Hz9Qwm70i4ZChhOSQmEExtntAPZ4j9KYGkWuzWhPT4pKYHiUI8UUZHUTPwMybs0CGgfMhtDKeKKXt9JG6KbA5CRP6fF7T1IEAnesON88gUB8ud06ao5heLXr4HLmqr7-4M/s320/etpinewk7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>When beavers cut pine, the gnawed wood can start looking old fairly soon. This gnawing still looked fresh.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5j2mj6mFJlb3hSBmmUONE7SQ6ZEQJfXp9wApxAyO2mwko8qCL5xzNDVLg2JE-1UwXVGzMnbKVNNA0q72gsP4xXsK2UKgswPIBFiDrpr4_1mrIzRHXTajCG3nQ27gD8SaG_QFiQXYZb2z/s1600/etpinewka7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5j2mj6mFJlb3hSBmmUONE7SQ6ZEQJfXp9wApxAyO2mwko8qCL5xzNDVLg2JE-1UwXVGzMnbKVNNA0q72gsP4xXsK2UKgswPIBFiDrpr4_1mrIzRHXTajCG3nQ27gD8SaG_QFiQXYZb2z/s320/etpinewka7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Then looking down at the pond, I saw what looked like an otter trail going parallel to the ridge.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQtkzGMS0BZ6GoR35aaGSIttMLoQhHrh4IhAXDXcAeJMBop2xzcqn-i_thr42aJgIcB8YN2h-nJrc24yex7RMn_iHd1Ey7jrGV0Jjr8qNYXqcscFWaomMQKWVP7umv0Cl33hyIaoXXvBU/s1600/etotttks7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQtkzGMS0BZ6GoR35aaGSIttMLoQhHrh4IhAXDXcAeJMBop2xzcqn-i_thr42aJgIcB8YN2h-nJrc24yex7RMn_iHd1Ey7jrGV0Jjr8qNYXqcscFWaomMQKWVP7umv0Cl33hyIaoXXvBU/s320/etotttks7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>So I had to go back down to the pond to check that out. I went the same way the beavers did last year and when I got down on the ice, I saw a little mink hole into the ice in a small clump of bushes near the rock ridge.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWTHVMD9sigj5vYuRzbW2Ofw_Pr1P9NtWIb3HGM8YGnzHKppOxibz6LvRkOXUFTbj-DWn6Bmbnm_9c1kp3tlamlNfMW-hJ4So8lZK5aPm0omxiSy3IdUjmdBAWigfmUjVoNbz_IAaHqQF/s1600/etminkhole7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWTHVMD9sigj5vYuRzbW2Ofw_Pr1P9NtWIb3HGM8YGnzHKppOxibz6LvRkOXUFTbj-DWn6Bmbnm_9c1kp3tlamlNfMW-hJ4So8lZK5aPm0omxiSy3IdUjmdBAWigfmUjVoNbz_IAaHqQF/s320/etminkhole7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>Looking at neighboring clumps of bushes, I could see more holes in the ice, some large enough for beavers.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Gd1g9h8a_mmB5haepdv0UJt5ZDeFOgtNAP0l4f95gm2JNTzr5PB0FwcvyYNgaO7wkdY37qym32w6Z-d2JeB3Zt0F2NhJOvYUIFUZt6ym0ctAhD3pLHr57-evNlw9B6c3TShr84B6lqur/s1600/etbushholes7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Gd1g9h8a_mmB5haepdv0UJt5ZDeFOgtNAP0l4f95gm2JNTzr5PB0FwcvyYNgaO7wkdY37qym32w6Z-d2JeB3Zt0F2NhJOvYUIFUZt6ym0ctAhD3pLHr57-evNlw9B6c3TShr84B6lqur/s320/etbushholes7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>But no signs that beavers had used them. I could see from the holes that I was on thin ice, but I wasn’t alarmed because I know from last winter that given how much water had drained out of the pond, there wasn’t much water below the ice. I tried to ease back to the trails I had already made on the pond, but foot went through twice, once a dry plunge and a little farther on my boot touched a little pool of water.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipeILJgNjVZhQZsJYK-bXKrUDQtHOpOZnr6pdYl2OWWrGgqEVChLnKgrwWZwUVX9hL5GbLb1bH2a2a3QeTLddovSmHk7M_VWMeJOwOFJqlD7W31oVL86_o0sfptl4fRiaN_iJ4JICdGvg/s1600/etmyhole7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipeILJgNjVZhQZsJYK-bXKrUDQtHOpOZnr6pdYl2OWWrGgqEVChLnKgrwWZwUVX9hL5GbLb1bH2a2a3QeTLddovSmHk7M_VWMeJOwOFJqlD7W31oVL86_o0sfptl4fRiaN_iJ4JICdGvg/s320/etmyhole7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I got to the trails I made the other two days I walked on the pond and got out to the center of the pond where I knew the ice would be thicker. Then I eased over to check the otter trail. I saw where the otter came out of a hole in the ice around a small tree. After a look to the west, it hurried over to a clump of bushes to the east.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6fMB3RNRivwc7T5L2vuvstKfiZTh35Smf4W_RREHxTL9Ac2DHZ-0r-NKNKaiyT_iSgahhJP__FcROg4Riew2n2GnsagxPXXesdLRHsiYkNYeh14qCTRB7dvFSA0qdpl-8hQh1829OD8F/s1600/etotthole7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6fMB3RNRivwc7T5L2vuvstKfiZTh35Smf4W_RREHxTL9Ac2DHZ-0r-NKNKaiyT_iSgahhJP__FcROg4Riew2n2GnsagxPXXesdLRHsiYkNYeh14qCTRB7dvFSA0qdpl-8hQh1829OD8F/s320/etotthole7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>The trail ran by a strange circular depression in the rock cliff. Several winters I ago I tracked an otter family that came in from the river directly to this pond and directly to this magical looking circle in the rocks. But this otter ignored it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjYo-L8dLTDFMnktM7b3G54nL9EmX2TxMdK047AckPTIHgZT7j36tQeQZtmleudj-uaaZqLYxyOQ0dPJjfFGyr4V4ygrUpG3jTH2raCKAf4SWQa_S7lsvG6_jBN2FTlJvLPlxiswygEin/s1600/etotttksa7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjYo-L8dLTDFMnktM7b3G54nL9EmX2TxMdK047AckPTIHgZT7j36tQeQZtmleudj-uaaZqLYxyOQ0dPJjfFGyr4V4ygrUpG3jTH2raCKAf4SWQa_S7lsvG6_jBN2FTlJvLPlxiswygEin/s320/etotttksa7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I was tempted to try to figure out what holes the otter used under the bushes, but I knew the ice was thin and didn’t want to break into the world the otters and minks had fashioned under the ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdwnonkQzFleXaa5vKy90hdQJiWddWDt0RjlUOLgCeVvbxHg3KY8S0CvzLEDTNw8sv9txJwLyFbvbr3lnTVza6NfbDXcNlwRXXPcOCgxzQlFmEfLPuPMaXOMXc6dZ3j-jdc_SmEgJaTUu/s1600/etotttksb7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdwnonkQzFleXaa5vKy90hdQJiWddWDt0RjlUOLgCeVvbxHg3KY8S0CvzLEDTNw8sv9txJwLyFbvbr3lnTVza6NfbDXcNlwRXXPcOCgxzQlFmEfLPuPMaXOMXc6dZ3j-jdc_SmEgJaTUu/s320/etotttksb7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>I noticed that trail of the single mink continuing next to the rocks, quite slight compared to the impression the otter made. I also saw a pine log gnawed by the beavers on a ledge about three feet up from the ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinak75tnJrMDroQ0fcpYfJ3ASaxrqof0UgPXubDA-aWtpTg9OZGC-QGfZsautw2DFPN6Dr_A8HKXSGdP4kBWoOZiKMtz0PV0UNkKNjTdRJmYqMhlJy3bhKwzPQH1T7Dc4B5MzXMtg0afHQ/s1600/etpinewkb7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinak75tnJrMDroQ0fcpYfJ3ASaxrqof0UgPXubDA-aWtpTg9OZGC-QGfZsautw2DFPN6Dr_A8HKXSGdP4kBWoOZiKMtz0PV0UNkKNjTdRJmYqMhlJy3bhKwzPQH1T7Dc4B5MzXMtg0afHQ/s320/etpinewkb7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>That raised the question about what the beavers might have done to fashion the world under the ice here. Since the ice here was thin, did that suggest that beavers had kept this water open before a deep freeze after Christmas? Ottoleo had been here off and on while we were gone. He reported seeing fresh beaver work in the fall but didn’t notice how the ponds froze over. I haven’t seen any fresh beaver work, nor any logs obviously collected and gnawed after the ice froze. But the fresh snow might have covered all that over. Standing on the pond ice below the pine gnawing a beaver did up on the ridge I could get a photo giving an idea of the lengths a beaver went to cut a pine tree, not one of their favored foods. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUibuJu9NlVzWTmP_XB55gb_bS4nGAr-d6GPnL4O2qighWw8yWljr0Z0EU6M5Vf_VrJMNH4ywkCw0pKcBjaDq07TUXYP1V3vt-uKCm1oxQWyMl163Fjn2x_6afwQbg__SwVUALUPBdlLSN/s1600/etpinewkc7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUibuJu9NlVzWTmP_XB55gb_bS4nGAr-d6GPnL4O2qighWw8yWljr0Z0EU6M5Vf_VrJMNH4ywkCw0pKcBjaDq07TUXYP1V3vt-uKCm1oxQWyMl163Fjn2x_6afwQbg__SwVUALUPBdlLSN/s320/etpinewkc7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>That the beavers here were so interested in pine, which I had noticed back in August, suggests that they might have been running out of preferable trees to gnaw. So as I wander around, I best keep an eye for where they might have moved if they did leave. Meanwhile the wind had not let up, and I lost my yen to check the other big ponds keeping the wind at my back. I decided to check Thicket Pond and Meander Pond because to do that I could stay out of the wind in the woods, and this beaver family had spent several winters in those two ponds. They were convenient in the winter because both of them had small springs that kept a patch of water open despite the severity of the winter. There were no signs of beavers in Thicket Pond despite the spring still doing its mite.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5iUgMG1VVRRE6wQXOt0aHgJzVkZh8jDx469evviAHmsepRGh_39GRR5rzF9H2CFaRjCDstghOXTPS-5MZidAaZm9W5neqqLICk2seCw9Crw6FfOZEBjc4YfU2a9Bvqcr3Arfi6OAT_i8l/s1600/tpspring7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5iUgMG1VVRRE6wQXOt0aHgJzVkZh8jDx469evviAHmsepRGh_39GRR5rzF9H2CFaRjCDstghOXTPS-5MZidAaZm9W5neqqLICk2seCw9Crw6FfOZEBjc4YfU2a9Bvqcr3Arfi6OAT_i8l/s320/tpspring7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>There was not enough water in Meander Pond for the spring there to contribute much. It did keep a good bit of the ground northeast of the pond snowless.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxiLYfxUBReRX1gpM6HTwU1pylkWQYVzDfL4MzcJNcjFjaue7_SBbIwQYy7MS8PvX4JDKT0ZmCZr8C8qeEahvoHeacXzTiQMXib2iyI2vbV5Vw_X3NaggjFJ6nsO9VWteqFMLa0RtJ5bD/s1600/mp7feb13.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxiLYfxUBReRX1gpM6HTwU1pylkWQYVzDfL4MzcJNcjFjaue7_SBbIwQYy7MS8PvX4JDKT0ZmCZr8C8qeEahvoHeacXzTiQMXib2iyI2vbV5Vw_X3NaggjFJ6nsO9VWteqFMLa0RtJ5bD/s320/mp7feb13.JPG" /></a></P><p>After winters when the snow cover lasted well into March, that bare ground was usually the first place I saw mourning cloak butterflies.</P></FONT></SPAN><br />
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Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-2830257870418260002012-05-21T17:33:00.001-07:002012-05-21T17:33:49.277-07:00March 11 to 17, 2012<span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>March 11 goodbye winter, the temperature got up into the 60s. We went to our land to collect what will probably be about the last of the maple sap. Fortunately the frozen ponds are not that quick to respond to the heat. The ice is retreating behind the Deep Pond dam but only a few feet of pond water is showing.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCADvbG6ATH05tmUNgn4c-FKEHqEhcSt8M9daWCg6cTaeUVBiRwXfsKOQld257NfHEHLJxGN4JiEHs1lz3XESYWkpjA-w-tWyL1MIx-cmXUHkBHQ_H7TyDdzkg7u89dp6H-vcwmX93nUd/s1600/dpdam11mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCADvbG6ATH05tmUNgn4c-FKEHqEhcSt8M9daWCg6cTaeUVBiRwXfsKOQld257NfHEHLJxGN4JiEHs1lz3XESYWkpjA-w-tWyL1MIx-cmXUHkBHQ_H7TyDdzkg7u89dp6H-vcwmX93nUd/s400/dpdam11mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>Since I haven’t gotten a good look at the dam since December, my first impression is to think that a beaver has been working it. The mud is moist after all. The second photo was taken December 27</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2qXkGXIR7ASCMFvnn02IXfnFoCbufHHTWOXnIqrVcZndFtkwA67TXMRSiJiQcOEMZZ2FUBD3cnZkhEq-iiYOGjzdx9Nd6vvQowLqUh3E6JkvzE2pyr_Pfeb_uGUhRpNhjFr_OcKOhhyphenhyphen3/s1600/dpdama11mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2qXkGXIR7ASCMFvnn02IXfnFoCbufHHTWOXnIqrVcZndFtkwA67TXMRSiJiQcOEMZZ2FUBD3cnZkhEq-iiYOGjzdx9Nd6vvQowLqUh3E6JkvzE2pyr_Pfeb_uGUhRpNhjFr_OcKOhhyphenhyphen3/s400/dpdama11mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqm48MwU3NULPnDjnykJKbWiTno8fXdNlQ0AUoko72KMt5Trmq6j8s_h1zmSAsgshRaBUs2sdgdWomZGUJBh3j0Qe1JD0e6zZDm0BdE0LQy00BmIyfL1F-iZjZaRfrzPnXVbcxOqwaSJX1/s1600/dpdam27dec11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqm48MwU3NULPnDjnykJKbWiTno8fXdNlQ0AUoko72KMt5Trmq6j8s_h1zmSAsgshRaBUs2sdgdWomZGUJBh3j0Qe1JD0e6zZDm0BdE0LQy00BmIyfL1F-iZjZaRfrzPnXVbcxOqwaSJX1/s400/dpdam27dec11.JPG" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>The comparison shows that the beaver hasn’t just been up at that part of the dam, which makes sense. A wider gap between the ice and dam might be necessary before it can make repairs. When Leslie saw dark mud mounds just west of that section of the dam, she was sure it was fresh work, but looking at a photo from January 2, I am not so sure.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBxrLvaSHt8jJ4OHSpIZLfdVan6sYiWte0FltoxCBvRPqNUr1ukAeiAyThYYb1iNp2T9yVrUP15jXBBPYLqGXw0Du581T-nAyXP-lYiogIRJ3dFBXKBDPDYqFVG-Ef1JBbrtLvwxyAJAp/s1600/dpdammud11mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBxrLvaSHt8jJ4OHSpIZLfdVan6sYiWte0FltoxCBvRPqNUr1ukAeiAyThYYb1iNp2T9yVrUP15jXBBPYLqGXw0Du581T-nAyXP-lYiogIRJ3dFBXKBDPDYqFVG-Ef1JBbrtLvwxyAJAp/s400/dpdammud11mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNWDTFX1xYKkxXqPyZPmzgK8B4Nk8t2MlkDtHRZb-dT84py7dDOwKB2pWp5Oj6DOHwL3CV5h0o0h1vpxrCCC46DEL3sFgmlhwK5rG1vjF3rzOw0VUxqPgLohhUAQMDTWvRSiHZsyybDcq/s1600/dpdammud2jan12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNWDTFX1xYKkxXqPyZPmzgK8B4Nk8t2MlkDtHRZb-dT84py7dDOwKB2pWp5Oj6DOHwL3CV5h0o0h1vpxrCCC46DEL3sFgmlhwK5rG1vjF3rzOw0VUxqPgLohhUAQMDTWvRSiHZsyybDcq/s400/dpdammud2jan12.JPG" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>Farther out along the dam there is a large enough gap between the ice and dam for a beaver to comfortably repair the dam. I don’t think it had but it is instructive, I guess, to recall what that section of the dam looked like on January 26.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5xoDIGRC7HvfNn-9pPpTKmZC0rTkZARMccYiFQg4lznOxLsGIDeGG1PEE9-AMkFDfzYCDC9xtyO0DLptBm69DOiMYLofmSW8kGTf69mdq0pX5ZssboFCAluVcaF5x9sHXhpCN2f0gic3/s1600/dpdamb11mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5xoDIGRC7HvfNn-9pPpTKmZC0rTkZARMccYiFQg4lznOxLsGIDeGG1PEE9-AMkFDfzYCDC9xtyO0DLptBm69DOiMYLofmSW8kGTf69mdq0pX5ZssboFCAluVcaF5x9sHXhpCN2f0gic3/s400/dpdamb11mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_H7Oh7BOkRza_9mEc38Kx_AEOv64y02cGBoHVFxBiyeDWW6NPW2o61jXsDYqR7tAObPQ8jpiVZZ0iVIkontW3Tdh1FZ_rCJMnqMQOKWN4XWzOyt5MUP1VSzIZFe71xZaE-eEY0JWhj8g/s1600/dpdam26jan12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_H7Oh7BOkRza_9mEc38Kx_AEOv64y02cGBoHVFxBiyeDWW6NPW2o61jXsDYqR7tAObPQ8jpiVZZ0iVIkontW3Tdh1FZ_rCJMnqMQOKWN4XWzOyt5MUP1VSzIZFe71xZaE-eEY0JWhj8g/s400/dpdam26jan12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>There definitely was a leak there as can be seen by this photo from February 27:</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FvrT4vRJO87KRFjB5jX0WGU2hNpMK-MkTNA2367HUExgFPlGJ5UErdqPqAgeQLIA1F5zvzIi9q5w2v76hX0hd8mV_TB57I1a_tJRYNs_hag-sFNuoes6RM5E4R2fhbFCsbhyf5mOxORu/s1600/dpdam27feb12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="301" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FvrT4vRJO87KRFjB5jX0WGU2hNpMK-MkTNA2367HUExgFPlGJ5UErdqPqAgeQLIA1F5zvzIi9q5w2v76hX0hd8mV_TB57I1a_tJRYNs_hag-sFNuoes6RM5E4R2fhbFCsbhyf5mOxORu/s400/dpdam27feb12.JPG" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>And today that leak seems to have been tamed, although not completely patched.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dXUMg0ToG-v9DCe2m_X9SiKucHUStPgrmOgSF33eF9_k8pq-W1x_3DRGMlS6Xj3PgzifZR5H-rFQY8pu1r5EYYyaXb7GSk3ZUPPxmg8LX_Ixa_xv7csSiKE95N7NkWSgs1R4neajIvfW/s1600/dpdamc11mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dXUMg0ToG-v9DCe2m_X9SiKucHUStPgrmOgSF33eF9_k8pq-W1x_3DRGMlS6Xj3PgzifZR5H-rFQY8pu1r5EYYyaXb7GSk3ZUPPxmg8LX_Ixa_xv7csSiKE95N7NkWSgs1R4neajIvfW/s400/dpdamc11mar12.JPG" border="0" height="301" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEMFuTOgCjWNQ7zhWfNpiOfktR0EpvADDIYiu-ZLo0OBGWX5NIux9RiyI27TMw0lihkT3G7srWi3En81qT8KTg27N4-ubRLt_TpXnfpb1Zy2Mc3fEks4_ZmrHBI3xVx6Q51h7dJkFuQc1/s1600/dpdamd11mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEMFuTOgCjWNQ7zhWfNpiOfktR0EpvADDIYiu-ZLo0OBGWX5NIux9RiyI27TMw0lihkT3G7srWi3En81qT8KTg27N4-ubRLt_TpXnfpb1Zy2Mc3fEks4_ZmrHBI3xVx6Q51h7dJkFuQc1/s400/dpdamd11mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>So here I am again debating whether a pond healed its own dam (I think of ponds as living organisms) or if a beaver did a pinpoint repair, a deft touch, rather than the usual larding on. Then again, on some days water seems so much slower. When everything is damp from a thaw, the whole world seems to be leaking and any given leak blends in with the mass migration of water. All to say, I don’t know. As I walked below the dam to get another view, barely keeping my feet wet, I saw the fur of a dead animal drying up on some matted grass. Another conundrum.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimck5hHWIQfbDO9O5bc_gdN8s-vez2EkBfcIBkbVHDrJyuapp99wKaQ3V3DWdQn71ckVj22_UdyvHEUVWypUFwhj_rnRFy9U_15kPySZ2Kt5j_Y0AO92ZTPp0zHnEr7AfmAWjqjC5juOE6/s1600/fur11mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimck5hHWIQfbDO9O5bc_gdN8s-vez2EkBfcIBkbVHDrJyuapp99wKaQ3V3DWdQn71ckVj22_UdyvHEUVWypUFwhj_rnRFy9U_15kPySZ2Kt5j_Y0AO92ZTPp0zHnEr7AfmAWjqjC5juOE6/s400/fur11mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>Was it from a muskrat or a rabbit? What killed it? Why was it below the dam, killed there, dragged? To all questions, I don’t know. Back to the supposed dam repair. I tried to get a view of where there had been a gaping hole through the dam. Today I couldn’t see a hole in the dam, but there certainly was a good bit of water flowing around my feet.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJZHSOo6y5YciVWPqTYKLYX4rDxcK89dfRWDpLAG0-s1u-ghw8Rlkz44eWSzCEj5BcPDQGoRWyM8lNyFaqJUZQan4Csf264r8A8byuw0JZq2UcleCTl70eZX8ajLaO5QG8AfhLLmCYFq0/s1600/dpdamhole11mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJZHSOo6y5YciVWPqTYKLYX4rDxcK89dfRWDpLAG0-s1u-ghw8Rlkz44eWSzCEj5BcPDQGoRWyM8lNyFaqJUZQan4Csf264r8A8byuw0JZq2UcleCTl70eZX8ajLaO5QG8AfhLLmCYFq0/s400/dpdamhole11mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>Unfortunately it was difficult getting close to where that hole was, or may still be. </p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYBzQCrHXZFvUxTjo3L-ui7frQ7QsWIIOfnqizp9OS4X1PZaNdA9pYcXUDdWqv5AHCSXJRGxpu9NDFt8NLLxrAtH2-5IobyUVjI_gq_Zi3Fl5PlGO_doFCo72NU8I7-PoD_obVE0NY4tT/s1600/dpdamholea11mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYBzQCrHXZFvUxTjo3L-ui7frQ7QsWIIOfnqizp9OS4X1PZaNdA9pYcXUDdWqv5AHCSXJRGxpu9NDFt8NLLxrAtH2-5IobyUVjI_gq_Zi3Fl5PlGO_doFCo72NU8I7-PoD_obVE0NY4tT/s400/dpdamholea11mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>There was plenty of open water behind the dam and bubbles under the surrounding ice suggesting the beaver had been there. Indeed, we saw the beaver there a week ago.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPGNhCpsOuNP0ksRZdKYQS6ChpAeMJNd1eWzXV8SxjVPsPHN3kKhnve6biTsYI7K2kckBm1xzHS4975KH_tTQb95tizOoPczARFFEfJyYs1z5KV45U7xqeeC-uYFrZfBUFH-TVA0Jap5y/s1600/dp11mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPGNhCpsOuNP0ksRZdKYQS6ChpAeMJNd1eWzXV8SxjVPsPHN3kKhnve6biTsYI7K2kckBm1xzHS4975KH_tTQb95tizOoPczARFFEfJyYs1z5KV45U7xqeeC-uYFrZfBUFH-TVA0Jap5y/s400/dp11mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>I put a photo of the hole taken February 8 below a close-up of the hole today.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuF2UyIfWRSb485pW_rFX4QvOYsP5CDI9S2sWJnjj13zWMYqFqfu4jwwQ1SDnknmX9f_K24UCr9QQ_jinxiATGjBsIgJ1NqLFU_7Pxdm87-mLoaeNCxy_GmiVB8R2Oz8fBQQkwS6pTNi0/s1600/dpdamholeb11mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuF2UyIfWRSb485pW_rFX4QvOYsP5CDI9S2sWJnjj13zWMYqFqfu4jwwQ1SDnknmX9f_K24UCr9QQ_jinxiATGjBsIgJ1NqLFU_7Pxdm87-mLoaeNCxy_GmiVB8R2Oz8fBQQkwS6pTNi0/s400/dpdamholeb11mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qoq9d_ERrphEzKh2cepahxX6aMi4Vju0_uAtpSNlYQWcPKIUWI5tOwWVI9EgGHFW-5YdXR5XWVOg_CuoPzpH5bT5sEQLroCDGsbOZBaxnchHHolD4JG9srykcHGHTxTOXBvHx8kkFg2j/s1600/dpdamhole8feb12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qoq9d_ERrphEzKh2cepahxX6aMi4Vju0_uAtpSNlYQWcPKIUWI5tOwWVI9EgGHFW-5YdXR5XWVOg_CuoPzpH5bT5sEQLroCDGsbOZBaxnchHHolD4JG9srykcHGHTxTOXBvHx8kkFg2j/s400/dpdamhole8feb12.JPG" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>Water is clearly still flowing through the dam there. A beaver may have nosed about it, but I certainly can’t say the beaver patched it. There is no reason to dam up water now with so much water flowing into the pond. Perhaps the beaver tends the holes to keep them from widening too much due to the incessant flow of water. My brain is more engaged if I think the beaver’s brain is even more engaged than mine.</p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>March 12 Another warm day and we went to our land for more sap. Here is how the upper Last Pool looked. The second photo shows how it look on March 11, 2011.</p><br />
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<p>Quite a difference without the usual winter snowfall and without beavers in the pond. There was less water in the pond than the extent of the ice suggested. Along the shore the gap between the ice and water below ranged from 2 inches,</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzA4oHiYB1ExAXSpzLY4xaBg3lJXVn0N7MfXVVQhkn4O7DOzeAszvDfaZFQHs_uYuDtbAJ2mSigJ1j0hWfw8gFsJy11z2kcBGBBZOSG2Md2liZEgzCe-6BVIvwrqrhkRMu4cRDET1tE_6D/s1600/lpice12mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzA4oHiYB1ExAXSpzLY4xaBg3lJXVn0N7MfXVVQhkn4O7DOzeAszvDfaZFQHs_uYuDtbAJ2mSigJ1j0hWfw8gFsJy11z2kcBGBBZOSG2Md2liZEgzCe-6BVIvwrqrhkRMu4cRDET1tE_6D/s400/lpice12mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>To almost 6 inches.</p><br />
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<p>I think Boundary Pond will indeed be a pond after all the ice melts.</p><br />
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<p>The ice extends about as far as it can and where it is retreating there is not much of a gap between it and the water below. There are no beavers here either and until today I didn’t think there was much life in, on or around it, but a large coyotes poop along the edge of the ice argued otherwise.</p><br />
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<p>Last winter beavers did not venture under the ice here. They stayed up in the Last Pool. So below today’s photo I have to use of a photo taken March 9, 2010, to show how beavers add life to a pond.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfS0TaTvdLnFGxZbYDImddsROGmndgYA5CuRibgV8wXGrUQ8Uo3S7cE0cMLPvznnQiJM5x_Wsj2E024U9RJeZ273HiPirHP63jnv1dkG6PcBhX1-SFKj4LVetNRQC_pyy0z9iBKhn9wZc/s1600/bpla12mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfS0TaTvdLnFGxZbYDImddsROGmndgYA5CuRibgV8wXGrUQ8Uo3S7cE0cMLPvznnQiJM5x_Wsj2E024U9RJeZ273HiPirHP63jnv1dkG6PcBhX1-SFKj4LVetNRQC_pyy0z9iBKhn9wZc/s400/bpla12mar12.JPG" border="0" height="301" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLvQ1pp1KHZ3hRz2ejK2vFprq_F70hIkvUSEPPGPYWO0xGMCKn0AyUxkaHvklLH9xNCT5NT8puHheOyWeYNRxgKhkl5Kv76jWOHK3iJ29zq7XUO5I6FLzTPm1eEmJz_xPEOvj5d9agfYf/s1600/bpl9mar10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLvQ1pp1KHZ3hRz2ejK2vFprq_F70hIkvUSEPPGPYWO0xGMCKn0AyUxkaHvklLH9xNCT5NT8puHheOyWeYNRxgKhkl5Kv76jWOHK3iJ29zq7XUO5I6FLzTPm1eEmJz_xPEOvj5d9agfYf/s400/bpl9mar10.JPG" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>Back in 2010, I saw a beaver nibbling up on the ice two days later. Whenever I checked the dam here this winter, I could see that there was a slow leak. I never saw any holes made by animals in the ice behind the dam, and saw few tracks. The west side of the dam looked lifeless as the ice retreats behind it.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIF39vJNnsyFtDoN6c3pe11-eKxOSKPJI77DNrxLNtKimqEGlfyKQT9pMDbswalbDUfu_GVrieUA4_ncSYqVBkwp_8LsaVIbYCT7n-E4Ak2vVpYZgOsfscey_a2QVn_djTKvDcePyLN3yK/s1600/bpldam12mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIF39vJNnsyFtDoN6c3pe11-eKxOSKPJI77DNrxLNtKimqEGlfyKQT9pMDbswalbDUfu_GVrieUA4_ncSYqVBkwp_8LsaVIbYCT7n-E4Ak2vVpYZgOsfscey_a2QVn_djTKvDcePyLN3yK/s400/bpldam12mar12.JPG" border="0" height="301" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>Then in one gap in the ice, farther out on the dam, I saw some lush green grass, but no signs that it had been bunched together by a muskrat.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQAoRrQLWJ51iY10PFdoZdSe2j83aGu21a4nwfJcr8WmSheBofY5DwutAZnZyLLr6a7zf2VFnnncAlBMcBo6u2HYeBOD3R8uP0JZZulrFwq7xz9kxy8MyUUFlUO5LpHddRDgIUrcxkjpL/s1600/bpldamgrass12mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQAoRrQLWJ51iY10PFdoZdSe2j83aGu21a4nwfJcr8WmSheBofY5DwutAZnZyLLr6a7zf2VFnnncAlBMcBo6u2HYeBOD3R8uP0JZZulrFwq7xz9kxy8MyUUFlUO5LpHddRDgIUrcxkjpL/s400/bpldamgrass12mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>There were holes in the ice above the slow leak in the dam. No signs that animals used them to get under the ice behind the dam or through the hole deeper in the dam.</p><br />
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<p>There seemed to be no rush of water out from the dam, but generous pooling.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxqCz61EeAXDiMHmfXpWs9XS4gCzLlCZCaECRSkOa2wviPM93OqRtfxOfkg8B4k6pRYAhUEEVGaGyitTLMIlChGliNVnbtrOstaYihOoxYW2UhZCFSHH5MEi_CEcUrJZgTOFJSv9yo-pn/s1600/belowbpl12mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxqCz61EeAXDiMHmfXpWs9XS4gCzLlCZCaECRSkOa2wviPM93OqRtfxOfkg8B4k6pRYAhUEEVGaGyitTLMIlChGliNVnbtrOstaYihOoxYW2UhZCFSHH5MEi_CEcUrJZgTOFJSv9yo-pn/s400/belowbpl12mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>Then as I continued on the east end of the dam I saw two round holes, one in the ice just behind the dam and the other in the dirt of the dam right next to the ice. These holes looked more mysterious than the others, </p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxUlmdcLzC9CkEIOm0EvXA5kDvT12pnkGskapCzpv-j6yJDh2NCzEZLGQVXm-jY8lsmAHr950ykMpQG8pkbpp8Zmyv76g4htOTZjZ9Lu1YJvKHwbUCEEkIobFJPJ8hVZDPbfHdMAT_sLm/s1600/bplholes12mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxUlmdcLzC9CkEIOm0EvXA5kDvT12pnkGskapCzpv-j6yJDh2NCzEZLGQVXm-jY8lsmAHr950ykMpQG8pkbpp8Zmyv76g4htOTZjZ9Lu1YJvKHwbUCEEkIobFJPJ8hVZDPbfHdMAT_sLm/s400/bplholes12mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>especially the one in the dirt. Since I recently saw coyotes dig a similar hole in the dirt of the Second Swamp Pond dam on the island where they got a muskrat, I assume a coyote dug this one.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwi5A_1ohJa-i7fWXRHbhwuTjKVz2eoUweN326XC4htc0tQ0lzfk7SYxk-ev8Z5WPz9fXGeKG35HUNCQjFiJ2FYqy8V8sekJAJTGY1uu7UQ1jZoEE6CbkTWywh6nbE1kL2jof5zG7vl7Q/s1600/bplhole12mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwi5A_1ohJa-i7fWXRHbhwuTjKVz2eoUweN326XC4htc0tQ0lzfk7SYxk-ev8Z5WPz9fXGeKG35HUNCQjFiJ2FYqy8V8sekJAJTGY1uu7UQ1jZoEE6CbkTWywh6nbE1kL2jof5zG7vl7Q/s400/bplhole12mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>Before leaving Boundary Pond, I took a photo of the dormant lodge.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9m7TUOPYOOSoMvq4eC_ArDh3Qj9kfMGsElmJH1MZJtN0rq20cbqfk-Nbj4-lblLakF2CDhxqxeJkvhjICfsM7Geybf78vhumO0eFhXkiToQnKDA35bB1Ejs8Lt-b6Mlgv093-yv1nVz7/s1600/bplldg12mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9m7TUOPYOOSoMvq4eC_ArDh3Qj9kfMGsElmJH1MZJtN0rq20cbqfk-Nbj4-lblLakF2CDhxqxeJkvhjICfsM7Geybf78vhumO0eFhXkiToQnKDA35bB1Ejs8Lt-b6Mlgv093-yv1nVz7/s400/bplldg12mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>I wish I could think of them as volcanoes that may erupt. I walked up the east shore of the pond and since it is less in the sun the ice is quite solid. And the other lodge in this valley, back up at the Last Pool,</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyeE-ilLqFfjMZC0YNwrhDFY7IAKy9vWzfJJdqMPVkvxgANPKJUv-fSrsr3cajc0KNs7uVJdfomjZL7ojwo6rCgp3Xw1k9pXlvOLq2CAH9-Y60Ai2GI_bAyJCNgFoAeC4g69SFPo1zX_wi/s1600/lpldg12mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyeE-ilLqFfjMZC0YNwrhDFY7IAKy9vWzfJJdqMPVkvxgANPKJUv-fSrsr3cajc0KNs7uVJdfomjZL7ojwo6rCgp3Xw1k9pXlvOLq2CAH9-Y60Ai2GI_bAyJCNgFoAeC4g69SFPo1zX_wi/s400/lpldg12mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>was also dormant. Leslie saw a mourning cloak butterfly. </p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>March 14 warm temperatures are rapidly melting the ice in the pond and the beaver can freely swim along all the shores of the Deep Pond. No edge of ice is keeping the beaver from pushing mud up on any part of the dam. At first look I thought the beaver had pushed mud up on the west part of the dam.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rPm5Pr10gsEouK8fLUR2HHgPsBV-XQS-IgK3Cv5upJ57Mvq_KVfYecqLLjY3vxaFINaMi6_DpDzDCYrdhX2t6NpoVqgUN6doBMu-X8TgyZEnuaWjwJBP1aXCQU3bQ7sXoneO4hCcVfnm/s1600/dpdam14mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rPm5Pr10gsEouK8fLUR2HHgPsBV-XQS-IgK3Cv5upJ57Mvq_KVfYecqLLjY3vxaFINaMi6_DpDzDCYrdhX2t6NpoVqgUN6doBMu-X8TgyZEnuaWjwJBP1aXCQU3bQ7sXoneO4hCcVfnm/s400/dpdam14mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>But comparing the photo above with photos taken a few days ago, it is clear that water has backed up in the pond and is leaking over the dam making all the dirt along it wet which give the impression that it is fresh mud pushed up on the dam. However the water level is rising which suggests that the dam is less porous than it was. Looking at the middle of the pond the photo below shows more logs pushed over the dam than earlier photos.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPlhlPkEo-Va7SgI_OMhda5qc0MNm2eHKsdxpF1plqztvq8rxmABvU39rb63I6ftFAM1cq4RElf82k2XnC4YHXDuCCI1KWy5CVo4C6AeB-eq4-uvp2BQ5XKugG3ZOu5ZdgEBYTXGhXcDN/s1600/dpdama14mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPlhlPkEo-Va7SgI_OMhda5qc0MNm2eHKsdxpF1plqztvq8rxmABvU39rb63I6ftFAM1cq4RElf82k2XnC4YHXDuCCI1KWy5CVo4C6AeB-eq4-uvp2BQ5XKugG3ZOu5ZdgEBYTXGhXcDN/s400/dpdama14mar12.JPG" border="0" height="301" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>The low west shore of the pond is flooded. Before the pond iced over in November the beaver had nipped several hornbeam saplings there. Due to the high water, I couldn’t walk directly over there. I had to go back up on the road, up the hill a bit and then down a bank to the west side of the pond. </p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Kj0kHF8jXgAFmrpVypHKbpfXfkmkbZA-D1r-_Ell99nNiV0GDZOMieLxkWu2St7Hr-1Vdj46mFoSX3jhS-qOTP5Yv3l3h9VnOP2KCNofVRm2DItLabyEdTeQ2p5D7-ObiQfhAZmCAlAR/s1600/dp14mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Kj0kHF8jXgAFmrpVypHKbpfXfkmkbZA-D1r-_Ell99nNiV0GDZOMieLxkWu2St7Hr-1Vdj46mFoSX3jhS-qOTP5Yv3l3h9VnOP2KCNofVRm2DItLabyEdTeQ2p5D7-ObiQfhAZmCAlAR/s400/dp14mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>I soon saw that the beaver had recently been on the shore. I saw its foot print in some soft dirt.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvxbBlYAu6UU2wbcMETz71w-1iIkajo8EGde_9KvbnePbyHynNSaNNj6Vqn7sVAHpuJdJZbV9gGPyueR6VmUY1gO0zxHrAFfUqdDizyHgdfbuTsN6P5yPB_YKcMekj3E0GGiuOWwcsHDd/s1600/dpbvprint14mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvxbBlYAu6UU2wbcMETz71w-1iIkajo8EGde_9KvbnePbyHynNSaNNj6Vqn7sVAHpuJdJZbV9gGPyueR6VmUY1gO0zxHrAFfUqdDizyHgdfbuTsN6P5yPB_YKcMekj3E0GGiuOWwcsHDd/s400/dpbvprint14mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>I stood back from the print and pondered if the beaver had pushed the mud up on the shore. Probably not.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPgLRJqMQ2sUBvzrsMtF38ny3Zky3iPMFRELOIM-haj0kkRzDinppPDJd9uuyf_9CIt1so74BKa2N3C_J8BK70lE85WvL6Wxu97ZATvnXnJBoFcLTOJOqenvUXzpH_No7fHpU4q3hJzWs/s1600/dpshore14mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPgLRJqMQ2sUBvzrsMtF38ny3Zky3iPMFRELOIM-haj0kkRzDinppPDJd9uuyf_9CIt1so74BKa2N3C_J8BK70lE85WvL6Wxu97ZATvnXnJBoFcLTOJOqenvUXzpH_No7fHpU4q3hJzWs/s400/dpshore14mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>On the other side of the little cove there were two small piles of vegetation up on the shore. I’ve seen the beaver, and I haven’t seen a muskrat. So I think the beaver made the marks, though as beaver marking goes, it is pretty modest. </p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzyJcJDdCpVanVmgbwlMgvew4CvMYZeeIgRo9zKQU2lIJ_3-GEDPQnIVcqYaWrFzXeDBNNkEkYEllJIs0OM3HmIY8klyiI31kT8XxhLEFlAU2_mL-NgxXcRCsfSf1PIXx5ONF6G7QMeu2/s1600/dpmarks14mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzyJcJDdCpVanVmgbwlMgvew4CvMYZeeIgRo9zKQU2lIJ_3-GEDPQnIVcqYaWrFzXeDBNNkEkYEllJIs0OM3HmIY8klyiI31kT8XxhLEFlAU2_mL-NgxXcRCsfSf1PIXx5ONF6G7QMeu2/s400/dpmarks14mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>I got as close to the lodge as I could without going up and over the knoll. I didn’t think I would get a better view doing that. There is a good bit of open water in front of the lodge and it is still surrounded by ice. There appeared to be stalks of dead grass in the water. There were possible trails on the ice.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_Yf7_39R_ldFiAewUlEAyRbi7bU7tDqI3on7dR4VhnAazxA5bs9wpi8Bm6N7EKEw1xzNW8j1d-ApGoONxSK9Q8I4izRv_TW-2XMXe2WEI4ggm-zcsqz2G7ImKEXiMsZ1r5btv2YykTVk/s1600/dpldg14mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_Yf7_39R_ldFiAewUlEAyRbi7bU7tDqI3on7dR4VhnAazxA5bs9wpi8Bm6N7EKEw1xzNW8j1d-ApGoONxSK9Q8I4izRv_TW-2XMXe2WEI4ggm-zcsqz2G7ImKEXiMsZ1r5btv2YykTVk/s400/dpldg14mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>But the possible trails in the ice looked a bit too regular. As for the rotting ice in the middle of the pond, there appeared to be spots of open water which could have been formed by a beaver butting its head up.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXZL9GL7zhm4_NEm9THX7fyuHLMCqmg-YvmU7121U5bGUM0XhydP0g7sLWOAddTxV2QgqkbBiOOxb4vRl2iALVxqUNg7jJAz2jfKEuAkHqTq8YXE9hzngNlHlM8Vr7z0yOLB1-Dvig7t9/s1600/dpa14mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXZL9GL7zhm4_NEm9THX7fyuHLMCqmg-YvmU7121U5bGUM0XhydP0g7sLWOAddTxV2QgqkbBiOOxb4vRl2iALVxqUNg7jJAz2jfKEuAkHqTq8YXE9hzngNlHlM8Vr7z0yOLB1-Dvig7t9/s400/dpa14mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>However I shouldn’t jump to conclusions without getting a closer look and I can’t walk on that ice. I went back to where I saw the two little piles of wet grass on the shore. I saw beaver stripped sticks in the water.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXubW9Lv0-7R0SGN1Q_c6z1e0rdUQ1GE8ce05F3EWePF_B9W6Q6lqvq5T9-V1eqn1rCLiJhKIx0kONEI4cnqr6G0obZD0UDNXv_rMSqBhaHfHxfeOQIHhpo7SCRIQ1WejFEjImfj6AmHlF/s1600/dpnibs14mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXubW9Lv0-7R0SGN1Q_c6z1e0rdUQ1GE8ce05F3EWePF_B9W6Q6lqvq5T9-V1eqn1rCLiJhKIx0kONEI4cnqr6G0obZD0UDNXv_rMSqBhaHfHxfeOQIHhpo7SCRIQ1WejFEjImfj6AmHlF/s400/dpnibs14mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>I had seen stripped sticks around here back in the fall. But these looked fresh to me. I looked over the sapling stumps that the beaver cut in the fall and found a clump where the leaves around the stumps were wet. </p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8dCH6q-QItbohbRipk4Bk3k6VgVWgKitoMcjZW-hHsGk9C_ymV7Y3Xg6NUCbezg2OW9jz_TPBwFX5DnvCESyxDz5aHLva6Yu0hYDIadvw4VCDeuCx7a157VEfgWaJXIpHKtKGkTR2NsW/s1600/dpnips14mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8dCH6q-QItbohbRipk4Bk3k6VgVWgKitoMcjZW-hHsGk9C_ymV7Y3Xg6NUCbezg2OW9jz_TPBwFX5DnvCESyxDz5aHLva6Yu0hYDIadvw4VCDeuCx7a157VEfgWaJXIpHKtKGkTR2NsW/s400/dpnips14mar12.JPG" border="0" height="301" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>The beaver here has never left a wide swath showing what it has been doing, except as it worked its way through the water lilies. But there is no doubt about that beaver print. </p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>March 15 thunderstorms moved through the area early in the morning. I waited for the sun to come out and then headed for the East Trail Pond. I approached the pond walking down the high valley south of the pond and I immediately tried to find a seat with a good view of the pond so I could take a long last look at the remnants of winter that were rapidly disappearing with the heat and now the rain. Two low granite boulders proved too sharp so I sat on a log just up from the pond. I gazed at the pond until I realized that something had just visited the grassy area in front of the log.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mmqMgWVUZFpyBU5x_uAEGb2AD6oxOEZdT3nwaxdrwHM3IRWUEzM7gDgyNdeRAMJXdE4RQQUwOsShgWJGMoEE2E-pPZd_ljGscLRFKGm1pLbNLRfiZZnkUoGtFZU2HyBkkSg6BuwARI80/s1600/etslat15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mmqMgWVUZFpyBU5x_uAEGb2AD6oxOEZdT3nwaxdrwHM3IRWUEzM7gDgyNdeRAMJXdE4RQQUwOsShgWJGMoEE2E-pPZd_ljGscLRFKGm1pLbNLRfiZZnkUoGtFZU2HyBkkSg6BuwARI80/s400/etslat15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>This area is just up from the burrow into the bank that minks and probably an otter used during the winter. But there was what looked like rather fresh scratching in the dirt right in front of me.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglDs7QM_ClGYP7kGiqU9LelMP2DxbDypNRLGOgiXfJQxaYsa1oBXYlcZCWLkXGRUuOZM-KUb_lHWnkS3Pd549uTq4CDIvhrcm265pbpVHLSpH4f5ERtt0yQj98Ohx4g14oPsa6gBRia3LR/s1600/etscratch15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglDs7QM_ClGYP7kGiqU9LelMP2DxbDypNRLGOgiXfJQxaYsa1oBXYlcZCWLkXGRUuOZM-KUb_lHWnkS3Pd549uTq4CDIvhrcm265pbpVHLSpH4f5ERtt0yQj98Ohx4g14oPsa6gBRia3LR/s400/etscratch15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>I found three old otter scats, pretty sure they are the three I saw in the snow a month ago, and next to them is some coyote poop.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpRMBMYDVqnU-cJUbhCmSnRe-nug7ccJ8cvRQrWHsiMrFJhKlcDASTglFX0BmC7_ZSZvRIZ5TXNtbkFGVWANVR1hKX8q9JzXUMN9uCUQyj19O65a_QffaiW1_zCF1On_UuxB0wCuv70Ig/s1600/etscats15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpRMBMYDVqnU-cJUbhCmSnRe-nug7ccJ8cvRQrWHsiMrFJhKlcDASTglFX0BmC7_ZSZvRIZ5TXNtbkFGVWANVR1hKX8q9JzXUMN9uCUQyj19O65a_QffaiW1_zCF1On_UuxB0wCuv70Ig/s400/etscats15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>I have not made a close study of coyote poop so perhaps this is fresh. There is still ice on this side of the pond and clear ice in front of the burrow. </p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilbQDYJ87-tO7ckjdmP4ZMYGAS6huGMKIuN76JW-xruJ2BrwvGrYlGdcOrakxin3ju5hQXOTT8qPtHhued6p1k6aS1w85YkG8o_ksI9CI5s1YMah2TIGx7ZosIMBJPEUFMaKbPq4CwX7D/s1600/etburrow15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilbQDYJ87-tO7ckjdmP4ZMYGAS6huGMKIuN76JW-xruJ2BrwvGrYlGdcOrakxin3ju5hQXOTT8qPtHhued6p1k6aS1w85YkG8o_ksI9CI5s1YMah2TIGx7ZosIMBJPEUFMaKbPq4CwX7D/s400/etburrow15mar12.JPG" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>There were no bubbles under the ice suggesting that no animal had been swimming there. There was ice on the pond all the way to the lodge, though some of the ice was flooded due to the melting and the rain.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8CY6pJM5Hw05oKnkp_1f6byQZdoflwk-RtT2iyae8fIfMy_LGloUAmcj7-Q6gMkZsbaBamF1XSpIhpkx5IrkE6wPJRVLV5I5BJU_MX0scrV5m6jbdcAC2BpycJDueknI6mUT9ciAMScHV/s1600/et15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8CY6pJM5Hw05oKnkp_1f6byQZdoflwk-RtT2iyae8fIfMy_LGloUAmcj7-Q6gMkZsbaBamF1XSpIhpkx5IrkE6wPJRVLV5I5BJU_MX0scrV5m6jbdcAC2BpycJDueknI6mUT9ciAMScHV/s400/et15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>I walked down to the dam and saw a clear sign that a beaver had been out there, fresh gnawing on a red maple a few feet from the dam.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcNK97eNi1iSJ00G9zP8DDBvZH_39QlKH3UO-58MZENsM4a6eig9XBrMY29tUbYpji2bTkHtfD3dIdNG0KuyD0TYiDRG5Ey1u0F0NfEsUQmUDZ5IiPnwp4Bihyphenhyphen5eFXO6yh1KYJAedC2mK/s1600/etgnaw15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcNK97eNi1iSJ00G9zP8DDBvZH_39QlKH3UO-58MZENsM4a6eig9XBrMY29tUbYpji2bTkHtfD3dIdNG0KuyD0TYiDRG5Ey1u0F0NfEsUQmUDZ5IiPnwp4Bihyphenhyphen5eFXO6yh1KYJAedC2mK/s400/etgnaw15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>But it was only a few gnaws, and over at the dam, if a beaver had pushed something up on, it didn’t amount to much.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEqhWmhf77nbNiLoXmlNyf_ENN6k9UHdGwN9BH3MzjLR4c-zkzgSJd93uqSt6jt6B8HrA5Ig1Bjmp23ClW7elFFXOv9Rp8QEsZnuCeIlb1Gp2M-nN6r1_SPy9urXlJxvet5Uu7aCjvBce/s1600/etsdam15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEqhWmhf77nbNiLoXmlNyf_ENN6k9UHdGwN9BH3MzjLR4c-zkzgSJd93uqSt6jt6B8HrA5Ig1Bjmp23ClW7elFFXOv9Rp8QEsZnuCeIlb1Gp2M-nN6r1_SPy9urXlJxvet5Uu7aCjvBce/s400/etsdam15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>Some of the stalks floating in the water behind the dam were green and were perhaps left behind by a foraging beaver. I headed back up the south shore of the dam and at the west end there were two trees that had fallen a month or so ago after the ice got too thick for the beavers to forage at that end of the pond. A beaver might be able to get out there now, coming along the north shore and around the west end of the pond. None had because nothing had been trimmed from the crowns of the downed trees.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwY6W-CgFrx0x2z-tp6xYhuZr0QQoT2nr_KD2gpzNqFU7W6n6y7PFa6i-6_Go_hKR-soIuev7-YP2RZiYtgodjY25nuUVk6Fvm-woeYSnAva8deEXIu5BKrIR00ruZcY7rOi_j0NW_Dp5/s1600/etswk15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwY6W-CgFrx0x2z-tp6xYhuZr0QQoT2nr_KD2gpzNqFU7W6n6y7PFa6i-6_Go_hKR-soIuev7-YP2RZiYtgodjY25nuUVk6Fvm-woeYSnAva8deEXIu5BKrIR00ruZcY7rOi_j0NW_Dp5/s400/etswk15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>I walked around the west end of the pond and as I looked down the north shore it looked like a beaver had done some fresh gnawing on the red maple trunk that had fallen into the pond last fall.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1o7blseGkFyYXsH6tsCSOjqmL3xwuQ9XqCRKyblHofX2eiVOK6R-oEHgKOIP2_SMThhIcHRnO9xTpxJcHF-birvD3YfeGUHyaboluYwL71Q64QG0Udx1xB_3q0Eh1P09xL1OLgYT_Qk-v/s1600/etnwk15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1o7blseGkFyYXsH6tsCSOjqmL3xwuQ9XqCRKyblHofX2eiVOK6R-oEHgKOIP2_SMThhIcHRnO9xTpxJcHF-birvD3YfeGUHyaboluYwL71Q64QG0Udx1xB_3q0Eh1P09xL1OLgYT_Qk-v/s400/etnwk15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="301" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>At least I think it is a red maple. I will have to try to recall all these trees in their prime. That so little has been gnawed off it suggest that it was a red maple. Then I saw a trail of blackened leaves coming up from the pond. Something brought the leaves up out of the pond where they had been rotting.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33vM8RjcLLHGXK35gLgBvs9ua3M01cIqCVETgtYojIF6u2vFOi4a1IS9AVFn0Qnj6EnHU7Rjd2fj-yq96p81FTinVx450Wr-dcmRZtjROXzFrfcLt0NfoJLILgSCbvqCiLQfCIoWbpOxm/s1600/etleaves15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33vM8RjcLLHGXK35gLgBvs9ua3M01cIqCVETgtYojIF6u2vFOi4a1IS9AVFn0Qnj6EnHU7Rjd2fj-yq96p81FTinVx450Wr-dcmRZtjROXzFrfcLt0NfoJLILgSCbvqCiLQfCIoWbpOxm/s400/etleaves15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>I suspect a beaver was a bit tentative or clumsy as it tried to form a scent mound. A few yards farther down I saw a more shapely collection of leaves, though certainly not many.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghov_z0i1eL1oivFEm3DHjh76z1UhfHg_VJzi05tulYviNZVcQJmluxoPFmsbXHoARhTPseFO1aXQ0Q_WCjV-UkHNo3ojfZdhx98X-q0Rgt-Mt3qz_vNx7RkN32XLIxXKBCKv3faYChKrd/s1600/etleavesa15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghov_z0i1eL1oivFEm3DHjh76z1UhfHg_VJzi05tulYviNZVcQJmluxoPFmsbXHoARhTPseFO1aXQ0Q_WCjV-UkHNo3ojfZdhx98X-q0Rgt-Mt3qz_vNx7RkN32XLIxXKBCKv3faYChKrd/s400/etleavesa15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>Hardly enough leaves for a beaver to begin to make a scent mound. In the fall I had seen a beaver nibbling sticks along this shore and there is still a nice pile in the water. It is difficult to tell if any were recently stripped of bark.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IpTQ0f9narw0WdIC6RrQ_B4d9e8kmbrBIGSlNfLu5GlknK44wLOnhyjqVMiMPfE-FT1TGDXPpboMJzt78lQ53NHdcuScomdmYGqNQhlW33wBu1SJomQRMjJVLCi_9fYM28QA2ZXDyKaV/s1600/etnibs15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IpTQ0f9narw0WdIC6RrQ_B4d9e8kmbrBIGSlNfLu5GlknK44wLOnhyjqVMiMPfE-FT1TGDXPpboMJzt78lQ53NHdcuScomdmYGqNQhlW33wBu1SJomQRMjJVLCi_9fYM28QA2ZXDyKaV/s400/etnibs15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="301" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>Nearby there were some greens pushed up on a sunken log. Beavers gob up vegetation like this, but so do muskrats,</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfA4uwf1918Bi_FczlGcVY3hbVVflHyeOXrysDXfJWHFWi_Td_dGiOZVc0fRIsmY515zTrlV7LhN4-WfmFTg_yxJtwsWzGnZJYq3Gp3-F3zSAMFGMtO8mopEHsvwnV331ihRKPEzPJsIv/s1600/etgrass15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfA4uwf1918Bi_FczlGcVY3hbVVflHyeOXrysDXfJWHFWi_Td_dGiOZVc0fRIsmY515zTrlV7LhN4-WfmFTg_yxJtwsWzGnZJYq3Gp3-F3zSAMFGMtO8mopEHsvwnV331ihRKPEzPJsIv/s400/etgrass15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>Then there were more blackened leaves up on the shore, now on the pine straw. Muskrats make displays like this too, but generally closer to the shore.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrPGBAvEHaZa8hNTdHkfJNuR5ha00ipZeAkZD4RafAFzkqNFn3Vye_fBuFOh8f35JUGALpNUa3DABNjiXWr-aMoqr8X9m-rlOmoskWVhTPlP-oCl0cOaScpgHVr0KoC6f7_q6Ts0NaVRO/s1600/etleavesb15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrPGBAvEHaZa8hNTdHkfJNuR5ha00ipZeAkZD4RafAFzkqNFn3Vye_fBuFOh8f35JUGALpNUa3DABNjiXWr-aMoqr8X9m-rlOmoskWVhTPlP-oCl0cOaScpgHVr0KoC6f7_q6Ts0NaVRO/s400/etleavesb15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>When beavers make a scent mound they often add stripped sticks to a mound of leaves and grass. Right along the shore I saw two stripped sticks next to a few dead leaves.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSNPiYaMLk-USZtpYjHChJ_09iQaWGCCaGf0DzCNw_W-mPnKtTkCSNMxWVBQ_2Z6wln_ERuSofrN3N0Z0arYWIgRmli-rle4tQy15q_bJerzZPnhRWK6h8gs3RLSg8d3QbaGGk57hz0QQ/s1600/etsticks15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSNPiYaMLk-USZtpYjHChJ_09iQaWGCCaGf0DzCNw_W-mPnKtTkCSNMxWVBQ_2Z6wln_ERuSofrN3N0Z0arYWIgRmli-rle4tQy15q_bJerzZPnhRWK6h8gs3RLSg8d3QbaGGk57hz0QQ/s400/etsticks15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>But maybe my imagination had begun running away. The reality of what I was seeing was not much. I climbed up the cliff north of the pond, and got the impression that no beaver had done that recently. I didn’t see any fresh gnawing up there. Looking back down at the pond, where the beavers had their hole in the ice, I saw that they had not gnawed on the pine tree since I was last there. The thickets of shrubs from which they had nipped some branches above and under the ice still looked as thick as usual.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHZeaKrMMnwLhMcUW_Gf2Xmgodnej4-mpbIRMieiQcZq2bpDvImMUcDnn6do8w_Hv6qkWu-xtOsJPF3osiWBdQbSSi5s6mTTyHpjcqpkIyS_skqAYywxHDt3o-qXRlu2icfFeyD-TdWAO/s1600/etthickets15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHZeaKrMMnwLhMcUW_Gf2Xmgodnej4-mpbIRMieiQcZq2bpDvImMUcDnn6do8w_Hv6qkWu-xtOsJPF3osiWBdQbSSi5s6mTTyHpjcqpkIyS_skqAYywxHDt3o-qXRlu2icfFeyD-TdWAO/s400/etthickets15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>I took a photo of where the beavers’ hole in the ice had been. I just saw a few stripped twigs in the water and not any of the logs that I had tried to carefully keep track of when this hole was the main attraction in the pond. </p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JZRjNlusTBEX452Fkz-oM5X6hLzAgKau11QOWaHjjDmgAw5NSatNFKvyFkfQSvYCt1gclP-eDZUJgmj7xLunFIYmfCHoo1-cLfYwK2n4RNbCf63yP7Vj6iPRTGpekH871nSuzUVOrfll/s1600/etbvhole15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JZRjNlusTBEX452Fkz-oM5X6hLzAgKau11QOWaHjjDmgAw5NSatNFKvyFkfQSvYCt1gclP-eDZUJgmj7xLunFIYmfCHoo1-cLfYwK2n4RNbCf63yP7Vj6iPRTGpekH871nSuzUVOrfll/s400/etbvhole15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="301" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>As always I looked over at the otter latrine on the nearby granite rock sloping down to the pond. It hadn’t been used by an otter since November. It looked a little different today with what looked like fresh scratching in the dirt.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-LOVWZZxommUQsns_uVzb2W2iM1jsCBo3BseRMjhdzKXKHBAcU_1D1Eq4BCGNzsE7PjeIpV7mf0bjErRKToS8_MD4PoPmNFtMf3_w8WppYZC1ieUUxY7W6zR0iviZzbhA8RwRrPvXtnF/s1600/etlat15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-LOVWZZxommUQsns_uVzb2W2iM1jsCBo3BseRMjhdzKXKHBAcU_1D1Eq4BCGNzsE7PjeIpV7mf0bjErRKToS8_MD4PoPmNFtMf3_w8WppYZC1ieUUxY7W6zR0iviZzbhA8RwRrPvXtnF/s400/etlat15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="301" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>I took a closer look and it certainly looked like an otter’s scratching.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbZGREBphP9ZUJbDNXZGnl4Y5X40aXEm-dNSOw6HNoVrVTw31A0HoWwqjHVSkfyOFFAgNAdpA4XT-Ft3cmpHZ2KjChHYjOuAiAcbXnJgjMF3UCsXWy-3pUdPajwLkaP70htsm-QDrwt19/s1600/etlata15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbZGREBphP9ZUJbDNXZGnl4Y5X40aXEm-dNSOw6HNoVrVTw31A0HoWwqjHVSkfyOFFAgNAdpA4XT-Ft3cmpHZ2KjChHYjOuAiAcbXnJgjMF3UCsXWy-3pUdPajwLkaP70htsm-QDrwt19/s400/etlata15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="400" width="300" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>There was fresh otter scat at the back of the scratching.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkHF_gaMfZuQsxUhhw9XGF9M1zgLYx4m4VWJMAlinnhZT1DabDRQXL4zFwBv1LDkQuup12TqPRaKBxGYlGR0vdpCZVeSqaq7cbj0rdHQz7wDja26B07XnXFNTGiXz_uapVSFlJIiYoK4O/s1600/etscat15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkHF_gaMfZuQsxUhhw9XGF9M1zgLYx4m4VWJMAlinnhZT1DabDRQXL4zFwBv1LDkQuup12TqPRaKBxGYlGR0vdpCZVeSqaq7cbj0rdHQz7wDja26B07XnXFNTGiXz_uapVSFlJIiYoK4O/s400/etscat15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>Of course I looked around for more signs and really saw none, save that my imagination was once against churning and I wondered if the beaver had refurbished the otter proofing on top of its lodge.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9J7gTYSl9b9mCp-Jrkc1gIBG-0B08ON84s2oK20Nq5_Dqp-9OCHsZJ60QTGL5Oj79CM2Di_XtnPCeOtY4lhETvQnD04IOEa95f3tq93QUSgikLEG5UtnEYA-Cs-kTV6tHH0V_Suw16-6I/s1600/etldg15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9J7gTYSl9b9mCp-Jrkc1gIBG-0B08ON84s2oK20Nq5_Dqp-9OCHsZJ60QTGL5Oj79CM2Di_XtnPCeOtY4lhETvQnD04IOEa95f3tq93QUSgikLEG5UtnEYA-Cs-kTV6tHH0V_Suw16-6I/s400/etldg15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>On the low ground to the side of the rock where the otter scatted, I saw a definite beaver scent mound just up from the water. It had the wet leaves with a stripped stick.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9n7xPyWwkDbiYUHfVUH4wFWoKyhNNN8bQpdJL_Pz_2ozA9mk8rJBVwpY9Kx5LMNs6PfK-nEvSkkQm-uN9r0FAf3O0YO96nYGUxEdb7ax02Ojr534Ia7MGn0L-9kewp084aZvgn68Xlyk/s1600/etbvsm15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9n7xPyWwkDbiYUHfVUH4wFWoKyhNNN8bQpdJL_Pz_2ozA9mk8rJBVwpY9Kx5LMNs6PfK-nEvSkkQm-uN9r0FAf3O0YO96nYGUxEdb7ax02Ojr534Ia7MGn0L-9kewp084aZvgn68Xlyk/s400/etbvsm15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>Still rather small as beaver scent mounds go but often the beaver keeps adding to it all spring. I walked back up the ridge, heading for the dam, when I remembered that I hadn’t checked the line of gnawing beavers did north of the trail up on the ridge. I walked back there and didn’t see any new beaver gnawing, but I did that a porcupine gnawed on a thin pine tree.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAmsBp5ld03teOdpuIhZBt6QuahcfLEl3bL966kH2mECnLg65J1CXrWo4l2Jbu1zayF4RxYrQG8JRpWiCcKkNS2XmAqh2154hCN-GthXATvaA4Sri36MA0GlNdGhP1h6B5K9gPNAcNTex/s1600/etppwk15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAmsBp5ld03teOdpuIhZBt6QuahcfLEl3bL966kH2mECnLg65J1CXrWo4l2Jbu1zayF4RxYrQG8JRpWiCcKkNS2XmAqh2154hCN-GthXATvaA4Sri36MA0GlNdGhP1h6B5K9gPNAcNTex/s400/etppwk15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>That dead tree behind the gnawed pine is a pine tree blown down by a storm over a year ago. As I walked along the ridge heading for the dam, I looked back and saw what looked like fresh gnawing on a large tree just up from the water, probably a red maple.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7VHEdMV4sbWSjhjuMGlX4MxpYYrNIK7qS_kzGcQDC8F_4d1L2PRApzdBL5RbVnsX-34iHAlItvkl78GPkdJAwDkZkH9sMoA4w5EIMPFntDfVa8LBJtqMe4z6NSztB7d4s0Ja4SyIu4tH/s1600/etnwka15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7VHEdMV4sbWSjhjuMGlX4MxpYYrNIK7qS_kzGcQDC8F_4d1L2PRApzdBL5RbVnsX-34iHAlItvkl78GPkdJAwDkZkH9sMoA4w5EIMPFntDfVa8LBJtqMe4z6NSztB7d4s0Ja4SyIu4tH/s400/etnwka15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>Looking out at the pond, I was struck by how bare the bottom looked. Maybe there had been some muskrats under the ice foraging all winter.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_OV-w-xD8nZLbRI_8-Ikm6FKzF8Y7ZUjVO77ccusrb7tEuX20NrZb_JJTDv9oYcMyT7aJYLh37beAwuUO_TF9GdaqJUldMrBfEo86X32XeoXxf_xSU9yq_ea2Rhb9txF-Dum5W3JPMAJ/s1600/etbottom15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_OV-w-xD8nZLbRI_8-Ikm6FKzF8Y7ZUjVO77ccusrb7tEuX20NrZb_JJTDv9oYcMyT7aJYLh37beAwuUO_TF9GdaqJUldMrBfEo86X32XeoXxf_xSU9yq_ea2Rhb9txF-Dum5W3JPMAJ/s400/etbottom15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="301" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>I took a photo looking down at the dam. In its prime the pond filled the whole valley.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiy-Y25u_FxPcN8kSjiJTGAhafKQvj4eZMTcuOC91ie4dneIp0Zed_lpl3QImiId5ehvrD3XnKam_yePsGYr3dcYa5epkk_CGOG82uoAvut7pvbVD4k7zzMyYd5QY_AlT0HY2BeYcHxFQ/s1600/etdam15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiy-Y25u_FxPcN8kSjiJTGAhafKQvj4eZMTcuOC91ie4dneIp0Zed_lpl3QImiId5ehvrD3XnKam_yePsGYr3dcYa5epkk_CGOG82uoAvut7pvbVD4k7zzMyYd5QY_AlT0HY2BeYcHxFQ/s400/etdam15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>From that distance it didn’t look like the beavers had pushed up any mud on the dam lately. But as I walked over to the dam, I saw that beavers had been there. Each tree in a clump of red maples next to the dam had been gnawed.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoberl3NhDaoRSTzyEgPqzjbvMEigPSTdIwlJQQwfcIqgfJJ2hVfMPOcKpmRJIiPSMbKJsvnklaLIzKA94FBNqZhs_DTnGZFZhnluBc2B1yFUkRZC2Nd5ef7S_n_xyAKIsNP_rgv1wSwy1/s1600/etnwkb15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoberl3NhDaoRSTzyEgPqzjbvMEigPSTdIwlJQQwfcIqgfJJ2hVfMPOcKpmRJIiPSMbKJsvnklaLIzKA94FBNqZhs_DTnGZFZhnluBc2B1yFUkRZC2Nd5ef7S_n_xyAKIsNP_rgv1wSwy1/s400/etnwkb15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>As I walked out on the dam from the north end, I was first struck by a confusing image: what looked like a fresh push of mud up on the dam but also fresh gnawing on a root in the dam. So it was hard to tell if the beaver was foraging or repairing the dam.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFbmGcmgsvcOrydt4fbg7_PiECu3dfourht_E5jfXAU95x7c-0M1zkBrje8_zqGmKC58Tbb3Oxjwv-XBxGMSApBRqmJJRYNmD4r4h8I_dkl23am9N1djorLBDdR6kpDYkobG_PX2K5gix/s1600/etdamgnaw15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFbmGcmgsvcOrydt4fbg7_PiECu3dfourht_E5jfXAU95x7c-0M1zkBrje8_zqGmKC58Tbb3Oxjwv-XBxGMSApBRqmJJRYNmD4r4h8I_dkl23am9N1djorLBDdR6kpDYkobG_PX2K5gix/s400/etdamgnaw15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="301" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>I soon got to a section of dam where it looked like there was some methodical repair work, though it is possible that it is just a case of old work made to look fresh by the rising and then receding water of the pond.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvUpzTURFwmEJqFtqq_Dfuz4m2zF_oD35J-om01GBeEQ0a0ch8GgxYxiPhERxHY2YH2UGCH9wOilpzWIV-auykOkd1SGnoJOV9kIPcxTJLNAIjxU8rFBIWPD27AWeKluT1X6k0G7YgdWa/s1600/etdamwk15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvUpzTURFwmEJqFtqq_Dfuz4m2zF_oD35J-om01GBeEQ0a0ch8GgxYxiPhERxHY2YH2UGCH9wOilpzWIV-auykOkd1SGnoJOV9kIPcxTJLNAIjxU8rFBIWPD27AWeKluT1X6k0G7YgdWa/s400/etdamwk15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>A little farther on I saw a more convincing heave of mud and could even see the holes left behind the dam when the beaver scooped up the mud.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1E3ZuoIAZYmSltlj5rWO5xUpmetAMGUWru70pMz_4_dclC0G3Ti6ReJVcwJWiaYCUZT60JJauXrpBPxKVZ_qp0Op6K7q2TEtSe2AXJueUZBiuGyiOaq9nCFWPMxbgXDDTzNDs9xNOR7RC/s1600/etdamwka15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1E3ZuoIAZYmSltlj5rWO5xUpmetAMGUWru70pMz_4_dclC0G3Ti6ReJVcwJWiaYCUZT60JJauXrpBPxKVZ_qp0Op6K7q2TEtSe2AXJueUZBiuGyiOaq9nCFWPMxbgXDDTzNDs9xNOR7RC/s400/etdamwka15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>Then I came to several feet of major repairs with mud and dead cattail stalks. Here was a sure sign that the beavers planned to stay in the pond -- that scent mound is a good sign of that too, I suppose.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFBSm_3xO7skidQV0bhzH6RUWRJ8ZzaZVSDd_wFZSl1eJ31fJzLjW8b3kYroWxEHgDXSwbYs4nyUyBRXJWxFTbrW4J1Bghlexr_ora8Jl-kmQX6esx9u40Iyk7mFqAugc0KhYhg69cIfQ/s1600/etdamwkb15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFBSm_3xO7skidQV0bhzH6RUWRJ8ZzaZVSDd_wFZSl1eJ31fJzLjW8b3kYroWxEHgDXSwbYs4nyUyBRXJWxFTbrW4J1Bghlexr_ora8Jl-kmQX6esx9u40Iyk7mFqAugc0KhYhg69cIfQ/s400/etdamwkb15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>Of course I eventually want to get a good photo of the repaired hole in the dam, but this was not the day to attempt that. I could see that the beavers had done a good bit of work larding on mud, dead cattail stalks and long logs. I didn’t want to muck up what they had done with my heavy boots.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmCaVPlwOtRIDkWzvxRhZVsu14sd4To95z7GAAUytHreb194k8neohXPN3N601R_-twKyGCViG5iRl0MY6hTW1wSkm7a0rlXVf4lDL1bXGMs16XH4di9Y4CqdgZDNONFaI1wAeKsX0U_H/s1600/etdamwkc15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmCaVPlwOtRIDkWzvxRhZVsu14sd4To95z7GAAUytHreb194k8neohXPN3N601R_-twKyGCViG5iRl0MY6hTW1wSkm7a0rlXVf4lDL1bXGMs16XH4di9Y4CqdgZDNONFaI1wAeKsX0U_H/s400/etdamwkc15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>In my experience pushing logs perpendicular to the dam is a common way beavers patch holes. Often they push a log into the hole. From where I stood I couldn’t see if they had done that. But there definitely was a log over where the hole had been.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL51zBHmrDtTKvsb_XvDbyvhq5SUmSbJExzwabPWJ4zLTcINFj5jSmceoaNcckAo5Bx7L0EBKNMN9p7VXMNX-frr_RtkheYWagackMnJvlAqIrPfzF6hpxrimUZnkXHqSGnKdOsDbZ9vVj/s1600/etdamlog15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL51zBHmrDtTKvsb_XvDbyvhq5SUmSbJExzwabPWJ4zLTcINFj5jSmceoaNcckAo5Bx7L0EBKNMN9p7VXMNX-frr_RtkheYWagackMnJvlAqIrPfzF6hpxrimUZnkXHqSGnKdOsDbZ9vVj/s400/etdamlog15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>Since I saw evidence of a recent otter visit to the pond, I headed for the Lost Swamp Pond to see if an otter left a scat there. That was where the otter who came to the East Trail Pond came from during the fall and I tracked an otter coming from that pond back in late January. I went around the Second Swamp Pond on my way and didn’t have my camcorder ready when I burst on the scene there. A considerable number of ducks and geese flew off. All the ice was gone from the pond. By the way, there were several wood ducks and a pair of mallards in the East Trail Pond. I did have my camcorder ready when I walked up to the Lost Swamp Pond dam, but no ducks were there. Most of the pond is covered with rotting ice. Of course, I hoped to see that a beaver patched the hole in that dam, but none had. The leak through the dam was worse, and the hole widened considerably.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzSUQx-dcJTGcQvT6etwK00dIgzQCDN7X1IOEJ2Web4DhQ33Y_OqAGLd0_jRFUymKPuDBs7hWxNSpU41TH6IlcTh3GidwCp2JEL1ZBRhrNVHTmLCtF5fXIT92aVPI_T9Yh5Xa79EhuUEC/s1600/lsdam15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzSUQx-dcJTGcQvT6etwK00dIgzQCDN7X1IOEJ2Web4DhQ33Y_OqAGLd0_jRFUymKPuDBs7hWxNSpU41TH6IlcTh3GidwCp2JEL1ZBRhrNVHTmLCtF5fXIT92aVPI_T9Yh5Xa79EhuUEC/s400/lsdam15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>There were no signs that an otter had recently visited the latrine beside the dam. As I walked around the west end of the dam, I took a photo to show the extent of the pond. It looks quite large, but a 10 yard strip along the shore that is usually covered with water is now high and dry.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdfnkqjoV_uUp1hgOw0KLj3Fo0htWCMAIjTpcxAKq4EdiAd9n1dhzgzCaxsfbXEx-Jq5_C3c6_-cGhTQdbs7tx5B-Pnpty1-dql-eZaMXcXxWGayGOr9pBhJNBMqEyNWpVFIM7aQD1qYr/s1600/ls15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdfnkqjoV_uUp1hgOw0KLj3Fo0htWCMAIjTpcxAKq4EdiAd9n1dhzgzCaxsfbXEx-Jq5_C3c6_-cGhTQdbs7tx5B-Pnpty1-dql-eZaMXcXxWGayGOr9pBhJNBMqEyNWpVFIM7aQD1qYr/s400/ls15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>There were geese on the Big Pond. The photo I took from the dam shows a diminished pond.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWgEuTVrQfmWizKulebtk6q-zdZQPdIp8HvVctVXwoTcCsqtQ7TZ-rxFvNA0Q28v1HKYckFMYkjWBvtEUw6AnQNWh9GbO0_0ps0jsLuMh0edicc3fplNB66Nm8ZzMoWYU9XIP0M-AWgRqB/s1600/bp15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWgEuTVrQfmWizKulebtk6q-zdZQPdIp8HvVctVXwoTcCsqtQ7TZ-rxFvNA0Q28v1HKYckFMYkjWBvtEUw6AnQNWh9GbO0_0ps0jsLuMh0edicc3fplNB66Nm8ZzMoWYU9XIP0M-AWgRqB/s400/bp15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>The thaw is humbling the dam, wearing it down lower.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Sxy1Bsiyzgm8mYrO430Rnw_xbzDL8igMUOlaL12KEykhAvrcvFMBodTaHc1n5ZXIWr1XqJUHyZ8CuVn3OQNNYOr2kw4MbVwFuiXcKi9YKVm2XFkg4Udt09QnYBtv3oGYX6hKpuSFYVS-/s1600/bpdam15mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Sxy1Bsiyzgm8mYrO430Rnw_xbzDL8igMUOlaL12KEykhAvrcvFMBodTaHc1n5ZXIWr1XqJUHyZ8CuVn3OQNNYOr2kw4MbVwFuiXcKi9YKVm2XFkg4Udt09QnYBtv3oGYX6hKpuSFYVS-/s400/bpdam15mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>Water was also pouring out of a hole deep in the dam that formed two years ago but that had been patched before beavers left the pond last year. Of course it is obvious that the longer beavers wait to repair a dam the more difficult any repair will be, but there is more to this dam than meets the eye. There is a mound of silt that has been accumulating for over 30 years. What is missing around this pond are trees. But I am loath to count beavers out of any valley. They continually surprise me with their resourcefulness.</p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>March 16 we got to our land just as the mist was clearing after a heavy warm rain. Water was raging over the dam.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUFwKOJp5qnsEMRz-Azd58lCkJFUP1GqHViUOK2RodQewQV00neJN6Xr74UzpMABRVLD2rB0V4_e_SrZlzIbzpCeAYL05YmVy8P7bnDCcJ2WR-WQ7eX9CvIl7oxUV5Z0x8BmAQNeuIv1q/s1600/dpdam16mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUFwKOJp5qnsEMRz-Azd58lCkJFUP1GqHViUOK2RodQewQV00neJN6Xr74UzpMABRVLD2rB0V4_e_SrZlzIbzpCeAYL05YmVy8P7bnDCcJ2WR-WQ7eX9CvIl7oxUV5Z0x8BmAQNeuIv1q/s400/dpdam16mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>There was no way to calculate any beaver activity along the dam. There was still a circle of rotting ice in the middle of the pond and still a bit of ice in front of the lodge.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZEYD4nHXEBa1XL6GcnDJdlzDUWxYQ-k8IKEvI4ftOJAwI5-BR9uXphVf0Zmt7JyULACkPby3ud_AGAJMHoTi8CfJaE-mEEKw1d2G_6nb57lAx8S4E41MSslSm3qF7iHovFL-rIouq-iE/s1600/dpldg16mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZEYD4nHXEBa1XL6GcnDJdlzDUWxYQ-k8IKEvI4ftOJAwI5-BR9uXphVf0Zmt7JyULACkPby3ud_AGAJMHoTi8CfJaE-mEEKw1d2G_6nb57lAx8S4E41MSslSm3qF7iHovFL-rIouq-iE/s400/dpldg16mar12.JPG" border="0" height="301" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>Again it was difficult to tell if the beaver had been floating around there last night. I looked for any beaver markings along the shore and found none. I followed a possible path coming up from the pond near the lodge, and it led to a pile of fur and bones, too small to be a beavers.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_vb_M8m7dHdV5r26_Zt8jYXGaYGL6GyoJyRAHSdGGe9GqnwsHj6tYNUHCgJx0UW5CF1siWzuTL1Ot0Z1qyxtP6Pqo-WoEIEOqH1PMO2z9PJfhrc2PLeU0PUwjU3ibxajH17c_rdeluvs/s1600/dpbones16mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_vb_M8m7dHdV5r26_Zt8jYXGaYGL6GyoJyRAHSdGGe9GqnwsHj6tYNUHCgJx0UW5CF1siWzuTL1Ot0Z1qyxtP6Pqo-WoEIEOqH1PMO2z9PJfhrc2PLeU0PUwjU3ibxajH17c_rdeluvs/s400/dpbones16mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>It seemed a bit large for a muskrat; perhaps a raccoon. Then I followed a short path from the pond up to the little pool west of the pond. By the south side of the pool, I saw where the beaver cut some birch saplings.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYHQ9uzyIEyPWu7LuwJYlZS3hv_z_lSq5Up-nhgExXu3eE8x1VGG6vE7QGcs4wnojji9VA-xNOlcNhd6uubOwFQCIqNzje7DKv8PHy4vx09lhIRx4wGSk7Rjx8RQeE3GpdkUMvC_LmB6F/s1600/dpnip16mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYHQ9uzyIEyPWu7LuwJYlZS3hv_z_lSq5Up-nhgExXu3eE8x1VGG6vE7QGcs4wnojji9VA-xNOlcNhd6uubOwFQCIqNzje7DKv8PHy4vx09lhIRx4wGSk7Rjx8RQeE3GpdkUMvC_LmB6F/s400/dpnip16mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>Unfortunately, we’ll be away until the beginning of April and I’ll miss the final melting of the ice and what repairs on the dam I hope the beaver will do while I’m gone.</p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>March 17 I headed out to check the East Trail Pond and then Audubon Pond and the otter latrines along South Bay. As I went up Antler Trail I saw my first garter snake of the year.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkwR4Q5KQ6zgrVOQqVEMWW2FSGOrP0mmwLSU_gL9PfxilztDGnXF_4n3p3HQMwmbs0XCQJDgYyOz3WM9nz-D81mE7XFXscJIbHsAoekSZCRPKTjQlj8Y7m_5BVnGCVKj26haqzszdFP1_/s1600/garter17mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkwR4Q5KQ6zgrVOQqVEMWW2FSGOrP0mmwLSU_gL9PfxilztDGnXF_4n3p3HQMwmbs0XCQJDgYyOz3WM9nz-D81mE7XFXscJIbHsAoekSZCRPKTjQlj8Y7m_5BVnGCVKj26haqzszdFP1_/s400/garter17mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>As usual I approached the East Trail Pond coming down the slope to the middle of the south shore. I saw what looked like freshly nibbled stalks in the water in front of the bank burrow on that shore.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQaOXbWCH8Uops7volV31fvUstkeZ4SCoqwJbKyFbcRvFsxBsNBJ5nSmbUqcYMgRjz-QqqxcjQZMnbSlcBS2v1OVY0-P5z8T4K4nT_hB2obqX3F3a8jfxU_cvOEYNyqv6zSLgP_DaJGuU/s1600/etburnibs17mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQaOXbWCH8Uops7volV31fvUstkeZ4SCoqwJbKyFbcRvFsxBsNBJ5nSmbUqcYMgRjz-QqqxcjQZMnbSlcBS2v1OVY0-P5z8T4K4nT_hB2obqX3F3a8jfxU_cvOEYNyqv6zSLgP_DaJGuU/s400/etburnibs17mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>But there was still ice in front of the burrow just off shore. It was hard to picture a beaver nibbling those stalks. I headed over to the north shore where there is no more ice and where the beavers have been nibbling and marking the shoreline with leaves. I saw two more half stripped logs left on shore.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_T2CyEYsOT1-cyLu9oF09as_X0QQw6HmKBjdKYyBTHFJ6IknZlxkh5JxR9EXQUb4qz5AC4Vd4424iBEtALg2WA7iN-bRUSJTZ4KsdHLyF2PKuRGKclARkcUScjlm3BMxhJNSWZ0eydDIM/s1600/etnshore17mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_T2CyEYsOT1-cyLu9oF09as_X0QQw6HmKBjdKYyBTHFJ6IknZlxkh5JxR9EXQUb4qz5AC4Vd4424iBEtALg2WA7iN-bRUSJTZ4KsdHLyF2PKuRGKclARkcUScjlm3BMxhJNSWZ0eydDIM/s400/etnshore17mar12.JPG" border="0" height="301" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
<br />
<p>There were more stripped twigs in the water just off shore.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkx4pgPkx5pLOnvfvOr9_5fu2q6Ae54_NdFMdXFLEMB2PTy5oaZ4-Efyk6w254O4vfHHQDBpK5Kb9dSoKYJYcNBLAUK9S9aMlPpWYGhvcoL4nr2XZD4ptvaL4xoY0TgufF6AAW0oeeXW9/s1600/etnibs17mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkx4pgPkx5pLOnvfvOr9_5fu2q6Ae54_NdFMdXFLEMB2PTy5oaZ4-Efyk6w254O4vfHHQDBpK5Kb9dSoKYJYcNBLAUK9S9aMlPpWYGhvcoL4nr2XZD4ptvaL4xoY0TgufF6AAW0oeeXW9/s400/etnibs17mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>A little farther down the shore the pile of nibbled sticks in the water had grown.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZFYlLHM95Xzd5NIQb9LcE6l8jUAgJCmkMKqAqk6T88JrdmXc_nlcX-ALv6mtyxe89BPUOGk20aXEJJZ5l4LLlNzjIT5BwxN2_S0tOI7oww1NYyc-oWFD1kTh8aGnqVs5hwTDL78DYL2U/s1600/etnibsa17mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZFYlLHM95Xzd5NIQb9LcE6l8jUAgJCmkMKqAqk6T88JrdmXc_nlcX-ALv6mtyxe89BPUOGk20aXEJJZ5l4LLlNzjIT5BwxN2_S0tOI7oww1NYyc-oWFD1kTh8aGnqVs5hwTDL78DYL2U/s400/etnibsa17mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>I’m not sure where the beavers are cutting the sticks but they look like the thin branches from the clumps of shrubs in the pond. I have never satisfactorily identified those shrubs. I’ll try again when they get leaves. The beavers, I think, had been pushing a few dead wet leaves up on this shore, but I didn’t see any signs of that type of activity today. I went up on the ridge, where I didn’t notice any new gnawing, and then sat down just above the otter latrine on the rock just above the water. I didn’t see any new otter activity. I couldn’t see any reason why a beaver wouldn’t come out. I’ve often seen beavers foraging in the middle of the day in the middle of March. I studied the lodge.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOnIu0KrsZ4nln1OG_kKLYoIeU6BvluRiUBN0d1uxgXV3UBicOV_nGMSk_Cuu5nCyeTLor39Y2f155z2sKfvZAIulwNW3CBr-XfGgPXLnoDRbB0lCBg-AXx6g5Bpj308z590ID3hOcv9A/s1600/etldg17mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOnIu0KrsZ4nln1OG_kKLYoIeU6BvluRiUBN0d1uxgXV3UBicOV_nGMSk_Cuu5nCyeTLor39Y2f155z2sKfvZAIulwNW3CBr-XfGgPXLnoDRbB0lCBg-AXx6g5Bpj308z590ID3hOcv9A/s400/etldg17mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>No beaver appeared anywhere in the pond. But a few minutes later, I saw a muskrat swimming towards me. It saw me just after I got the camcorder humming and it dove. However, it came toward me under water then surfaced in a nexus of shrub branches just above the water line.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvV6eQ-vY6wdjpX0h4yf-NryQEj2NZUlN814wTWWrXXHF0sioARoeK3xuIFUSaMNXsBbPSKiDfHJPPc_y_euMgUh1E8mEAdZ8Gj8JexdJcC29NW3_EM1hE69u4f0hHnoXQkUWmU-ULo_W/s1600/etmrat17mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvV6eQ-vY6wdjpX0h4yf-NryQEj2NZUlN814wTWWrXXHF0sioARoeK3xuIFUSaMNXsBbPSKiDfHJPPc_y_euMgUh1E8mEAdZ8Gj8JexdJcC29NW3_EM1hE69u4f0hHnoXQkUWmU-ULo_W/s400/etmrat17mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>I never got an unobstructed view of it. After chewing some vegetation there, I assume soft stuff it brought up from the bottom, it dove and swam away under water. I waited for it to resurface but I didn’t see it, nor hear it. I have not seen a muskrat here nor signs of a muskrat, other than three lodges that I discovered when I could walk on the ice, since the late fall. Seeing a mink run around the pond, on the ice and under the ice, all winter with impunity, I assumed all the muskrats here had been eaten. So now all the leaves pushed up on the shore were more likely pushed up by that muskrat than any beaver. However, down next to the shore, just below the latrine, I saw that a beaver had built up the scent mound there, pushing up and shaping more dead leaves and mud.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RjLb4dVds4OhGsKueV8U-Q3-ZNCr3-lC1fQt5tc6XO4y1l1tGL_phUsfUaEMBYTot4aBkwdSEN0HHSI2gBStQdxpKLgajCM9A0ye1-mKbqzmCEGMzlFuT9dkRcVHoyvGaM_dw3FZ4DoS/s1600/etmark17mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RjLb4dVds4OhGsKueV8U-Q3-ZNCr3-lC1fQt5tc6XO4y1l1tGL_phUsfUaEMBYTot4aBkwdSEN0HHSI2gBStQdxpKLgajCM9A0ye1-mKbqzmCEGMzlFuT9dkRcVHoyvGaM_dw3FZ4DoS/s400/etmark17mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>Muskrats generally don’t make such a large statement. I headed down to the dam where I didn’t have to go far to see that a beaver pushed up some fresh mud.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvzQgB5wQDlspK42kj5BXjC94tQ5fuQtxu-UedIxZhzpaGLWQDAc24HzjAyIjpas6w3clJExYF4zafwXjn5V642Rshr5Ugv1QQPwPF2uJpmfnS0SUFiw-YpA9a1cYx1kSXHaSCwerLnsm/s1600/etdam17mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvzQgB5wQDlspK42kj5BXjC94tQ5fuQtxu-UedIxZhzpaGLWQDAc24HzjAyIjpas6w3clJExYF4zafwXjn5V642Rshr5Ugv1QQPwPF2uJpmfnS0SUFiw-YpA9a1cYx1kSXHaSCwerLnsm/s400/etdam17mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>Having seen no fresh otter signs, there was no reason to check the Lost Swamp Pond, and more reason to check Meander Pond, Audubon Pond and the otter latrines on South Bay to see if there were otter signs there. I went back up the ridge on the East Trail, and noticed that the beavers’ off and on gnawing on the big oak just up from the shore had put that oak on the verge of falling over.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtTcERQPcozrXblhfOu_gOzhyphenhyphen050EsEsBSBmqXQAvqz96JG_PF_4PqDeTT2p7H8Ms6J7d_8FmE_WTetCqfHo176qFEj3AwMfFRWOxqy8xXYvk72R-yRr74w8FFRwMWBVKDJMQDCVNvE_n/s1600/etwk17mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtTcERQPcozrXblhfOu_gOzhyphenhyphen050EsEsBSBmqXQAvqz96JG_PF_4PqDeTT2p7H8Ms6J7d_8FmE_WTetCqfHo176qFEj3AwMfFRWOxqy8xXYvk72R-yRr74w8FFRwMWBVKDJMQDCVNvE_n/s400/etwk17mar12.JPG" border="0" height="301" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>And while up on the ridge, I saw the muskrat again, swimming toward the lodge. It splashed its tail there which encouraged me to think that there might have been another muskrat swimming around, but I didn’t see one. The muskrat I saw swam into another clump of shrubs and I could no longer see it. I headed off up the trail and walked around Thicket Pond and checked the ancient beaver/otter path between that pond and Meander Pond. I occasionally see otter scats there and I have this wild idea that an otter mother uses Thicket Pond to birth and raise her pups. I didn’t see any scats today and no evidence that the trail had been used recently. Audubon Pond is still mostly covered with rotting ice. However, there is open water on the west end, where the ice was most exposed to the sun, and I saw that a beaver had come over there and cut a branch off the shag-bark hickory windfall.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8DBX4ikYzTkAoFgudrfxWu2EQDbShW-D-LUCJ3c-QmF-97mITUsBuz8TcjZV9JBfkjdJoRdZETj7GeBcgKqAnJAw0vjFbRBto5fO90HmVni5LUmHwAyRScs24OeuDYrIa0_ycykjpBMj/s1600/apwk17mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8DBX4ikYzTkAoFgudrfxWu2EQDbShW-D-LUCJ3c-QmF-97mITUsBuz8TcjZV9JBfkjdJoRdZETj7GeBcgKqAnJAw0vjFbRBto5fO90HmVni5LUmHwAyRScs24OeuDYrIa0_ycykjpBMj/s400/apwk17mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>As has been the case in the 15 or so winters that I have watched beavers here, the beavers lived off the cache they stored around their lodge. As the ice rotted, large stripped logs made a ghostly appearance in the water.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmi7876-nJsJ0h50-l_WM2P5aH7KpPr1NaeBf1ElJdXHWjkLdyNdh3NTHp5GhupHViEb55BebDx_3d4kAp5LtzxrMsN3nA6CkRAr57dZcQffZH4imxQddU-RJZeoWGTCdycrsHqoOECfF/s1600/aplogs17mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmi7876-nJsJ0h50-l_WM2P5aH7KpPr1NaeBf1ElJdXHWjkLdyNdh3NTHp5GhupHViEb55BebDx_3d4kAp5LtzxrMsN3nA6CkRAr57dZcQffZH4imxQddU-RJZeoWGTCdycrsHqoOECfF/s400/aplogs17mar12.JPG" border="0" height="301" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>These large logs were several yards from the bank lodge entrance. There were smaller logs and sticks around the lodge, and many of them not stripped. </p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JaolhWymYTHbfd7aXJi0xtQsAo4gBIP9zXXX7wQ_NsgBXpYlcfyd6-0O-0ICbq-xlbP6a2hpqh4SvgyrSZuwGKR7GRZXVoPmew4ojsKn0iuA2YvC9VDtPDlUeOwoYpkbVHiRXkQrjXYE/s1600/apcache17mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JaolhWymYTHbfd7aXJi0xtQsAo4gBIP9zXXX7wQ_NsgBXpYlcfyd6-0O-0ICbq-xlbP6a2hpqh4SvgyrSZuwGKR7GRZXVoPmew4ojsKn0iuA2YvC9VDtPDlUeOwoYpkbVHiRXkQrjXYE/s400/apcache17mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>Most of what the beavers stored for the winter was never apparent to me. They must have anchored the big logs on the pond bottom well under the ice. The smallest sticks were nearest to the shore, most unstripped, and on the mud there I saw an opened clam shell.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAZzYysj9ebuz1ZfQOAhuUsM98rSU4g_BDLY_yedNBp6NtytGNzqsmkpnzoIPoCiM2MkKHADx1dsst4z6z1rYg3QL0jA2mE5PFdvASRO-DCfft9BvI-OIFML1p4bRPOnGU6L-YG1nNJ7b/s1600/apcachea17mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAZzYysj9ebuz1ZfQOAhuUsM98rSU4g_BDLY_yedNBp6NtytGNzqsmkpnzoIPoCiM2MkKHADx1dsst4z6z1rYg3QL0jA2mE5PFdvASRO-DCfft9BvI-OIFML1p4bRPOnGU6L-YG1nNJ7b/s400/apcachea17mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>A muskrat could have left that after eating the clam, or a beaver dredged up it up. Only once over 15 years of watching beavers here did I get an impression that beavers might enjoy gnawing on a clam shell. I heard a crunch in a lodge, but I’ve never seen shells broken the way I imagine a beaver might do it. Muskrats have a deft touch and perfectly shaped snout for getting into clams. Seeing the stripped logs from beavers’ winter meals is one of the joys of spring. In some ponds where the beavers were many, I’ve seen jams of stripped logs. I was struck by how much bark was left on logs that these beavers’ cached.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdy7xOJBzxDgsh5hIN7uJIpye7qxAL9NuyEcuMn3qjTK24HnPxf0KR-R5Qnnzyd7BYQ_hYmJPpHYr0_akL3W4V6NsZCLKHU4lUZ4_QpXdmcGhKi0t1qfFyYoGn0pztS6WkoHsU5HNE8vO/s1600/apcacheb17mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdy7xOJBzxDgsh5hIN7uJIpye7qxAL9NuyEcuMn3qjTK24HnPxf0KR-R5Qnnzyd7BYQ_hYmJPpHYr0_akL3W4V6NsZCLKHU4lUZ4_QpXdmcGhKi0t1qfFyYoGn0pztS6WkoHsU5HNE8vO/s400/apcacheb17mar12.JPG" border="0" height="300" width="400" /></a></div></p><br />
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<p>This could be because there were only two beavers eating out of the cache, or because the shag-bark hickory logs and other logs that they collected in their cache are not that palatable. There was nothing new at the South Bay otter latrines, and with all the ice gone, nothing of note on South Bay. We are going south for two weeks so in a way I am glad we had an early Spring so that I can say my winter tracking is completed.</p></span></span><br />
<br />Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-23209004038767682782012-05-09T13:25:00.000-07:002012-05-09T13:25:55.857-07:00March 2 to 10, 2012<font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 2 we had to go down to southeastern Pennsylvania for the weekend, just when the skunk cabbage was blooming. I couldn’t resist taking photos.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCu75zY_bnyXRUwIL8ieUWGBWFp4D4xZlTYNoQnLqtFYfBYN_fv-p5Q8fJNYonbJQ4fPa17jvm7tpd6qI-0tK9LfgJQPBgGY7u2asVsHQVD1VQ_G7UbMVy5JLMEyECpLlbFPli6vMEH7V/s1600/scabbage2mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCu75zY_bnyXRUwIL8ieUWGBWFp4D4xZlTYNoQnLqtFYfBYN_fv-p5Q8fJNYonbJQ4fPa17jvm7tpd6qI-0tK9LfgJQPBgGY7u2asVsHQVD1VQ_G7UbMVy5JLMEyECpLlbFPli6vMEH7V/s400/scabbage2mar12.JPG" /></a></div>We don’t have them up north where we live. Needless to say I know little about the plant save that at this time of year it comes up in the wet woods and is never dull.</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4ZXBjFIqm5ZDrRdEo_-UxWfE9JmPLO9VIj74etVRnPC-g5ljK4ntXFZT5AWjuD-y4B3xVlkIqQR6UTr17I5F1BCW1TNSUNIU3g2xIOamzVRmFXITAVpKHCnw_7DpPkfXIkWglTmD5MUI/s1600/scabbagea2mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4ZXBjFIqm5ZDrRdEo_-UxWfE9JmPLO9VIj74etVRnPC-g5ljK4ntXFZT5AWjuD-y4B3xVlkIqQR6UTr17I5F1BCW1TNSUNIU3g2xIOamzVRmFXITAVpKHCnw_7DpPkfXIkWglTmD5MUI/s400/scabbagea2mar12.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvGh7bMKwx7p98G-o6LpssjovRcG_RMD0ZZQn-11eBtTAnQb1vL4sCTjaHLz0hkt9sFM7XCBxxfKiZ6eFLmwxgqFBNSO2fkSxXHQ2ofmaKCRmu98LqqnN7OFj5pekNF_a5r_sxaCBrv5s/s1600/scabbageb2mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvGh7bMKwx7p98G-o6LpssjovRcG_RMD0ZZQn-11eBtTAnQb1vL4sCTjaHLz0hkt9sFM7XCBxxfKiZ6eFLmwxgqFBNSO2fkSxXHQ2ofmaKCRmu98LqqnN7OFj5pekNF_a5r_sxaCBrv5s/s400/scabbageb2mar12.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicEeMZGKPFW_-o2myjv_wCOdfvUg8dGoEkyz6WCP1r_kr2TVVJVkpdcoASxwwd1ewsM1n092ehNX1CnDoI6NzFIT3u5kaPtNxQSDm8fKS5y-crmfya9EIJLKH_y0O8eB-NpCUgFdSNiGlM/s1600/skunkcabbage2mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicEeMZGKPFW_-o2myjv_wCOdfvUg8dGoEkyz6WCP1r_kr2TVVJVkpdcoASxwwd1ewsM1n092ehNX1CnDoI6NzFIT3u5kaPtNxQSDm8fKS5y-crmfya9EIJLKH_y0O8eB-NpCUgFdSNiGlM/s400/skunkcabbage2mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P></FONT></SPAN> <font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 4 we got back home at the tail end of a wind storm. It ended yesterday but today we suffered. Six of the 10 buckets we hung on maple trees to collect sap were blown off. We did get enough sap to eventually boil down to a quart of syrup. We also checked the Deep Pond for beaver activity. It was also warm while we were gone and more ice melted and the holes the beaver has been using were bigger. We saw one stripped stick on the ice just off what is now the biggest hole, where the inlet creek flows into the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUjUcrpnB3vPnZzBeqCjGNMeSv533dMd9gwy6eq0c9a3Fbevv3ytatGj4h1sril943KvZMUNUjMBvn8lxGj7A8C2I4lAl7_ewmu6xxJoKDmZs23oSOyS9Ez641gKPANsZcePya-x99zpL/s1600/dpbvnib4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUjUcrpnB3vPnZzBeqCjGNMeSv533dMd9gwy6eq0c9a3Fbevv3ytatGj4h1sril943KvZMUNUjMBvn8lxGj7A8C2I4lAl7_ewmu6xxJoKDmZs23oSOyS9Ez641gKPANsZcePya-x99zpL/s400/dpbvnib4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>Otherwise there were no beaver signs, and despite a light snowfall this morning no tracks.</P><p>Back on the island, I headed up the golf course and then to the valley to check on the dead porcupine, which sounds like grim business. However, especially in the winter, carcasses can be colorful and thanks to the cold keeping them from deteriorating, they can take on a life of their, which sounds like a silly thing to say. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ifKYG6VMPYprLblezTeMY7yZUssVixhSGhlXccyD84NGMD36p9tqkzWbZlfJpu89oD2IzDtUMuIH6MIjZsNCMmWNaWJkHlfnIxAKx0nP0Gy8PpNngprdFV5AjgKgZ2Ih6DtMlGQmuyjM/s1600/deadppine4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ifKYG6VMPYprLblezTeMY7yZUssVixhSGhlXccyD84NGMD36p9tqkzWbZlfJpu89oD2IzDtUMuIH6MIjZsNCMmWNaWJkHlfnIxAKx0nP0Gy8PpNngprdFV5AjgKgZ2Ih6DtMlGQmuyjM/s400/deadppine4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>The carcass had been turned around and flipped over.I assume I was looking at the well chewed tail bone.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqdxqYGBQv66uUnMNQmzk5zSFuK2Vzh-7P_fHYyewWyqI-7qU5cIR7PKvJvP9fSo-kqx1G1P8XnVzTlqSCdaov2fwTq7nT8UhWnr6BOK9y7Q_bSMO2m0LqwrogZyZ1LXhc2103JH3XADK/s1600/deadpptail4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqdxqYGBQv66uUnMNQmzk5zSFuK2Vzh-7P_fHYyewWyqI-7qU5cIR7PKvJvP9fSo-kqx1G1P8XnVzTlqSCdaov2fwTq7nT8UhWnr6BOK9y7Q_bSMO2m0LqwrogZyZ1LXhc2103JH3XADK/s400/deadpptail4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>Yet the head was still oriented the way I remember it. Coyotes are most likely to twist a body around, but wouldn’t they be shy of the quills? Why not just assume that a fisher keeps coming back? Unfortunately the light snow of the morning had melted. There were no tracks around.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsq3Odx1RbgCXNbN18I2-Tt7FFZtjbi8ROQG61TROyP2oOa6SYcH0yKvW-C3caIvxRCTB2sEFes68SBN9t8QMJJzsETrD776SScT290_Yk1jLBbaZ3clbGLUU4GfB19JDHl2El710Hd12h/s1600/deadpphead4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsq3Odx1RbgCXNbN18I2-Tt7FFZtjbi8ROQG61TROyP2oOa6SYcH0yKvW-C3caIvxRCTB2sEFes68SBN9t8QMJJzsETrD776SScT290_Yk1jLBbaZ3clbGLUU4GfB19JDHl2El710Hd12h/s400/deadpphead4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>The guts also looked like they had been moved around and perhaps enough bites taken to spread some porcupine poops that had been inside around on the snow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQczfv9VY4mPUW9uljqD3CX5En1mCgaGAldcsCI9zs6qd5ZJVn9ZJnUbNRSH8W3nJNTmaZTmjV6-npaoAxYZbn97MpxgaW4VPgWVLl-39ytHZPn7MIpeXjZvJj_lw6vps3YVk7FMGQiU-/s1600/deadppguts4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQczfv9VY4mPUW9uljqD3CX5En1mCgaGAldcsCI9zs6qd5ZJVn9ZJnUbNRSH8W3nJNTmaZTmjV6-npaoAxYZbn97MpxgaW4VPgWVLl-39ytHZPn7MIpeXjZvJj_lw6vps3YVk7FMGQiU-/s400/deadppguts4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>As I walked away I looked back and took a photo to put the meal into perspective, certainly not a feast.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCYZvZ-iWrLNhwIMkYDWHP4rGn-Pz23xryP6tuNgCQPxNXjwt6rIlAElfMq8OJoMMFYLPcoxvWfPmKYU5UMGOHT5cTX0iz64WIFg5xkINUk6YuFNj5aM9oE9NGNylVIF4OpXLmyOE_yFn/s1600/deadppval4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCYZvZ-iWrLNhwIMkYDWHP4rGn-Pz23xryP6tuNgCQPxNXjwt6rIlAElfMq8OJoMMFYLPcoxvWfPmKYU5UMGOHT5cTX0iz64WIFg5xkINUk6YuFNj5aM9oE9NGNylVIF4OpXLmyOE_yFn/s400/deadppval4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>As I walked down the valley, I looked for signs of porcupine life and finally saw a den. Since I didn’t notice it last time I was here, a case can be made that a porcupine has used since the other porcupine died nearby.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXnZy330G2FK45kZ6L8fdLnPhbrYERt2cuhctOJEZ5ofMGpqYrQkPGVoiRLOaAS_clrs5uTAme3doVYDo7lp0GkkFsu-FE4HwuNZN9Jkp1XNuQCAd_MDbcnbkXLFTDul2At3ppFp6vNEJ/s1600/valppden4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXnZy330G2FK45kZ6L8fdLnPhbrYERt2cuhctOJEZ5ofMGpqYrQkPGVoiRLOaAS_clrs5uTAme3doVYDo7lp0GkkFsu-FE4HwuNZN9Jkp1XNuQCAd_MDbcnbkXLFTDul2At3ppFp6vNEJ/s400/valppden4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>I stuck my camera into the gap in the rock and the flash revealed a pile of poop. I haven’t observed porcupines enough to tell how fresh their poop is.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWn6AgRUVmhu1PaOQVv2doC3z66ouumHZ8_eFADRccpYDGWU0-LN3U1-6lf0aiy5EB2w4UNnGV3H-bnZtTI5kpIFBNML-fDrS_DY0t-ssIt-7ZlMwywVFd9KHn5xLpYdT_SISP7Gawz_R/s1600/valppdena4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="301" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWn6AgRUVmhu1PaOQVv2doC3z66ouumHZ8_eFADRccpYDGWU0-LN3U1-6lf0aiy5EB2w4UNnGV3H-bnZtTI5kpIFBNML-fDrS_DY0t-ssIt-7ZlMwywVFd9KHn5xLpYdT_SISP7Gawz_R/s400/valppdena4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>But some of the poop appeared to be on top of ice. I got the feeling a porcupine had been here recently. As usual, I checked on the porcupine den just above the south shore of the Big Pond. As I approached I heard a porcupine whine from the den. But when I got to the den I didn’t see the beast, nor hear it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehrx6ZmAXvoSzRbBFo9R1v5_1RQ0MnaPiKlq_spPVJrMKsU9brjPFlIbmfn7bGGxIluYv4qn7FLg3em_NwQ4LjSfMzdaOubt5z7zXhymUktQxydvKxvOy3UdGA6ZJzFQFvVfoA5EMBZfC/s1600/ppden4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehrx6ZmAXvoSzRbBFo9R1v5_1RQ0MnaPiKlq_spPVJrMKsU9brjPFlIbmfn7bGGxIluYv4qn7FLg3em_NwQ4LjSfMzdaOubt5z7zXhymUktQxydvKxvOy3UdGA6ZJzFQFvVfoA5EMBZfC/s400/ppden4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>I took a close-up of the entrance to the den. There was no trail through the poop. If I hadn’t heard the whine I would say, judging by the way the den looked, that a porcupine had not gone down there in a while. The dead leaves that had been blown in the hole didn’t look walked over.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyQr_605o4d19nILxpaz2iXq1WlPQyN0Uz83DoI28eCziXuSXUJh0Ey28LBN4mtw7ax2NYK1vhFUPyqGDBd43aerXtjemLh88oxgIhNqd6Nr-G4d1u3flX3Yd_tAtTvYvQm6oAF_pP7D-/s1600/ppdena4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyQr_605o4d19nILxpaz2iXq1WlPQyN0Uz83DoI28eCziXuSXUJh0Ey28LBN4mtw7ax2NYK1vhFUPyqGDBd43aerXtjemLh88oxgIhNqd6Nr-G4d1u3flX3Yd_tAtTvYvQm6oAF_pP7D-/s400/ppdena4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>However I did see another nearby tree with its trunk rather generously stripped. I hadn’t noticed that before.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39hDXlUApxJPBPDqml7gbe251ol405eYVf2SeLnaQtcD5Zr2sM9Q1qCAz-TtWz6hRWuy0i9o2fyJ1YT0y5Gh23wRYg2U6rzaSD_Iyg9lzYUh2NHnAGiEI00DNBxvDlf0NmrkSaDNfkm9Q/s1600/ppwk4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39hDXlUApxJPBPDqml7gbe251ol405eYVf2SeLnaQtcD5Zr2sM9Q1qCAz-TtWz6hRWuy0i9o2fyJ1YT0y5Gh23wRYg2U6rzaSD_Iyg9lzYUh2NHnAGiEI00DNBxvDlf0NmrkSaDNfkm9Q/s400/ppwk4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>As I walked down to the Big Pond, I heard and saw water flowing down one of the old beaver canals and under the ice of the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4aKewbKseUnwEYNHdUpJPQBsKeIpkXF4j9E9_L_xOdoAyZnSTus05Ur1suDTAvo3jJGkGmwSSyCdcWX_sh7pH7IN2cDfWl9SC_Ysjz1e2y21p_VwEy8gAS3BJETcOqtvvrgacY2aChx2a/s1600/bpinlet4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4aKewbKseUnwEYNHdUpJPQBsKeIpkXF4j9E9_L_xOdoAyZnSTus05Ur1suDTAvo3jJGkGmwSSyCdcWX_sh7pH7IN2cDfWl9SC_Ysjz1e2y21p_VwEy8gAS3BJETcOqtvvrgacY2aChx2a/s400/bpinlet4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>Since the water had not start filling up above the ice, there must be room under the ice to accommodate the flow. As far as I could tell water has been running out of the holes in the dam all winter. No water was flooding back up to the lodge.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQkR0d6jycra3dnIhrbd8sRytCefNsmHkDoIGKELbBKffixn5NPN49Fa_aiuIEbd7oc0ihq8YZF6EJP8coOzlgU9tcY_o9l6iE5T8uw-qbtRoDdHS1KX-1wFA7s2mMIReA511ETkWzN6t/s1600/bpldg4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="301" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQkR0d6jycra3dnIhrbd8sRytCefNsmHkDoIGKELbBKffixn5NPN49Fa_aiuIEbd7oc0ihq8YZF6EJP8coOzlgU9tcY_o9l6iE5T8uw-qbtRoDdHS1KX-1wFA7s2mMIReA511ETkWzN6t/s400/bpldg4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>It certainly looked lifeless. Nor was there any activity on the Lost Swamp Pond. Here too no water had swelled over the ice. That flooding is rare unless there is also heavy rain, but I thought with the ponds so low to begin with run off alone might flood the pond. The open water behind the hole in the dam was bigger and water was rushing out. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuuPOBVlix29JRCihIB4XQDcxgfAsD90tjKlQb0nud9m-cqvUhGrYmhfP4Q3Ul-tHkaKePeIxtlxSXpfP7z_YQfINFklbyJXs9_snDzKtKeFWpdpKSfif9TiFYawbOPbqYo-jrqUoBGvS/s1600/lsdam4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="301" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuuPOBVlix29JRCihIB4XQDcxgfAsD90tjKlQb0nud9m-cqvUhGrYmhfP4Q3Ul-tHkaKePeIxtlxSXpfP7z_YQfINFklbyJXs9_snDzKtKeFWpdpKSfif9TiFYawbOPbqYo-jrqUoBGvS/s400/lsdam4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>The little pond below, Upper Second Swamp Pond, had much more water than ice but I didn’t go down to check. That pond had become so small last summer that I should no longer dignify it by calling it a pond. Down at the much bigger Second Swamp Pond, the run off is inundating the upper end of the pond or at least melting more of the ice. I can’t go out and see if the water is over old ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianfZj_86ICxC2NJQDvJHQ-8rtJa3upDOVZ_YrlYsU39iFKD6lTZKzGMA1VOcoXrRcUq-D0I9s-lpuuYuJOhMsfpUq9MvRduM59Y7PtXLusUmaZFfBnDkv0Cjl43mV0Wyw58zXAs9bRKSZ/s1600/sp4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="301" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianfZj_86ICxC2NJQDvJHQ-8rtJa3upDOVZ_YrlYsU39iFKD6lTZKzGMA1VOcoXrRcUq-D0I9s-lpuuYuJOhMsfpUq9MvRduM59Y7PtXLusUmaZFfBnDkv0Cjl43mV0Wyw58zXAs9bRKSZ/s400/sp4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>All to say, the final thaw is beginning, but most of the creeks have been running all winter. Unless we have a lot of rain in the spring, things might get dry rather quickly. This is pointless thinking I usually never engage in. At this time of year I am on my toes to see beavers come out of holes and trotting along otter slides over hill and dale. I finally got up to where some beavers live. The East Trail Pond is brimming with water and now I can hear water rushing out of two holes, the one that a beaver or otter dug and one where I think there a muskrat burrow in the dam finally wore through and made a hole.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90t8NTKHKvUTTAQZKdVGZUGFSlF5j7DTBxY7ktJWRp68vnu6gCXHCMIinHD2WpGaaZabg_uNIcV2jAKGGjzmOH_Hn_cIHof01miVB5eHEy156iHlcPoXpbv1NXQUjZX2rvShXbS0eEN83/s1600/etdam4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90t8NTKHKvUTTAQZKdVGZUGFSlF5j7DTBxY7ktJWRp68vnu6gCXHCMIinHD2WpGaaZabg_uNIcV2jAKGGjzmOH_Hn_cIHof01miVB5eHEy156iHlcPoXpbv1NXQUjZX2rvShXbS0eEN83/s400/etdam4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>As I walked up the ridge on the East Trail, I saw that a beaver had gnawed a good bit more of the white pine just up from the hole in the ice. It appears the beavers want to cut it down, not just get a taste of pine resin.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDzsZ6_F4qWOfxd0Z1mDwjbwre12zJ0rZ3_eO3LY9A4YmdsQiPurLc5V4Spll4air4vvwFbNNU6Ui850iaHRq3oKlLoJLEt651lFm8hpijrdf1xDdFW69PyXsED9vYiAAmlXL4O_SA8qN/s1600/etwk4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDzsZ6_F4qWOfxd0Z1mDwjbwre12zJ0rZ3_eO3LY9A4YmdsQiPurLc5V4Spll4air4vvwFbNNU6Ui850iaHRq3oKlLoJLEt651lFm8hpijrdf1xDdFW69PyXsED9vYiAAmlXL4O_SA8qN/s400/etwk4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>As I went down the ridge, I didn’t see any gnawing on the oaks that I could be sure was new. So I had only the gnawing into the pine to contemplate and it looked rather sticky.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3gZFqN33xeM5ctU-TD0C_yxWEhR0vgy9BNxT-5VTMHdW9IciHSU9pOgDTszb-rh4I2fR2HqbLY3Ti4zzJY55QlKa_mM8FWx9EznnDGdbstRVeCEndFA3i6MEpQVKdYtBjUOsGvm1TKZ5/s1600/etpine4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3gZFqN33xeM5ctU-TD0C_yxWEhR0vgy9BNxT-5VTMHdW9IciHSU9pOgDTszb-rh4I2fR2HqbLY3Ti4zzJY55QlKa_mM8FWx9EznnDGdbstRVeCEndFA3i6MEpQVKdYtBjUOsGvm1TKZ5/s400/etpine4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>The hole in the ice below was iced over but I still sat for a while in case a beaver stirred. None did. The Indians, it is said, thought pregnant beavers were prone to gnaw evergreens in the spring. Sounds good to me, but I’ve noticed them cutting pines in all seasons. Sometimes they make generous cuts into bigger pines but don’t go so far to cut them down. I took a photo of the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0LLyYMsgqowbG6CxWa44m6k6EHpogZpcKsH0XoOJhUPG8RiJzqt7Rh4wXh4xZYtVu8oGyaeYM7_krT2yT-_vjaow2tOpFgoJ8FLClD4xOWXaWF6leBbdGx5CMAmLhFWrdxboHF_Py7-e/s1600/et4mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0LLyYMsgqowbG6CxWa44m6k6EHpogZpcKsH0XoOJhUPG8RiJzqt7Rh4wXh4xZYtVu8oGyaeYM7_krT2yT-_vjaow2tOpFgoJ8FLClD4xOWXaWF6leBbdGx5CMAmLhFWrdxboHF_Py7-e/s400/et4mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>I couldn’t see any holes in the ice, yet.</P></FONT></SPAN> <font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 7 major warmth today, heading to 60F. We walked around South Bay. As we rounded the end of the north cove we saw a deer carcass out on the ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAZD-11nnvGzB4vyhUh1haU8ckkYkLyCDmfXhEc7rn3EprnSnDdaYxXFLyfG8gqV6Y1KoQGnMmhogqazFRppvSxGkgEwUIviOaIZuI2kiZHR5-uHFReX5lY5WKx9V0j6sbpyw1HCtdaGk/s1600/sbdeer7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="301" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAZD-11nnvGzB4vyhUh1haU8ckkYkLyCDmfXhEc7rn3EprnSnDdaYxXFLyfG8gqV6Y1KoQGnMmhogqazFRppvSxGkgEwUIviOaIZuI2kiZHR5-uHFReX5lY5WKx9V0j6sbpyw1HCtdaGk/s400/sbdeer7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>The carcass looked quite fresh, rather bloody, but there was no blood on the ice near it. It was not far off the shore.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0szDgfrdkqKFz4GI9De5xP-ljlHdyWvo_7ZpYBBIbouCUt5sXhmq_MWk1g0pve-qIZ3hBVQt5Qp15txUEvIR_R94gP3wspfpd31MffhB_S9kxzaIuQDPijPgYytNuPU4wMwPH-OMwI70a/s1600/sbdeera7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="301" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0szDgfrdkqKFz4GI9De5xP-ljlHdyWvo_7ZpYBBIbouCUt5sXhmq_MWk1g0pve-qIZ3hBVQt5Qp15txUEvIR_R94gP3wspfpd31MffhB_S9kxzaIuQDPijPgYytNuPU4wMwPH-OMwI70a/s400/sbdeera7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>Leslie went ahead and saw some interesting things. There were white deer hairs up on the trail.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mkJwtCtgD_tE_7tXhnzl0prj2ILu5UDwrtd1OLIM075H30Czs9Gw3X9tBy-AV9wcl1ucYHTaUkw2fyppMstYrSpIq33PsJ14dOhNa53x0ihDQ38qRh7hK5tMDNV8MbmdkiyMoAx_DMEY/s1600/sbtrail7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="301" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mkJwtCtgD_tE_7tXhnzl0prj2ILu5UDwrtd1OLIM075H30Czs9Gw3X9tBy-AV9wcl1ucYHTaUkw2fyppMstYrSpIq33PsJ14dOhNa53x0ihDQ38qRh7hK5tMDNV8MbmdkiyMoAx_DMEY/s400/sbtrail7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>As well as some of the deer’s guts.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbgBzoD2NSfmlYOsYHCmah649XQZxiln9k_umLxVN_Ap7KA3M_7V2F5aZ31yHFF40NHqv1Ad33hUmYhdbrCmFbU2AkDz3eUNhIrxX55zfS5V8hh2ciBfSdTWnppIAg3szFe2jidXropNG/s1600/deerguts7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbgBzoD2NSfmlYOsYHCmah649XQZxiln9k_umLxVN_Ap7KA3M_7V2F5aZ31yHFF40NHqv1Ad33hUmYhdbrCmFbU2AkDz3eUNhIrxX55zfS5V8hh2ciBfSdTWnppIAg3szFe2jidXropNG/s400/deerguts7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>A bit farther up on the ice and closer to shore, we could see blood and bits of the deer strewn about.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimA6j7_GH8BCK6iVAo8Sa-w5dPuACPcg8y_WP5CdxFLPUFlJAn0FlVBzqA8QCJsWNVhO1pjVuTMQsmombm3wDO4QZUTwT-WJkVH2x9B-NztC0oRWGKAu65KkA1NRfnMma9xiezULAbs9n1/s1600/sbdeerb7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="301" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimA6j7_GH8BCK6iVAo8Sa-w5dPuACPcg8y_WP5CdxFLPUFlJAn0FlVBzqA8QCJsWNVhO1pjVuTMQsmombm3wDO4QZUTwT-WJkVH2x9B-NztC0oRWGKAu65KkA1NRfnMma9xiezULAbs9n1/s400/sbdeerb7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>The ice was too thin and wet for us to walk on so we couldn’t a close look at the remains. It looks like coyotes attacked the deer on the trail, hence the tail hairs, and then killed it out on the ice and dragged the carcass around. Coyotes do much better on the ice than deer, who don‘t do well at all. We had two very cold night, around 10F, that froze the upper part of the bay. In today’s heat that ice, an inch or two thick, was melting and the west wind was pushing water up on it, though its depth was a fraction of an inch. What we saw looked liked a magical mirror from a Surrealist movie with fluttering wavelets when the water had depth enough to try to slow the wind.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNg8LEClHM1YLfesquRcDgUvNpTz78kop0Kkl6AWfzzPxkaB8oeFgsUY8IhpeOloOHe8elZGIQLROe-DhPgChGrnLMDiKrDh6bX23GY_V-0v9vzTXCGIG93sfvX3WWZV6m-uURjwnm683x/s1600/sbice7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNg8LEClHM1YLfesquRcDgUvNpTz78kop0Kkl6AWfzzPxkaB8oeFgsUY8IhpeOloOHe8elZGIQLROe-DhPgChGrnLMDiKrDh6bX23GY_V-0v9vzTXCGIG93sfvX3WWZV6m-uURjwnm683x/s400/sbice7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>Leslie kept wishing to skate on it, which would have been instant death. We never saw ice so alluring.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiRjB5roK3fVgLrcH202b7TQRUjCzpB13ghj9g0C3xBkpLMgJIDv67EG2bpazY5nT4NU73yA7aspzqON7iNxXkzGDU-qWSTWNPIlcCkPS3hdqREiFOr9BAwF3Rw3OtsktCCz6wC3heCbS/s1600/sbicea7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="301" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiRjB5roK3fVgLrcH202b7TQRUjCzpB13ghj9g0C3xBkpLMgJIDv67EG2bpazY5nT4NU73yA7aspzqON7iNxXkzGDU-qWSTWNPIlcCkPS3hdqREiFOr9BAwF3Rw3OtsktCCz6wC3heCbS/s400/sbicea7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>Where the ice ended the choppy waves broke the ice into clinking square sheets. Leslie sat to enjoy the cacophony. I continued on to the otter latrine overlooking the entrance to South Bay. Usually I hope to see fresh scats in the latrine, but today I looked forward to not seeing them. I am rather taken with the idea that otters had been visiting the latrine to signify their intention to mate and then the race of two otters around the bay and the up and over the north shore of the bay was a fruition of those conversations. With mating done the message board at the latrine has become silent. So I was pleased to see no fresh otter signs at the latrine. I continued on the South Bay trail going along the Narrows to check another latrine otters have used occasionally over the years. There were no scats there old or new. I was pleased to see some fresh beaver gnawing on a huge willow trunk.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtJjuoPeA_MKvBBrcuCnpGqZ669kY3sG9Y9QxYiWCLSgRGOhHn6RkZQYT-QnxSoNzwSlJOs2nBwg_DmRvtZ0J6najY6p3oTiZnvvxOQOD-TsPzlooQAOliHNzhK-p8vyfHWsXzQiJcxJy/s1600/sbwillow7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtJjuoPeA_MKvBBrcuCnpGqZ669kY3sG9Y9QxYiWCLSgRGOhHn6RkZQYT-QnxSoNzwSlJOs2nBwg_DmRvtZ0J6najY6p3oTiZnvvxOQOD-TsPzlooQAOliHNzhK-p8vyfHWsXzQiJcxJy/s400/sbwillow7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>I took a photo of the tree from another angle to show what old gnawing on the trunk looks like.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqevUMWkDxhBuZFSeD22a9nPXAV7sQxIwID2HkAAlF_Mo9upMzj-zXAwPKOOEQhBaa0YOcGlaGALC_DojnFOdXpXOn3Q1oeq2x2dpcgWwnsIALuyc3xNgBTpzRjRfxLChf9EaPWLEMBCS2/s1600/sbwillowa7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqevUMWkDxhBuZFSeD22a9nPXAV7sQxIwID2HkAAlF_Mo9upMzj-zXAwPKOOEQhBaa0YOcGlaGALC_DojnFOdXpXOn3Q1oeq2x2dpcgWwnsIALuyc3xNgBTpzRjRfxLChf9EaPWLEMBCS2/s400/sbwillowa7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>While there were no scats in the sometimes otter latrine, there were white deer hairs. There was very little ice in the Narrows. Any deer carcass that had been on the ice there had sunk into the deep water. Looking north through the Narrows there was little ice as far as the eye could see. Most of the ice that formed a few nights ago had been blown away.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SnscmhVw74_pkrCZmbPvectF61QN1YVgPNZJYySroYPBMTTGD2YzT3nec78B-sQ6ZsdGTzV4GEJanlq6NxPqwds1Dp7mNlfgQjqQ-NStrbyvKRL5mz4smWycAVDxr8xlfYUQGrvYr9Ei/s1600/narrows7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SnscmhVw74_pkrCZmbPvectF61QN1YVgPNZJYySroYPBMTTGD2YzT3nec78B-sQ6ZsdGTzV4GEJanlq6NxPqwds1Dp7mNlfgQjqQ-NStrbyvKRL5mz4smWycAVDxr8xlfYUQGrvYr9Ei/s400/narrows7mar12.JPG" /></a></div><p>I went through the mostly snowless woods to Audubon Pond, which remains ice covered save for a growing hole around the drain which animals seem to avoid. Wise animals, falling in the two foot wide drain hole would lead to a 50 foot flush through a pipe to the creek below. With no beaver activity to chronicle, I deigned to notice a porcupine’s gnawing on a maple up on the embankment.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikipNndoyZLvqiU1ET5u-91BflfCR-9yqF48_3mJFNhl1_fO_khRzH1ZzRouYsARh4Ggb5puELPwwxXWybQ_xD-cVt7kPTt1YPXCn3PCopyL1712V0HmNVuqD_DIdx-TF00rph-3hky3fY/s1600/ppwk7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikipNndoyZLvqiU1ET5u-91BflfCR-9yqF48_3mJFNhl1_fO_khRzH1ZzRouYsARh4Ggb5puELPwwxXWybQ_xD-cVt7kPTt1YPXCn3PCopyL1712V0HmNVuqD_DIdx-TF00rph-3hky3fY/s400/ppwk7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>This was probably done by the same porcupine who gnawed on trees along the South Bay trail beginning last fall. The gnawing in the photo below was done in the fall.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLv5pfMg-j538pwOgN_fUpL4dCp_cmmXuCUkSWOeeO4aZ2Osj_C1hUhJtJXd0ChRWLxQd9DcbTNXpcEFNIIKVJHTCdI_0YuZWBQ_8y8sRhWt5empnoMo8FyolnqCiSr2J9dDg9bDhkX3B/s1600/ppwka7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLv5pfMg-j538pwOgN_fUpL4dCp_cmmXuCUkSWOeeO4aZ2Osj_C1hUhJtJXd0ChRWLxQd9DcbTNXpcEFNIIKVJHTCdI_0YuZWBQ_8y8sRhWt5empnoMo8FyolnqCiSr2J9dDg9bDhkX3B/s400/ppwka7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>The gnawing on the smaller tree below was done about a month ago.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3IdKIvV5p9smE_nhtj9uMZ40LIJQ-UzI3FTlSlEe2lZILym2U-Q4StB58qII0_hjs4-qETgjXR6vPoEY6pnBH5Uz3jewjUzLi9o70hmp12aHNxKsqswSgPCurNthyphenhyphenoC549ID-4JElyaT/s1600/ppwkb7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3IdKIvV5p9smE_nhtj9uMZ40LIJQ-UzI3FTlSlEe2lZILym2U-Q4StB58qII0_hjs4-qETgjXR6vPoEY6pnBH5Uz3jewjUzLi9o70hmp12aHNxKsqswSgPCurNthyphenhyphenoC549ID-4JElyaT/s400/ppwkb7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>I have been remiss in keeping track of porcupines in part because at this time of year I can cross ice covered ponds and don’t have to walk in the woods that much. Off hand, I’d say there are as many porcupines as usual, minus that dead one in the second valley and maybe minus one in the woods at the end of South Bay. I walked on the trails to the ridge over looking the East Trail Pond, and before I took a look at the pond I noticed that a tree the beavers cut had fallen across the path off the trail that overlooks Shangri-la Pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiab9gx1G9yBr9C4Zuc4TJn6VyP2LwDj77_qEnwyT62gWZZdTedulk9VTHDQFlGkeeXjDra8coK_Zxvne8e6DL3r83YNSzhvELJUdbmWzELglbz_TQmIBlGOxbAXXnCCQUSovVnjuN0LIrL/s1600/etridgewk7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiab9gx1G9yBr9C4Zuc4TJn6VyP2LwDj77_qEnwyT62gWZZdTedulk9VTHDQFlGkeeXjDra8coK_Zxvne8e6DL3r83YNSzhvELJUdbmWzELglbz_TQmIBlGOxbAXXnCCQUSovVnjuN0LIrL/s400/etridgewk7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>I had not noticed any beaver tracks up here when snow was on the ground but I could also not remember noticing this work in the fall. Other than the tree that fell, a beaver tasted one tree and half girdled another.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltXTqGNWe2Ev2_XMfgB-MX3HNIspUlEUKrqIQKW83hEEkJaoHy3GibcS7S_BKBeQE0O9uEXtpmT-yFVVPIT8Ck4SEouhsOGQNPuUHzFhTXYr-HvnWB5qteLSNfqN6K6pLsEg4R6JQ7Dnx/s1600/etridgewka7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltXTqGNWe2Ev2_XMfgB-MX3HNIspUlEUKrqIQKW83hEEkJaoHy3GibcS7S_BKBeQE0O9uEXtpmT-yFVVPIT8Ck4SEouhsOGQNPuUHzFhTXYr-HvnWB5qteLSNfqN6K6pLsEg4R6JQ7Dnx/s400/etridgewka7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>That girdling looks like it could be relatively recent. I’ll have to keep my eye on this. I went over to check Shangri-la Pond. The beaver family now in the East Trail Pond spent the winter of 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 here. The meadow below was damp but hardly a hint of a pond which, when the beavers were there, filled the valley.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6FASMj3CtHbFIKfqnMfze259ZUL44UjYiARu9fMRc9fa91MmGQhgrSwZcGRGwUrvo0xkmzEGhYFQNmJKzikDVn95WrGUhXpG1pM4AWQ0x-774KMxLerpz9i3wGR3nQes9fXjVMhiM91p/s1600/shl7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6FASMj3CtHbFIKfqnMfze259ZUL44UjYiARu9fMRc9fa91MmGQhgrSwZcGRGwUrvo0xkmzEGhYFQNmJKzikDVn95WrGUhXpG1pM4AWQ0x-774KMxLerpz9i3wGR3nQes9fXjVMhiM91p/s400/shl7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>As I went down to the East Trail Pond I looked for any hint of a beaver trail all the way up the ridge and saw none. I don’t think the beaver did any gnawing since I was last here, not even on the big cut into white pine just above hole in the ice along the north shore of the pond</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxrEbi1MQWrlzFYCtrzwjCLEcS97OByxlEw8C2xmMIuOz3RN2NyiJzEIU3_-zBuWYyqBx-JrRvQxLOjpCwAQ0__H1Rt0y6JzoRVDpV7MUO8W0636-XFUrm706e5lzvwhjPnvE0pvzgf7x/s1600/etpine7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxrEbi1MQWrlzFYCtrzwjCLEcS97OByxlEw8C2xmMIuOz3RN2NyiJzEIU3_-zBuWYyqBx-JrRvQxLOjpCwAQ0__H1Rt0y6JzoRVDpV7MUO8W0636-XFUrm706e5lzvwhjPnvE0pvzgf7x/s400/etpine7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>The hole was not open thanks to the last two cold nights. However comparing the photo I took of the hole on the 4th with the photo taken today, it is clear that the hole is bigger and that a beaver had probably used it.</P><p>In the afternoon we went to the land and because it was warm we stayed longer than usual. Assuming that the Deep Pond would not have changed much during the last few cold days and that the beaver probably didn’t come out, I headed off to the First Pond to resume sawing a white oak. I went via the Turtle Bog, which is all ice save for a few spots along its west edge. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGQ9HlNM-lBdQpqrq7FLkbAQtjnGpotoC2kmeWWh-5NVxY5Z6AXPRY3Uiyk2XnxyGvexKPWPeS7ysqD80gfPu3HRZhRYAi2b7VnmUOI1yztEMPQvMi3TJCby5KG9uL8r-MSiOg15uj3EC/s1600/turbog7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGQ9HlNM-lBdQpqrq7FLkbAQtjnGpotoC2kmeWWh-5NVxY5Z6AXPRY3Uiyk2XnxyGvexKPWPeS7ysqD80gfPu3HRZhRYAi2b7VnmUOI1yztEMPQvMi3TJCby5KG9uL8r-MSiOg15uj3EC/s400/turbog7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>Within a month we should be seeing Blanding’s turtles here. I also checked the ice covered Bunny Bog and sat there a while because there was a flock of birds about. All I saw were chickadees who were quite entertaining. Most them stayed low in the shrubs and now them flitted down on the ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hzewY0MyFXLXzQaPODnAmWIz8mtt86yvEVRzEj2vxxNM_EpoQT7s4bpjKZmu1m-S68xtw7zoaEpi5oK7VbeCMD3zC8R1i9crVkEy872kHpYen0B0tMEkH67K23t0ls-HyBySwq9DuWID/s1600/deedee7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hzewY0MyFXLXzQaPODnAmWIz8mtt86yvEVRzEj2vxxNM_EpoQT7s4bpjKZmu1m-S68xtw7zoaEpi5oK7VbeCMD3zC8R1i9crVkEy872kHpYen0B0tMEkH67K23t0ls-HyBySwq9DuWID/s400/deedee7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>I assumed they were getting bugs. Then I headed down to the ridge south of the First Pond and started sawing. When the beavers were here Leslie wrapped chicken wire around the trunk, which seemed to save the oak from the beavers. But something else managed to girdle the tree just a few inches off the ground.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTJlfKCqSN4AiBkfj_opdG7L1Ke9ykt4KpdgV5Nkro2QYhzYF34WsUDsQDXJss2N0W9Nx15sLv4H1g1j5ikO5BZF1SKcoyBYbAOGjKoJOWVgj7f5BHj1Z3dNgG4lKh5KIwCk3pJOXEemn/s1600/sawing7mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTJlfKCqSN4AiBkfj_opdG7L1Ke9ykt4KpdgV5Nkro2QYhzYF34WsUDsQDXJss2N0W9Nx15sLv4H1g1j5ikO5BZF1SKcoyBYbAOGjKoJOWVgj7f5BHj1Z3dNgG4lKh5KIwCk3pJOXEemn/s400/sawing7mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>There happened to be porcupine poop around, though no porcupine gnawing on the oak or nearby trees. That girdling probably weakened the tree enough to make it a good candidate for my cutting it down. It was good to be back at work at the land getting firewood for next winter. </P></FONT></SPAN> <font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 8 we had a spring storm, warm, rain, strong winds. We got to our land just before the rain started and after we collected maple sap, I checked the Deep Pond. I went through the woods below the Third Pond and after seeing that there were no signs of beaver activity at the Deep Pond dam, I walked along the high slope of the pond. The rain got serious and added to the depth of melted water on the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBh6ecDe3iFmyvZr-XbiXwM6ayhmzWZ608TUw7raSNqnuD8zJY9Ifn3eVV5A5WBWX2ivLdKFlZtuMIV3k_p6uqzVnzTSmA1JTTRBxIExweeVNt_mLtpY8NDN8ci_tpqxQ_R4FDxKIBqMj/s1600/dp8mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBh6ecDe3iFmyvZr-XbiXwM6ayhmzWZ608TUw7raSNqnuD8zJY9Ifn3eVV5A5WBWX2ivLdKFlZtuMIV3k_p6uqzVnzTSmA1JTTRBxIExweeVNt_mLtpY8NDN8ci_tpqxQ_R4FDxKIBqMj/s400/dp8mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>The only open water for a beaver to swim in was where the inlet creek came into the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneMbgy684r49fpBlUC05VlEarlTqiLzdRcESd8A6klXo2ToFTYL0ezxLBi-Dd-80WUCR32IlWl8N8SEMFDExLVl09vaF-g5Z0QYGqOe1yDsBGrPj5n32jCCGROfulosKJ2unqxWuoU_CS/s1600/dpa8mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneMbgy684r49fpBlUC05VlEarlTqiLzdRcESd8A6klXo2ToFTYL0ezxLBi-Dd-80WUCR32IlWl8N8SEMFDExLVl09vaF-g5Z0QYGqOe1yDsBGrPj5n32jCCGROfulosKJ2unqxWuoU_CS/s400/dpa8mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>It would be dangerous to get too close to that open water so I couldn’t tell if the beaver had been up on the ice. I did manage to get back along the inlet creek and saw that the beaver came out and nipped some shrubs.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGJA5c8vjAwDSt6IT2sW4DyG5gjNvZN6CfWNQaK84aRu5O2neTDw-YkzeHlx-AAr01zKVGpee3EHx_TsKBxjeII6XKSpI2qFvjZuc-Gvtkt1D4R7MubjjnkiTCtMA7Y8eym4aCknFriGI/s1600/dpnips8mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGJA5c8vjAwDSt6IT2sW4DyG5gjNvZN6CfWNQaK84aRu5O2neTDw-YkzeHlx-AAr01zKVGpee3EHx_TsKBxjeII6XKSpI2qFvjZuc-Gvtkt1D4R7MubjjnkiTCtMA7Y8eym4aCknFriGI/s400/dpnips8mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>I walked back to where there are some larger maples but the beaver had not gone back there. I did pick up a few small deer ticks. We both got large deer ticks how on our pants as we collected the sap.</P></FONT></SPAN> <font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 9 At the tail end of yesterday’s spring storm we got a little snow, but it warmed up so quickly we didn’t anticipate easy tracking. We drove over to the entrance to the state park and then walked on the trails to the East Trail Pond. As we rounded the end of South Bay we heard the frequent calls of the male red winged black birds. (Some have been around out house since the 4th of this month.) There was still snow on the ground in some shady areas and there was a hint of a trail on the ridge north of the East Trail Pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7l5ziV-gwbrTK8VwWEhwVJCjDxU1NBLmDHcYiQGsobs7K1bG3T4NZBm8gWJT1Xb_9_6lfhhEsiNcDl8qFx34nPt2tlWio1wYZoLBGtT057YDe-vpxkzZUvURUHicp2pUPxPsEiBh5k3hC/s1600/etridge9mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7l5ziV-gwbrTK8VwWEhwVJCjDxU1NBLmDHcYiQGsobs7K1bG3T4NZBm8gWJT1Xb_9_6lfhhEsiNcDl8qFx34nPt2tlWio1wYZoLBGtT057YDe-vpxkzZUvURUHicp2pUPxPsEiBh5k3hC/s400/etridge9mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>But I couldn’t see any new beaver gnawing on any trees on the ridge. No beaver had resumed gnawing the pine just above the hole in the ice.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uaJVTHteMoLdJaU-O4HMkdjJQIJ-foRFx3bmF2DpaTQmJ5DhemxMVEwVjHi1aZw3tk-jsRKmuKrgJgnk8V6kUEZwruQDDhdMPjdJ9ZLnLEGaDfdhAc_ROLWIiDll13-TS4Z9i2Kl7nE0/s1600/etpine9mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uaJVTHteMoLdJaU-O4HMkdjJQIJ-foRFx3bmF2DpaTQmJ5DhemxMVEwVjHi1aZw3tk-jsRKmuKrgJgnk8V6kUEZwruQDDhdMPjdJ9ZLnLEGaDfdhAc_ROLWIiDll13-TS4Z9i2Kl7nE0/s400/etpine9mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>The water in the hole had iced over during the relatively chilly night. However it was warm enough for a beaver to break ice. We sat and watched and listened but all we heard were the chickadees who seemed to be enjoying the sun. Leslie saw two hawks circling high over head. It looked like the sun had already melted the ice along the lower north shore of the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeb77DYKJvc2t63fyoqep_QrT6jFXIec84T553UzA55XfOdT_DvYuNnVgpYby1CETm0v6FqsZLmt9Qkfc64b_dN_kuo3FLkUtaIACdSfNxjcPfglRBJeVa_3dkP-S1GpfawWvqKrFUtEL/s1600/etshore9mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="301" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeb77DYKJvc2t63fyoqep_QrT6jFXIec84T553UzA55XfOdT_DvYuNnVgpYby1CETm0v6FqsZLmt9Qkfc64b_dN_kuo3FLkUtaIACdSfNxjcPfglRBJeVa_3dkP-S1GpfawWvqKrFUtEL/s400/etshore9mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>Most of the pond is still frozen but there are weak spots all over though no open water except along the shore. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoD1UewaS7Uk8Hio38Rth34hmVgErkCdxKRo3tB14-xbIYnVWER31pR_K9hYW_wPKiCTFyYhvMiZFpWpllssBHusxa2db-Od6f6eHPfiw1ZDisKm_1iXpy-O1No8gwKEPeRxT828j3UMsF/s1600/et9mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoD1UewaS7Uk8Hio38Rth34hmVgErkCdxKRo3tB14-xbIYnVWER31pR_K9hYW_wPKiCTFyYhvMiZFpWpllssBHusxa2db-Od6f6eHPfiw1ZDisKm_1iXpy-O1No8gwKEPeRxT828j3UMsF/s400/et9mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>The next part of the pond to open up will probably be the upper north shore under the high rocks that will warm up nicely in the sun.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhgvFATKLE-lG6TN9ZLTht4OfSry6WD9Hi71umqP5bP48O-VGhu3KD_DqdyjnoU0_O2aDlqs0rGkZAtheRb1IytaNgFjjfdgQhvuldXLfRxp9lLH8b4THlcUNDOC3sCyxwBOSYk3mtlcJ/s1600/etshorea9mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhgvFATKLE-lG6TN9ZLTht4OfSry6WD9Hi71umqP5bP48O-VGhu3KD_DqdyjnoU0_O2aDlqs0rGkZAtheRb1IytaNgFjjfdgQhvuldXLfRxp9lLH8b4THlcUNDOC3sCyxwBOSYk3mtlcJ/s400/etshorea9mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>I headed down to the dam to see if the beavers had been out there. Despite the creek flowing into the pond just behind the north part of the dam, the open water there had iced over last night.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTU5OGW9uO9cImNHoMPyWHJHH4rHqJ0QTyp8an-0IHCnXfrcMbNo3HlkaHjHyABHpB_KXuInBVw7chAUJ2pZlD89XKlb_7EZCQnZp-7Onw7rAX7T3N5VZl27WUZaaXDq-ouYICIQunbWVV/s1600/etdam9mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTU5OGW9uO9cImNHoMPyWHJHH4rHqJ0QTyp8an-0IHCnXfrcMbNo3HlkaHjHyABHpB_KXuInBVw7chAUJ2pZlD89XKlb_7EZCQnZp-7Onw7rAX7T3N5VZl27WUZaaXDq-ouYICIQunbWVV/s400/etdam9mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>I walked along the dam and soon saw trails of broken ice. I saw no signs of beaver activity along the dam but there was no better candidate for breaking that ice than a beaver.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwz_qSR055L59IatpHxqWVZck7Xd5GUb7aco4UgB3b9A0hs_QbhHa9XDeGgyFvnvS-LVi1pN0xuogq5Vf9viO9xP_ctNAl6ORN0rJNsKPX10SeFzo9cV9iJ3Tb8b7hfZO1tzUR2IgNNau/s1600/etice9mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwz_qSR055L59IatpHxqWVZck7Xd5GUb7aco4UgB3b9A0hs_QbhHa9XDeGgyFvnvS-LVi1pN0xuogq5Vf9viO9xP_ctNAl6ORN0rJNsKPX10SeFzo9cV9iJ3Tb8b7hfZO1tzUR2IgNNau/s400/etice9mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>As I walked along I saw more broken ice and perhaps some indication of what the beavers are after. I think they are diving for the rhizomes of the cattails that are in clumps behind the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qkdclxf3fqR5VJ93FVIF6L4SpkGIEDFEtdkvJRTW8sWRsBFdfJMHDRC4zCEU4tFtm4w90Tky636zxyyk6038VwXh4iVblZ0T9g8EG2LBVzdChyvZszQZrx_G993XoHQgXHzDOPaHA2Cf/s1600/eticea9mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qkdclxf3fqR5VJ93FVIF6L4SpkGIEDFEtdkvJRTW8sWRsBFdfJMHDRC4zCEU4tFtm4w90Tky636zxyyk6038VwXh4iVblZ0T9g8EG2LBVzdChyvZszQZrx_G993XoHQgXHzDOPaHA2Cf/s400/eticea9mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>Most of the bubbles under the ice seem to orient toward the cattails not the dam.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLmRkWSKADRys2uIRAR4m0SBddfwkXUg6Ak37pC1QTNRoW1LE5NdSzUFTK-I24MRPNs76IsiISTwta7wguNpL9_dbE9SJjLLmUFbpMvO9WjmGzt27AAL0uCEV-OPpXwLlL_NDXFC99tHO/s1600/eticeb9mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="301" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLmRkWSKADRys2uIRAR4m0SBddfwkXUg6Ak37pC1QTNRoW1LE5NdSzUFTK-I24MRPNs76IsiISTwta7wguNpL9_dbE9SJjLLmUFbpMvO9WjmGzt27AAL0uCEV-OPpXwLlL_NDXFC99tHO/s400/eticeb9mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>Beavers are constantly teaching me that I only see the half of it. Most of their life is under the water. I walked up the south shore of the dam which the beavers seemed to abandon once the ice got thick. However, one could now swim back into the burrow along the south shore that I know a mink and an otter visited during the winter. There were no bubbles under the ice in front of the burrow.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYunGqfhgi1Xh0_IdVo2p-7tYwFFWhGhxZQlS94cz3rwMe76Y3QqwT4Wloq7-pP1AL-eWmA0tRzKq9wnXR-vtibP6Kit7ezH6_tqeTHMBAbdre8RiSxOmoC3O7xN4b_E7-faQnrg9pNFWc/s1600/etburrow9mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="301" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYunGqfhgi1Xh0_IdVo2p-7tYwFFWhGhxZQlS94cz3rwMe76Y3QqwT4Wloq7-pP1AL-eWmA0tRzKq9wnXR-vtibP6Kit7ezH6_tqeTHMBAbdre8RiSxOmoC3O7xN4b_E7-faQnrg9pNFWc/s400/etburrow9mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>I took a photo of the lodge in the middle of the pond. I could have probably walked on the ice and gotten a close look.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLBfNLhvEq9oOFeRPbhXaI_Ujbvaj5I6l5hgdkpTsTatQcuUG4rInqVDX5CzHPXkgECcjP1eoTtcUuQI3k9nEy1_0TTHkVFmnz6YgeRKouTIR_wthOCbYZNM5lZVf8lSsBkYdsgiQ-Vjd/s1600/etldg9mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLBfNLhvEq9oOFeRPbhXaI_Ujbvaj5I6l5hgdkpTsTatQcuUG4rInqVDX5CzHPXkgECcjP1eoTtcUuQI3k9nEy1_0TTHkVFmnz6YgeRKouTIR_wthOCbYZNM5lZVf8lSsBkYdsgiQ-Vjd/s400/etldg9mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>But this pond is deep enough again to make a long walk home with wet boots and pants unattractive.</P></FONT></SPAN> <font SIZE=4><span LANG="EN"><p>March 10 After a hot day that brought deer ticks back to life, a cold front moved in and surprised us with a beautiful snow squall that gave us almost a half inch of snow. However this morning it started to warm up again. I hurried to try to do some tracking. I wanted to eventually get over to the South Bay otter latrines and decided to look for fisher tracks on the way. I didn’t see any on the ridge on the way to the Big Pond -- after the one snowfall I saw several trails there. Rather than go to the Big Pond, usually only graced by coyotes this winter, I went down to the Middle Pond. Over the years the spruce groves on the north side of it have been prime fisher territory. There was enough ice left on what remains of the Middle Pond to afford some good tracking thanks to the coating of fresh snow. At first look the pond was trackless.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRM1hZG2-AH-0ygimGjTkJlCE1Z8tXvPJDoigd57ej0EfJOhGOmWHm0nT-FCDtwqmGVOMgzvHgP0TJ51sMXU9gXkDUtX_wv3zYpH7VquwnDuWullfN0hHRdbO-nprKS3uN-GwWi6c1J4h/s1600/midpond10mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRM1hZG2-AH-0ygimGjTkJlCE1Z8tXvPJDoigd57ej0EfJOhGOmWHm0nT-FCDtwqmGVOMgzvHgP0TJ51sMXU9gXkDUtX_wv3zYpH7VquwnDuWullfN0hHRdbO-nprKS3uN-GwWi6c1J4h/s400/midpond10mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>Then I saw one deer trail crossing the pond. I also saw deer trails going in the spruce grove. There just wasn’t enough snow to register the tracks of smaller animals. I actually saw a red squirrel and while I saw a couple of its prints, it was hard to see its trail. Then I crossed what will soon be a vernal pool and saw prints that weren’t left by a deer.</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5mtNXw65RhmmImkMlgeeCj-uRpwzupUZBSfJh4fFsE0mXUeeU3MJHenfCA8UrGOnWaXoQmklwF-ixj6x6vD7BTF2o0e0h_OijI5AtNhC_w-vz84sDC-tnU-FYHYWbMnsMPCQ6vIsprJz/s1600/tracks10mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5mtNXw65RhmmImkMlgeeCj-uRpwzupUZBSfJh4fFsE0mXUeeU3MJHenfCA8UrGOnWaXoQmklwF-ixj6x6vD7BTF2o0e0h_OijI5AtNhC_w-vz84sDC-tnU-FYHYWbMnsMPCQ6vIsprJz/s400/tracks10mar12.JPG" /></a></div><p>They looked more like fisher prints than raccoon prints. I tried to follow the animal’s trail without much luck. But I bumped into a tree with some old porcupine gnawing on it and come to think of it the tracks look more like a porcupine’s shuffling than anything else. But I fancied I was on the scent of a fisher and continue wandering in the woods up toward the Lost Swamp Pond. Usually the snow is so deep in the woods at this time of year that “wandering” is not what I usually do. Anyway I crossed another deer trail and then a nondescript trail that seemed more like a fisher’s but I couldn’t really see it or get a photo. Really I was limited by a narrow band of time. The snow ended a 7pm and I was out at 10am, 15 hours for animals to prowl or relocate, evidently very few did which doesn’t mean that they aren’t here. I deserved to see some clear prints on the pristine snow of the Lost Swamp Pond, but saw none.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQBMDsAxZnid3fYKGH2xPTu4TZ2gxOEtVehCIo-T4JxUQbfDVSAcln-0AouhlguDn9ULJD5xQkAbgNZuMByTclQKL_VQJkZ8Jose_M6FvVJD0CTS3SVZtYL5Zt7vA3gJy_9S_HM5OwPj_/s1600/ls10mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQBMDsAxZnid3fYKGH2xPTu4TZ2gxOEtVehCIo-T4JxUQbfDVSAcln-0AouhlguDn9ULJD5xQkAbgNZuMByTclQKL_VQJkZ8Jose_M6FvVJD0CTS3SVZtYL5Zt7vA3gJy_9S_HM5OwPj_/s400/ls10mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>Rather than continue on my usual route to the East Trail Pond via the Second Swamp Pond, I decided to walk along the south shore of the Second Swamp Pond and then down to the Otter Hole Pond. That’s a route along which I’ve twice gotten good videos of a fisher. However I didn’t see any nor did I see any tracks. Of course, Otter Hole Pond hasn’t held much water in years but the ice and snow on what little water remains gives the old pond a look of having possibilities.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLaTd4RL7YxDllTZJrs9pFIbuWlGX0Xe5fyL3ADJUnL94WZFv9CkYQAQREf0Iqagiaa3E46ZNnkKvaeRJ4NAefQisARKdYyzisyRMcA0G_AUfgKWCrktBbY3wPzSpaIAThrNEkSsE2Obp/s1600/oh10mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLaTd4RL7YxDllTZJrs9pFIbuWlGX0Xe5fyL3ADJUnL94WZFv9CkYQAQREf0Iqagiaa3E46ZNnkKvaeRJ4NAefQisARKdYyzisyRMcA0G_AUfgKWCrktBbY3wPzSpaIAThrNEkSsE2Obp/s400/oh10mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>Because of that I guess, I got the great notion of walking across the pond reasoning that if I went through any ice I would just sink into a bit of wet meadow. Looking at the high ground that more or less separated the upper from the lower pond, I thought I saw a path of good ice to the other side of the pond.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNG0C91DOxRAB1v4Ot3l6zcjBpiXIBgcot1NHpX6sRTXKBj7hk3OiUvv8Lcjk2nH_ateaRg1Ow6S1Rj1nSkBQmD3ervLaVITu2qxwjyd87We0CXPEuhSaZQ893RSrsAJkmZrvfDP855nU3/s1600/oha10mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNG0C91DOxRAB1v4Ot3l6zcjBpiXIBgcot1NHpX6sRTXKBj7hk3OiUvv8Lcjk2nH_ateaRg1Ow6S1Rj1nSkBQmD3ervLaVITu2qxwjyd87We0CXPEuhSaZQ893RSrsAJkmZrvfDP855nU3/s400/oha10mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>I was wrong and rather far from the north shore both feet went into the water which ran over the top of my boots. I got up on more solid ice and no longer saw a clear path. I was too far across to go back. I made it without too much trouble, getting over to where I knew the channel of the creek coming down the from the East Trail Pond was and then managing to get to the north shore with big strides confident all water there was shallow. Stupid. There was snow on what ice remained on South Bay which wasn’t much. I expected to see the deer carcass on the bay surrounded by tracks, but I really couldn’t see any.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdu8DRVn7h0_n5xS4zfh_MXHCzINttxK-7rpFY0XzpGS7b3S9fmGG7Pzd38RPScNPfEJCMhswZjTnWCIQ986AMscE3G7GB-1XDkESoAfhAKFgu6Yomp_1ux72nuCr-5A24tOj1tFp6AmQ_/s1600/sbdeer10mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdu8DRVn7h0_n5xS4zfh_MXHCzINttxK-7rpFY0XzpGS7b3S9fmGG7Pzd38RPScNPfEJCMhswZjTnWCIQ986AMscE3G7GB-1XDkESoAfhAKFgu6Yomp_1ux72nuCr-5A24tOj1tFp6AmQ_/s400/sbdeer10mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>The snow on the otter latrines had just above faded away. I thought I saw fresh digging at the docking rock latrine, but I couldn’t see any scats near it.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33brWlRXocVNugHuZv3Bnio8cthJB6J1ZfFTFM7g46-ipS3Tc-HK-kfVMO9LSogwYTUxsz_YfWoYKPfdTn-2zXvudaW6lRm1kdzQLq-jnD-W7j2BZK9UjDivShJ-IajCKa9TGFLVht_rl/s1600/drocklat10mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="301" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33brWlRXocVNugHuZv3Bnio8cthJB6J1ZfFTFM7g46-ipS3Tc-HK-kfVMO9LSogwYTUxsz_YfWoYKPfdTn-2zXvudaW6lRm1kdzQLq-jnD-W7j2BZK9UjDivShJ-IajCKa9TGFLVht_rl/s400/drocklat10mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>The snow wet the ground and made old digging look vibrant. Then I went up and walk along the Audubon Pond embankment and saw that the pond was still ice covered and I saw no tracks on the new snow. Then at the east end of embankment I saw a bold veering trail that looked like it was made by a fisher.</P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcKsc_KcOK-lKsssCcDWZfskexUG5jWkw2VbAb9HAivvbbq_0UNXXwpPD7Dv5hIbPpUyq-Qk1bZN1P08Y7wnFXMMBABTrkPFMQoVkIBGNGa0UoOdUje_IKPZodpSu8u2lBXJ-F6bqZr47/s1600/fishtks10mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcKsc_KcOK-lKsssCcDWZfskexUG5jWkw2VbAb9HAivvbbq_0UNXXwpPD7Dv5hIbPpUyq-Qk1bZN1P08Y7wnFXMMBABTrkPFMQoVkIBGNGa0UoOdUje_IKPZodpSu8u2lBXJ-F6bqZr47/s400/fishtks10mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>The tracks were on a cold spot and in surrounding areas the snow had melted so I couldn’t track the supposed fisher. As usual I walked down to the otter latrine overlooking the entrance to South Bay. Here too the wetness made the old scratching in the ground look fresh but I didn’t see any new scats. Walking back along the South Bay trail, I took a photo of the bay showing how far the ice has retreated. </P><p ALIGN="CENTER"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RSRsP6MThP6qwU7vIeIDTbTik6214KpI5XOJcnwosmLICzwpfd8f46BPmGfW39OH5IHBU1EpG9h1K3xOLbcLvKAbApnn4NSyFy1LT-wkKG9vun-iAvqXkcxLCqdMZE7hke2DCfEcTkOY/s1600/sb10mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RSRsP6MThP6qwU7vIeIDTbTik6214KpI5XOJcnwosmLICzwpfd8f46BPmGfW39OH5IHBU1EpG9h1K3xOLbcLvKAbApnn4NSyFy1LT-wkKG9vun-iAvqXkcxLCqdMZE7hke2DCfEcTkOY/s400/sb10mar12.JPG" /></a></div></P><p>That’s it for winter in South Bay. There was small raft of common mergansers along the north shore but I couldn’t get a good photo. They must be migrating because they were very skittish and flew off, not like the mergansers who winter here who are generally slow to fly off. I didn’t expect to see any tracks along the trail and then I crossed some snow covered ground and there were strange tracks in groups of four that look more like human baby feet than anything thing else with well defined toes. </P><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAazZevOLCGDHdwwgr7GFwiK744laHNdjtJHB42mh163XmKuSEdpnRHV473X4v5SDQ5pRe7t4BS9NP0dv59pB6IqDm1ixC6jcPkPELSpmHs8AQUxu4ORycJSJcxsg83HV76RW6VhmKaPJ0/s1600/tracksa10mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAazZevOLCGDHdwwgr7GFwiK744laHNdjtJHB42mh163XmKuSEdpnRHV473X4v5SDQ5pRe7t4BS9NP0dv59pB6IqDm1ixC6jcPkPELSpmHs8AQUxu4ORycJSJcxsg83HV76RW6VhmKaPJ0/s400/tracksa10mar12.JPG" /></a></div><p>Fisher prints bunch together but are usually spread out a bit more vertically. I doubted that it could have been made by two raccoons leaving their usually 2 x 2 prints. There was also a trail going the other way which didn’t make identifying the tracks any easier. I was almost glad most of the snow had melted so I would not be forced to identify the tracks. Then as I rounded the bay, I saw the same type of tracks in the snow, now plodding along.</P><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmkDv27yQzZKhb1oCDsmXsKAbH81jI5FchIC7oTtDusYADPR-jh4uoJ0mlTtucKCZ4XWIYsGAJblivrItGHfTrbqiFcqzQWQIRmlVerFAJSxHBJ4UYSOVEgRQWi-VJk2D97y6WSKZowOh/s1600/tracksb10mar12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmkDv27yQzZKhb1oCDsmXsKAbH81jI5FchIC7oTtDusYADPR-jh4uoJ0mlTtucKCZ4XWIYsGAJblivrItGHfTrbqiFcqzQWQIRmlVerFAJSxHBJ4UYSOVEgRQWi-VJk2D97y6WSKZowOh/s400/tracksb10mar12.JPG" /></a></div><p>Since these were more 2x2, I guess they are raccoon prints. Hard day tracking after a promising light snow.</P></FONT></SPAN>Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-88398754850592175352012-04-22T14:20:00.000-07:002012-04-22T14:21:56.401-07:00February 25 to 28, 2012<span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>February 25 we are going to our land more frequently mainly to collect maple sap, and now we check on what the beaver has been doing. Worried that the Deep Pond might be too wet to walk on, I approached it using the trail going through the woods below the Third Pond. I went down to look at the dam first and could get close to the open water where we saw the beaver on the snow covered ground. The water was still open but no signs that the beaver had just been there.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25E_s-8o9t1bGm0i-FoT8-PwEfoMbwMlFFW4YXWgOPWZodFDdIEIvZ08urDR4QOwYztm3SnYtaF2Fleb5oms9LBuW6QwD49-YPns7y5oCKw393y_qyzzVTJxTE7XCfCRLzjlul-_y3MFb/s1600/dpdamhole25feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25E_s-8o9t1bGm0i-FoT8-PwEfoMbwMlFFW4YXWgOPWZodFDdIEIvZ08urDR4QOwYztm3SnYtaF2Fleb5oms9LBuW6QwD49-YPns7y5oCKw393y_qyzzVTJxTE7XCfCRLzjlul-_y3MFb/s400/dpdamhole25feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725508314166832850" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>It wasn’t the best light, cloudy day, and I couldn’t nose right up to the dam and perhaps because of that I couldn’t see what woody vegetation the beaver might have nipped. </p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2jseoN-KZS4x01g95wKWcW42tAdC-dZgcePwgJaAdCl1d4GpPmJvBKwOnlRQcTtGks47UZ2RG2jGiYe6KzalUJ63qEOTvRJnQPZzxHXCXvM8p3WkzHrhnh_n1ewBwYqEqDLPxd3xanoF/s1600/dpdamveg25feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2jseoN-KZS4x01g95wKWcW42tAdC-dZgcePwgJaAdCl1d4GpPmJvBKwOnlRQcTtGks47UZ2RG2jGiYe6KzalUJ63qEOTvRJnQPZzxHXCXvM8p3WkzHrhnh_n1ewBwYqEqDLPxd3xanoF/s400/dpdamveg25feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725508319336547458" /></a><br />
</p><br />
<br />
<p>The big shrubs are all honeysuckles which the beaver did cut a bit last fall. I walked along the high east shore of the pond heading to the holes over the inlet creek. There are two holes opening along that shore as the ice collapses and shrinks. No signs that the beaver or any other animal had used them.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0HdqkvsfqS7VQ_6bE5XBM6PxuTk8OULhglqmHiY3abBfcPYrW02JSqt3DAMXB2sPCFnL6HRfyMbcQubW43rR9a_qxa0bBlY2kzorH9JZQWsrKMZV6NCWDq47frVgYE9XDoS4HRPt8ACH/s1600/dpholes25feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0HdqkvsfqS7VQ_6bE5XBM6PxuTk8OULhglqmHiY3abBfcPYrW02JSqt3DAMXB2sPCFnL6HRfyMbcQubW43rR9a_qxa0bBlY2kzorH9JZQWsrKMZV6NCWDq47frVgYE9XDoS4HRPt8ACH/s400/dpholes25feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725508327009590050" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I could see the beaver’s tracks coming out from the long hole over the inlet creek. I could count at least three up and back forays.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLU23YJltR-QEIg4WWEkPRrJfqlMWsCeGnQiLm2JjkoYrGSq7GK_He_sDsGRytNvE_5fSRDYHXcKvgji1brDr2UThOms_gMKTrw4oVt4ZbspFIcHucCQNOrNZ3tuiKpwzmxheb86TcMBcJ/s1600/dpbvtks25feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLU23YJltR-QEIg4WWEkPRrJfqlMWsCeGnQiLm2JjkoYrGSq7GK_He_sDsGRytNvE_5fSRDYHXcKvgji1brDr2UThOms_gMKTrw4oVt4ZbspFIcHucCQNOrNZ3tuiKpwzmxheb86TcMBcJ/s400/dpbvtks25feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725508309899301170" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>One trail ended over some very small woody plants that the beaver nipped which scarcely looked like a meal to me.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKoQ8vjojgzKNuAcZUC95mog5lwuz2JumADdXoht9Ruvq5g9pKgoz4Xv8soW-Baezzbjb7Bfq7sA44yvTDriweTnmWWYnpP_wPUY1-UqdCRBPDqKukF9f2IWRES0tZU3fo6LZiCzlrGrgS/s1600/dpnips25feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKoQ8vjojgzKNuAcZUC95mog5lwuz2JumADdXoht9Ruvq5g9pKgoz4Xv8soW-Baezzbjb7Bfq7sA44yvTDriweTnmWWYnpP_wPUY1-UqdCRBPDqKukF9f2IWRES0tZU3fo6LZiCzlrGrgS/s400/dpnips25feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725508335083844082" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I also saw some nips of thicker shrubs but I didn’t see beaver prints right by them. On moist days like this old nips can look fresh. I also didn’t see any drag marks in the snow.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX02xDfcjPDqDGvuiiX0QLYps0HdmGRKNRWyEYMHylc4ESc0EOhzploFWa6UZjdy6rJ08Vr10hR-I53DsyoNbqTQXtQwYHVwsdKUt5BYapBqFlRNoK4qj1u-E93L4y4gaPb9Kv_1wQ1srD/s1600/dpnipsa25feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX02xDfcjPDqDGvuiiX0QLYps0HdmGRKNRWyEYMHylc4ESc0EOhzploFWa6UZjdy6rJ08Vr10hR-I53DsyoNbqTQXtQwYHVwsdKUt5BYapBqFlRNoK4qj1u-E93L4y4gaPb9Kv_1wQ1srD/s400/dpnipsa25feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725508687046585506" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>This beaver seem to gorge on lily roots at the end of the summer and most of the fall. In the spring it cut countless small willows up at the Third Pond. I can’t figure out its sudden dainty eating habits at a time when most beavers have a ravenous appetite.</p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>February 26 we had snow, then sleet and rain, and then more snow, amounting to over 2 inches at least, which makes it the second largest snowfall this year. (It would hardly count during our typical winter.) We headed off to hike down the valley behind the golf course which more or less leads to the Big Pond. As we crossed the golf course a herd of deer scattered, at least 20 of them. During our usual winters the wooded valley is a good place for fisher and porcupine tracks, usually the latter animals do a lot of gnawing up in trees there. But the last time we came down the valley a few weeks ago we didn’t see much porcupine work. Today the snow was hard and plenty of wet globs of snow had fallen from the tree branches so tracking conditions were not good. But at the top of the valley, I saw a fisher’s trail.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvOF7In6A56QLk3moPZp7H_A6e7yipBkRobBCjew4ztVRlaQZgH_2r8hKAO7N8MfOJ-ue4DdlyKSNi-EupQAGFs7pudtHC0rOuwSykViv1DPatA7y7g5LsJDuypul5dzLZxgaGhoVmr07/s1600/fishertks26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvOF7In6A56QLk3moPZp7H_A6e7yipBkRobBCjew4ztVRlaQZgH_2r8hKAO7N8MfOJ-ue4DdlyKSNi-EupQAGFs7pudtHC0rOuwSykViv1DPatA7y7g5LsJDuypul5dzLZxgaGhoVmr07/s400/fishertks26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509484679333266" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>It was heading into the rocks and my eyes followed the trail which led to a dead porcupine backed a bit up towards a granite boulder.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FATTNq4tB1MblEny8JLCXzKVvWKBfOivoSYlcOqMm99XbdQY8ftkWrnGjXo303I22B9ZJDEXZcPi4R9BDIHz55Q5-6-0W6dShRot5fnDiePo8ZkeJN6ho1TBZ3W4jYywN0GwMcQ3W8hi/s1600/deadppine26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FATTNq4tB1MblEny8JLCXzKVvWKBfOivoSYlcOqMm99XbdQY8ftkWrnGjXo303I22B9ZJDEXZcPi4R9BDIHz55Q5-6-0W6dShRot5fnDiePo8ZkeJN6ho1TBZ3W4jYywN0GwMcQ3W8hi/s400/deadppine26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725508688449398818" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Some of its entrails were closer to me along the fisher’s trail. In my almost 18 years of hiking here this is only the second time I’ve seen evidence of a fisher killing a porcupine, something they are commonly thought to do. There have always been plenty of porcupines here and an increasing number of fishers. The last time I saw evidence was back in 1996.That porcupine had been in what I now call Fisher Woods with no place to hide but trees, and fishers can also climb tree. This porcupine was near rocks which should have afforded protection.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyLFAzk6EzmXQIsR60YcoGQ5GX4wY0bOWay8cu-irKWY25OzXJImvqjUg91NUEZRnaSrxkhTv0nCv1lrWJmMoH95v191ZTJWTiQtkla8z78ZpVJwCVs9TVGrpJNDA8SR5t0r4QVtbeBTA/s1600/deadppinea26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyLFAzk6EzmXQIsR60YcoGQ5GX4wY0bOWay8cu-irKWY25OzXJImvqjUg91NUEZRnaSrxkhTv0nCv1lrWJmMoH95v191ZTJWTiQtkla8z78ZpVJwCVs9TVGrpJNDA8SR5t0r4QVtbeBTA/s400/deadppinea26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725508692883692594" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Fishers are supposed to kill porcupines by attacking them where they don’t have quills, the face or belly. This animal’s face seemed intact. I checked the belly. It looked ripped and exposed but it is hard to say the fisher gorged on what it exposed. It did eat the legs to the point of breaking the bones.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJKAVoi6-dWBU1fqD63FpnKW94MFgvxafOc5REXMAH43KoBGO2q32dj3KvndayEh0U1U6nFJQN0JzWtgdyNKfdHFVHRm8hNUv8qJU7ObXMdnTSLRLySn6fVaXIIoabqiAtuytLO7XohoX/s1600/deadppineb26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJKAVoi6-dWBU1fqD63FpnKW94MFgvxafOc5REXMAH43KoBGO2q32dj3KvndayEh0U1U6nFJQN0JzWtgdyNKfdHFVHRm8hNUv8qJU7ObXMdnTSLRLySn6fVaXIIoabqiAtuytLO7XohoX/s400/deadppineb26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725508698952561010" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I tried to get a photo of its face. While it didn’t look like the fisher attacked the porcupine’s face there is a wound on the top of its head.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbU-GutaxB-0pZ5iSfvh6bgrJS_bzClHMZC54ZpvlXOKGFLSc7OscBoWygFfytornSITHGDokY0KiJalD_I1O_KM38MPkH1omFhjjsYmKV2om_AQOQLJJaFSBmTU8DBupJCFxX0h_PBD3s/s1600/deadppinec26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbU-GutaxB-0pZ5iSfvh6bgrJS_bzClHMZC54ZpvlXOKGFLSc7OscBoWygFfytornSITHGDokY0KiJalD_I1O_KM38MPkH1omFhjjsYmKV2om_AQOQLJJaFSBmTU8DBupJCFxX0h_PBD3s/s400/deadppinec26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725508708611153298" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I didn’t see any fisher tracks around the dead porcupine nor any signs of a struggle left in the surrounding snow. Of course, the weather was quite changeable last night so there might have been a struggle at the beginning of the storm which was later covered up by the snow but there is little snow on the dead porcupine. The porcupine may have died from either starvation or falling out of a tree and the fisher came upon it and had a meal. As usual, the guts of the dead animal were dragged away from the rest of the body. Not sure what attraction a bag of half digested tree bark would have for the fisher.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3Y8IDov-MFMyFiZGIOpKHtbVENRDaI1s-kN5PQLfxzAFNrwfvx6MMKOpdK2xR78LFFxeTriXvoh0LgJc_7bfJcPgq9AGTXhisnIlDCwiPXBXOmgZsyjPTI62u7aAAEZyvD1uG_CtGiEm/s1600/ppineguts26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3Y8IDov-MFMyFiZGIOpKHtbVENRDaI1s-kN5PQLfxzAFNrwfvx6MMKOpdK2xR78LFFxeTriXvoh0LgJc_7bfJcPgq9AGTXhisnIlDCwiPXBXOmgZsyjPTI62u7aAAEZyvD1uG_CtGiEm/s400/ppineguts26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510852919516402" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I tried to backtrack the fisher’s approach to the porcupine but instead found its trail leaving the area. Could both animals been up a tree?</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmozjm1fjaLKBXyD2XH7dYcckU-6CZINoDkK1FDPQM5kjxCSW7ipAgoA4LotbKVQRp-MuLh7avKb4zQPm3RtVKzsanbIM5Oq8ObwWbOdeIGg1JHfK8yKLAdeZIlRc30oxl3odPjQqPzcYU/s1600/fishertksa26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmozjm1fjaLKBXyD2XH7dYcckU-6CZINoDkK1FDPQM5kjxCSW7ipAgoA4LotbKVQRp-MuLh7avKb4zQPm3RtVKzsanbIM5Oq8ObwWbOdeIGg1JHfK8yKLAdeZIlRc30oxl3odPjQqPzcYU/s400/fishertksa26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509486914361474" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I took a look back at the where the porcupine died. I could think of worse places. In so many ways it is a paradise for a porcupine with innumerable dens in the jumble of granite rocks. The porcupine looked small. It was probably sickness rather than inexperience in the ways of a persistent predator that killed it.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggO2PsWbe0g8yzbFO48UOxZziGwF8cJUajFO8eGdFvLftNXC4O8W7gjW4PAmDLIZzqv32ofqPqW3IaOaCqE0CV7NfXbcZyTy1Z18BAmf0Y9xeJ5laQ9Yo0ewiCFrHcKXQAzkbNCCKvcRwF/s1600/ppvalley26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggO2PsWbe0g8yzbFO48UOxZziGwF8cJUajFO8eGdFvLftNXC4O8W7gjW4PAmDLIZzqv32ofqPqW3IaOaCqE0CV7NfXbcZyTy1Z18BAmf0Y9xeJ5laQ9Yo0ewiCFrHcKXQAzkbNCCKvcRwF/s400/ppvalley26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510858255015378" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I made a halfhearted attempt to see a porcupine den in the rocks and didn’t see one. Certainly the fisher trail didn’t lead to one. It simply continued down the valley. So did I but then turned off the fisher trail and headed for the Big Pond going by a small ridge of rocks where a porcupine usually dens. I found the den active with fresh poop in front of the hole and fresh tracks around it.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingV-WtJXrEauwJHRkYEQDqZ3aD7bVqdZgOSWRbkmE79n6NUQAXSoqvmqDvXEOk-z9d_kc6Vfr3KZgUCkKgdIsG8SvL4qNWvabe7Z-xly64cQwj3Bt4bZMzqdhPOtp7OeAr-yUQsV3rXnh/s1600/ppden26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingV-WtJXrEauwJHRkYEQDqZ3aD7bVqdZgOSWRbkmE79n6NUQAXSoqvmqDvXEOk-z9d_kc6Vfr3KZgUCkKgdIsG8SvL4qNWvabe7Z-xly64cQwj3Bt4bZMzqdhPOtp7OeAr-yUQsV3rXnh/s400/ppden26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510849607257762" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>This winter the porcupine here is gnawing trees closer to its den than usual. The lower trunk of a nearby white oak is almost completely stripped.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDmd2cMdWOVpUWB9o6vIqvpIneiDoOeEd84VngWmuuRn2gu5QwiNIxJjOx3XZHg5oTlAMU8K1j-BQk5z6sjtH2ZXIKEXJdCXNx9G5dZKqYBDY7Z-pONYviD9xTWNDI5p8MdpAZhRyu0JP/s1600/ppwk26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDmd2cMdWOVpUWB9o6vIqvpIneiDoOeEd84VngWmuuRn2gu5QwiNIxJjOx3XZHg5oTlAMU8K1j-BQk5z6sjtH2ZXIKEXJdCXNx9G5dZKqYBDY7Z-pONYviD9xTWNDI5p8MdpAZhRyu0JP/s400/ppwk26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510867857086050" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>There were no tracks on the Big Pond, nor anything remarkable in the strip of woods on the way to the Lost Swamp Pond. With the ice collapsing it is easier to get a sense of where the water is under the pond. There were coyote tracks and a stampede of tracks suggesting that the coyotes were getting frisky with each other.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC67jqFzY4aIU9qkoOiqYAzNoXKaFdQcDj1Afb3OegGVBuU075HDrJ5PCQTeIhs8WpWJpliTi2tPT6NfDPjJAho7Ak7k5KBooqsmDcWhN3ATCzU7nKaff8z612oFlhl_zfdGmFHE4uUNPC/s1600/lscoytks26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC67jqFzY4aIU9qkoOiqYAzNoXKaFdQcDj1Afb3OegGVBuU075HDrJ5PCQTeIhs8WpWJpliTi2tPT6NfDPjJAho7Ak7k5KBooqsmDcWhN3ATCzU7nKaff8z612oFlhl_zfdGmFHE4uUNPC/s400/lscoytks26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509684041883362" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Coyotes also went over to the dam and visited the otter latrine just above the dam where they had pooped a few weeks ago. </p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwctzY8adu3nbA26UY3xwST2B5AoqDM32OTfdNnoNndxD9d42T-sDdRgiHDBPx9HrmQzmsACn3083t3fFblcNtsGKfdcynlN7J6A2P830ZQ9O3UgFfX_iiHx_reWd24M0Og92noFyieHs/s1600/lscoytksa26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwctzY8adu3nbA26UY3xwST2B5AoqDM32OTfdNnoNndxD9d42T-sDdRgiHDBPx9HrmQzmsACn3083t3fFblcNtsGKfdcynlN7J6A2P830ZQ9O3UgFfX_iiHx_reWd24M0Og92noFyieHs/s400/lscoytksa26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509684777952402" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>There was a stain of urine on the snow almost circled by coyote prints.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauJZR5NR_iGef8AhcZKpYD6ErljQcO5SszehlkI15wNKhNUmGkkZyH5PzoWu31hVQWk5CJy1bvx2bZdxSVcyFCL7UXVF4t94XIEyIgZWYJuOrlQm8Hk0iAHDvdDnVXIC-qjtV_r172IHN/s1600/lscoytksb26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauJZR5NR_iGef8AhcZKpYD6ErljQcO5SszehlkI15wNKhNUmGkkZyH5PzoWu31hVQWk5CJy1bvx2bZdxSVcyFCL7UXVF4t94XIEyIgZWYJuOrlQm8Hk0iAHDvdDnVXIC-qjtV_r172IHN/s400/lscoytksb26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509692009487026" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>There were coyote tracks as usual on the Second Swamp Pond, no signs of fisher today, nor minks. I went down to the dam to see if the minks might have been down there -- they usually centered a good bit of their activity at that dam. All I saw were coyotes tracks and they led to one spot on the dam.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1o8VaZYtBM7udq8uYtgj-pQZCtTqg7TPwyMvYbAoZhZF4CG9DX-dJ4lb6sHo0KCp6lTnADdmHE1dU_3jSWbnSVARq78xqcNQ7SrmOCQvElnyUoxU6GUgC_iVZCJEBJF5Bx3p6PV0zCFs/s1600/spcoydig26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1o8VaZYtBM7udq8uYtgj-pQZCtTqg7TPwyMvYbAoZhZF4CG9DX-dJ4lb6sHo0KCp6lTnADdmHE1dU_3jSWbnSVARq78xqcNQ7SrmOCQvElnyUoxU6GUgC_iVZCJEBJF5Bx3p6PV0zCFs/s400/spcoydig26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511331308087474" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>There the coyotes dug into the dirt of the old dam.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rF3MiLgu7Cg6f1cnCiJSqiGO3Gm0YGSTg0yXFQfvxudiKHJUwhMHb_DB0bPawFfpXEC5Mvm-CkLAjUiFMd7hAhzMaZN_SYjr96_yFt35bUoHnX0gG5nuxvksuMe54Xqh3fUBnF-wK_Uz/s1600/spcoydiga26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rF3MiLgu7Cg6f1cnCiJSqiGO3Gm0YGSTg0yXFQfvxudiKHJUwhMHb_DB0bPawFfpXEC5Mvm-CkLAjUiFMd7hAhzMaZN_SYjr96_yFt35bUoHnX0gG5nuxvksuMe54Xqh3fUBnF-wK_Uz/s400/spcoydiga26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511336798591330" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>They dug into a muskrat burrow and evidently found a muskrat to eat.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4ZwCwmvlqfKL1Rlos8TATz0jLpWs2PDTokpRuN_ygCnvJwL83SKDt_7YB8ETAY0SwDCGFos6Aj5swV_EUZkXxBGHlKM5jmS4z70Q76_HYde99uPe9U9hgmS2tq2NUutO2jI_8BPf4GBt/s1600/spcoyhole26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4ZwCwmvlqfKL1Rlos8TATz0jLpWs2PDTokpRuN_ygCnvJwL83SKDt_7YB8ETAY0SwDCGFos6Aj5swV_EUZkXxBGHlKM5jmS4z70Q76_HYde99uPe9U9hgmS2tq2NUutO2jI_8BPf4GBt/s400/spcoyhole26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511341533089522" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>They left a muskrat tail that looked a bit chewed.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VlHKR7GYDxLGX8m0D9adFOasf8fkAd21uSSS0PjVp3D09LPDmZyQjXg0jZhiQGEfFxALl-pYZPtNQHJOby4m-9k2PVjia6ufA9Av8Il6WWkjYDKawfNI7dOSK-19hUaFZnyUv7nSNPSn/s1600/mrattail26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VlHKR7GYDxLGX8m0D9adFOasf8fkAd21uSSS0PjVp3D09LPDmZyQjXg0jZhiQGEfFxALl-pYZPtNQHJOby4m-9k2PVjia6ufA9Av8Il6WWkjYDKawfNI7dOSK-19hUaFZnyUv7nSNPSn/s400/mrattail26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509693996318098" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>While there were no mink tracks at the Second Swamp Pond dam, there were fresh mink tracks on the old board walk below the East Trail Pond dam. They seemed to be doing the same rushing back and forth I noticed the last time I was here. I assume the deeper tracks are fresher and the scratchy tracks were made in the night when the snow was hard.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwi9Y41HvMWCRR1bV6JP-ZuVxBhK0qedwzLYleJn3t_uYwa_EMmIcTCdIN9PMzm2wBmpwXJeXig38vH1mMFos-Uy9Hz29cpTq9C7C7XuqV474Lr6oMMCrJBQmHwj8yudJ-TqFC0QfZyFqX/s1600/etminktks26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwi9Y41HvMWCRR1bV6JP-ZuVxBhK0qedwzLYleJn3t_uYwa_EMmIcTCdIN9PMzm2wBmpwXJeXig38vH1mMFos-Uy9Hz29cpTq9C7C7XuqV474Lr6oMMCrJBQmHwj8yudJ-TqFC0QfZyFqX/s400/etminktks26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509248517454818" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>The recent rain and snow made no perceptible difference to the Big Pond, Lost Swamp Pond and Second Swamp Pond, but thanks to the hole dug through the dam in late January, the East Trail Pond lost most of its water. I was surprised to see that the pond water was back up to the level of the ice. Since the ice had collapsed a bit after the water drained out, the water was not up to its highest level. All the same, there was probably no more air under most of the ice.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvsW40g1mdzuEFZ_D-gc2Rhd2XX3L7_oW4Av73hf9eT5NZ5pX20HNNKYMbIsFlpnc1-szADE8yqrHNOkhWlB-3FZmE1hdIf0JF4y_MZaqqyGzZ_Nx9u8zd6tnekWQ-PGLWhTvgdYxRcOp/s1600/etdam26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvsW40g1mdzuEFZ_D-gc2Rhd2XX3L7_oW4Av73hf9eT5NZ5pX20HNNKYMbIsFlpnc1-szADE8yqrHNOkhWlB-3FZmE1hdIf0JF4y_MZaqqyGzZ_Nx9u8zd6tnekWQ-PGLWhTvgdYxRcOp/s400/etdam26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509235174635954" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>There were a few mink trails on the snow behind the dam suggesting that the mink was checking out the new dispensation. I walked on the dam over to the hole in the dam. I could see that a beaver had broken the ice that had just formed behind the hole and then had walked over the dam.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwdmXRBUdLxcoI-_QkukjD2ZJPbWQq6SUrtNaE3GzHv3E4OsWboAqhxJOft5bquQTbUGKEgNbz9cyE4itc9NrGJdmN2qKdW8r4I6FwoEfQ5A4yQaZNeELNrmvUIhZT83rcDsnoqE2Ux-Y/s1600/etdamhole26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwdmXRBUdLxcoI-_QkukjD2ZJPbWQq6SUrtNaE3GzHv3E4OsWboAqhxJOft5bquQTbUGKEgNbz9cyE4itc9NrGJdmN2qKdW8r4I6FwoEfQ5A4yQaZNeELNrmvUIhZT83rcDsnoqE2Ux-Y/s400/etdamhole26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509238232276722" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Visualizing what has been happening in this pond is getting more difficult. I assumed that a beaver dug the hole through the dam and I explained its not going out through the hole by observing that there was not much to eat below the dam and as the water drained out through the hole the ice behind it collapsed onto water that was too shallow for the beaver to comfortably swim in. Now the water is deep enough, the hole in the dam still there and a beaver breaks the ice and climbs over the dam. However, I didn’t where it got anything to eat below the dam. I am beginning to think the otter dug the hole in the dam. And while I am on the subject I am beginning to doubt my mantra that draining water out of the pond makes it easier for otters to get at the fish in the puddles remaining in the pond. What the otter got here were frogs and pollywogs. Maybe to get the hibernating frogs it is much easier to sniff over the mud so it’s not the depth of the water but the easier access to mud -- but I am not even sure that frogs hibernate in the mud under the pond water. While I stood at the dam, my brain did not ache with those thoughts. I turned back and looked at the now full pond and was struck by the beauty of the new ice on it formed by water from the thaw and rain flooding over the old collapsed ice.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvzURCbft30ByRH8tVU6W8R7ctE1QkTQJDufnt6e4Ls-HDsNTrMysq-QUFhh0s5Bq-w9F1XNAMYHyXtwH5mzd02cynb-XwXLFDp5Yrzp5HJPnhZL6uimjLJutzJ8vNeP3p0Mk3IudInj6/s1600/et26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvzURCbft30ByRH8tVU6W8R7ctE1QkTQJDufnt6e4Ls-HDsNTrMysq-QUFhh0s5Bq-w9F1XNAMYHyXtwH5mzd02cynb-XwXLFDp5Yrzp5HJPnhZL6uimjLJutzJ8vNeP3p0Mk3IudInj6/s400/et26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725508956356500290" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I didn’t hazard walking on the ice but walked up the ridge north of the pond using the East Trail. I saw that a beaver had come up it after the snow going so far as to gnaw some of the trunk bark under the snow covered oak they have been working on recently.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOJlQOxa2FezKf1tq8kh96UWrVriQnyYA07JmQxKjQtue-SewN81944JcB3R0eRdsuBklgqu4JCWyR1a-TfrYVz4DUc6M3sBfckpuqofGO3XPqdmYx5bvy9bIcA0pYHxuwXZcYNKnDIYB/s1600/etwk26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOJlQOxa2FezKf1tq8kh96UWrVriQnyYA07JmQxKjQtue-SewN81944JcB3R0eRdsuBklgqu4JCWyR1a-TfrYVz4DUc6M3sBfckpuqofGO3XPqdmYx5bvy9bIcA0pYHxuwXZcYNKnDIYB/s400/etwk26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509469297486226" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>The beaver did not walk directly up the log and back. It also nosed around bark to eat lower down the ridge.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Q4ihNB7JAtZ2e2fQWqPbg-6hgXaNEbKiyHhu7qgMpTz-_IY-ecT5KY_snYy3a55MeLlUjNuIRBy2BCumheF5n6FHIUk0V2oX_ops0zgOBWGc06Bhj5dapxBZds_5K2N2PhBu7n7IF9UU/s1600/etbvtr26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Q4ihNB7JAtZ2e2fQWqPbg-6hgXaNEbKiyHhu7qgMpTz-_IY-ecT5KY_snYy3a55MeLlUjNuIRBy2BCumheF5n6FHIUk0V2oX_ops0zgOBWGc06Bhj5dapxBZds_5K2N2PhBu7n7IF9UU/s400/etbvtr26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725508968527724322" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Unfortunately the snow down there was spotty enough to keep from clearly see where the beaver went.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPRJ2-BiOMwM7NlDBKi7Z6NlYGAfHMDHc6PoeR9Bw38Q0isoarTK3fXCr_HH9lgMpJX-MqUnn7gxZiG3EBUdL_aEX4aYDWMr24abrromuxYx5E-Tum-_GdfVaiAFdhRoDzBZhNhChVTeg/s1600/etbvtra26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPRJ2-BiOMwM7NlDBKi7Z6NlYGAfHMDHc6PoeR9Bw38Q0isoarTK3fXCr_HH9lgMpJX-MqUnn7gxZiG3EBUdL_aEX4aYDWMr24abrromuxYx5E-Tum-_GdfVaiAFdhRoDzBZhNhChVTeg/s400/etbvtra26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725508974403270930" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Or beavers. What I saw in the snow, which was never crystal clear, gave me the impression that a smaller beaver roamed lower on the ridge. While the beaver or beavers generally returned to old work, there was a clear exception, a big gnaw in a pine tree just up from the hole in the ice.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4RabaRTQLA_R8MzY8eq41_Qg_zzdu1ID95s8degkgXqTRo7H39_456XwdMobNyV1eYSZUaYTBTq5vDCvl0GJHwz7Fl4yrw7aohyphenhyphenlTyY8zDA41xIvh381D7EJNqa42Cd__j4WVzTG2bhrm/s1600/etwka26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4RabaRTQLA_R8MzY8eq41_Qg_zzdu1ID95s8degkgXqTRo7H39_456XwdMobNyV1eYSZUaYTBTq5vDCvl0GJHwz7Fl4yrw7aohyphenhyphenlTyY8zDA41xIvh381D7EJNqa42Cd__j4WVzTG2bhrm/s400/etwka26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509469737501474" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Down at the hole, where the ice had not collapsed much, it was clear that the pond filled up with water again. So the under ice world that I have taking photos of for a little over a month is gone for a while, perhaps, for good if we have a quick thaw. Of course I don’t know exactly how long the water remained unfrozen. It looked like it was long enough to allow a beaver to strip sticks and leave them floating in the water.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRF3px07vuMoTKQHd0MoWca0eHwBg_Xhi_aTnIHD4UabcC7JsnLgzMqcPavA8nfVYSa89JMz_usH6fEbaBSajRDNPOsf4y36fDPNgm8ILwuC0WbHKJvgs7i2XVw6SnrDQ02haEgMXn3tv/s1600/etbvhole26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRF3px07vuMoTKQHd0MoWca0eHwBg_Xhi_aTnIHD4UabcC7JsnLgzMqcPavA8nfVYSa89JMz_usH6fEbaBSajRDNPOsf4y36fDPNgm8ILwuC0WbHKJvgs7i2XVw6SnrDQ02haEgMXn3tv/s400/etbvhole26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725508965491097890" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>A beaver did walk on the pond below the ridge coming out of the hole and seeming to know exactly where it wanted to go.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqoyK2xzPFLrHzfJPvAbGamD6m6gUPfoGeV4hSzNimS8RU2BfpT84EDe-ixyZBPYkU-wzvstm6Qnlv6ZrENIVTLamr0QTlF4HRL6eMNsuMvmHNp9m6GpnBhVa3oBtmbm7P7SlLiDA4Tbz/s1600/etbvtrb26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqoyK2xzPFLrHzfJPvAbGamD6m6gUPfoGeV4hSzNimS8RU2BfpT84EDe-ixyZBPYkU-wzvstm6Qnlv6ZrENIVTLamr0QTlF4HRL6eMNsuMvmHNp9m6GpnBhVa3oBtmbm7P7SlLiDA4Tbz/s400/etbvtrb26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509230659845282" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>It went directly up a gentle slope to the big twinned red oak trunks that they have been gnawing on for over a year. The wood chips from the gnawing were scattered on the snow three feet below the cut where the beaver was gnawing.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNy3c9KYOIShKjLBAT7v_dxeby_vmME9aBYM4nECrmhInYefV9SPV9hLWTiOJ3eUmqqRlQ-xBd6_ZpGTNEBAMWCGwahKgTHEVtEmEf9N3iViWHx60MuZMQMNtMKdKRyS-w5W1NUFdfNH7L/s1600/etwkb26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNy3c9KYOIShKjLBAT7v_dxeby_vmME9aBYM4nECrmhInYefV9SPV9hLWTiOJ3eUmqqRlQ-xBd6_ZpGTNEBAMWCGwahKgTHEVtEmEf9N3iViWHx60MuZMQMNtMKdKRyS-w5W1NUFdfNH7L/s400/etwkb26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509480314093074" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I walked back up to the trail on the ridge which comes down west of the pond. I walked back to the pond and checked for tracks on the pond and saw that a mink was once again using the holes in the southwest corner of the pond that a mink dug shortly after the pond froze.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgIaVLPcMgS01wRqr7HBtBaKgDhimIshR-OGF-gjhxS3jbXu4dYLpWDRxEZuxaejz78JAWLGiyvNw5yqjBciZxGyQMVBieOkarml4Ob9gi-boIEzNSZZtHY9bdiyaQixyui-lnObAhr_p/s1600/etminktksa26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgIaVLPcMgS01wRqr7HBtBaKgDhimIshR-OGF-gjhxS3jbXu4dYLpWDRxEZuxaejz78JAWLGiyvNw5yqjBciZxGyQMVBieOkarml4Ob9gi-boIEzNSZZtHY9bdiyaQixyui-lnObAhr_p/s400/etminktksa26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509254225553218" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Going down to the South Bay trail, I didn’t see many tracks and only a vague suggestion of a fisher’s trail. Then as I walked up the South Bay trail going over a pipe buried under the trail which drains water from a low woods north of the trail, I saw some bold fresh tracks crossing the trail heading for those woods.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH198ZyEAGK2isqPpaL7Ymz0BGLPo3e7dXBXGsVzkaGil03pIwo7wdyw2GgOQMnUb9IM_Jx_LT6RlL0aViAG_ymvmT3MCDiS28VOD0FKL8evciGPVHg8FgSO9LkGqTapPoQOzfFScr4-Me/s1600/ottprints26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH198ZyEAGK2isqPpaL7Ymz0BGLPo3e7dXBXGsVzkaGil03pIwo7wdyw2GgOQMnUb9IM_Jx_LT6RlL0aViAG_ymvmT3MCDiS28VOD0FKL8evciGPVHg8FgSO9LkGqTapPoQOzfFScr4-Me/s400/ottprints26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509874887839570" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>My first reaction was fisher. They do sometimes come down to the bay. Then I thought otters. I followed one trail toward the woods and it looked more like a leaping otter than a loping fisher made it.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGULfZyXMzUdQa5sVKD3827UzOuG6adZM9gh3N9dQhq0K3ysJSe71x5pcje7t1vmE1fuIosDiwJmoySiUTWwQtnGi6UnupuoMOTFWucL5JlPf8SorTeD0_Zq0a2nG0L62r6rbWCARQBHs/s1600/otttr26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGULfZyXMzUdQa5sVKD3827UzOuG6adZM9gh3N9dQhq0K3ysJSe71x5pcje7t1vmE1fuIosDiwJmoySiUTWwQtnGi6UnupuoMOTFWucL5JlPf8SorTeD0_Zq0a2nG0L62r6rbWCARQBHs/s400/otttr26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510612283079442" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Then I saw that the animal made a trough in the snow. Fishers only do that in deep snow, not the few inches on the ground now.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IlpyiztPSs-BzG0To3YKpO7ptmuRi-VgpAHU4kMY46tBADLhEAlaq6IDKC2G5Lc8uhxgkenxL7VtNsjL0HqyCRcm6x1GJsJ7Km25wVHgr8d7HOeaknvRUBWjv8umciazAalO_hI84K1H/s1600/otttra26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IlpyiztPSs-BzG0To3YKpO7ptmuRi-VgpAHU4kMY46tBADLhEAlaq6IDKC2G5Lc8uhxgkenxL7VtNsjL0HqyCRcm6x1GJsJ7Km25wVHgr8d7HOeaknvRUBWjv8umciazAalO_hI84K1H/s400/otttra26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510621470340114" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Of course, I needed only to look out on the ice of South Bay to prove that otters made the tracks. Fishers might run on the ice -- I once saw a fisher trail going from one island to another in mid-February-- but they don’t side.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZj2JADZSKo5E7F0hQgCGPljdG4I3oBzQQ8BPA00WAfaXTWqyNnWeJFCeydR-7RW-0FRWnqJYHMvHpQHqjtNnYbZ3mSAC02Tf_Q9ssc7hpJxW0Pv1qTp4QDj_CMskn1Ugigweb327XXLd/s1600/otttks26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZj2JADZSKo5E7F0hQgCGPljdG4I3oBzQQ8BPA00WAfaXTWqyNnWeJFCeydR-7RW-0FRWnqJYHMvHpQHqjtNnYbZ3mSAC02Tf_Q9ssc7hpJxW0Pv1qTp4QDj_CMskn1Ugigweb327XXLd/s400/otttks26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509888558211234" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I would have like to go out on the ice and get a close-up of otter slides but I feared that the ice had melted too much during the recent thaw. The otters certainly sank a bit in slush.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUzulXJRJCxxNh0YSkxhVB1RKD-0LyMycQeuw5mqbQIzfyjaZKSk5j-JU8CZmxkTbAYTXMAnXgpKWntwIk8oKtLOfw7LUYENUv5O1cIwdva11CVAPEYEjdus1tfAEsmN_Sryv45by3lrDu/s1600/otttksa26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUzulXJRJCxxNh0YSkxhVB1RKD-0LyMycQeuw5mqbQIzfyjaZKSk5j-JU8CZmxkTbAYTXMAnXgpKWntwIk8oKtLOfw7LUYENUv5O1cIwdva11CVAPEYEjdus1tfAEsmN_Sryv45by3lrDu/s400/otttksa26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509891131277554" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>The new ice along the north shore of the bay had no snow on it so it didn't record tracks. It wasn't broken up either so otters had been there. I couldn’t connect the tracks on the land with the tracks on the snow.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisruN3McH5-X1So36Dp10igLZg5V2znfULU26FkXocsO9v04EJJMTpYLAFdSG2zaVODqrkzn0qo_zqXBVn51ODoSr6UgvpCSfjc0YCX-ufABcE7-e-XZ-QiUVWQ9HgCJcMbCzQLh0KLpAV/s1600/sbshore26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisruN3McH5-X1So36Dp10igLZg5V2znfULU26FkXocsO9v04EJJMTpYLAFdSG2zaVODqrkzn0qo_zqXBVn51ODoSr6UgvpCSfjc0YCX-ufABcE7-e-XZ-QiUVWQ9HgCJcMbCzQLh0KLpAV/s400/sbshore26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511327867652530" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I was sure I'd see some sign of the otters going along the shore. I had been noticing some digging on the path at the docking rock latrine, and today it looked deeper.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xV7diC5zUOBzYTs4-5VxiwTj-gnwenGq7KZVMF7ovv3l7Q2eayRkFw25M8EOa42KXiJ5vAW5kYUt5NgDfbWo1-4tsFsSV2B0vV7QFGtmJmbTGsROX8BzXeFFCypT1CQ9W6deQSoOYwmY/s1600/drlatdig26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xV7diC5zUOBzYTs4-5VxiwTj-gnwenGq7KZVMF7ovv3l7Q2eayRkFw25M8EOa42KXiJ5vAW5kYUt5NgDfbWo1-4tsFsSV2B0vV7QFGtmJmbTGsROX8BzXeFFCypT1CQ9W6deQSoOYwmY/s400/drlatdig26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725508946889859874" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>But I only saw a bit of old scats nearby. As usual I veered up to Audubon Pond and walked along the embankment. I thought I might see the trail of those two otters, but I didn’t see anything on the pond. Then on the trail back down to South Bay, I saw the trails of two otters coming out of a spillway from the pond and heading down the trail toward the bay.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMjvdyAkAVsnB7jUB-_L80VSoIXPHotklPCc5DewacNADdzm4AlhnnxYBF8RWfbr_iCrKqfwgIk5caQeoNQ3qRf3vsWf3HaaHld-F5TigrrTQlEUHO6zlzHLK56ZbZF8tboA4P8zVw1j9/s1600/otttksb26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMjvdyAkAVsnB7jUB-_L80VSoIXPHotklPCc5DewacNADdzm4AlhnnxYBF8RWfbr_iCrKqfwgIk5caQeoNQ3qRf3vsWf3HaaHld-F5TigrrTQlEUHO6zlzHLK56ZbZF8tboA4P8zVw1j9/s400/otttksb26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510084666242306" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I followed the tracks down to the bay, wondering if the otters veered over to the latrine overlooking the entrance to South Bay. No. The otters had gone directly into the bay.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQevEr3afP-SIsJ4mfl-M0LF_tlpFCl-Nz1EWDCsEzIHKKj0DuNIQX0FHlFsaZre0NWTzqDS42mz7FZZm65Lao6bKkaiL7L6cPFWYB33pzy7pnd_01jpvft-4WIiq5q6KphovfjVDotyWZ/s1600/otttksc26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQevEr3afP-SIsJ4mfl-M0LF_tlpFCl-Nz1EWDCsEzIHKKj0DuNIQX0FHlFsaZre0NWTzqDS42mz7FZZm65Lao6bKkaiL7L6cPFWYB33pzy7pnd_01jpvft-4WIiq5q6KphovfjVDotyWZ/s400/otttksc26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510091487149378" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Of course, they could swim up to the latrine, but they didn’t. The snow was patchy there but I am familiar enough with the slope to know that no otter had come up on it since the last time I was there.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-S7AEH-MkF56sKdnEmJJpDstRpvoG3TeV9wDpBOq8S5HEN7VGA2gvvn4BKDd_PDFrJ7Dg-8dWPZQlZ1FcmJX_mev6huqFhQEsH_1-O7-3ShyphenhyphenwipoY73ZuCCAPr9WYCAfW7MySNH_rcZC/s1600/sblat26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-S7AEH-MkF56sKdnEmJJpDstRpvoG3TeV9wDpBOq8S5HEN7VGA2gvvn4BKDd_PDFrJ7Dg-8dWPZQlZ1FcmJX_mev6huqFhQEsH_1-O7-3ShyphenhyphenwipoY73ZuCCAPr9WYCAfW7MySNH_rcZC/s400/sblat26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510873902695666" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I walked back up to the spillway and backtracked the otters onto Audubon Pond. In all my years of tracking otters here, I had never followed one that took such a sensible route out of the pond.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63JUHozuqrQNHUA0UvFuoMSzTw7ld76Gtkl2MAM43TBApkCNqgGgYoMZ7AQoPph9KMqyuWKaaNmh_gxUC5Et8_dkHyKser1nimbfyq8V4F30-daUpxlkwaCVL0NF1rmoTNiKHMrCcNpEy/s1600/otttksd26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63JUHozuqrQNHUA0UvFuoMSzTw7ld76Gtkl2MAM43TBApkCNqgGgYoMZ7AQoPph9KMqyuWKaaNmh_gxUC5Et8_dkHyKser1nimbfyq8V4F30-daUpxlkwaCVL0NF1rmoTNiKHMrCcNpEy/s400/otttksd26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510092375319218" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Tracks leave a record in space, but the timing is not so easy to tell. Were the otters running together? One chasing the other? Or one following the other several minutes or hours later? The tracks I saw on the pond suggested to me that the otters crossed the pond at the same time. At a point where their trails crossed it looked like they had almost collided with each other.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFVIAelArcSKgGNLT-15ZADVeUoqC7RuwHLkFne17BOicwzNQP3DRW-nKRc40whBftsahxXqYM-NmNE4bgTCKd6rCgbleRRKK3PMaNfHC6_6bheoiKf8apug-vkTZt1dPRbzJQpdXTlT1/s1600/otttkse26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFVIAelArcSKgGNLT-15ZADVeUoqC7RuwHLkFne17BOicwzNQP3DRW-nKRc40whBftsahxXqYM-NmNE4bgTCKd6rCgbleRRKK3PMaNfHC6_6bheoiKf8apug-vkTZt1dPRbzJQpdXTlT1/s400/otttkse26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510099826313938" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>The otters had crisscrossed a few yards back a bit farther out on the pond.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviuDX_tPIrWy-lTb77lEpKQAxh0mKvhxtyz5TcuQAgkQ5Jgu4AP8dJWnf7DUcms6Ligg3tWWILPagQLyhR_PXytsPoMcm2p7oNx6OSlTRrz6UTI8NGACzWra2vhyphenhyphenWgXTbP7YF5YIrEJLQ/s1600/otttksf26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviuDX_tPIrWy-lTb77lEpKQAxh0mKvhxtyz5TcuQAgkQ5Jgu4AP8dJWnf7DUcms6Ligg3tWWILPagQLyhR_PXytsPoMcm2p7oNx6OSlTRrz6UTI8NGACzWra2vhyphenhyphenWgXTbP7YF5YIrEJLQ/s400/otttksf26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510326614855090" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>However, they had not danced across the middle of the pond. Judging from their tracks they generally kept to the shore and seemed to have been looking for a way to get under the ice.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrzwSczlz2mXUhjr_MLKOezj3bRL2n-snJ-1eDY-7ajm71WDB-o5yV-_Hn3fHacvYwF7bO43SAOVcBmWMMlx20p5IX2ITcqTvfqvynpqNfb3Wg2Qfg2dKV6Q3x2Ii6RORKszpckVpcZiq4/s1600/otttksg26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrzwSczlz2mXUhjr_MLKOezj3bRL2n-snJ-1eDY-7ajm71WDB-o5yV-_Hn3fHacvYwF7bO43SAOVcBmWMMlx20p5IX2ITcqTvfqvynpqNfb3Wg2Qfg2dKV6Q3x2Ii6RORKszpckVpcZiq4/s400/otttksg26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510328130860194" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>For me tracking is the art of telling yourself a story that you only half believe and that you are constantly revising as you see more tracks. This time of year the tracks of two otters could be the story of a mother trying to escape from her pup so she will be free to go off and mate again; a male otter chasing a female in order to mate; or two male otters vying for dominance. Of course there is a size difference between a mother and a pup, but there is also a size difference between a male and female. I have tracked mothers leaving her pups several times. Generally the mother doesn’t take the easy path such as going off the pond along the convenient spillway. Plus comparing these two trails, it did not look like one was that much bigger than the other. I began to get comfortable with the story of a male otter chasing after a slightly smaller female. I back tracked them to the lodge just off the north shore of the pond. Seeing their parallel trails coming from the lodge, it seemed more likely that they were running side by side.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3fuGvf1oRjnLrhK0vgeCzcD4_-m4Vo4EDatkQZUAQql8iZjWzfVPmyJ5DXVhOzi4Dcu__lANLkPwLuxCNu4DGhOU02H5D13zwIIeYwMMS-lCF9wUfTBSL_GzS5gEV-9-i3Ixl45CxMLO/s1600/otttksh26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3fuGvf1oRjnLrhK0vgeCzcD4_-m4Vo4EDatkQZUAQql8iZjWzfVPmyJ5DXVhOzi4Dcu__lANLkPwLuxCNu4DGhOU02H5D13zwIIeYwMMS-lCF9wUfTBSL_GzS5gEV-9-i3Ixl45CxMLO/s400/otttksh26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510331662449842" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>They didn’t get into the lodge or under the ice along the edge of the lodge, and I think they tried to. Then when I backtracked them to the east shore of the pond, my story shifted again. Their trails were not always parallel. One otter had followed the other.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM10VredI9Qbm7UWbfeqxwlBAO1sR1mWeF36vdS0KraqVZq-3Hv2KhhtX6-MIpbjfAlyMZQ9zjGkW4vQFgCDHYUY0Qz76FBYP9OVUGTrQAOL4aPsBYM-ERxC6T5BEjdNkaWmqT7E5KWvP2/s1600/otttksi26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM10VredI9Qbm7UWbfeqxwlBAO1sR1mWeF36vdS0KraqVZq-3Hv2KhhtX6-MIpbjfAlyMZQ9zjGkW4vQFgCDHYUY0Qz76FBYP9OVUGTrQAOL4aPsBYM-ERxC6T5BEjdNkaWmqT7E5KWvP2/s400/otttksi26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510334299486930" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Going on the smaller ponds east of Audubon Pond and through the meadows up the valley, I saw more evidence of one otter following the other rather than their running side by side.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ku4og60mSlCRxQHcdXvQ5Wqu8kC4kvh7-HosJ4pvqURxzPZjgnKcXqrgztXarGeyUFhv2AlqRXsk9kY-eptuZiSDa-J0EnNyTyRRrA4vJlXmPAiu9eOCuXHwdG4v4bKlxWV9R6Ku4Bhu/s1600/otttksj26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ku4og60mSlCRxQHcdXvQ5Wqu8kC4kvh7-HosJ4pvqURxzPZjgnKcXqrgztXarGeyUFhv2AlqRXsk9kY-eptuZiSDa-J0EnNyTyRRrA4vJlXmPAiu9eOCuXHwdG4v4bKlxWV9R6Ku4Bhu/s400/otttksj26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510602326388706" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Then when I got over to the woods, I saw that their trails were parallel again.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitv6qAxFEeF7o3kkk4d2xjz0KvlZGfpBvbGrfhZud1lyCLrEBQOk_rTFc2kEaw2q4G-gKQcHXqlJwUeLiHEucPSJybrtJ1JIYYJ6yjcy1WsC7flFiZM3eCbRn8_HDVcIyod5I4XUOKFkQY/s1600/otttksk26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitv6qAxFEeF7o3kkk4d2xjz0KvlZGfpBvbGrfhZud1lyCLrEBQOk_rTFc2kEaw2q4G-gKQcHXqlJwUeLiHEucPSJybrtJ1JIYYJ6yjcy1WsC7flFiZM3eCbRn8_HDVcIyod5I4XUOKFkQY/s400/otttksk26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510607520037506" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>In this type of terrain whenever I tracked family separation before, the otters usually went up and over the highest ridges in the area. Not these two otters. They even seemed to like using the park trails. The only climbing they did was over the logs in their way.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTW7j9IZWioSaoSE8OzdxgnK41sVXUjdolBIkNETNlJ-ruxm1qhE_LpHHCzn72lD4nnPIX00QQL7k0eNZZi7d9zgOquU_1NmDFTqgVGDob2gqWSo0_VY0IDPiqxWqb-YwGah_r7ynFVJU/s1600/ottprintsa26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTW7j9IZWioSaoSE8OzdxgnK41sVXUjdolBIkNETNlJ-ruxm1qhE_LpHHCzn72lD4nnPIX00QQL7k0eNZZi7d9zgOquU_1NmDFTqgVGDob2gqWSo0_VY0IDPiqxWqb-YwGah_r7ynFVJU/s400/ottprintsa26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725509879617138146" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>They got over the ridge dividing the slopes down to South Bay from the old Short-cut Trail Pond by taking the lowest possible route. </p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9pkL7ugnTuOHBTAblG_rrF7wxE4qDhOBYKrYwtx7skYJ146cKgUFffeFYq9JhrdlvAHrt3Nrqm5Nu7xOMrK3rCHGfABgz_M34cGxE7nZB0HtrMbS7BMgF0DxpLymGo8YLuUwOsgQWyKc/s1600/otttksl26feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9pkL7ugnTuOHBTAblG_rrF7wxE4qDhOBYKrYwtx7skYJ146cKgUFffeFYq9JhrdlvAHrt3Nrqm5Nu7xOMrK3rCHGfABgz_M34cGxE7nZB0HtrMbS7BMgF0DxpLymGo8YLuUwOsgQWyKc/s400/otttksl26feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725510611809189122" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I think these otters like each other. This time of year especially I don’t think there are many of us around, and feeling good as I walked home, I could tell myself a story of a male and female otter flirting with each other by leaving scats on the South Bay latrine and then celebrating the heat of the female with a race around their mutual home turf. But any story is fine with me as long as it leads to otter pups in the spring.</p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>February 27 we went to our land to pick up sap, and, of course, checked the Deep Pond to see if we could tell what the beaver has been doing. Another sizable patch of open water has formed behind the other major leak in the dam.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AppphyphenhyphenIytuMvg5FYAbpTTDE0qBHdojoZQjA7rNDUWSSnVDasIYiCo45NrvUsmOmH2C8cKBICKo4zhW0VV0Edbjz1RrE7hWffSKnnC5VFFvlei2oOyr1385hGiacCEfIWsJ4-U5QWzzac/s1600/dpdam27feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AppphyphenhyphenIytuMvg5FYAbpTTDE0qBHdojoZQjA7rNDUWSSnVDasIYiCo45NrvUsmOmH2C8cKBICKo4zhW0VV0Edbjz1RrE7hWffSKnnC5VFFvlei2oOyr1385hGiacCEfIWsJ4-U5QWzzac/s400/dpdam27feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511692414374978" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>But there is no evidence that the beaver climbed out there. Nor had it used the open water behind the east end of the dam where we saw it a few days ago. We walked across the pond and saw that it had been out of the widest patch of open water where the inlet creek comes into the pond. We could see beaver tracks going from the open area to the brush on the nearby slope.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZZScifmPN4td7_DuHsq2gT6bESss9k5Pdf62JHuemyxuNmwfUb18o6w9RbANhn1Z5vkSjp86k8Iqb90KUw0Z3ska0-QDGvSTokqN6-J-beHO8SbLDYObg8xQzbvsh4BUuONKTrv7r7wM/s1600/dpbvhole27feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZZScifmPN4td7_DuHsq2gT6bESss9k5Pdf62JHuemyxuNmwfUb18o6w9RbANhn1Z5vkSjp86k8Iqb90KUw0Z3ska0-QDGvSTokqN6-J-beHO8SbLDYObg8xQzbvsh4BUuONKTrv7r7wM/s400/dpbvhole27feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511494326241810" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Most of the water had iced over again. I suppose the bubbles under the ice now were left by the beaver. The puzzling thing about this beaver is that at least around this pond it has not been eager to cut any branch larger than an inch in diameter. Now it seems to be nipping twigs less the a quarter inch in diameter. We couldn’t get close enough to closely examine what it left behind.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WFOamHw35RXLBsLUmCvQXoTyZdCzi-gQvrJGcvA4qvxuyWQWgH61rnDJVzh2p0ifk3PWQNwLvqGkiRonR3bH9-l0Xxi1qxlD3mXN7JeFsqErX9B9C-5zIj1dMb_rgl9FV6eBxmbtZrGm/s1600/dpbvnibs27feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WFOamHw35RXLBsLUmCvQXoTyZdCzi-gQvrJGcvA4qvxuyWQWgH61rnDJVzh2p0ifk3PWQNwLvqGkiRonR3bH9-l0Xxi1qxlD3mXN7JeFsqErX9B9C-5zIj1dMb_rgl9FV6eBxmbtZrGm/s400/dpbvnibs27feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511499518762946" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>But when we looked up at the end of its trail, all that seemed nipped is the wispiest brush around. I thought the beaver just did it. Leslie wasn’t so sure.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTAOqXdZIxWkHmPU-P4tKVxv7L4NcDVIMgMF6y9wYyz1oJCDLMHzPRKJyOtpbyv0jccgohMe87BKaUcQTndvzNCBYhIzVJcUpUGmL5vK6gDpKPxg3viw0IBMTB4ujTaVG204aN_XS0uTl/s1600/dpbvnipsa27feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTAOqXdZIxWkHmPU-P4tKVxv7L4NcDVIMgMF6y9wYyz1oJCDLMHzPRKJyOtpbyv0jccgohMe87BKaUcQTndvzNCBYhIzVJcUpUGmL5vK6gDpKPxg3viw0IBMTB4ujTaVG204aN_XS0uTl/s400/dpbvnipsa27feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511685190872802" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>We think a bobcat is keeping an eye on this pond. We saw a possible urine stain next to possible bobcat prints. However, the small prints could be from the beaver’s front paw.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgn0SU5vQyV3VexxijruRlBB50uynpCxiWIF7rtoLZJI0JReLXpeu_rmlqvu2X-8keWC5IJxFT9NHPWFQxZ1P_0h-r_63xfeeY6s8I8uIqKRKFXlFBBCf7cR9VF_7u5yCBtYGUvKWXHwoE/s1600/dpprints27feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgn0SU5vQyV3VexxijruRlBB50uynpCxiWIF7rtoLZJI0JReLXpeu_rmlqvu2X-8keWC5IJxFT9NHPWFQxZ1P_0h-r_63xfeeY6s8I8uIqKRKFXlFBBCf7cR9VF_7u5yCBtYGUvKWXHwoE/s400/dpprints27feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511694916013234" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Curious problem. The more I look at the photo, the more I think it is all the beaver’s activity. However, the next day, the 28th, we saw the trail of a bobcat crossing the pond.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9N0dmRUomCUV-pqDHzSt_uhtOOD82P8eOBHVFWi5KFyUVHNAH5XSd4Hf5WSZn2eW_jKvxbImv5IhhuNv1FqKRPt7F4mJxaE_ZWf9k94eFNMztNnedg2GtVqZ-bPp2H_31slmjMV6Ejish/s1600/bobcattr28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9N0dmRUomCUV-pqDHzSt_uhtOOD82P8eOBHVFWi5KFyUVHNAH5XSd4Hf5WSZn2eW_jKvxbImv5IhhuNv1FqKRPt7F4mJxaE_ZWf9k94eFNMztNnedg2GtVqZ-bPp2H_31slmjMV6Ejish/s400/bobcattr28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511481470313682" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I think there are fresh beaver tracks coming out of the open area above the inlet creek.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgviuRt0-fJpax-jiDv2KvTcqnWALd4NB0FYkBlb9lv-AQrQI0pGSi3rjel8LLBtw4j01QkICaR3dxgbgcakIl1AUlBGx79gpAZpFbfCziSiInmIcKmyBLRLnqpCTbQz0Ok8JAHHbLfHG/s1600/dpbvtksa27feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgviuRt0-fJpax-jiDv2KvTcqnWALd4NB0FYkBlb9lv-AQrQI0pGSi3rjel8LLBtw4j01QkICaR3dxgbgcakIl1AUlBGx79gpAZpFbfCziSiInmIcKmyBLRLnqpCTbQz0Ok8JAHHbLfHG/s400/dpbvtksa27feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511689777491282" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Once again it didn’t look like the beaver went up to cut anything with any heft. We hope the beaver hangs around when all the ice thaws. It will be curious to see how much it varies its diet.</p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>February 28 cold sunny day and I repeated my hike of the 26th. The dead porcupine at the head of the second valley down to the Big Pond is one of the big events of my winter since it likely was killed by a fisher. But now that it is on my list of things to check on (I don’t actually have a list,) my tour of the ponds is a bit longer. The valley itself is beautiful but walking up the golf course to get to it is not always interesting. However, today there were two large flocks of turkeys as well as the usual middling sized herd of deer. I generally like being vague about numbers because it saves me from counting, then making charts and graphs and then crunching numbers that begin giving me impressions of things that I really don’t see with my eyes. The usual number of turkeys on the golf course is around 30. Today there was double that. Sometimes the deer herd numbers around 60. Today there was about half of that. When I walked down the valley on the 26th, I didn’t notice any porcupine work. Today I saw some gnawing at the bottom of a trunk, not fresh, because there were no wood chips on the snow.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjt1FDlWHKaGM7VUje1VX0eFsTa1WTAiNPEoUMoxLXuu7AN95QKvDjAvrUbXP2h83yNFSU0CDkL9Kfqm2MWVu8o2BMrF82opPM9zLb_TvngPO9DUI2Nqum0vaG3cOX0lckyX03Vyl_-i4X/s1600/valppwk28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjt1FDlWHKaGM7VUje1VX0eFsTa1WTAiNPEoUMoxLXuu7AN95QKvDjAvrUbXP2h83yNFSU0CDkL9Kfqm2MWVu8o2BMrF82opPM9zLb_TvngPO9DUI2Nqum0vaG3cOX0lckyX03Vyl_-i4X/s400/valppwk28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725512613042011938" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>The trunk of one of the thin tall maple trees, the porcupines' usual fare here in the winter, was almost completely stripped of bark.</p><br />
<br />
<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEiT77ML-RMm20BvCGCOOY7g4PpqN2iW6-grWdGPdvIxIr-cu3wfRHNcE9n9Bf0yRz7cdHbqtpdcLKMwNZR9jNoRhFVi_Vab94ihZVid_9Cv88EPfVoCFsh6eCwg0bxB_OQhngnZGJ6bb9/s1600/valppwka28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEiT77ML-RMm20BvCGCOOY7g4PpqN2iW6-grWdGPdvIxIr-cu3wfRHNcE9n9Bf0yRz7cdHbqtpdcLKMwNZR9jNoRhFVi_Vab94ihZVid_9Cv88EPfVoCFsh6eCwg0bxB_OQhngnZGJ6bb9/s400/valppwka28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725512617687621266" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Again it didn’t look that fresh, but I certainly would have noticed this the last time we walked down here a little over a week ago. The dead porcupine was another 20 yards down the valley. I took a photo of it with my boots next to it to show how small the porcupine is. </p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipL71nITf4ASuO5iHVGVg_cH7ekebcnriiBSGDFuCWAJVIk7fR0nPq9yZDnYM378T4xzdOFB3UJYCqAG8aYl25mTj0ZlIzBU8gBEQaZznHT08ncCWoMQ3Ja-nkVJOhx20JA37jaT6YSDk/s1600/deadppine28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipL71nITf4ASuO5iHVGVg_cH7ekebcnriiBSGDFuCWAJVIk7fR0nPq9yZDnYM378T4xzdOFB3UJYCqAG8aYl25mTj0ZlIzBU8gBEQaZznHT08ncCWoMQ3Ja-nkVJOhx20JA37jaT6YSDk/s400/deadppine28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511488475592770" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I am not adverse to poking around dead animals and speculating on the cause of death and who might be scavenging on it, but porcupines do not lend themselves to poking around. I think something has chewed on it in the last two days. I think I would have noticed the loose bone now out on the snow away from the body.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTcOvzqBMorVhU8sOHZvrQTck3b-9lIem3gn4RzjCCGTA4ce3w5-qkQD46BCBFLIfTsFEioo6Urh2DNSQ4nFjF-U9wNegiY_DNj7CHx36LolBwoIil-MWFBY_AMuLPu2JUvOi2zTJyU2Y/s1600/ppbone28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTcOvzqBMorVhU8sOHZvrQTck3b-9lIem3gn4RzjCCGTA4ce3w5-qkQD46BCBFLIfTsFEioo6Urh2DNSQ4nFjF-U9wNegiY_DNj7CHx36LolBwoIil-MWFBY_AMuLPu2JUvOi2zTJyU2Y/s400/ppbone28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725512392413427794" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Those are short quills around the bone and they are what you must avoid when poking. The guts ripped from the body and lying on the snow a few feet away look bigger than before, which doesn’t make any sense. The light today was better for photos.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNI61UdDhWmEAQytxYHRaTkkbAOj1sbM1zhzgIAS5orVCN9ZzFbS1JFj1kjnAmzTlZG4h8g1X8CapCejqk267rDW04A7YN-vrjhX6EkwSGEshmUPnplqaf-t74HFYZV2U_2LbZ0Dvr5Zk/s1600/ppineguts28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNI61UdDhWmEAQytxYHRaTkkbAOj1sbM1zhzgIAS5orVCN9ZzFbS1JFj1kjnAmzTlZG4h8g1X8CapCejqk267rDW04A7YN-vrjhX6EkwSGEshmUPnplqaf-t74HFYZV2U_2LbZ0Dvr5Zk/s400/ppineguts28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725512406458724226" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>Again one can see the quills in the snow. There were no new prints around the remains, but the snow is hard and unrevealing. I didn’t see any signs of an active porcupine until I got to the den in the rocks south of the Big Pond. The poop on the stoop had been rearranged as the porcupine lumbered in and out.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2x6dr9Wo5XsDKTErO74eX79TOeD-AkO8vyQww8yBat7jBzu4AlVjkrmqFy0OYRaRDh8igQOWwA3FL_Fir0CGXNzJqOR1hLLb48K6ffxQnwOV-TqJEEzOdwfOMTl9fr2E2ae-QfAvix-WN/s1600/ppden28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2x6dr9Wo5XsDKTErO74eX79TOeD-AkO8vyQww8yBat7jBzu4AlVjkrmqFy0OYRaRDh8igQOWwA3FL_Fir0CGXNzJqOR1hLLb48K6ffxQnwOV-TqJEEzOdwfOMTl9fr2E2ae-QfAvix-WN/s400/ppden28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725512398899771010" /></a></p><br />
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<p>So far my hike had been like every winter hike I’ve taken in late February for the past decade or so. But after checking out the porcupine in the valley, I usually had fishers to track -- none today. Then down on the Big Pond I would have either beaver holes to nose about or otter slides to track, sometimes both. Today there was nothing of interest on or around the Big Pond. Likewise the Lost Swamp Pond. I feel obliged now and then to take a photo showing why nothing is wintering here. The water in the pond is too low to allow minks, muskrats, or otters to get any use out of burrows along the north shore of the pond near the lodge.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSAEruSmX3DgpV96JWY2FrrqQDXYKvPiTf-a_xS8lDxTjvEd5Ut5JH2zbU8teuOhV4ptjxzqbkJUUkuM5RAEeq7M1KL7g8FBuY0DabTZklRN9ORU8XrxMJ65u_7FA7G2glROrZcavC2Qq/s1600/lsburrow28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSAEruSmX3DgpV96JWY2FrrqQDXYKvPiTf-a_xS8lDxTjvEd5Ut5JH2zbU8teuOhV4ptjxzqbkJUUkuM5RAEeq7M1KL7g8FBuY0DabTZklRN9ORU8XrxMJ65u_7FA7G2glROrZcavC2Qq/s400/lsburrow28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725512161532403394" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>That was a good place to bed if the lodge was occupied. At a cursory glance it looks like there should be enough water around the nearby lodge to accommodate animals.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrPRjPuek893nps8ry_x1HoMYhhYzkcU0bNhLujwlXINU8z1dUPnbIYSwJFKA4N5jd-jpZye6tP37EjHMEFADwn3FaMeLDV-cV9q-0Q1kBTy8pl_XwtXpVgY4AL74ko31aOFwagtKyOmI/s1600/lsldg28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrPRjPuek893nps8ry_x1HoMYhhYzkcU0bNhLujwlXINU8z1dUPnbIYSwJFKA4N5jd-jpZye6tP37EjHMEFADwn3FaMeLDV-cV9q-0Q1kBTy8pl_XwtXpVgY4AL74ko31aOFwagtKyOmI/s400/lsldg28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725512388143773970" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>I was hoping that because a beaver was not in the pond other animals would be eager to use the lodge during the winter. There might be muskrats in there but I’ve seen no evidence of that -- neither the coyotes nor minks have ventured near it. I had seen raccoon tracks on the Lost Swamp Pond, but today I didn’t see any until I got to the East Trail Pond. Those long toes almost suggest muskrat prints but I think a raccoon just had wet feet, which always leave more of an impression.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiU-f4SLK17Juo2ZozYHrmBucmWg3D5FHsnkH6Gp13iWAs4fEiLEhJMbDarE9OAiJZNQIi2mQf3LP1ip8_F1m1AE_nVWSvD1KsZ84uK_oZP8iZv5y5I0em5lopyNeOT5PvU3i8c9ebW6Fb/s1600/etractks28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiU-f4SLK17Juo2ZozYHrmBucmWg3D5FHsnkH6Gp13iWAs4fEiLEhJMbDarE9OAiJZNQIi2mQf3LP1ip8_F1m1AE_nVWSvD1KsZ84uK_oZP8iZv5y5I0em5lopyNeOT5PvU3i8c9ebW6Fb/s400/etractks28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725512142485955762" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>The minks, so active here, had not been about. The pond is still filled with water even though water is flowing out of the hole in the dam. The ice behind the hole was still intact. No beaver had ventured out there after the freeze and I didn’t see any new beaver prints on the dam.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0o64KGOE3Iy-PZKnoptMzrhjt4-DehOXWIJMdvxUsWP-QZAYYrd0ed01akZyJix-IrNvPYq8iP6cNDEI2rNJV-Ne-GHOIVrJv3yTo-yw72EDvyn0mtIyOHkPFL5L7gVSCLsaxQT648eWD/s1600/etdamhole28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0o64KGOE3Iy-PZKnoptMzrhjt4-DehOXWIJMdvxUsWP-QZAYYrd0ed01akZyJix-IrNvPYq8iP6cNDEI2rNJV-Ne-GHOIVrJv3yTo-yw72EDvyn0mtIyOHkPFL5L7gVSCLsaxQT648eWD/s400/etdamhole28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511926985529810" /></a></p><br />
<br />
<p>However, on the back edge of what had been open water during the thaw where there are clumps of cattails, it looked like some ice had been broken.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8trKjhXKGA1lMHGogBKawDwcbVyKpwZ6C4r2MWvN5EJZ0swMvx3bS7UgpH9DlFtiONzOa-Mml21IjfAqpLo49Iy3adcoipPJV-RGvXZbP3nj9jiD3zuW1mCWxlXwu2-hWHkagp8K4O4j3/s1600/etice28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8trKjhXKGA1lMHGogBKawDwcbVyKpwZ6C4r2MWvN5EJZ0swMvx3bS7UgpH9DlFtiONzOa-Mml21IjfAqpLo49Iy3adcoipPJV-RGvXZbP3nj9jiD3zuW1mCWxlXwu2-hWHkagp8K4O4j3/s400/etice28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511933811762018" /></a></p><br />
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<p>When there was two feet of air space under the ice it was easier for me to picture the beavers’ life there, but now that the pond is like, well, like it usually is for beavers, it seems more mysterious to me. I fancy that I try to see the world through the animals’ eyes but I certainly latch onto any vision of it that I can make seem more familiar to me. While I could probably walk on the pond ice, now that the pond is relatively deep again I think it would be a foolish risk. So once again I studied the lodge in the middle of the pond from the ridge north of the pond. It doesn’t look like a beaver has been out on the ice there, but there are possible tracks here and there, probably from deer who are not as timid as I am about walking on the ice.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifu1pM2xQiuQi0WUIY2W7UXMoeQXgDQNdn8viF2_t0oCrlVEOQHT60iEit6plksdRzNoVz88Xtjz2S0mJxQ34dAmLt2VESzKNcnyFoSIFR7jV7wQKK3eafRWzUhQg-O8PyUTVb4KE4cHgQ/s1600/etldg28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifu1pM2xQiuQi0WUIY2W7UXMoeQXgDQNdn8viF2_t0oCrlVEOQHT60iEit6plksdRzNoVz88Xtjz2S0mJxQ34dAmLt2VESzKNcnyFoSIFR7jV7wQKK3eafRWzUhQg-O8PyUTVb4KE4cHgQ/s400/etldg28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511940002293890" /></a></p><br />
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<p>I sat briefly on the north ridge and took a photo to try to give as idea of how the ice shrank the last two months. With water back in the pond, I can see where the ice was before.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpon4BAVAu80JIdIQH2EUbpYG5cKVyXPXpX7vwGwT8_AJ9CMBGW1tpPVrbJVdscAxlB9vPdRa1fWG5VKZMsYi3TkZ-PKXXg7ZfCZMhYmiprEZY4sTA29AUfT-oprHNYXAxnclkf_PH-nvI/s1600/etshore28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpon4BAVAu80JIdIQH2EUbpYG5cKVyXPXpX7vwGwT8_AJ9CMBGW1tpPVrbJVdscAxlB9vPdRa1fWG5VKZMsYi3TkZ-PKXXg7ZfCZMhYmiprEZY4sTA29AUfT-oprHNYXAxnclkf_PH-nvI/s400/etshore28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725512145943423010" /></a></p><br />
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<p>The beavers’ hole in the ice along the north shore has gotten bigger. Now that it is full of water, it is more difficult for me to tell if a beaver has come out of it recently.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCm2vSPfblSCfl7T7Isfed11F3Lq3aEfvSC5A7hhE11SjIZ-XjvAPj3vFmWEG5qof79kQcCOU-RE7cLtAJsxLhY8EEguMQAN6DKU-fGyLY3sQxsIArmsWAf_Fg4shkwtHuR-oZocL79N76/s1600/etbvhole28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCm2vSPfblSCfl7T7Isfed11F3Lq3aEfvSC5A7hhE11SjIZ-XjvAPj3vFmWEG5qof79kQcCOU-RE7cLtAJsxLhY8EEguMQAN6DKU-fGyLY3sQxsIArmsWAf_Fg4shkwtHuR-oZocL79N76/s400/etbvhole28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725511920153502514" /></a></p><br />
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<p>I went back up the ridge to check the trees the beavers have been gnawing and didn’t see any new work. I noticed gnawing on the top of the trunk of the red maple that fell on the ridge, but I think the beavers had done that a while ago and I just didn’t notice.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIB02p-RvPUzRCFAMvb8Cf2X5GcyXlkDmLrE6OP1XxOnyXuwWrgixBNqib7EMHi_6SIc0mZ2kqWT1SyY1kxtEQyE0oiQRi7TYOKYviSO21noEfIeGG7870I04pOHlsmmTvDvc8_CBspp-v/s1600/etwk28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIB02p-RvPUzRCFAMvb8Cf2X5GcyXlkDmLrE6OP1XxOnyXuwWrgixBNqib7EMHi_6SIc0mZ2kqWT1SyY1kxtEQyE0oiQRi7TYOKYviSO21noEfIeGG7870I04pOHlsmmTvDvc8_CBspp-v/s400/etwk28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725512151623101874" /></a></p><br />
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<p>I went up to the East Trail and went down to the South Bay trail. There was no otter action today. The shrinking ice shelf was breaking up and there were no signs of otters or anything else helping it along.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjveW9QzbMKURJcbVC3vcLPBfy5bByBv8bzQ46XGQqDyZEDDAry9Bzkm0zt0axpZlGaTVghCl9Hi5fue0d5uDDejTQ2-PQoHnJyo5kIwj-dgqJNQGwpSa7ftrIT6GD_eD5H7SOBwITJfqEo/s1600/sbay28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjveW9QzbMKURJcbVC3vcLPBfy5bByBv8bzQ46XGQqDyZEDDAry9Bzkm0zt0axpZlGaTVghCl9Hi5fue0d5uDDejTQ2-PQoHnJyo5kIwj-dgqJNQGwpSa7ftrIT6GD_eD5H7SOBwITJfqEo/s400/sbay28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725512602223402850" /></a></p><br />
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<p>We haven’t seen the swans for weeks. I had often seen them out on the bay. I checked the otter latrines and saw nothing new. Walking along the embankment of Audubon Pond I heard a beaver swimming under the ice. Two days ago and today, around our house and on trails in the park, I saw skunk tracks everywhere.</p><br />
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<p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsn5KMvTy627l0QXfzxZET7nnJX4zSqEYle7rrvUaYpAF9vlBG6vIONXSHA7It8xuBjdztOrU7GTSSEspoO3XlwR1LcAliKiTENZtYN1DhLSE-_QuT-dO_ewk6c0pMinfI0APPasLWV40c/s1600/skunktks28feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsn5KMvTy627l0QXfzxZET7nnJX4zSqEYle7rrvUaYpAF9vlBG6vIONXSHA7It8xuBjdztOrU7GTSSEspoO3XlwR1LcAliKiTENZtYN1DhLSE-_QuT-dO_ewk6c0pMinfI0APPasLWV40c/s400/skunktks28feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725512607354747394" /></a></p><br />
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<p>I very rarely see a skunk, though I don’t go looking for them. I only smell them around civilization except on those very rare occasions when a dog accompanies on my hike.</p></span></span><br />
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<br />Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-34712826701939330602012-03-12T06:00:00.026-07:002012-04-09T16:47:26.380-07:00February 19 to 23, 2012<span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>February 19 we continue to have more or less warm weather and the snow is melting and retreating everywhere. But the ice that formed on the ponds earlier in the winter is thick and has never had much snow on top of it, which often weakens ice, nor much water under it thanks to holes in dams. So while I could not track animals in the woods, I had hopes of seeing beaver, mink, and maybe otter tracks on the East Trail Pond. I came down onto the south shore as usual, and saw no otter signs around the hole in the ice in front of the bank burrow. I went over to the lodge and saw that a hole had opened up in the ice next to lodge, a few feet away from the hole that I think an otter made three weeks ago. No sign of anything using the hole.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WbUeUfsmP1aKJBfhtDwT6wJwHcVeGrLi0QKj6deZ4uAhJ2n7Dmk4197GJB2xsx859xx5IKoftMD7sPZI7wDyLQWjnBQsUwkys8GkVZmU5aZB7L-6EIqunL9gR4gE80F7xEzw75fanq_X/s1600/etldghole19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WbUeUfsmP1aKJBfhtDwT6wJwHcVeGrLi0QKj6deZ4uAhJ2n7Dmk4197GJB2xsx859xx5IKoftMD7sPZI7wDyLQWjnBQsUwkys8GkVZmU5aZB7L-6EIqunL9gR4gE80F7xEzw75fanq_X/s400/etldghole19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725504252045635218" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>There was another hole in the ice about 5 meters from the lodge at an area where deer had smashed the ice down during a thaw trying to get to water. Something had walked by the hole but the tracks were covered with snow.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQMHkyZ9mHt6Uy9FOx0dv4faS6Mvq5IjfFegBxgZ3AAiRAlTJfC9PYcqNyRsJSniqL0BmBU9c3bCgJlh18KoC4r8Tg0buMetwHx9ham0kISvMAoLvyx6Ps2o2dEx6mB5yw8YanlODdAhV/s1600/ethole19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQMHkyZ9mHt6Uy9FOx0dv4faS6Mvq5IjfFegBxgZ3AAiRAlTJfC9PYcqNyRsJSniqL0BmBU9c3bCgJlh18KoC4r8Tg0buMetwHx9ham0kISvMAoLvyx6Ps2o2dEx6mB5yw8YanlODdAhV/s400/ethole19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725503998966794626" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I headed over to the dam and saw no tracks radiating from the hole in the dam, but the ice has collapsed behind the hole and the depth of the water there is probably less than a foot.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XWa0ny6-qpBKwWZSWYqhWGj2WWSIQ_VJzU6ZP5I2dCw8wgX3t6mUiL3Bn48lfsizTKpeD4JLEwpx3503bHLcQRDM6ARI8t8QzVYOJIHjmlLK1fr9hJ3PWdwwR0CPFNIJpGyTq9Fhrz0D/s1600/etdam19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XWa0ny6-qpBKwWZSWYqhWGj2WWSIQ_VJzU6ZP5I2dCw8wgX3t6mUiL3Bn48lfsizTKpeD4JLEwpx3503bHLcQRDM6ARI8t8QzVYOJIHjmlLK1fr9hJ3PWdwwR0CPFNIJpGyTq9Fhrz0D/s400/etdam19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725503987390350194" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I took a close look at the hole in the dam. A month ago, my first impressions of it, lying on the snow and sticking my head below the dam, was that it was a classic rounded beaver-made hole. However, as far as I can tell the beavers have never used the hole. Now it looks more like the classic otter trench hole, but otters usually dig them in stages and as far as I can tell there has been no digging in this hole since it was made a month ago.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtSvqKnP1zVTRjOkJTP_5mNS67BmdHnBO3nXIpSEvo8GfTgtWbzEedoBd2sRMzLxtShwWs73UuC5jTHElCvdn37AVgdYu7QV4sBwKkt7MDPnoqte5J70ZEl78UtHgV5b1ulTl5O8YdTDN/s1600/etdamhole19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtSvqKnP1zVTRjOkJTP_5mNS67BmdHnBO3nXIpSEvo8GfTgtWbzEedoBd2sRMzLxtShwWs73UuC5jTHElCvdn37AVgdYu7QV4sBwKkt7MDPnoqte5J70ZEl78UtHgV5b1ulTl5O8YdTDN/s400/etdamhole19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725503993010881026" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The water coming into the pond flows in just behind the north end of the dam. The ice there is thinner and now most of it has collapsed giving a good measure of how much water drained out of the pond, a good two feet, and now the flow into the pond is meager. </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcYji0Z7d4ACZI9GgWQmXqjegLxP0jr9SQXn2lxy5wAIbhM7FtwqU_W0nuj_iN2caY4ybYEElAR6aGbfLh5crSz04yOGxmMTmC52h7TkHimPhlkAxOuKguJcZDy-I5bGhpnERa0_Ezqyi/s1600/etdaminlet19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcYji0Z7d4ACZI9GgWQmXqjegLxP0jr9SQXn2lxy5wAIbhM7FtwqU_W0nuj_iN2caY4ybYEElAR6aGbfLh5crSz04yOGxmMTmC52h7TkHimPhlkAxOuKguJcZDy-I5bGhpnERa0_Ezqyi/s400/etdaminlet19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725503996150395554" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>As I walked up pond to check the cracks in the ice that an otter and mink had been using, I got a better perspective of the muskrat lodges in the pond and now saw that there were three.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEEDdRHvxnahGNtuZUmbNHSaiyNSsbtjFEThH3DvD6MqaKjeM5_pocgcbbUykuKPTIAQVFqRVJmVONXjBfxUQ7hKsYgWLBmgFrVI8hh3rcj15HN1inVtLhG5Cc_FuGa8wJ7vQQMhCGbjq/s1600/etmrldgs19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEEDdRHvxnahGNtuZUmbNHSaiyNSsbtjFEThH3DvD6MqaKjeM5_pocgcbbUykuKPTIAQVFqRVJmVONXjBfxUQ7hKsYgWLBmgFrVI8hh3rcj15HN1inVtLhG5Cc_FuGa8wJ7vQQMhCGbjq/s400/etmrldgs19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725504260597721906" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Despite the lodges, I had not seen any muskrats here all winter. One crevasse I had been checking had now widened into a wide hole as the ice collapsed and shrank back. I saw a fan of tracks coming out of it/</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYqthU40_2MJkFGHSsaVdKeyzd8B1XzQ33orQ2dqoU1OCDsSUwfXeLdg4PYC2s12DbpqHDdVoMjCDr_seCcsITjg-vfJBCBooXVm4kwI64xCiIHlD-saPURskjqQTdZvHu9nC00U8_BwD/s1600/etholetks19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYqthU40_2MJkFGHSsaVdKeyzd8B1XzQ33orQ2dqoU1OCDsSUwfXeLdg4PYC2s12DbpqHDdVoMjCDr_seCcsITjg-vfJBCBooXVm4kwI64xCiIHlD-saPURskjqQTdZvHu9nC00U8_BwD/s400/etholetks19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725504247267692386" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I couldn’t see any distinct prints which suggests that a beaver had been in and out of the hole dragging a branch behind. I also saw fresh gnawing on a stump in the hole. </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXb0fdiAZE-DSvnuxj6_9CtavVR4JOf2Y29MYzAC7jjNnWqNe1J6VKDDeIYqtZvkYdSaWEsZbe45d80oXy04iJ355IFEjPdVPp06zpA9OYxy_ktDON1dEKy2X_5B2zONo1xxIsusXbNYL/s1600/etholegnaw19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXb0fdiAZE-DSvnuxj6_9CtavVR4JOf2Y29MYzAC7jjNnWqNe1J6VKDDeIYqtZvkYdSaWEsZbe45d80oXy04iJ355IFEjPdVPp06zpA9OYxy_ktDON1dEKy2X_5B2zONo1xxIsusXbNYL/s400/etholegnaw19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725504242050109410" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Maybe a branch the beaver cut off the stump scrapped up the snow as the beaver cut off sticks and gnawed them. Over at the hole on the north shore, the ice around it is breaking, somewhat defeating my attempt to measure beaver activity by the growing pile of stripped sticks in the hole.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXZ_9Bj8ItWz1FGeI8eQeWrvXfuHa77UQn9ourroVZl1L6XcY6Fa0DLYu86Sl8_hPqtraDJDK5rtCRZh_TqhfHWOSVWueMSfDII9XzO0_jb9bMOOEOcAK1q-KYWJBASZ3MlRUNrmjbIAo/s1600/etbvhole19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXZ_9Bj8ItWz1FGeI8eQeWrvXfuHa77UQn9ourroVZl1L6XcY6Fa0DLYu86Sl8_hPqtraDJDK5rtCRZh_TqhfHWOSVWueMSfDII9XzO0_jb9bMOOEOcAK1q-KYWJBASZ3MlRUNrmjbIAo/s400/etbvhole19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725503674229097282" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>As usual I lowered my camera to get photos of the under ice world. I can’t see any evidence of gnawing away from the hole. Indeed, the ice farther back from the shore looks white which means it has been frozen longer.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggz3DMPKi62m8xX87cK6SKpZRFpj2ggXj47ngSZTcFyP-qwqAajo_D1MBWWtBd8JknJmQmmKCKCR66y6wmTqHiQQoiB3240ItigbX-7N40D2fWSLkhCeJF-e7CsN7YjQfZe0Dustw7Igh5/s1600/underet19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggz3DMPKi62m8xX87cK6SKpZRFpj2ggXj47ngSZTcFyP-qwqAajo_D1MBWWtBd8JknJmQmmKCKCR66y6wmTqHiQQoiB3240ItigbX-7N40D2fWSLkhCeJF-e7CsN7YjQfZe0Dustw7Igh5/s400/underet19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505081493051314" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>My photo looking toward the dam, where most of the beavers’ leftovers are, showed the ice that fell; a pretty photo but not much to learn from it.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGh5lsr9di2oe4fV5pvDRPD6PT8sZwQ5DVYsDUrlYNw86Q2rYz2u9WcP6dxPmCxI0gi5qDa2NY_QKDwlpxzwLdSyqXDSukXyuINzScCqe-eZ0zAORRcsoz6sFcGj724XRu2M2TAUWQlZO/s1600/undereta19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGh5lsr9di2oe4fV5pvDRPD6PT8sZwQ5DVYsDUrlYNw86Q2rYz2u9WcP6dxPmCxI0gi5qDa2NY_QKDwlpxzwLdSyqXDSukXyuINzScCqe-eZ0zAORRcsoz6sFcGj724XRu2M2TAUWQlZO/s400/undereta19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505085162767170" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The photo looking up pond showed how thin the ice was getting in general. I could see the dead leaves slowly settling in the ice above. </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyQuddoK7MVPWvYpRaFOfNJRVsRAwWFvnZMMR3qn8SeVXqRH9084DzAiWR3c28RrRivjxANhAeabCkVRIrcJHPakVJIStIrz4qnXQtfKTRWWw6-e19FZ2_KeGddHxx_w3qwtjpYAy76ov/s1600/underetb19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyQuddoK7MVPWvYpRaFOfNJRVsRAwWFvnZMMR3qn8SeVXqRH9084DzAiWR3c28RrRivjxANhAeabCkVRIrcJHPakVJIStIrz4qnXQtfKTRWWw6-e19FZ2_KeGddHxx_w3qwtjpYAy76ov/s400/underetb19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505092973588370" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I’ll have to be careful walking along the edge of the pond where the ice is usually thinner. I took a photo looking down at the hole in the ice along north shore, which seems enormous to me now.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5fmFqp0wRNjCSXwvFzDsUv5yQMXRkls5qsmPV9sNlavrYVcetX5PAR0QX4bxxsvHeIkASBLEPE1FOGxaCR6cBM9x-TBy2i7gzkdJFe1Z5HfcZ0IAK3MYnjB-HmYbdIYditX7C6G5mmCB/s1600/etbvholea19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5fmFqp0wRNjCSXwvFzDsUv5yQMXRkls5qsmPV9sNlavrYVcetX5PAR0QX4bxxsvHeIkASBLEPE1FOGxaCR6cBM9x-TBy2i7gzkdJFe1Z5HfcZ0IAK3MYnjB-HmYbdIYditX7C6G5mmCB/s400/etbvholea19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725503679950697682" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Toward the end of every winter the snow melts from the land while ice and snow still cover the ponds. This warm winter that stark contrast has come early. So I took a photo of the convenient world of ice where I had been able to walk anywhere on the pond.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZS4dA66DXI6h-7F3Muv8jE-xtxjqfNRDuMCk9SwEMeZYh13_KvNSO8Avc1wjcv6Lf43nHHHcG29oy-PjjpZbMMHPvo55FHdV-LWud87y4-g0WKyToYqv7SPgV1nFzTrQd_h69O98JJIUT/s1600/et19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZS4dA66DXI6h-7F3Muv8jE-xtxjqfNRDuMCk9SwEMeZYh13_KvNSO8Avc1wjcv6Lf43nHHHcG29oy-PjjpZbMMHPvo55FHdV-LWud87y4-g0WKyToYqv7SPgV1nFzTrQd_h69O98JJIUT/s400/et19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725503664601918226" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Of course, I'm not suggesting that a frozen pond is more convenient for the beavers. In the closer-up photo below, the two holes in the pond ice that a beaver has been using are at the sides of the photo giving a better idea of how far the beavers have to go under the ice to find a way out where there is something to nibble.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PpcnVa7XR3gpscIYLiXvGT2uaROreLKopOmXcomEcjVzUYCBcV9SVOmC6zu5nvMl43mO2co6NgA89vCWSupWk6qG3s8f50492qTNyxE82f7l-OlwR33xvy5Vp9QbaKxMmHKmF5D35MWR/s1600/eta19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PpcnVa7XR3gpscIYLiXvGT2uaROreLKopOmXcomEcjVzUYCBcV9SVOmC6zu5nvMl43mO2co6NgA89vCWSupWk6qG3s8f50492qTNyxE82f7l-OlwR33xvy5Vp9QbaKxMmHKmF5D35MWR/s400/eta19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725503667214643634" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Then I faced the snowless ridge. I can no longer follow the beavers'every move up the hill. There is still a beaver trail in the dirt and pine straw.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm74C6Eb2tBu6sf_dIus3HBZ6XWjgXK7zRX609vqKo_LeEAEkdHr6ULuSXQaqc6f2g_KqIhrQzM3HHrYOIpiS0bZtCTcWl-ttLXfSXsi0XZreBtf3tII8veNs_dR7rC16hzsFwDDWMl8IE/s1600/etbvtr19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm74C6Eb2tBu6sf_dIus3HBZ6XWjgXK7zRX609vqKo_LeEAEkdHr6ULuSXQaqc6f2g_KqIhrQzM3HHrYOIpiS0bZtCTcWl-ttLXfSXsi0XZreBtf3tII8veNs_dR7rC16hzsFwDDWMl8IE/s400/etbvtr19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725503978495102114" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>But that will soon lose its definition as the earth responds to the warmth and lengthening day. Once again I'll only be able to tell where a beaver has been by the gnaws it left behind. To make that easier to keep tabs on, I took photos of the current state of the red oak trunks the beavers have worked on through the winter. The trunk of the last red oak, which fell along the rocks above it, has been pulled down toward the trail.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkK_hb4Z3t6vkBhaTqRMUgHf8ANZj7nN413SDfxPyPTvL6kW9MB83Mx7cIE9Djx8K4dZNzPuoO5fLTquRPJk46ut1ltAIzW_GszgYCa5uEUqhrgO32vBjWdIdrURkMQa5OGQnwQG69_q0g/s1600/etwk19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkK_hb4Z3t6vkBhaTqRMUgHf8ANZj7nN413SDfxPyPTvL6kW9MB83Mx7cIE9Djx8K4dZNzPuoO5fLTquRPJk46ut1ltAIzW_GszgYCa5uEUqhrgO32vBjWdIdrURkMQa5OGQnwQG69_q0g/s400/etwk19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725504515429303858" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The first red oak the beavers cut down here this winter has been well gnawed, but not the second. I don’t know why.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIYDCkLMyD3lymfIp3A3VVtIPDBkhoFmKfnX2tRiRNqTmQiExs1G3zkG-vGJ4Xj7WUBYmw28QbrqFn96HSJwJEOzhpCsDAc8P4CT5yssRbUUerCSx2oPiLopISy2oySU3zyHZOYlOMBtIL/s1600/etwka19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIYDCkLMyD3lymfIp3A3VVtIPDBkhoFmKfnX2tRiRNqTmQiExs1G3zkG-vGJ4Xj7WUBYmw28QbrqFn96HSJwJEOzhpCsDAc8P4CT5yssRbUUerCSx2oPiLopISy2oySU3zyHZOYlOMBtIL/s400/etwka19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725504520397765618" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Over the years I’ve watched them, this family has always had a taste for red oaks, and usually their winter projects included felling and stripping red oaks much larger than these. One winter they climbed several feet up a red oak that got hung up in neighboring trees. I decided to head to South Bay via Meander Pond, but didn’t look at those stripped oaks. I tried to take advantage of the solid ice, which might not be solid for long, to walk along the pond’s channels and check the lodge. One foot strayed and it went through the ice and water briefly covered my boot. The beavers now in the East Trail pond spent the winter of 2009-10 here. I’ve seen no mammals here since then, though I haven’t been around it much. When I got to the lodge, I saw that at least one muskrat had been in the pond. Its remains were on the top of the lodge.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXH-NktN7ZsoIH1sE2N1QBEAcL-QGDGyuF4oJ49WWp7lKQc9yJu9icrrq-l3SgfQaPjpEhayejDfJc5B3o5LCbg5DakQB8Q6ILwVS2ZPQL1pCprSCK6u7BudpJSjBJqXTVKvt8VG7ebgO/s1600/mrremains19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXH-NktN7ZsoIH1sE2N1QBEAcL-QGDGyuF4oJ49WWp7lKQc9yJu9icrrq-l3SgfQaPjpEhayejDfJc5B3o5LCbg5DakQB8Q6ILwVS2ZPQL1pCprSCK6u7BudpJSjBJqXTVKvt8VG7ebgO/s400/mrremains19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725504542125363010" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I took a close-up of the muskrat skull. I saw no poops near the remains so it is likely that a mink rather than a coyote had the meal.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7EjWu0uEQousYa97LSHVA1fedcCG-sFNlX235Ij4L6tscdQZdYM8XV9GjuonFZiNlrfa8LNFegE1mnVLDvjIEo8WXomTKiPl0lO516hh0jlUFMk0CaJpKGHl0r8d56XmOAKUSmns4EVy/s1600/mrbones19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7EjWu0uEQousYa97LSHVA1fedcCG-sFNlX235Ij4L6tscdQZdYM8XV9GjuonFZiNlrfa8LNFegE1mnVLDvjIEo8WXomTKiPl0lO516hh0jlUFMk0CaJpKGHl0r8d56XmOAKUSmns4EVy/s400/mrbones19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725504532794324418" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>As I walked on, I turned back and took a photo of the lodge. When the beavers were here they had holes in the ice at the lodge, into the main channel and at the end of the channels where they were foraging. Eventually they dug a hole through the dam to make it easier to forage below the pond. </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQl7k8Rn-OrWcwqcetvCfUxiGlWj0-InRt6arRpqO_8FceuK3G7srYklW2Ri0H_B6w-mLfxWlSYTxumTLRtaA2rYu_D3DXPsd2khT77IalR8GhqS1iSnrBjR2BsutLYe7vrbkhhFKf1Nao/s1600/mpldg19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQl7k8Rn-OrWcwqcetvCfUxiGlWj0-InRt6arRpqO_8FceuK3G7srYklW2Ri0H_B6w-mLfxWlSYTxumTLRtaA2rYu_D3DXPsd2khT77IalR8GhqS1iSnrBjR2BsutLYe7vrbkhhFKf1Nao/s400/mpldg19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725504529028383090" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Today, I saw one small frozen over hole in the main channel and there was a bit of open water behind the dam where there was a slow leak. No signs of anything using the hole. I checked the north shore of Audubon Pond for holes, but saw none. Crossing the ice from the bench on the north shore to the west shore, I crossed the trail of three coyotes.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibll571EY2P03UfEjkRaER8K6ysZnWfpdOn96teLsBKhbKm6uQ7xqZ7RzbnxxwBmrv4SjVe_413T02TAdIN4pbAySnh-S7AhyXjbxvDILe873jMFN0BpM8TbSGHwpwUgLOTDXCWXTMcAya/s1600/apcoytks19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibll571EY2P03UfEjkRaER8K6ysZnWfpdOn96teLsBKhbKm6uQ7xqZ7RzbnxxwBmrv4SjVe_413T02TAdIN4pbAySnh-S7AhyXjbxvDILe873jMFN0BpM8TbSGHwpwUgLOTDXCWXTMcAya/s400/apcoytks19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725503661409830722" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>There were no holes on the west or south shores. The beavers are evidently content under the ice. I went down to the otter latrine above the entrance to South Bay and saw some deep scratching in the latrine, down into dirt.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgem8c02nncjpYbCCOO1O-UT4hKq9HQjOaq_U1dkbmdig3Z9fCGHtKx4kETaJnYWWlPFZRi8FvDT6IqHkZHP4jLZtB3WIxWiCGmEcN4BuorsXouDIs_Ddno2FYUDgtzxc_mrnT9-aMauBcc/s1600/sblat19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgem8c02nncjpYbCCOO1O-UT4hKq9HQjOaq_U1dkbmdig3Z9fCGHtKx4kETaJnYWWlPFZRi8FvDT6IqHkZHP4jLZtB3WIxWiCGmEcN4BuorsXouDIs_Ddno2FYUDgtzxc_mrnT9-aMauBcc/s400/sblat19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725504755439969074" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I know that a fox also comes here, as well as the coyotes. So I had to find some otter scat to prove that otters had been back. I found some at the back end of the scratching, but not very big. However I didn’t think it was a case of old scat having been scraped up.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORIFG8OIppROH-iMrkuHaDJ2cbYcdir_nRi-x-nJCIoKWWB78Hga2BqlgdeJpd99HtzECWq_h4RfuSWJUdyoi80UA6rTuIlFiGlTFWBOHH7Tnu_Fybda783kIPyRLklL8adhUDe6dhYOO/s1600/sbscat19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORIFG8OIppROH-iMrkuHaDJ2cbYcdir_nRi-x-nJCIoKWWB78Hga2BqlgdeJpd99HtzECWq_h4RfuSWJUdyoi80UA6rTuIlFiGlTFWBOHH7Tnu_Fybda783kIPyRLklL8adhUDe6dhYOO/s400/sbscat19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505069661040114" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I nosed around the latrine and found a large scat but not that fresh. It was on top of a leaf, not covered by another leaf, which I think suggests it is relatively fresh.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdkMRvE5EGgU9FrgWuXaVaNqACaYh-pXC7idXjeUEqTPRrOdVIQcb2pcMudl_oVzNDnjjVtcrrCp8a5J7KX3ZoQnc2KBUZJpVmnwestOgAtRXfTRIxIjJ5N8FCvVDfciP6E42qDlQhyphenhyphenxD/s1600/sbscata19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdkMRvE5EGgU9FrgWuXaVaNqACaYh-pXC7idXjeUEqTPRrOdVIQcb2pcMudl_oVzNDnjjVtcrrCp8a5J7KX3ZoQnc2KBUZJpVmnwestOgAtRXfTRIxIjJ5N8FCvVDfciP6E42qDlQhyphenhyphenxD/s400/sbscata19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505077423579682" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I took a photo looking back at the latrine just to put the otter activity in perspective. It hardly makes a dent in the leaves, grass, and dirt of the slope.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUNwPJuSA_mkqc9a0NJoIbOWqg6LytFkh7DL3O-aoqWv2Zw34SjibHgOwrm90F9v-RInSKLGhWLuELhVj5WFKZkRUe-ylM970yX8NjoyLUypiZn_eUDaenQG9aGetpJNfXXd0OebKXmG_/s1600/sblata19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUNwPJuSA_mkqc9a0NJoIbOWqg6LytFkh7DL3O-aoqWv2Zw34SjibHgOwrm90F9v-RInSKLGhWLuELhVj5WFKZkRUe-ylM970yX8NjoyLUypiZn_eUDaenQG9aGetpJNfXXd0OebKXmG_/s400/sblata19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725504758654624178" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The otters coming here has nothing to do with the edge of the ice pack in the bay. That has retreated well back into the bay.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXfpzDCCJhZBEvAe9_igKKlq46WRRKdyT2YBPOA0dlWJxvHkMx2PlAmesQwF5NqhTj1bHjrrbWunwo1UW3ckzm34m9QTiJ5r1lCxu1IA38irS34X42TgrXzuBC2CeLoTGuUjZCXgSAhxO/s1600/sbay19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXfpzDCCJhZBEvAe9_igKKlq46WRRKdyT2YBPOA0dlWJxvHkMx2PlAmesQwF5NqhTj1bHjrrbWunwo1UW3ckzm34m9QTiJ5r1lCxu1IA38irS34X42TgrXzuBC2CeLoTGuUjZCXgSAhxO/s400/sbay19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725504741953841826" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I checked the edge of the ice pack and saw that it had been roughed up by the wind, which has been blowing most days this winter, not otters.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eOJuSpMh58sO4Q7bph3Fn28aPyJRderBE_2NlzghMm0KCNTL9_8Hrrfcmh6KZHcBwsLykEElCdOJMo-wkLxUrAGI2xIgrBEv3Y1LI1mncDS1VSrrjrwCGiYgCJoqfxE2ra2CK0Oc7GtC/s1600/sbice19feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eOJuSpMh58sO4Q7bph3Fn28aPyJRderBE_2NlzghMm0KCNTL9_8Hrrfcmh6KZHcBwsLykEElCdOJMo-wkLxUrAGI2xIgrBEv3Y1LI1mncDS1VSrrjrwCGiYgCJoqfxE2ra2CK0Oc7GtC/s400/sbice19feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725504748240445986" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I was able to get on the good ice and walk across the bay and saw no notable tracks. </p></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>February 21 As I crossed the granite plateau on Antler Trail, two deer paused in their browsing to look at me, while a herd of deer ran off in the woods -- at least a half dozen.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjq7I7dpXjuo4K8xAL683gy__9UL0FxMtNNHe9ozk1IlaC_IEJp_B7TEKsL9UYw2swJwxQ1eomkeEBmJgbsHyXeuy4FSqD5vnuC6P73rnIIt6bhfa3WBX1tWVlNfFX5JUa9UyUMK28cDW/s1600/deer21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjq7I7dpXjuo4K8xAL683gy__9UL0FxMtNNHe9ozk1IlaC_IEJp_B7TEKsL9UYw2swJwxQ1eomkeEBmJgbsHyXeuy4FSqD5vnuC6P73rnIIt6bhfa3WBX1tWVlNfFX5JUa9UyUMK28cDW/s400/deer21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505239627581010" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Both Leslie and I bumped into two relatively tame deer hiking on this trail a few months ago. Anyway I appreciated one posing in front of me. Its fur and tail looked especially beautiful. Maybe an easy winter has something to do with that.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMVswes3hyphenhyphen0f7N93GEZBP29MqAx8oao6RQqddTbe5lpsjw5MolI8d60WXZ2NYfXhISPtD1yBfaF7i8TjsPciHkss68Qw6a1nStGmFPOQsLSIsPYW9dfb9fyKzhZ-NwBrF0AOApVUenKmdI/s1600/deera21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMVswes3hyphenhyphen0f7N93GEZBP29MqAx8oao6RQqddTbe5lpsjw5MolI8d60WXZ2NYfXhISPtD1yBfaF7i8TjsPciHkss68Qw6a1nStGmFPOQsLSIsPYW9dfb9fyKzhZ-NwBrF0AOApVUenKmdI/s400/deera21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505248820352738" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The deer were near the trail. They were slow to run off as I passed them. I went down to the South Bay trail, then up the East Trail and down to the pond. I saw coyote tracks going by lodge,</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiseMkszHfl0vL4pM26-MQjV88foTM9sNTAOJ4WYF7WRcfW0xmzOYWtncF8EQhN4AGl7QZzE31q4qAEHD3CoZBH20Oqt3VeBLqskz5CBhSkdq0Mqr5jFTrpCEBrcI-6O3r59d4vOlm6JC/s1600/etcoytks21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiseMkszHfl0vL4pM26-MQjV88foTM9sNTAOJ4WYF7WRcfW0xmzOYWtncF8EQhN4AGl7QZzE31q4qAEHD3CoZBH20Oqt3VeBLqskz5CBhSkdq0Mqr5jFTrpCEBrcI-6O3r59d4vOlm6JC/s400/etcoytks21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505847756226930" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>and mink tracks going along the dam.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgq4a0AFg199xubKPoth1oAJwJi5iHBpEgZMgRGnr46kVF8z4ETAFJJB9ZOmTgHhmxTIuLqS8YRn9SHfg6kER90xZc5fVGEI9Xm_Jc3DOiiSyqXsQCLmfb440s2cVLeO-CFypgEkPSXJQ/s1600/etminktks21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgq4a0AFg199xubKPoth1oAJwJi5iHBpEgZMgRGnr46kVF8z4ETAFJJB9ZOmTgHhmxTIuLqS8YRn9SHfg6kER90xZc5fVGEI9Xm_Jc3DOiiSyqXsQCLmfb440s2cVLeO-CFypgEkPSXJQ/s400/etminktks21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506149420226418" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Of course I was looking for otter signs, still holding on to a hunch that one otter was trying to spend the rest of the winter under the ice of this pond. Each day I don’t see fresh signs of an otter diminishes that theory. As I mentioned two days ago, the hole in the dam, now revealed because all the snow melted, looks more and more like the work of an otter.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yBcF9tVOoy0M9PQllTyZUJ7ofvQkjseKiVhU33Ixh-363lF7fZQVfpTSvwzpU1FJ1EBDHecQT_fmT2u0LGYajM8-faJVE_Zd1Fezlen_Oq5-O4OnBoNrEXBrOpPe0b-pndXgM6B559AP/s1600/etdamhole21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yBcF9tVOoy0M9PQllTyZUJ7ofvQkjseKiVhU33Ixh-363lF7fZQVfpTSvwzpU1FJ1EBDHecQT_fmT2u0LGYajM8-faJVE_Zd1Fezlen_Oq5-O4OnBoNrEXBrOpPe0b-pndXgM6B559AP/s400/etdamhole21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505848790264962" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Today I checked the top of the dam around the hole for scats. I saw several blacks scats. All of them looked old, and small.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpscf5kMayGEtjhQtk25YKTiVJa1gVnkCg47d1OWhxd-M0sQRcjvZp33BzlSGtK6WO6DkptpLi05Xudxvj4zPVG6L_qFubeOjNFSkDUvSmbfC_mJBo1eSkTQ-DRFOLmglrqVrru5o5AW76/s1600/etdamscats21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpscf5kMayGEtjhQtk25YKTiVJa1gVnkCg47d1OWhxd-M0sQRcjvZp33BzlSGtK6WO6DkptpLi05Xudxvj4zPVG6L_qFubeOjNFSkDUvSmbfC_mJBo1eSkTQ-DRFOLmglrqVrru5o5AW76/s400/etdamscats21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506135711666146" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>It's possible that they are mink scats, but my impression was that an otter left them. But they were too old and non-descript to do anything for my theory that an otter has been here most of the past month. Today there were certainly no otter tracks around the dam hole or anywhere else. So I followed mink tracks back out to the middle of the pond. Not long ago I had observed that minks generally don’t run on a snow covered pond preferring to stay along the shore where there are likely to be holes in the ice. But now holes in the ice have opened up in the middle of the pond, which is where the mink went.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkssPISgFx0L1a7hz0x0sWL-aUB1vEYJcFRFV86F02Mq77wOJOm9b2_BgqFKoUrnQWSCAsyBx72oqD-SWHv1y_AUwwOfTDjjewdvDi1ow6QiC2DXNiRWBqWjjRBZ9Zrt20atQOEuAZkwr/s1600/etminktksa21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkssPISgFx0L1a7hz0x0sWL-aUB1vEYJcFRFV86F02Mq77wOJOm9b2_BgqFKoUrnQWSCAsyBx72oqD-SWHv1y_AUwwOfTDjjewdvDi1ow6QiC2DXNiRWBqWjjRBZ9Zrt20atQOEuAZkwr/s400/etminktksa21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506157236514914" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>At none of the holes the mink ran to did I see any evidence that going into the hole gained the mink anything to eat. Often there are blood stains outside of the holes minks use.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAgINl5oCd1C5XKay7UwTa6WRAUdZy52JBf521HYD6i4vSfJIu3Ogb9O9VgA__4x_LkVilT-yShdtzLvLagr9n1UxIse8To_ArDCxBbZfOAmdwu-wpE0-o1j8YGNZ0nI2H6Q25UGcQQEu/s1600/etminkhole21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAgINl5oCd1C5XKay7UwTa6WRAUdZy52JBf521HYD6i4vSfJIu3Ogb9O9VgA__4x_LkVilT-yShdtzLvLagr9n1UxIse8To_ArDCxBbZfOAmdwu-wpE0-o1j8YGNZ0nI2H6Q25UGcQQEu/s400/etminkhole21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506145776039266" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The mink ran over to the lodge, but I didn’t follow. The ice keeps getting thinner.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbAQ-1OiHu2xh04rq96M04hro320cBbPRnhse9FfkIJaF7GX6MPPMjA7GPXseI9JrEEpArmB6X_uRBaTcyN9z7DlzXPdLjZ0i3kMLZVCymZilSvyH35-jhZUk2cUEPzPgBB8hFfDz1ENi/s1600/etldgtks21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbAQ-1OiHu2xh04rq96M04hro320cBbPRnhse9FfkIJaF7GX6MPPMjA7GPXseI9JrEEpArmB6X_uRBaTcyN9z7DlzXPdLjZ0i3kMLZVCymZilSvyH35-jhZUk2cUEPzPgBB8hFfDz1ENi/s400/etldgtks21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506141360785122" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>At a hole in the ice between the lodge and the north shore, nearer to the latter, I saw beaver tracks.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9sQIRsXvZKuoYAqxfIyd8QYdoIthuQwZoMH83vxaBJma_FEs7Xg-gbaxu9RzQkkYpohBQAodlzPdNLntQ2p6Jpz4MteHmUd1QOB297dQeJmGPdzTJ-SWuJAUnmP7Eg-RBtH3OPR1zRnY/s1600/etbvtks21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9sQIRsXvZKuoYAqxfIyd8QYdoIthuQwZoMH83vxaBJma_FEs7Xg-gbaxu9RzQkkYpohBQAodlzPdNLntQ2p6Jpz4MteHmUd1QOB297dQeJmGPdzTJ-SWuJAUnmP7Eg-RBtH3OPR1zRnY/s400/etbvtks21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505648136228274" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I could also see wood chips and one long stripped stick.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4BuLqVVM6jolNxbbs4R_WAWFTsc5XZw_brSIuDl-eswAUTwhw__DOdaWsKoo5AGdes_ELZNHJma9W0XznSdmawrFaEOu1Mg11a7NhgWH30tzKi-IsCGzEpI9gkWFKqkbmyo0vTx243jP/s1600/etbvtksa21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4BuLqVVM6jolNxbbs4R_WAWFTsc5XZw_brSIuDl-eswAUTwhw__DOdaWsKoo5AGdes_ELZNHJma9W0XznSdmawrFaEOu1Mg11a7NhgWH30tzKi-IsCGzEpI9gkWFKqkbmyo0vTx243jP/s400/etbvtksa21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505651191809810" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The beaver ranged a bit on the ice and snow but seemed to gnaw stumps of shrubs cut long ago. I also got the impression that the beaver prints here were smaller than those I’ve seen on the ridge.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmRhNVSd9xUw8IFY_LY623nwjNzUFD5_Ze50v1xk6aPJDaa8hTMgMcmxi4O5fL2JQe3s9j5ZcUWA-P53VHVGtsR2cIGJCKN3XNZfrdyypIcMc4RsTbVuu_L3JgX3qy81RAJS0mR7RfLHa/s1600/etbvtksb21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmRhNVSd9xUw8IFY_LY623nwjNzUFD5_Ze50v1xk6aPJDaa8hTMgMcmxi4O5fL2JQe3s9j5ZcUWA-P53VHVGtsR2cIGJCKN3XNZfrdyypIcMc4RsTbVuu_L3JgX3qy81RAJS0mR7RfLHa/s400/etbvtksb21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505659599293874" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>This is the first evidence I’ve seen in a while that there is more than one beaver here, that big one I‘ve seen up on the ridge. This little beaver seemed to roam around a bit, which is typical.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6Nol67CTU2yPgJAXnmL9Ff6fa6Y_RZ9YkpNg-d14WEHDkqmqEPJAXqAFN1fAk9oj1KAOXCZE9db0cwbfZRuc44b4LlQdXhPkSH5omeDd-GTD0keOFxCf6-aQ8UIsD0uoc2a0FVOoxfnv/s1600/etbvtksc21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6Nol67CTU2yPgJAXnmL9Ff6fa6Y_RZ9YkpNg-d14WEHDkqmqEPJAXqAFN1fAk9oj1KAOXCZE9db0cwbfZRuc44b4LlQdXhPkSH5omeDd-GTD0keOFxCf6-aQ8UIsD0uoc2a0FVOoxfnv/s400/etbvtksc21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505661870308978" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Then I went over to the beaver hole along the north shore and it seems like there has been a little activity, a couple more stripped sticks.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDsJPmgae3TSH-Xz33J9mG43kQUjGpn94RpmFoULRmnUH4bMdVrq8XsE-ET_t4L9Xn14xhO8nJd6bT0zAsSDxTuvydcRq-1LxBoHB0wVChrXOvq9cPrsc7C6F87ewdvp5SC08_fGO4w5I/s1600/etbvhole21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDsJPmgae3TSH-Xz33J9mG43kQUjGpn94RpmFoULRmnUH4bMdVrq8XsE-ET_t4L9Xn14xhO8nJd6bT0zAsSDxTuvydcRq-1LxBoHB0wVChrXOvq9cPrsc7C6F87ewdvp5SC08_fGO4w5I/s400/etbvhole21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505639993722210" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I have watched other beaver holes in other winters and it is not unusual for huge bouquets of sticks stripped and unstripped to be stuck in holes and littered about outside the hole. In those cases, I knew there were several mouths to feed in the lodge. If there is more than one beaver in this pond, then it is probably another adult or an adult and a 2 year old beaver both capable of taking care of themselves. As usual I stuck a camera in the hole and took photos pointing in different directions. One gave a strange perspective of the thin ice separating the world from the pond’s underworld.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaJL9fUF_KBKnmt6i4AhJ68Q1sgqIxwf1osabXn7u85uilxlDX7HSSogqQ4tcibO8S0wiH63lqoKWKCV46pt-zXqDxM8KRobZjpFH1Wl-NwQquglt2FwV_4U2J4SnWitiY3GdSssDOuyd/s1600/underet21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaJL9fUF_KBKnmt6i4AhJ68Q1sgqIxwf1osabXn7u85uilxlDX7HSSogqQ4tcibO8S0wiH63lqoKWKCV46pt-zXqDxM8KRobZjpFH1Wl-NwQquglt2FwV_4U2J4SnWitiY3GdSssDOuyd/s400/underet21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506728249817986" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Looking up pond, the photo shows that the ice is thicker, and while there has been come nibbling up there close to the hole, the photo doesn’t give the impression that a beaver has ranged far up pond under the ice.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6ORKgSksMoqMF6qljnOVoRFkRH8tjiyCXRhnP70Xra36Wz79ieyac8lPBBFz6G0GBzB_8A9N8ym3Y44s65sK9g-CXk8tDxZ0B1pBvVAUeFvCuHqV4yYfReU2wKoL1IQdnad4TO1I8n6x/s1600/undereta21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6ORKgSksMoqMF6qljnOVoRFkRH8tjiyCXRhnP70Xra36Wz79ieyac8lPBBFz6G0GBzB_8A9N8ym3Y44s65sK9g-CXk8tDxZ0B1pBvVAUeFvCuHqV4yYfReU2wKoL1IQdnad4TO1I8n6x/s400/undereta21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506731207681138" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I went up on the ridge and saw clear evidence that a beaver had been out of the hole foraging for bark. One of the red oaks the beavers cut and trimmed, but didn’t strip bark off the trunk, now has a few feet of bark gnawed off the trunk.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUsj4Q0tS05gEAnN0d54euW_dsH7sefu5NOyRB6SfNrUanly50z2W8VmvkYX_4HNz0h9WFsD1xiJ8o892KFNvoLGqdlAwkTBpBUfYLiPZvGCkFzf23BRQg3xYfiYmjGsNJbtUxhGGoFVo/s1600/etbvwk21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUsj4Q0tS05gEAnN0d54euW_dsH7sefu5NOyRB6SfNrUanly50z2W8VmvkYX_4HNz0h9WFsD1xiJ8o892KFNvoLGqdlAwkTBpBUfYLiPZvGCkFzf23BRQg3xYfiYmjGsNJbtUxhGGoFVo/s400/etbvwk21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505833336272354" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I should turn scientist and try to figure out how much nutrition a beaver gets from gnawing that much bark.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9dHI0YuDRnqP6cY76EVkK1iuPa6_GTTHzNbA9aXTxp4G5Mdem3jteEa6gdSijjvgTFGkYB7azVorTHKtGivg0J1sKxiLVARjQOSVUoL8UpI0x-1nw94bYQeUS7Wbk5bLh8nVRUFYnTOJ/s1600/etbvwka21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9dHI0YuDRnqP6cY76EVkK1iuPa6_GTTHzNbA9aXTxp4G5Mdem3jteEa6gdSijjvgTFGkYB7azVorTHKtGivg0J1sKxiLVARjQOSVUoL8UpI0x-1nw94bYQeUS7Wbk5bLh8nVRUFYnTOJ/s400/etbvwka21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505843590502754" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Since I’ve have just about given up on the idea that an otter was staying under a pond, I headed toward the Lost Swamp Pond to see if an otter had visited the latrine their recently. When the otter came into East Trail Pond a month ago it came from the Lost Swamp Pond. I crossed the Second Swamp Pond and took a photo to show the open water there. Minks had ran from hole to hole a few weeks ago but not recently.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMPUE39yIri6NANDOVYV4Kk81cYB_-8oAxeRwxTeApQX1LEOdBoNEKAHkaQ_ZUFR61OxSTB9XnvLsfdw7fkbqq4crPW1d7Dvet9E_7Wgkq-qbf-UVsz-txK8M3ZQyc4Wgs9JWc1eIFn_O/s1600/sp21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMPUE39yIri6NANDOVYV4Kk81cYB_-8oAxeRwxTeApQX1LEOdBoNEKAHkaQ_ZUFR61OxSTB9XnvLsfdw7fkbqq4crPW1d7Dvet9E_7Wgkq-qbf-UVsz-txK8M3ZQyc4Wgs9JWc1eIFn_O/s400/sp21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506448965732274" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I crossed a trail of coyote tracks going up the pond.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWPnbzc4CEU20P0VrjIoItSwaTv5WwSY_3Z5agSkw3IAyh6GAZEn9L_tO5nJh-dNJHyJBpsqSkNmCYtqFE0n2mTcp0S3c6u6jurGlABUWsmBlqh_u0hw4_7U5WWHPHUX2jfoCXAlz01TG/s1600/sptks21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWPnbzc4CEU20P0VrjIoItSwaTv5WwSY_3Z5agSkw3IAyh6GAZEn9L_tO5nJh-dNJHyJBpsqSkNmCYtqFE0n2mTcp0S3c6u6jurGlABUWsmBlqh_u0hw4_7U5WWHPHUX2jfoCXAlz01TG/s400/sptks21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506460384164386" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>They were going my way so I followed.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJHM9JpJvB5w04_uKfH0nPcOMITQSiICW9xnBIt90TmrjZ9zyg-nSCTiQCapGmWf89HioYm4MDf90gUSwGBlTGT0uvYQwW6MPemzO4m3Q7A36JHWFJNN8ihZkP05XwbGmVtyli9DBIlQM/s1600/sptksa21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJHM9JpJvB5w04_uKfH0nPcOMITQSiICW9xnBIt90TmrjZ9zyg-nSCTiQCapGmWf89HioYm4MDf90gUSwGBlTGT0uvYQwW6MPemzO4m3Q7A36JHWFJNN8ihZkP05XwbGmVtyli9DBIlQM/s400/sptksa21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506703712899170" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>As I did, I noticed that one of the trails was made by a fisher.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizswoBmkTiil5jSSib0QTYw-UnAVwUJyy_12a0S14mLHnzYAKzg7LEmGGcoGypNYyMkMWo-WtpPDLvbFljexo_YZWbnDhr91Bx2DLjU-K_n3ROv3HXJq6MEPJtH_jGIbEjcT7rWgC81CGj/s1600/sptksb21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizswoBmkTiil5jSSib0QTYw-UnAVwUJyy_12a0S14mLHnzYAKzg7LEmGGcoGypNYyMkMWo-WtpPDLvbFljexo_YZWbnDhr91Bx2DLjU-K_n3ROv3HXJq6MEPJtH_jGIbEjcT7rWgC81CGj/s400/sptksb21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506713998104962" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Soon enough the trails separated and I could clearly see the fisher’s 4 x 4 trail.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9_H_MTm4O8p0C_qApbqgjxR8FewT8QGe2pX_aLn8ZIgIVYU_0uYWWyXjrDBSSTMDjyns1M5G9agQqNzGPNcksXEgc2ZuBZyGhgUy7HNdkPurISNIvh2xSvAFmRZjYSPHSQEZrHxMkhSx/s1600/sptksc21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9_H_MTm4O8p0C_qApbqgjxR8FewT8QGe2pX_aLn8ZIgIVYU_0uYWWyXjrDBSSTMDjyns1M5G9agQqNzGPNcksXEgc2ZuBZyGhgUy7HNdkPurISNIvh2xSvAFmRZjYSPHSQEZrHxMkhSx/s400/sptksc21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506720679736802" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Fishers generally don’t run up ponds like this. They are more prone to cross ponds going from one side to the other where there is cover. This was more like an otter. Eventually the fisher turned off the pond and headed for the meadow and I assume the woods up on the ridge where I have often seen fisher trails in the winter.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikew1xIEX90tFUgQg6Y-sPRfhORKWPVc8Re7IMYnfcfJuYDNWCUvkoO7-Y2f3aYch5DV17JZfYdb8CVpqdLilWm4Lyq2grWwUIQkR-gmaavWSMSUG5HsFa3LYj8YbHaa0irsw8CQYxdZkO/s1600/spfishtks21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikew1xIEX90tFUgQg6Y-sPRfhORKWPVc8Re7IMYnfcfJuYDNWCUvkoO7-Y2f3aYch5DV17JZfYdb8CVpqdLilWm4Lyq2grWwUIQkR-gmaavWSMSUG5HsFa3LYj8YbHaa0irsw8CQYxdZkO/s400/spfishtks21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506457403957394" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The only thing I saw of interest on the Lost Swamp Pond was a raccoon’s trail.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1Nfp6rQ9yG_hRre-h3zR4weg9m2HMqEdReVVKsYuiQoGm5RtLnQVe0Ke-z_Np7GRVaUlYI3AwGnecxfmgREXfDhAJ0hxeA42b9RfYPzm_20kedxWig3pL-OkSge6GX1v6Arzi0YpFxtR/s1600/lsractks21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1Nfp6rQ9yG_hRre-h3zR4weg9m2HMqEdReVVKsYuiQoGm5RtLnQVe0Ke-z_Np7GRVaUlYI3AwGnecxfmgREXfDhAJ0hxeA42b9RfYPzm_20kedxWig3pL-OkSge6GX1v6Arzi0YpFxtR/s400/lsractks21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506446110541026" /></a><br /><br /><p>We went to our land in the afternoon and went down to the Deep Pond to see the tracks there. A coyote had crossed the pond and left some poop on the ice more or less in the middle of the pond.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoR-Je-rFfwT2o37nHj1s8tllBWiPVIIszWFDyq9LNkslV9ldkgmVtu8C0Rks30etvnpwFwyEO1AgSS4rS4hEI6rdp321g8W3pz20aggfhMwsNnVJlII0JF4XFaAlXnAeOEE5118m1WeK/s1600/dppoop21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoR-Je-rFfwT2o37nHj1s8tllBWiPVIIszWFDyq9LNkslV9ldkgmVtu8C0Rks30etvnpwFwyEO1AgSS4rS4hEI6rdp321g8W3pz20aggfhMwsNnVJlII0JF4XFaAlXnAeOEE5118m1WeK/s400/dppoop21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505415119461522" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>We walked up to check the hole in the ice above the inlet creek. There were no tracks around the large hole in the ice where the creek enters the pond.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pjGCLm_q_yRIrqx-6phGn4QpnFHjRF8k6yG_i35na1ROUOR5j6I15mPVqG0tDC5nEd2pmRCCXc9FtQH9xry39-ocIYiglFs340JcL1Qaa4uhKge83y39URqz1E48HHWzXTDah1TKC4Zh/s1600/dpinlet21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pjGCLm_q_yRIrqx-6phGn4QpnFHjRF8k6yG_i35na1ROUOR5j6I15mPVqG0tDC5nEd2pmRCCXc9FtQH9xry39-ocIYiglFs340JcL1Qaa4uhKge83y39URqz1E48HHWzXTDah1TKC4Zh/s400/dpinlet21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505413849697890" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>There were tracks coming off one of the holes over the creek. It was hard to decipher them in the glare and the photo of them wasn’t good, but it looked like a beaver came out of the hole and sat down, as we've seen this beaver do, and probably groomed itself.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1HDX6MwtFvYGzJFoF254MUaGnrTP7AciUajYuUHmyJ0srgqUZYoEsDMTllhLd7EsHkPbfS1rQtCk4IYM_G5IrNjml5LKBxBCKpQX26zDKeAAXcn0FcfvcqDegb8BWTpF1Eo5QufWplTI/s1600/dpbvtks21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1HDX6MwtFvYGzJFoF254MUaGnrTP7AciUajYuUHmyJ0srgqUZYoEsDMTllhLd7EsHkPbfS1rQtCk4IYM_G5IrNjml5LKBxBCKpQX26zDKeAAXcn0FcfvcqDegb8BWTpF1Eo5QufWplTI/s400/dpbvtks21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505404800117602" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>We wondered if the semi-circle in the snow outlined the beaver’s butt and maybe there was an impression of the tail, or one foot.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOx1ze7VvKm7AU6xVjpw3VE77aUi9HHFumFYcAGEY3mqk8UQ1Zh6xiwS6WhPFVRItfEbXfXuFqd6UPgPROn8Ol-9dQyd7yUUbshEdWPAxYW-0iDzJXbuSul1NXpAlwLneVp0JsTrMtiZZ/s1600/dpbvtksa21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOx1ze7VvKm7AU6xVjpw3VE77aUi9HHFumFYcAGEY3mqk8UQ1Zh6xiwS6WhPFVRItfEbXfXuFqd6UPgPROn8Ol-9dQyd7yUUbshEdWPAxYW-0iDzJXbuSul1NXpAlwLneVp0JsTrMtiZZ/s400/dpbvtksa21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505406526504162" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>But that is perhaps seeing things that are not really there. There were other prints and we soon saw that it wasn’t just a coyote snooping around the pond. We saw bobcat prints.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0RjKF-P9tsF59XD10MNNQp2Xy5tsrAO_F13aBYZ8Up8B8WVFr5UmkyccPrxkS6lmaLZTvmuY7y7ERfy6KSzIEoz-GdtbyBYDIEwlVkOB730AzLdvwi_FT8pt96xtFyORAmlieVN3zXuu/s1600/bobcattks21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0RjKF-P9tsF59XD10MNNQp2Xy5tsrAO_F13aBYZ8Up8B8WVFr5UmkyccPrxkS6lmaLZTvmuY7y7ERfy6KSzIEoz-GdtbyBYDIEwlVkOB730AzLdvwi_FT8pt96xtFyORAmlieVN3zXuu/s400/bobcattks21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505236537560226" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The photo below is edited to give more contrast to the animal’s trail.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nvNaRQ5uGt0FqpIQf2_TO9odiFDF1Au1to1fy0_pnj5Q1tIKDjJmGnI-Xqq8fYFvQ3TyQmRTdJSPkOkd7YBRDqjgZt7L1cQ-24pBLb488qtXwUbjrj4wvbGmXsPs_YNvgdPPTvocGfaa/s1600/bobcattr21feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nvNaRQ5uGt0FqpIQf2_TO9odiFDF1Au1to1fy0_pnj5Q1tIKDjJmGnI-Xqq8fYFvQ3TyQmRTdJSPkOkd7YBRDqjgZt7L1cQ-24pBLb488qtXwUbjrj4wvbGmXsPs_YNvgdPPTvocGfaa/s400/bobcattr21feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725505238077117250" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I’ll check a track book to see if it looks unmistakably made by a bobcat. I have two videos of a bobcat stalking beavers, and I think a bobcat killed a beaver in this pond a few years ago. </p></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>February 23 we had another inch of snow, enough to invite tracking. I went off on Antler Trail hoping to see fisher tracks going up and down the ridge of the first swamp like I did after the last snow a little over a week ago. But there were only deer tracks along the ridge and coyote tracks on the Big Pond. I was pleased to see a mink’s trail crossing the Lost Swamp Pond. </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywIoV5jxI-TLUj_y-alkMNeOvhkTgToi8_UnveJczJyixKeB7Q6naWuFNxCp3tCo8NWedTK952ikg9KaRv8Ys7M4x5a7f516yhg14NhYT14nUZXMs_OgcfTgeTI2WKR4SigGMiRfswD3g/s1600/lsminktks23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywIoV5jxI-TLUj_y-alkMNeOvhkTgToi8_UnveJczJyixKeB7Q6naWuFNxCp3tCo8NWedTK952ikg9KaRv8Ys7M4x5a7f516yhg14NhYT14nUZXMs_OgcfTgeTI2WKR4SigGMiRfswD3g/s400/lsminktks23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507399252286882" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Before going to the dam, the mink checked out the now small lodge in the middle of the pond.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOOhJHXFZUPwG6hJadxi8tkItL5wlzRpm_Vjf2mfYLO9MPuIFlA2jcZv7JGK0gAX411pP4XOzM02kNfLCmDysR-C3C-warhd9ah_FEfYI1KWFYACO3Ydv5KXwjJ-yY9ErCtHtii9wa5ls/s1600/lsminktksa23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOOhJHXFZUPwG6hJadxi8tkItL5wlzRpm_Vjf2mfYLO9MPuIFlA2jcZv7JGK0gAX411pP4XOzM02kNfLCmDysR-C3C-warhd9ah_FEfYI1KWFYACO3Ydv5KXwjJ-yY9ErCtHtii9wa5ls/s400/lsminktksa23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507406041055058" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Evidently there is no muskrat using it. The mink sniffed the top and then hurried over to the dam where it got close to the little patch of open water. I didn’t look closely to see if it went in the water or over the dam and down to the next pond, probably the latter. Not that I saw mink tracks on the Second Swamp Pond. Only coyote tracks down there.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTi_RB6HnE90_Fd0DEBJaf2WvFc7gjeT83zDTStFuzxT3p5w-Go7ikGxAv6gw1Pyx5avUEwRpNaNdyJ4dgv0pPCcKD9sKGdrB61EHLsDpqrhrQUul6moSy9SVpR2Pt0tt7sM0Zby-yWvl7/s1600/spcoytks23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTi_RB6HnE90_Fd0DEBJaf2WvFc7gjeT83zDTStFuzxT3p5w-Go7ikGxAv6gw1Pyx5avUEwRpNaNdyJ4dgv0pPCcKD9sKGdrB61EHLsDpqrhrQUul6moSy9SVpR2Pt0tt7sM0Zby-yWvl7/s400/spcoytks23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507940468196082" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>There were no fisher tracks in the Fisher Woods. Finally walking across the old busted boardwalk that years ago crossed the East Trail Pond, I saw a scurry of mink tracks coming up from the wet meadow onto the boardwalk and under the boardwalk.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCngZsF56UPx_rQYA0dicTBMyoXC5I7yws4Ef_pujsoGY_79WpLXEDDU2Md59aZhL5yWvir83fkWwwcPu1LcMHlnFwcfQum74zbKEiDAVibQGwKvRjE8Bvj1YAqK_ascZoao3TFSf65EN-/s1600/etminktks23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCngZsF56UPx_rQYA0dicTBMyoXC5I7yws4Ef_pujsoGY_79WpLXEDDU2Md59aZhL5yWvir83fkWwwcPu1LcMHlnFwcfQum74zbKEiDAVibQGwKvRjE8Bvj1YAqK_ascZoao3TFSf65EN-/s400/etminktks23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507174619147842" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>There were so many tracks at first look I thought it might be an otter slide. On close look I saw that the trough was studded with sharp mink prints.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0WvwDR0guZpwo-DaVDsLldr5efjni6LBo337bE3nYyjxyaR0ailNQtiFzzg6ArYoQeftoIEt8m-CoOODfgnGVev3WDqCB3kwGc1nXYxDq6rxujWovv_9tGPmgRmTdT0afVIPknNKBuph/s1600/minkprints23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0WvwDR0guZpwo-DaVDsLldr5efjni6LBo337bE3nYyjxyaR0ailNQtiFzzg6ArYoQeftoIEt8m-CoOODfgnGVev3WDqCB3kwGc1nXYxDq6rxujWovv_9tGPmgRmTdT0afVIPknNKBuph/s400/minkprints23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507409982568898" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I assume this is the time of year minks do their courting and mating. I saw a spot of blood on one trail not associated with any frog parts so I guess that could be from courting as well as eating.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmMwImp_gWX6HYbhwEZZwtq6d-8Uq8mqaOJigqCqxo_wLRRvqfO3T-DzaDNQ2Q3EPZgPtkOF34LLbDoMIYDzgej0vohhL2VgUCJEPpDdG9rlsbP_xetiFDw1OOqZRxrk4nrqvJoViK4tF/s1600/etminktksa23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmMwImp_gWX6HYbhwEZZwtq6d-8Uq8mqaOJigqCqxo_wLRRvqfO3T-DzaDNQ2Q3EPZgPtkOF34LLbDoMIYDzgej0vohhL2VgUCJEPpDdG9rlsbP_xetiFDw1OOqZRxrk4nrqvJoViK4tF/s400/etminktksa23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507178524623970" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The mink trails continued on the other side of the dam where minks seem to have gone into the ice holes. Thanks to the wet snow and warmth there is more water in the pond. However, the trails here went in all directions, not like the obsessive scurrying around the old boardwalk.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLfkaRFJeA05v9Nop2TGAbCkYcRmNHZjWmIku_Z7TpYN4owGVBmKGU3hmgfJfx4vfkcj2N5FPLjADyq2yS-ROi41FT9DuuBhRSdToqabh3oOuJHh2KdvXjye8VNkffP70IwY3cvYqcKQQ/s1600/etminktksb23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLfkaRFJeA05v9Nop2TGAbCkYcRmNHZjWmIku_Z7TpYN4owGVBmKGU3hmgfJfx4vfkcj2N5FPLjADyq2yS-ROi41FT9DuuBhRSdToqabh3oOuJHh2KdvXjye8VNkffP70IwY3cvYqcKQQ/s400/etminktksb23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507398124905794" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>At the hole in the ice along the north shore there was a little more water in the hole and several more freshly stripped sticks. </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4MOTeY4BSuDFc3Vz7zJIo5ae8YamHMdY8Q_sLSRKk4z55qd24HVZKbwRd8ccet-_gcSF02F3jWiBNEluKWS2h6WkjetNOU2srmBAjAJ-YhYXjXg4ipjyr3jqTWmBgEDSGmOnd0ElVsO9/s1600/etbvhole23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4MOTeY4BSuDFc3Vz7zJIo5ae8YamHMdY8Q_sLSRKk4z55qd24HVZKbwRd8ccet-_gcSF02F3jWiBNEluKWS2h6WkjetNOU2srmBAjAJ-YhYXjXg4ipjyr3jqTWmBgEDSGmOnd0ElVsO9/s400/etbvhole23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507161969095602" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Thanks to enough of the new snow melting, I could see that a beaver had a gnawed a good bit more of the oak trunk up on the ridge.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMiC0VmTpMp7wT9vP0Qv0LIpUQi0on45efvkrr9MG9s_nr9bhrRHXjWT-o_NCEvinvYs-yS4HGiCl8rbxAt2B8C3s4XJfMze061mkQN70MmZzWMtt4oi5YBD_UE2DhSGNQOwJYBv7jrlsp/s1600/etbvwk23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMiC0VmTpMp7wT9vP0Qv0LIpUQi0on45efvkrr9MG9s_nr9bhrRHXjWT-o_NCEvinvYs-yS4HGiCl8rbxAt2B8C3s4XJfMze061mkQN70MmZzWMtt4oi5YBD_UE2DhSGNQOwJYBv7jrlsp/s400/etbvwk23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507167710099010" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>However, that new gnawing was done before the snowfall. There were no beaver tracks in the snow. I was close to the East Trail so I headed down to South Bay hoping the snow might reveal recent otter activity. I saw that two large holes had opened up in the middle of the ice in the north cove of the bay.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89jaMk5l0dwaAuGCg0kqTrChY8qW4iJeFC3rjW01tVqxDthaBcoWpQlbB0qPIAShOKL4k-Q6MX7KdssRTYmjUqmPABBF-wfZsui-q_hyphenhyphenQKRxQeLl__XRMwgO3-lRaeNUqMPVdDZjM2_im/s1600/sbay23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89jaMk5l0dwaAuGCg0kqTrChY8qW4iJeFC3rjW01tVqxDthaBcoWpQlbB0qPIAShOKL4k-Q6MX7KdssRTYmjUqmPABBF-wfZsui-q_hyphenhyphenQKRxQeLl__XRMwgO3-lRaeNUqMPVdDZjM2_im/s400/sbay23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507610983430178" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>When I see that, I stop crossing the South Bay ice, unless we get a couple nights going down to 0F. Once again there were no signs of otter activity at the edge of the ice. I noticed that a big block of wood that I had walked by on the more solid ice was now floating in the water and the ice next to it is breaking up.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK1p5G9h_VPMM90V5vm9D3qv2QOE69tRmr1j6MhlyQb4jX13CyhVmxFVDQWUi5qVXbvj5j5FOqFx7aG0EREBXysoaPK4biRT2YI3s6yimvkXbg8Gm6CWCXoPHT8KalN6iP_c2e4-FOPVeS/s1600/sbaya23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK1p5G9h_VPMM90V5vm9D3qv2QOE69tRmr1j6MhlyQb4jX13CyhVmxFVDQWUi5qVXbvj5j5FOqFx7aG0EREBXysoaPK4biRT2YI3s6yimvkXbg8Gm6CWCXoPHT8KalN6iP_c2e4-FOPVeS/s400/sbaya23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507615784701506" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>There was still a bit of snow on slope where the otters frequently scat overlooking the entrance to South Bay. There was also a line of leaves without snow and some digging along that line.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYEf_XH52B9v0DtiCzyg0H7rr-rsOES86BUX10Lx6byMPYf82BZxl0Odk7zQGlRPCYBksciB4NPpeBpNNS_JHbSXVEmarp4CuK5OPwi1GIHJGjaXIcLxVdrXRjNCVJ4xKlZPcGmfyJaIl/s1600/sblat23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYEf_XH52B9v0DtiCzyg0H7rr-rsOES86BUX10Lx6byMPYf82BZxl0Odk7zQGlRPCYBksciB4NPpeBpNNS_JHbSXVEmarp4CuK5OPwi1GIHJGjaXIcLxVdrXRjNCVJ4xKlZPcGmfyJaIl/s400/sblat23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507626563975810" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Where something dug into the dirt along that line of snowless leaves, the digging exposed what looked like the top of a root.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kqPhPYnDpG5rY8XJWMzM8PSRylnMe6hLmbUJDNJLokcQ90cqT6SmWLXt678TWq0yq0IdXK1VnGFUaNW2Aq-g8t_MkZr9azyy6jw_h5M2lIqJjsIDkQ7qRRQ0Ax5A9BX0Ebq0PqT0MKew/s1600/sblatdig23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kqPhPYnDpG5rY8XJWMzM8PSRylnMe6hLmbUJDNJLokcQ90cqT6SmWLXt678TWq0yq0IdXK1VnGFUaNW2Aq-g8t_MkZr9azyy6jw_h5M2lIqJjsIDkQ7qRRQ0Ax5A9BX0Ebq0PqT0MKew/s400/sblatdig23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507925472850226" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Otters general don’t dig down for roots. Deer do, and of course foxes and coyotes are prone to dig into the dirt too. As I walked along a narrow clearing through the light snow seemed to come up from the direction of the water below, and, of course, with no ice below, only an otter would come up from that direction.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdI9XZuBNx6H1LRYOGdxpc9iO_DTcIokOClw5fq7DVaNIyb3h6HPcR1BBzpwPqvhpZfYlKlIsZ94Hle9MIUlUeMLYf9NkS9sUC7hZeUGCE6xcI4I4wYn-nAfZyBY59Wkbuw0BBSZncg6NN/s1600/sblata23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdI9XZuBNx6H1LRYOGdxpc9iO_DTcIokOClw5fq7DVaNIyb3h6HPcR1BBzpwPqvhpZfYlKlIsZ94Hle9MIUlUeMLYf9NkS9sUC7hZeUGCE6xcI4I4wYn-nAfZyBY59Wkbuw0BBSZncg6NN/s400/sblata23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507630380681346" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>So I hunkered down and looked for fresh scat, often hard to find in piles of wet dead leaves. But I found a squirt that is undoubtedly fresh.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwMGZ8GN0ByAQ0ALPSn2MzEPpZWRfOxCvSIWDTpmxMsLo9I6GV1J68PxjoO6ZGiVS9xC_MJlELScwxVOL-G71g5ZozWBvRH6BYbfP1PaEtN7vwSlEhIBlHapDzDt36n0aWmRJRRr8G5res/s1600/sbscat23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwMGZ8GN0ByAQ0ALPSn2MzEPpZWRfOxCvSIWDTpmxMsLo9I6GV1J68PxjoO6ZGiVS9xC_MJlELScwxVOL-G71g5ZozWBvRH6BYbfP1PaEtN7vwSlEhIBlHapDzDt36n0aWmRJRRr8G5res/s400/sbscat23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507929150449378" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I soon saw more fresh scat.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKircaFyWbxyQ8jI2TKcr8wMtK6iBMi7OSvXl4qcGkME66uQeQGDgTO9uZATX7jOa9b0FSvCUHk8oYTJo6TNjH5RxTkmKfZDod8goJXKqL7_GTH-2a6J6HPlOwHqr5qM1qhaMkIdVy6s3/s1600/sbscata23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKircaFyWbxyQ8jI2TKcr8wMtK6iBMi7OSvXl4qcGkME66uQeQGDgTO9uZATX7jOa9b0FSvCUHk8oYTJo6TNjH5RxTkmKfZDod8goJXKqL7_GTH-2a6J6HPlOwHqr5qM1qhaMkIdVy6s3/s400/sbscata23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507936534589314" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>However, these scats were away from the suspected otter trail in the leaves that I saw when I approached. They were on a trail coming directly up the slope a bit to the west of the other trail.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK9eQ2wGhDRPaTfyQ_n3goojA2oMObcUTskU1o72fxjhxlzhv7VqBWf6BfICnTBau7FByq2YmLcdL2WYVBdGCE2qRL-DCkZmRef7vhysZEXnOUw28zbslSClt31Qd-MeTSUwv8DvuAAKl/s1600/sblatb23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK9eQ2wGhDRPaTfyQ_n3goojA2oMObcUTskU1o72fxjhxlzhv7VqBWf6BfICnTBau7FByq2YmLcdL2WYVBdGCE2qRL-DCkZmRef7vhysZEXnOUw28zbslSClt31Qd-MeTSUwv8DvuAAKl/s400/sblatb23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725507920931328306" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I looked hard at the first trail again and satisfied myself that there were bits of fresh scat perhaps spread around by all the scraping. No photos I took made any sense. Sometimes when I have actually seen otters scrape a latrine and then gone down to see the scats they left, I was surprised to find no scats. They also squirt out urine and perhaps scent. Satisfied that probably at least two otters had just been here, I headed up to Audubon Pond. Rarely have I seen fresh otter signs in nearby Audubon Pond after seeing fresh signs in the South Bay latrines. And I didn’t see any today. I did see that a mink ran around the pond.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CsMpHNoX3pUXsK9a_ZKMR7XrDjQjXOUzOHvKlk8EKEB2AXt6aC7G-lasqJACVgMKbNCPgQWvDM3RT1TQBf98j9gS6hIlBz-hyJfJl1qgscLxhK16Oal4MqKA6NvGpHm_zu4HWC-HhuJk/s1600/apmink23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CsMpHNoX3pUXsK9a_ZKMR7XrDjQjXOUzOHvKlk8EKEB2AXt6aC7G-lasqJACVgMKbNCPgQWvDM3RT1TQBf98j9gS6hIlBz-hyJfJl1qgscLxhK16Oal4MqKA6NvGpHm_zu4HWC-HhuJk/s400/apmink23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506904836825218" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>It went over to the beavers’ bank lodge in the embankment but seemed to find a way under the ice at another spot along the embankment.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cdviU7381H1VGdl_bDb-D0eCqrSwUoYUafmJGx8PnNZ3pa71WCNbX8lWNunbfvQ7a-LjFvrbwozhldEo0yJ8ca1XaxUPVKeRoHyJ1jfGmyQrw-YTr-rgjiQCLjnLPp9fx4G7D7iV2vTk/s1600/apminktksa23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cdviU7381H1VGdl_bDb-D0eCqrSwUoYUafmJGx8PnNZ3pa71WCNbX8lWNunbfvQ7a-LjFvrbwozhldEo0yJ8ca1XaxUPVKeRoHyJ1jfGmyQrw-YTr-rgjiQCLjnLPp9fx4G7D7iV2vTk/s400/apminktksa23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506912278458818" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Meanwhile as far as I can tell the beavers have not made a hole in the ice in front of their lodge but the ice there is all discolored gray which suggests that they’ve been swimming under there gnawing off sticks from their cache pile to take back into their lodge.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3lzFcpHMOUanVujYdWSKq2z5KiQR5iJKnbvuUGF1Q0yU2zOhKwnjNQjG9GpNyDWG2CcBiFtcuL7PO1HAd4xjlCSh0SlOaIXSENjYIIy5yMVUVIdv9BB_ITKRVIPQyl6fOMv_TElh85Kz/s1600/apcache23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3lzFcpHMOUanVujYdWSKq2z5KiQR5iJKnbvuUGF1Q0yU2zOhKwnjNQjG9GpNyDWG2CcBiFtcuL7PO1HAd4xjlCSh0SlOaIXSENjYIIy5yMVUVIdv9BB_ITKRVIPQyl6fOMv_TElh85Kz/s400/apcache23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506900198445410" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>In the afternoon we went over to our land to collect maple sap. Given the late thaw followed by a light snow, we checked the Deep Pond for tracks. Of course we looked over the two areas of open water behind the dam.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7kmWXItr_dkVWqGTcjPYtIbcnw9_TDBUqWRvvRdY56Ca9kGNlHHiiPT1svJmueUxOs0pBa2pnxKxI6LBbtmnkehEGB5bUqn3XglN1TmiAtR4wjasa6NH-ocuvX9IxRdstgm_9Mo7zDdw4/s1600/dpdam23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7kmWXItr_dkVWqGTcjPYtIbcnw9_TDBUqWRvvRdY56Ca9kGNlHHiiPT1svJmueUxOs0pBa2pnxKxI6LBbtmnkehEGB5bUqn3XglN1TmiAtR4wjasa6NH-ocuvX9IxRdstgm_9Mo7zDdw4/s400/dpdam23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506921834556114" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I saw that the beaver was hunched up in the water at the opening farthest from us munching on something.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWkru3wKlcc2iuc-a7dlE7JFxBn8Mq1WJNw2aFAgEk7LWrULiVj8xW567uh3ZiqJfPBT-2_BSFyOPC04ySbOPLNmQDS3DzAd73xZZ9hCR-hEwkNnNE1k64jcSp1Iwii11vv94SYrMRYMa/s1600/dpbv23feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWkru3wKlcc2iuc-a7dlE7JFxBn8Mq1WJNw2aFAgEk7LWrULiVj8xW567uh3ZiqJfPBT-2_BSFyOPC04ySbOPLNmQDS3DzAd73xZZ9hCR-hEwkNnNE1k64jcSp1Iwii11vv94SYrMRYMa/s400/dpbv23feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725506914824365074" /></a></p><br /><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WAaKyavg3AM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><p>We haven’t seen the beaver since the late fall and we know it hasn’t been out since a few days ago. So we didn’t want to bother it. At first it seemed to be gnawing a dead grass stalk. Then we heard gnawing and it looked like it had a stick in its paws.</p></span></span>Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321463703462580063.post-85467564594379580362012-03-05T19:17:00.032-08:002012-04-05T08:18:15.904-07:00February 11 to 16, 2012<span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>February 11 I think a light snow had been on the ground for about 12 hours, time enough, I hoped for some animals to show themselves on the East Trail Pond. That there weren’t many tracks on the way to the pond, just a deer trail or two, boded ill for my hopes. I soon saw that the snow covered the hole I think an otter made next to the East Trail Pond lodge.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDl-oKtVRL0RTgbAVXIJ1bC8iF5G_mSfREIapR8sruFMhYU4fiwQNKPMvI00zcz4gwbP__zQ22MRGNK2HW6zIfQqA4NwdfOIG_ze3TNPX1PxxLao3tx9d2i0I26z8vgUXOvdmOQVPw2rP9/s1600/etldghole11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDl-oKtVRL0RTgbAVXIJ1bC8iF5G_mSfREIapR8sruFMhYU4fiwQNKPMvI00zcz4gwbP__zQ22MRGNK2HW6zIfQqA4NwdfOIG_ze3TNPX1PxxLao3tx9d2i0I26z8vgUXOvdmOQVPw2rP9/s400/etldghole11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722207131720185682" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Or I should say, the snow covered the beaver’s patch job on the hole. I took a photo of the trackless lodge. I always think lodges finally look completed when covered with snow.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6pFx9nnuE21SS05V0NvBPZbgrVcaD2DUutrctOvsZRXEL1lqWkpyuH1EZoFiV7sUqvXiVdPCRd_cM7r1WAJl66T5fDfRxPqeXJJckWr8BvaIjaR7Pxw4foyxaxQ8IpvbcT9tAq3bBeAM/s1600/etldg11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6pFx9nnuE21SS05V0NvBPZbgrVcaD2DUutrctOvsZRXEL1lqWkpyuH1EZoFiV7sUqvXiVdPCRd_cM7r1WAJl66T5fDfRxPqeXJJckWr8BvaIjaR7Pxw4foyxaxQ8IpvbcT9tAq3bBeAM/s400/etldg11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722207124728559730" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>When I got down to the dam, the water that opened at two spots had iced over. But I did see tracks along the dam.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tuhCBBTQfdLalXI4V9vmGHoEvE7uKAQi7w93K8RtUfY_HAX0gsjFvvx8tUeTjlTCB8Tk5is0JtSRyX5I_PSC1qIR42dYYDI8P998leWAS4Oo_sOzfeJHIeiHWv1c3yo75IDlhZjzd0Ha/s1600/etdam11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tuhCBBTQfdLalXI4V9vmGHoEvE7uKAQi7w93K8RtUfY_HAX0gsjFvvx8tUeTjlTCB8Tk5is0JtSRyX5I_PSC1qIR42dYYDI8P998leWAS4Oo_sOzfeJHIeiHWv1c3yo75IDlhZjzd0Ha/s400/etdam11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722206794530757362" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>There was a small trough in the snow coming down to the ice, and then mink tracks on the ice.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEd4A2SZkQpHwgR3p1t4SHTtLcDm0a3v_HtaP3pBnni7Rdrx1vZc2AY0c3uW3szpG_XjNE96anGWAEvwxv7aWYoByBpYlwRhsTnuyx-_9MH3Ghn8SG-3VEQpnYV_LsU2_66xem8pgmwJF/s1600/etdamtks11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEd4A2SZkQpHwgR3p1t4SHTtLcDm0a3v_HtaP3pBnni7Rdrx1vZc2AY0c3uW3szpG_XjNE96anGWAEvwxv7aWYoByBpYlwRhsTnuyx-_9MH3Ghn8SG-3VEQpnYV_LsU2_66xem8pgmwJF/s400/etdamtks11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722206807923611746" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>So it was clearly a case of a mink running along the dam, not an otter coming over the dam. Plus there was no evidence of a beaver or otter coming out of the hole and going below the dam.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ojC1ZtViio3aPNPcym6HFs7YbOovUOD1Wa8csqID9q052QcsumuqlD6qngRwUeUdv_sZpvfnntReL1O5sV509cGfFqoKTdsCG0EtXi4irzaZuWfePWgJFLuyzXpeoap3cgRyTB2K53va/s1600/etdama11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ojC1ZtViio3aPNPcym6HFs7YbOovUOD1Wa8csqID9q052QcsumuqlD6qngRwUeUdv_sZpvfnntReL1O5sV509cGfFqoKTdsCG0EtXi4irzaZuWfePWgJFLuyzXpeoap3cgRyTB2K53va/s400/etdama11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722206801112610194" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Walking along the north shore of the pond to the beaver hole, I saw mink tracks coming out of the gap in the ice along the shore, probably where the mink I saw the other day got under the ice.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemgelenPFOPmE5Wo3x_tg0kYQWnEvOkWFBPSLDnS8wwJj33QtiSrzU0R7dRkzzLu39xxMJpdyRXQppBFWC3iAZAafJmoNaa_pWZiChZdGTU3oFQEH_t1YWggDnTa-y080dGWVc6qWTimd/s1600/etminktks11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemgelenPFOPmE5Wo3x_tg0kYQWnEvOkWFBPSLDnS8wwJj33QtiSrzU0R7dRkzzLu39xxMJpdyRXQppBFWC3iAZAafJmoNaa_pWZiChZdGTU3oFQEH_t1YWggDnTa-y080dGWVc6qWTimd/s400/etminktks11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722207136597545682" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The mink had scooted on the snow into the clump of bushes.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbntHyLDFtosbBkFpCQBd8yyac6iXSPJsd3AluIWJhpfY-wnXYjlcEdbIXv8NMBGdSn6lO8g3vZ1kmDs-boBvva-TuZZ6zUpZyLVnEigwL7PbbAgJWjjw0Q3w97AN_LAFOBuUKw1l8z4dg/s1600/etminktksa11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbntHyLDFtosbBkFpCQBd8yyac6iXSPJsd3AluIWJhpfY-wnXYjlcEdbIXv8NMBGdSn6lO8g3vZ1kmDs-boBvva-TuZZ6zUpZyLVnEigwL7PbbAgJWjjw0Q3w97AN_LAFOBuUKw1l8z4dg/s400/etminktksa11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722207139601031378" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Whenever I have seen minks on the ice they generally ran quickly around the pond. In the summer they have a more leisurely pace. I suppose since they can’t eat snow, they are in a hurry to gain terrain where they might find something to eat. The mink did not fuss around the beavers’ hole in the ice.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9wi0HU_pEMKzBrM-fV0vd5Yz2KmAkEHrMZWil5tibtl0MZVgitvTnsJCxtz0JQZunbBAHr_zaLtPMFLUHTG1v5IvVRdo5eJzil4-KuS6_e3ZBtPV_Pkn95XjUObDGjXCuFopuv4kUGtf/s1600/etbvhole11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9wi0HU_pEMKzBrM-fV0vd5Yz2KmAkEHrMZWil5tibtl0MZVgitvTnsJCxtz0JQZunbBAHr_zaLtPMFLUHTG1v5IvVRdo5eJzil4-KuS6_e3ZBtPV_Pkn95XjUObDGjXCuFopuv4kUGtf/s400/etbvhole11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722206791363249234" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The beavers hadn’t been out either. We’ve had some cold temperatures in the last 48 hours, and it had only gotten above 20F in the last few hours. I got down flush on the ice, and stuck my camera into the hole. I took photos looking toward the dam expecting to see the log that the beaver took under the ice when I was here on the 7th. There were 3 large logs and the one that was farthest from the hole looked most like the one it had hauled down</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkheprIdClBLaqvcsmelBPHkLYjQrqUmDaqNvAlFTJoD5hYwdNOP_-ve_vZ99HPCUHssN2h5-LxGEc9PmQgsD3bIgPnlr6a0zR5aIB4d2UoFNkRKIXvgLe0KQatKWUiPvdJtKbDqzKjXQ/s1600/underet11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkheprIdClBLaqvcsmelBPHkLYjQrqUmDaqNvAlFTJoD5hYwdNOP_-ve_vZ99HPCUHssN2h5-LxGEc9PmQgsD3bIgPnlr6a0zR5aIB4d2UoFNkRKIXvgLe0KQatKWUiPvdJtKbDqzKjXQ/s400/underet11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722207798161616946" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p> </p><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjAoKyfUnoXhtesO5Z9wEv5Vq-hT5e7NoVzugTMbCWXp-Drh5BpXayUtAf6WcifOjFCsTZC4nDsiKiwvH2ZEIZFR_hT4RXB4CbXBqoAFvq991t1EAft_i4QJLUw5Gv-6CY-v_xpoix2Ir/s1600/undereta11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjAoKyfUnoXhtesO5Z9wEv5Vq-hT5e7NoVzugTMbCWXp-Drh5BpXayUtAf6WcifOjFCsTZC4nDsiKiwvH2ZEIZFR_hT4RXB4CbXBqoAFvq991t1EAft_i4QJLUw5Gv-6CY-v_xpoix2Ir/s400/undereta11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722207791013701506" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Both photos make it look like there is a slope down to a channel of water but I assume that is an illusion caused by the tilt of the camera. Taking a photo looking straight ahead ice and water looked level.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1k7jF4F75dHADJU9Cd6Fb8sVG821N8OFC7qxLWbM3B7aW99E7azLnlwBypTSNo909ZZmr1K0nfbj73mFyK64YDJbq-f8JVuVO21ZsVR6loc_-FVc-0ZlWHijSr8h0GmCBMHon6A0DCkAG/s1600/underetb11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1k7jF4F75dHADJU9Cd6Fb8sVG821N8OFC7qxLWbM3B7aW99E7azLnlwBypTSNo909ZZmr1K0nfbj73mFyK64YDJbq-f8JVuVO21ZsVR6loc_-FVc-0ZlWHijSr8h0GmCBMHon6A0DCkAG/s400/underetb11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722207804997790642" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>However the shrubs do grow out of mounds of dirt and the gnawing beaver seems to sit on that mound which means the mound gets bigger from the accumulation of wood chips and stripped sticks.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquR9KHvuxoAFgTi_RX9JCcWFH-I-IKNmHSBNL4QR8GSj8fs88Rixu8GgQv9SNOm-vUNqdy_rGrt_44y9tONBC7pxwpBpdxuGHOkYji3AL5A65swctu86pvnCubbPle3Zk8w4FUMlwN5r0/s1600/underetc11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquR9KHvuxoAFgTi_RX9JCcWFH-I-IKNmHSBNL4QR8GSj8fs88Rixu8GgQv9SNOm-vUNqdy_rGrt_44y9tONBC7pxwpBpdxuGHOkYji3AL5A65swctu86pvnCubbPle3Zk8w4FUMlwN5r0/s400/underetc11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722207814538830258" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I wish I could better interpret what the photos show and expand my understanding of what I know. I’d like to see evidence that there are definitely two or three beavers using the hole. Perhaps a smaller beaver simply stays under the ice and gnaws on the thin trunks there but one beaver could account for everything the photos show. I did stick my head under the ice and on this cold day in the low 20sF, I was impressed by how warm it seemed under the ice, warm enough to smell things, and it did not smell bad to me. I don’t think that is an idle observation. Smell is an issue in beaver ponds in the winter since often the still water smells like rotten eggs, hydrogen sulfide, which I have read can be a bit of a soporific, though no one has studied if it helps beavers achieve and maintain torpor during the winter. There were no beaver tracks in the snow. I still climbed the ridge to take a photo of the tree from which I suspect the beaver cut the log that it brought down to its hole on the 7th. </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVaze5bSp5R3RgOZsWsiLuKvYID9lNcBKEVxFyWybEDbbRP4qsKEEKojqlg_DM6v0jjZTTi05RoM8vL80RIpKPUaBL7uQPGSkK2BkF0w2mkip9iNUotdmxx-2h1FKpIwxs9mGP29IYRBn/s1600/etwk11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVaze5bSp5R3RgOZsWsiLuKvYID9lNcBKEVxFyWybEDbbRP4qsKEEKojqlg_DM6v0jjZTTi05RoM8vL80RIpKPUaBL7uQPGSkK2BkF0w2mkip9iNUotdmxx-2h1FKpIwxs9mGP29IYRBn/s400/etwk11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722207388494685122" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>That is the last red oak it cut up on the ridge. Then I headed off on the East Trail and then the South Bay trail to see if otters had visited the latrine over the entrance to South Bay. There would be snow on that slope today. I saw mink tracks on the snow covered ice heading up the north shore.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRD9GVBmu2A_CZ6S0Tr4qvy1hCi8ea0vWPABynEJP7P1QjOl9HoKVb-pi-P_HDtgMw0L1j_SUOEzXSH2Y0SVxSvOnfyOoOckB3pEzSEnBGTs2bRCv2IVVYiXnmC1KcF6IIoDNHh1coVDz9/s1600/sbice11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRD9GVBmu2A_CZ6S0Tr4qvy1hCi8ea0vWPABynEJP7P1QjOl9HoKVb-pi-P_HDtgMw0L1j_SUOEzXSH2Y0SVxSvOnfyOoOckB3pEzSEnBGTs2bRCv2IVVYiXnmC1KcF6IIoDNHh1coVDz9/s400/sbice11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722207402027405314" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I didn’t see any otter slides or tracks on the ice but below the latrine I saw what could be interpreted as a trail going to or from the shore through and then on the ice.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocOhVP7JYEMrPUnh9BGmhC9ao92z3kHzaDRK9ljpzYBH3_Y_Sub7IZ7DcbWV8_ALI2zs8ZhTx-DBDqdCg2rj8ILwU6oNrxma_Zz8GL88cQ3B5ezugqsgHfvx5yOHMM23SCcW2BAKfMi8_/s1600/sbicea11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocOhVP7JYEMrPUnh9BGmhC9ao92z3kHzaDRK9ljpzYBH3_Y_Sub7IZ7DcbWV8_ALI2zs8ZhTx-DBDqdCg2rj8ILwU6oNrxma_Zz8GL88cQ3B5ezugqsgHfvx5yOHMM23SCcW2BAKfMi8_/s400/sbicea11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722207405229107490" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>But there was no sign of anything getting on shore or any more characteristic otter tracks and ice breaking. Otters rarely make perfect patterns when they leave a trail.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0hpo19Ze_8tGiSxgVA2Mk7PSkyLbzAecXjVw-yXPPWZlA2oD4L3ZFjzSZ15Oo7bHGhOGusx7PqwLP_tGTkOYPVp7FJsRp4CGMZQl9IdKEo9qlfbsjrp3CeWNcRCfEG_1hIbOn-rEsfyd/s1600/sb11feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0hpo19Ze_8tGiSxgVA2Mk7PSkyLbzAecXjVw-yXPPWZlA2oD4L3ZFjzSZ15Oo7bHGhOGusx7PqwLP_tGTkOYPVp7FJsRp4CGMZQl9IdKEo9qlfbsjrp3CeWNcRCfEG_1hIbOn-rEsfyd/s400/sb11feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722207398847609346" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The photo above is also notable because it shows how little ice there is now, rather rare to have so little at this time of year. I was still able to walk across the bay on the older ice.</p></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>February 12 we had a true winter night with an inch of snow in the morning and cold and sun all day. In the afternoon, I walked along the headland and for the first time this winter, the river almost looked right, snow covered ice everywhere but the main channel. Then I went to the docks to get out onto the old South Bay ice and I saw the trail of a mink evidently dragging a dead muskrat back to its den right along the south shore of the bay.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FjpfG-RYc15EQw9RhXoylQcVvLEIatN9PXJUht7_gr9VF0VmuMJqQDS9hI5YDH8awfkxH-KjIXCaAc_LC6196MI9MriUhuHEhijJFrOZ9_jQg8P9wfoPSXuIeotKX0oZWmRP-2dhTIsg/s1600/sbminkdrag12feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FjpfG-RYc15EQw9RhXoylQcVvLEIatN9PXJUht7_gr9VF0VmuMJqQDS9hI5YDH8awfkxH-KjIXCaAc_LC6196MI9MriUhuHEhijJFrOZ9_jQg8P9wfoPSXuIeotKX0oZWmRP-2dhTIsg/s400/sbminkdrag12feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722208480359241346" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>At least that’s how I interpret the smaller tracks of a mink with a larger trough in the snow with a line in the middle. The dragging tail of the dead muskrat makes the line.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5DycyZT7VgXq5CdP-6hSlqivfyadSZO7ScUq1-tnNqkNT6BZ_I0bcitPwJBNd2GVg3aNSrOUqPNSJkUfT-c8AQEoQhLwDaO6SQ4qyHNIB0cDVemqiWxp9o_zCdg9icwVBY07YKIphJ3d/s1600/sbminkdraga12feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5DycyZT7VgXq5CdP-6hSlqivfyadSZO7ScUq1-tnNqkNT6BZ_I0bcitPwJBNd2GVg3aNSrOUqPNSJkUfT-c8AQEoQhLwDaO6SQ4qyHNIB0cDVemqiWxp9o_zCdg9icwVBY07YKIphJ3d/s400/sbminkdraga12feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722207790063937122" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I skirted the ice fishermen whose boot tracks marred the pristine white of the bay ice. Then I picked up coyote trails in the middle of the bay. The coyotes, at least 2 maybe 3, went straight to where the new ice had formed last night, but they evidently saw that it was too thin. They walked along the edge of the new ice but not on it.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc21kzpPhpWjag7d6cK3AN_EqygRm1m7f7FsJOym1361yq1WbMDpiuFjkLk0MGFfedASshQDI6zAmxgaIAs6y_OgYqFoOhyErYU0peV0F8frvf1d4C6ocZxIA5Oz_hJKac9gbjwIS7Z_Xi/s1600/sbcoytks12feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc21kzpPhpWjag7d6cK3AN_EqygRm1m7f7FsJOym1361yq1WbMDpiuFjkLk0MGFfedASshQDI6zAmxgaIAs6y_OgYqFoOhyErYU0peV0F8frvf1d4C6ocZxIA5Oz_hJKac9gbjwIS7Z_Xi/s400/sbcoytks12feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722208229527024194" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>There was a mink trail, as usual, along the north shore of the bay. As usual I hoped to see otter slides in the snow at the latrine overlooking the entrance to South Bay. Usually snow cover provides a definitive, if brief, record of otter activity. Today I was perplexed. There were tracks in the snow but not a coherent trail.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbAPy8XZJYu2s0zWcDs4r_bke8zs6wvMLSA-Skhyphenhyphenku-qtAhSs_p2JfqUHUcjVfsAFcai2-ha1N5XwW4GeJvWmD1d6KmDGY9fq-V83CtwQ3M9NX1MB_eiq-tqqcjkLzzNSKecNuA9dlLxx/s1600/sblat12feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbAPy8XZJYu2s0zWcDs4r_bke8zs6wvMLSA-Skhyphenhyphenku-qtAhSs_p2JfqUHUcjVfsAFcai2-ha1N5XwW4GeJvWmD1d6KmDGY9fq-V83CtwQ3M9NX1MB_eiq-tqqcjkLzzNSKecNuA9dlLxx/s400/sblat12feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722208243456164738" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Then I saw a black scat unceremoniously plopped on a dead leaf.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDyxXO-BZiyrD1hr4wDymlPwJc9VIdDq3dT9y8MUee0XYxG4IVPdjkH7C47WqZYCT7OAxW6qXnOIegGKxhP0A0Wpb3s7pqQH14PiLR3wtxbqoqTfUmPSXNXdTK5sWeCh0b_S5WoH0pK6W/s1600/sbscat12feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDyxXO-BZiyrD1hr4wDymlPwJc9VIdDq3dT9y8MUee0XYxG4IVPdjkH7C47WqZYCT7OAxW6qXnOIegGKxhP0A0Wpb3s7pqQH14PiLR3wtxbqoqTfUmPSXNXdTK5sWeCh0b_S5WoH0pK6W/s400/sbscat12feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722208483237848290" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The scat looked wet but all scats get wet in the fresh snow. There was a bit of ice on the scat, but a moving otter can track some ice bits on a scat.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjv0dKy9Q7-pAIK0DuhlFco5GKc8HR5wFhOBV4UfGqzoSKKR-jjZQF7wNxjZ1RUWd3RQdLtzUF45pGO5DTOYdtcS3CXFofCevzjOFpdSAhD4mIkIr96hZnbr6lkOALRSjVbm3pY28HbGg/s1600/sbscata12feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjv0dKy9Q7-pAIK0DuhlFco5GKc8HR5wFhOBV4UfGqzoSKKR-jjZQF7wNxjZ1RUWd3RQdLtzUF45pGO5DTOYdtcS3CXFofCevzjOFpdSAhD4mIkIr96hZnbr6lkOALRSjVbm3pY28HbGg/s400/sbscata12feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722208489020309890" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Usually I can see otter activity much better with my eyes, but today, perhaps because the snow was fresh and the melting rapid, I had trouble focusing on it. However, when I saw the photos I took, I thought I could see otter trails in the snow coming up and down the slope.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRl0wKFCXG1snLdUNTx2k7pd8BV5xsDUmy2VhoX3SbrMiexjTH12iegD9ElEJq6zkPjq9PrQBJIwjUG6JpglmzO_42hPSQ35eszqZkXHrAsv5LXz0jTXrjNhB-XlsauCmVP3U0L-y4QucH/s1600/sblata12feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRl0wKFCXG1snLdUNTx2k7pd8BV5xsDUmy2VhoX3SbrMiexjTH12iegD9ElEJq6zkPjq9PrQBJIwjUG6JpglmzO_42hPSQ35eszqZkXHrAsv5LXz0jTXrjNhB-XlsauCmVP3U0L-y4QucH/s400/sblata12feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722208261791639314" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>There appeared to be a trail up on the rocks going parallel to the shore, and down on the ice there were two trails running parallel to the shore.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAdeJrUpGgYeer-DBBSs1rN_ab7kqc0QPIIAHRvfzm0RqKd2wPosrYQtlmqu0ted37UvixtS4DZCkb9amKk46xLS3hTNOxjzLhrfIuekI90e2I7vJKtxXQ_MYdJg5DEQ37ibATy_lERvO/s1600/sblatb12feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAdeJrUpGgYeer-DBBSs1rN_ab7kqc0QPIIAHRvfzm0RqKd2wPosrYQtlmqu0ted37UvixtS4DZCkb9amKk46xLS3hTNOxjzLhrfIuekI90e2I7vJKtxXQ_MYdJg5DEQ37ibATy_lERvO/s400/sblatb12feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722208263552403970" border="0" /></a><br /></p><br /><br /><p>When I first saw the tracks on the ice, I thought a mink made them, but the photo of them makes a good for an otter making them.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePH1bOV4njkvjDwthyphenhyphenz-5vqHfHMB0B9GFtabpqW8VjISnr95rOkZG8nTlLq_YJ62xAe1R_R1HEMzQdfcTaPyEV6jiZW7k9aF-6hA2p1Etgg4CsbriBwjije0HM8h-Kk-jkvcuQEi2ZwKT/s1600/sbtks12feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePH1bOV4njkvjDwthyphenhyphenz-5vqHfHMB0B9GFtabpqW8VjISnr95rOkZG8nTlLq_YJ62xAe1R_R1HEMzQdfcTaPyEV6jiZW7k9aF-6hA2p1Etgg4CsbriBwjije0HM8h-Kk-jkvcuQEi2ZwKT/s400/sbtks12feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722208497224767282" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>But arguing against an otter making the tracks on the ice is that thanks to last night’s cold, there is now an expanse of snow covered ice stretching to the channel. </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaN494ZOY3Vodmff_4o58qVBQuEtQAMuU8W3o2s_DRHpd0lKr7MvBY7wSc54YqwRSQrQsU8hokm3pooyEONqMaHFXBfjMSov6ew4SHBTWVg2K9zm6mD-gEceFpfgaJlEnKjTEN_90-cf8O/s1600/sbice12feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaN494ZOY3Vodmff_4o58qVBQuEtQAMuU8W3o2s_DRHpd0lKr7MvBY7wSc54YqwRSQrQsU8hokm3pooyEONqMaHFXBfjMSov6ew4SHBTWVg2K9zm6mD-gEceFpfgaJlEnKjTEN_90-cf8O/s400/sbice12feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722208236957169058" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Minks generally run along the shore and seldom venture out on the ice. Otters find it hard to resist sliding out on the ice. Otters could get over to the open channel in no time.</p></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>February 13 to my delight I found that the snow and temperature were perfect for tracking. For the first time this winter while walking on Antler Trail along the first swamp ridge I crossed fisher trails. As usual they were going up and down the ridge.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVsrfc6t8VguR74loS0y_xOxNwqvNdDJXao3qFquIQLQIMYB9Rv-8KDspicGKD0zXXDwHrWH7RZHHa1XIgLlbcZuwkHFKXw0E3b9Vffl39gLYcRVkHLBBycFjghee7taoCgVKsSjEsQC7/s1600/fishertks13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVsrfc6t8VguR74loS0y_xOxNwqvNdDJXao3qFquIQLQIMYB9Rv-8KDspicGKD0zXXDwHrWH7RZHHa1XIgLlbcZuwkHFKXw0E3b9Vffl39gLYcRVkHLBBycFjghee7taoCgVKsSjEsQC7/s400/fishertks13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583613905008466" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>A coyote investigated one of the trails allowing me to get a good photo showing the difference between a fisher and coyote print.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jOipuQnIHX_pq-D3B3uW3aVpRe8-tYhqyJWQZWcLmx1_lgG1z9JMQRYuCl61sRmMlB7pz-wUB_Czng5BMMt95tr-taOpysW9mfvE8cR0C1I58uiJxKXStbqHrZtnlIqNuDQQqCm3IAFl/s1600/fishertksa13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jOipuQnIHX_pq-D3B3uW3aVpRe8-tYhqyJWQZWcLmx1_lgG1z9JMQRYuCl61sRmMlB7pz-wUB_Czng5BMMt95tr-taOpysW9mfvE8cR0C1I58uiJxKXStbqHrZtnlIqNuDQQqCm3IAFl/s400/fishertksa13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583836980342098" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I was tempted to do some tracking but from the trails I saw I got the impression that they were made by males on the make. The prints were deep in the snow and emphatic and possibly I’d go up hill and dale only to find that one fisher made them all, and probably not find any dens or holes where the fishers hide food.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQe4M557GvrI4kGmWmjqTNjnnFMA3wZEHA4XH6guTuct01HZnwhrTZkTSEyYfsyBzOKk2OjjNqQ1jkaBQXTuEVqPTRZVqMYOOj_RAFpROf51YFJ14ahAjgxMiqU9R4szVHbZn0tmLUK1pg/s1600/fishertksb13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQe4M557GvrI4kGmWmjqTNjnnFMA3wZEHA4XH6guTuct01HZnwhrTZkTSEyYfsyBzOKk2OjjNqQ1jkaBQXTuEVqPTRZVqMYOOj_RAFpROf51YFJ14ahAjgxMiqU9R4szVHbZn0tmLUK1pg/s400/fishertksb13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583843627867026" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Since the lack of snow has made tracking impossible most days, I can’t say fishers weren’t around earlier in the winter. But usually, as I’ve seen during long winters with perfect tracking, fishers are scarce along this trail until later in the winter. I don’t know why. There was no activity around the Big Pond dam. Minks are ignoring that area this winter. Water still flows out of the twin holes in the dam.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9APhciD8ckXEY_hxCqsz1dOKTmqk7FEuqTcM5k8jALjS3qFQWxY7pfhTgC8mM8RPwRhlEDTTJT_QI8gPfaQSWHNSJgCDWZPae0pJfP7B0NgYjhsfbJGyvP_eNqZB-dKWfpk_DP35YYbmM/s1600/bpdam13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9APhciD8ckXEY_hxCqsz1dOKTmqk7FEuqTcM5k8jALjS3qFQWxY7pfhTgC8mM8RPwRhlEDTTJT_QI8gPfaQSWHNSJgCDWZPae0pJfP7B0NgYjhsfbJGyvP_eNqZB-dKWfpk_DP35YYbmM/s400/bpdam13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722582917539804818" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I think the dam and the water immediately behind it have become uninteresting to minks because for almost two years no beavers have maintained channels and pools behind the dam by dredging up mud to repair the dam. So the ice on the depleted pond squeezes down on all the space behind the dam where silt has built up from the 30 or more years that the dam has been here. Farther back of the dam, there is probably two or three feet of water in the old creek and beaver channels, but no holes in the ice to make it easy to get to them. As usual three coyotes had been on the pond, making a beeline to better areas to sniff opportunities.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbtUKKISyDOU5YhE0SbKSa-9opZNlqUkOYodEuRms1m2Hiq5wINq3BUwYL53vLzlwAHq4H0kzD9luq5LLDV0DKeqF0GWePDA2kYZPYeEefligmAdEGORMetNdgFXk7IEDc4EEz4zvydNC/s1600/bpcoytks13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbtUKKISyDOU5YhE0SbKSa-9opZNlqUkOYodEuRms1m2Hiq5wINq3BUwYL53vLzlwAHq4H0kzD9luq5LLDV0DKeqF0GWePDA2kYZPYeEefligmAdEGORMetNdgFXk7IEDc4EEz4zvydNC/s400/bpcoytks13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722582914990401010" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>In the woods between the Big Pond and Lost Swamp Pond, I saw a busy fisher trail with a spot of green pee on it. Like the other trails it was straight, not the usual fisher zig-zag.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCB1hJyswsH2_Ph-OF2wGOv_139CCMICeL-n1kpkOoF4cbbOVgmAiLoYcRH3KuzCFKaP40NYngz2j-qbu9HnAjJfT5toHIog_frY4VGhubnGIDKDUUss_2M30P0eBNrewQbmbFsXLNM5Oy/s1600/fishertksc13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCB1hJyswsH2_Ph-OF2wGOv_139CCMICeL-n1kpkOoF4cbbOVgmAiLoYcRH3KuzCFKaP40NYngz2j-qbu9HnAjJfT5toHIog_frY4VGhubnGIDKDUUss_2M30P0eBNrewQbmbFsXLNM5Oy/s400/fishertksc13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583846169077698" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>There was nothing of note happening at the Lost Swamp Pond. Nothing has used the hole in the ice just behind the hole in the dam. </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyhY9wCnk0sNdslOYDlzjhZXBziZ0Rm-TVaj7DUGYYcJ6HS6Ck9Vxt9seOSVaaNeQL34t3gBx6ZkPvm_rJQK_JL8cxWUgW9f-Iyo70BUDLq0Bbr6s8pBAXV8g_aftmfdskoLPZIQmkzk2/s1600/lsdam13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyhY9wCnk0sNdslOYDlzjhZXBziZ0Rm-TVaj7DUGYYcJ6HS6Ck9Vxt9seOSVaaNeQL34t3gBx6ZkPvm_rJQK_JL8cxWUgW9f-Iyo70BUDLq0Bbr6s8pBAXV8g_aftmfdskoLPZIQmkzk2/s400/lsdam13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583851484713106" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Over the years winter activity at the Big Pond has been off and on, but the Lost Swamp Pond was rarely dull, never as dull as this. I was surprised not to see any fisher tracks in what I call the Fisher Woods between the Second Swamp Pond and East Trail Pond. The fisher tracks I saw to the south of this area looked fresh. Maybe the fishers haven’t reached this neck of the woods yet. Then I finally got to where beavers are active and, as usual, found that other animals are active there too. While the beavers haven’t used the holes in the collapsing ice behind the dam, it looks like a mink continues to use them.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kVyZTEIWYPhkEX8BalgSFxVSskbAJMzXn1P2hCwlpXPcNe8plomwCGGERbd0SJCTIiJYErfx3yKzwRS1raeWQDvAtqvD3lnYS01oM1S-W9fcwdNfac8D_KGmSWcRgeByjrbbqgQoA3AJ/s1600/etdam13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kVyZTEIWYPhkEX8BalgSFxVSskbAJMzXn1P2hCwlpXPcNe8plomwCGGERbd0SJCTIiJYErfx3yKzwRS1raeWQDvAtqvD3lnYS01oM1S-W9fcwdNfac8D_KGmSWcRgeByjrbbqgQoA3AJ/s400/etdam13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583295080424034" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>However, when I got close enough to see the tracks left along a long crack in the ice, they looked so small I thought an ermine might be about. Over the years I’ve only seen two in the winter, both times at a dam that had holes in it.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_KzRG8P0aBdZNR1QYZu8iXCbdAAQygn1VewdAAIxcWIZ6AgB3_XOPYy9gJY_F7jvuC0fyTYeiWeC6OhBjPDF_sC_FUZHu6mjC_RiUQGnZk4BUmLpBxVo_xMhI-iO4TJL4oOVfqw4dw_y/s1600/ettks13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_KzRG8P0aBdZNR1QYZu8iXCbdAAQygn1VewdAAIxcWIZ6AgB3_XOPYy9gJY_F7jvuC0fyTYeiWeC6OhBjPDF_sC_FUZHu6mjC_RiUQGnZk4BUmLpBxVo_xMhI-iO4TJL4oOVfqw4dw_y/s400/ettks13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583612476011922" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>A few days ago I saw tracks outside all the holes behind the dam, but not today, even though the ice slanting down behind the dam seems to be making caves of sorts. I should ease up there and see how deep the water is. Perhaps it is too shallow to attract much attention.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdVdtS9cLzq58w3Be79izNMYyInrtTbNNc9WYEvCeSqHdGJjSz4iPtXtnHDrLZHNsu4Ay-5kNlHaNT5jsuWE2LJITxgqUVxvx9L09h1kusc2WviBFeWe2nkG-2qC4zquP5Yjx-s7Xtao0j/s1600/etdama13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdVdtS9cLzq58w3Be79izNMYyInrtTbNNc9WYEvCeSqHdGJjSz4iPtXtnHDrLZHNsu4Ay-5kNlHaNT5jsuWE2LJITxgqUVxvx9L09h1kusc2WviBFeWe2nkG-2qC4zquP5Yjx-s7Xtao0j/s400/etdama13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583296549450258" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Today I saw a new wrinkle in the pond, as the ice is collapsing, and melting, cracks are forming in the middle of the pond. I saw tracks coming out of one that looked much more like mink tracks.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkImqtxZ2bF826LBIjc3hVgu6n7W70ep2AXStAY6ePqy45oHXi5fUaAwbIPzx_ExGJckoMQshN8a3-U0HpqyNT_An9XlluUuVAXK5XjEXwY7ypN_eKHsbHXL83FXR8zwH0UcnM7_U_whv/s1600/etcrack13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkImqtxZ2bF826LBIjc3hVgu6n7W70ep2AXStAY6ePqy45oHXi5fUaAwbIPzx_ExGJckoMQshN8a3-U0HpqyNT_An9XlluUuVAXK5XjEXwY7ypN_eKHsbHXL83FXR8zwH0UcnM7_U_whv/s400/etcrack13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583283185281074" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I followed the mink trail toward the lodge where it ended at a crack in the ice at the base of a small shrub. I also saw that a beaver had nipped some branches under what had probably been the ice line a few weeks ago.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIUWh0D2b5cjp4U39gt6HegpHnnse0SEMBfGW03wb-bbV-t8au6TVngua-oC-77ovHp62IVzrkUjBe_FZVznby_M-eWuO8mOCMGoGrSPZ_NV7IH_DGj8oPnZP_Oz_P6PLhx07rfiVqUTd/s1600/etcracka13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIUWh0D2b5cjp4U39gt6HegpHnnse0SEMBfGW03wb-bbV-t8au6TVngua-oC-77ovHp62IVzrkUjBe_FZVznby_M-eWuO8mOCMGoGrSPZ_NV7IH_DGj8oPnZP_Oz_P6PLhx07rfiVqUTd/s400/etcracka13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583289491636370" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I had another hole under the ice to stick my camera down. The image show some beaver gnawing, but the water under the ice looked frozen.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvYb9N0LDANmvL7YeazH1bUp1gOaa9b6IQ0mOKnUe9CZQC-PiIPmRIK41vHy-raYZixFhJo-OSlgJiQUgvIGTEON-Hw_a7h-hbVzdeUGZCuwm3NYshtHeRZIlV-FmvyslPeOSQQ3p9aGI/s1600/bvnips13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvYb9N0LDANmvL7YeazH1bUp1gOaa9b6IQ0mOKnUe9CZQC-PiIPmRIK41vHy-raYZixFhJo-OSlgJiQUgvIGTEON-Hw_a7h-hbVzdeUGZCuwm3NYshtHeRZIlV-FmvyslPeOSQQ3p9aGI/s400/bvnips13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722582922636317394" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I assume that beavers would be more comfortable swimming under the ice instead of walking on thin ice just below thick ice. The mink trail on the ice didn’t continue to the lodge. A mink could easily get down the hole I think an otter made and that the beaver covered. Perhaps the mink is shy of getting too close to the beaver. Then I headed over to the beaver hole on the north shore. I could see tracks in the snow showing that a beaver had been out and gone up the ridge. </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QuyZsA7vaauzyrQoC-IyH4teNZPEiJhZisIxVTxmzbISVNLSecQBj7F5zA3epOIu3EjkcXXKazQQvzIFHcvAoR5DTtWgdM-V-rDOewPxpLUkjQld3GoJhp3ULxPF5_qraW6iHR0y6Uew/s1600/etbvhole13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QuyZsA7vaauzyrQoC-IyH4teNZPEiJhZisIxVTxmzbISVNLSecQBj7F5zA3epOIu3EjkcXXKazQQvzIFHcvAoR5DTtWgdM-V-rDOewPxpLUkjQld3GoJhp3ULxPF5_qraW6iHR0y6Uew/s400/etbvhole13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722582929947206338" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>But first I got my look under the ice with my camera. I decided it was dangerous to lie on the ice as I had been doing, but the hole had widened enough so I could sit on the rock next to it, with my feet on the pond bottom and lean low with my camera. Comparing the photo taken today with one taken on the 5th, it doesn’t look like the beavers are cutting many of the branches under the ice </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlVG5iYXTipCsTzXcv7f9doCBccZ9vZEKvWoqJPbanxHd75J7o3t8u08kQ2wy52DX5ldXVVSZjng2rOcN-BG4xK6b9qCdw7IoadvEjMtuoh9AP44K6j8ortYREwr0QVWm1C16llJ9Ssp2/s1600/underet13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlVG5iYXTipCsTzXcv7f9doCBccZ9vZEKvWoqJPbanxHd75J7o3t8u08kQ2wy52DX5ldXVVSZjng2rOcN-BG4xK6b9qCdw7IoadvEjMtuoh9AP44K6j8ortYREwr0QVWm1C16llJ9Ssp2/s400/underet13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722584075289998642" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p align="CENTER"></p><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1q00G9va93nqOHIcMPrN-_UnsvbLhdOAS11PWIqxXxkT_I9lSU1mbyw8hhcTpr5NPz4V3vR_Y0T8q7vMYd9YVuORuP_fV-WHw0Yz939bi7jvp-N3kLN4sfTE1fp_uuHfDzeSjQuJKIMfJ/s1600/underet5feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1q00G9va93nqOHIcMPrN-_UnsvbLhdOAS11PWIqxXxkT_I9lSU1mbyw8hhcTpr5NPz4V3vR_Y0T8q7vMYd9YVuORuP_fV-WHw0Yz939bi7jvp-N3kLN4sfTE1fp_uuHfDzeSjQuJKIMfJ/s400/underet5feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721814437426400434" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I think the beavers use this area to gnaw on the logs and sticks they bring in from the outside, both from the ridge and on the ice where these branches extend much higher. The bigger logs are on the dirt just to the left of the hole, as I sat looking down on it, but perhaps the beaver has stopped doing that because there didn’t seem to be more logs scattered down there.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcjbB48DdyYi69y2t7dNXTjfnm8dsEYc6GJMeX40BsAnZ3C4O4MG7og48ef4B7_BmbuvgOXD1sBOdZxkU3db7h3GIzYyg96GUfkrMoDu_zAQjMEuJU1F6eKaTzGtxiazMk0zLsPLALv8b/s1600/undereta13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcjbB48DdyYi69y2t7dNXTjfnm8dsEYc6GJMeX40BsAnZ3C4O4MG7og48ef4B7_BmbuvgOXD1sBOdZxkU3db7h3GIzYyg96GUfkrMoDu_zAQjMEuJU1F6eKaTzGtxiazMk0zLsPLALv8b/s400/undereta13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722584109837280050" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Sometimes I use “beaver” and sometimes “beavers” when I describe the activity here. Last winter I saw three beavers on the ice at once. I saw two beavers in the pond at the same time last fall. But I have only seen one beaver at a time this winter. There was a nice beaver trail in the snow curving up the ridge which was a pleasure to follow.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6GTc_nNfH4UWLDr1FpgxzPGdWW4NhrTRS3eqpXO_BMc4ExalVXljMv2G3vwRl6SzDnqYkjv_vsxjTN4Gf8dNfEcpngLwNkVsNZm6sbKUginntHhYTDpOPMC8I02Bi_npepEOVPImoqth/s1600/etbvtr13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6GTc_nNfH4UWLDr1FpgxzPGdWW4NhrTRS3eqpXO_BMc4ExalVXljMv2G3vwRl6SzDnqYkjv_vsxjTN4Gf8dNfEcpngLwNkVsNZm6sbKUginntHhYTDpOPMC8I02Bi_npepEOVPImoqth/s400/etbvtr13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583095695404242" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The main trail went smartly up the ridge toward the red oak they last cut down.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimN0_iCiWn6kaPv8LtFe2Y68wg0C-D6fTq-OHuHrvBvZobf-0ca99QhoZSJSQW6cV8aXw9NVsRZcDPhTHlDraexbmc731xljDgc31CUQHFAkDd9AZ6ATUQMV2f4kmuhna7FdEhx3s4iM-G/s1600/etbvtra13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimN0_iCiWn6kaPv8LtFe2Y68wg0C-D6fTq-OHuHrvBvZobf-0ca99QhoZSJSQW6cV8aXw9NVsRZcDPhTHlDraexbmc731xljDgc31CUQHFAkDd9AZ6ATUQMV2f4kmuhna7FdEhx3s4iM-G/s400/etbvtra13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583097873381970" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>But another trail looped down to the red maple cut down on the pond that is leaning up on the ridge, and continued down to an oak trunk low on the ridge just above the precipice,</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMONsf1K_y0Z88XSVdvW57ZMY0NPhusKO6PG43KtyU3IMjeJweUzg98qBF6Pk1dl2QuDdgStTCP1KoleK8c6UutcMec-TUDE26LkU-rItzavHWrH8BRWVty_dtJilKO-TRRPm2jiueFe_/s1600/etbvtrb13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMONsf1K_y0Z88XSVdvW57ZMY0NPhusKO6PG43KtyU3IMjeJweUzg98qBF6Pk1dl2QuDdgStTCP1KoleK8c6UutcMec-TUDE26LkU-rItzavHWrH8BRWVty_dtJilKO-TRRPm2jiueFe_/s400/etbvtrb13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583109334716034" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Then it half circled the big white oak trunk that the beavers had girdled and took a few gnaws out of it.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgs3NpdYDf36GVjc5ZZK0NaxUzbESCb9W34qTTdNsW9sF1Qj5FkIGb6zRjv_98ggCW81mmXNQhuyNsI8RpGoebMpcb8YWHH5wtlUfETvgBBdCdq5Wl53Gg1E4JQ4pgy8mJEBRuoe9PICeB/s1600/etgnaw13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgs3NpdYDf36GVjc5ZZK0NaxUzbESCb9W34qTTdNsW9sF1Qj5FkIGb6zRjv_98ggCW81mmXNQhuyNsI8RpGoebMpcb8YWHH5wtlUfETvgBBdCdq5Wl53Gg1E4JQ4pgy8mJEBRuoe9PICeB/s400/etgnaw13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583601497020962" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Then a trail went along the trunk of a red oak cut and mostly stripped.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_-dskimKscb92czOdXG6smvsUbEiW1iba8U9C77DWcRoTDzjrTsCixseOKaC29erBlxIgdSJ9BOLTC39k0oBfWXYyvB_iSa6C6561AsFgubUTMFPjjIjCUDibPHU3p0XCQWMrbr8eCWf/s1600/etbvtrc13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_-dskimKscb92czOdXG6smvsUbEiW1iba8U9C77DWcRoTDzjrTsCixseOKaC29erBlxIgdSJ9BOLTC39k0oBfWXYyvB_iSa6C6561AsFgubUTMFPjjIjCUDibPHU3p0XCQWMrbr8eCWf/s400/etbvtrc13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583112677661298" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I walked along the trunk until I found where the top was not snow covered. I saw fresh wood chips in the snow below there a beaver gnawed.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG42idUUonzx5NL3lf-LztdhZYlTW1LU96d8JwxQJU5CfmzvGo5kOkLkPmHFkMO5cEOVY8tWfRNv08kgeaUBFAyeuTqkpromhNxjFpXsdTzWDoBqViGC1ngLf3VE618k2oSJweyozF79yF/s1600/etgnawa13feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG42idUUonzx5NL3lf-LztdhZYlTW1LU96d8JwxQJU5CfmzvGo5kOkLkPmHFkMO5cEOVY8tWfRNv08kgeaUBFAyeuTqkpromhNxjFpXsdTzWDoBqViGC1ngLf3VE618k2oSJweyozF79yF/s400/etgnawa13feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722583608680814146" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>This hardly seemed meal enough for all the effort. But a little snoop here and a little snoop there, not to mention the fresh air and pleasure of walking in new fallen snow....</p></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN"><p>February 16 the sun was out and temperature just getting above freezing. I was still able to cross South Bay on the ice. I went up to the otter latrine above the entrance to South Bay. When an otter comes to the latrine, it first climbs out of the water up onto a steep rock that gets more or less flat and then there is an apron of moss below a grassy slope that is steep at first and then becomes a gradual incline for 5 yards to a steep rock slope. When otters did a good bit a scatting here after the last snow, I saw several scats on top of the moss apron. Today I saw that the moss surrounded by the scat had a maroon color, not the usual green.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0ZlK5Gu4hvbVyI-qKyhQppcIAq3FkbTrR3lA0Y-1-AkcHlowIwv_gUcsbloDUBKszwolCEpHLAtV9NPkaRJAVxE_-eQxuJe0q0z-j3oxZdZpFxrpCo-iGrmhMtrP_RXZUUVo_xW_A1i3/s1600/sblat16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0ZlK5Gu4hvbVyI-qKyhQppcIAq3FkbTrR3lA0Y-1-AkcHlowIwv_gUcsbloDUBKszwolCEpHLAtV9NPkaRJAVxE_-eQxuJe0q0z-j3oxZdZpFxrpCo-iGrmhMtrP_RXZUUVo_xW_A1i3/s400/sblat16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722585323926713826" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I assume otter urine changed the color of the moss. </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywyDyoGfxt07oXZKXTfWaynGCk-P9cIs5-cqOQ6d_K5wScQ0K7xENDuS6eOxxBe9ZuP4rmqdDFabht0jS0sYtcU0n7UpPmgHHhDotkrsh_yebYUfYEWKMA6RMfqxwQScisCMTRvdNOnm2/s1600/sblatmoss16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywyDyoGfxt07oXZKXTfWaynGCk-P9cIs5-cqOQ6d_K5wScQ0K7xENDuS6eOxxBe9ZuP4rmqdDFabht0jS0sYtcU0n7UpPmgHHhDotkrsh_yebYUfYEWKMA6RMfqxwQScisCMTRvdNOnm2/s400/sblatmoss16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722585350113555122" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Then I looked around the latrine for what might be a new scat. Usually I measure freshness by how wet the scat looks. I didn’t see any typical wet black scats but I did see an array of gray scats, one laced with bits of bone.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5AkrlXWtns-xr0W7va7SvdjB9oHYejM1exr1Jbl3zxLR42aqUFkGM_x9xC_-993m4jw8R_IiogQerVMvFlxRog6Q-sv-jYRpdFD4ralL3thVBpeob-4MVVK6xm9ti5ApdhGayiMb3-lvk/s1600/sbscat16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5AkrlXWtns-xr0W7va7SvdjB9oHYejM1exr1Jbl3zxLR42aqUFkGM_x9xC_-993m4jw8R_IiogQerVMvFlxRog6Q-sv-jYRpdFD4ralL3thVBpeob-4MVVK6xm9ti5ApdhGayiMb3-lvk/s400/sbscat16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722585355313727010" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>However these scats could be older than ones I saw before. They could have been under the snow when I saw the others on the snow. I also saw a beige scat that looked moist, and that I hadn’t seen before, but scats like that typically are slow to age. </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Z3rXJaap__gAoAd0ogltFCIVrnQKGbv8w5c_0EyTRac6EW6HSJRF4TpYebyyPV_OHPlUeQaC_MaLYRAUtIqqkQLs9wssNlJPm81tsUp8bUopUyd84vSpl49HSrGzuK7EY2Z302DBdO73/s1600/sbscata16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Z3rXJaap__gAoAd0ogltFCIVrnQKGbv8w5c_0EyTRac6EW6HSJRF4TpYebyyPV_OHPlUeQaC_MaLYRAUtIqqkQLs9wssNlJPm81tsUp8bUopUyd84vSpl49HSrGzuK7EY2Z302DBdO73/s400/sbscata16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722585358632134530" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The ice that revealed possible otter tracks below the latrine a few days ago had melted. </p><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrnywtenm0bwEt00tViji_DLofv6CS0yjC67xYMfF_oKnGVXR9dpZx8RZcTETd6XK1OQ0gHLfanuJs91AKXYwhIPvmvDHOHc7qVJ-qPpNw_wIFloMiGnv_Z5L6uMCJWhoHhuXRYHeRsgF/s1600/sb16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrnywtenm0bwEt00tViji_DLofv6CS0yjC67xYMfF_oKnGVXR9dpZx8RZcTETd6XK1OQ0gHLfanuJs91AKXYwhIPvmvDHOHc7qVJ-qPpNw_wIFloMiGnv_Z5L6uMCJWhoHhuXRYHeRsgF/s400/sb16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722585035860081570" border="0" /></a><p></p><br /><br /><p>I walked to the new edge of the ice but the warmth has melted the veneer of snow that had been on the new ice in South Bay so there was nothing to reveal tracks and the wind that had broken up the newest ice had pushed waves chewing off the edge of what remains of the ice pack. If otters had surfaced there the evidence has probably been washed away or broken off. </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_CMULsKeQ5b2ABrecyqEG7O01NkHr4LuHWTUW42JIKYMbi5e1OLJ-9sSmNkoG9Hw83Urm4CWA7JjwPpmFdXvfGXFl7t3BB4NdpyaWiIktJhuhtZB5OinMnVo2djcD0XjsCm2O5YBhtRe/s1600/sbicea16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_CMULsKeQ5b2ABrecyqEG7O01NkHr4LuHWTUW42JIKYMbi5e1OLJ-9sSmNkoG9Hw83Urm4CWA7JjwPpmFdXvfGXFl7t3BB4NdpyaWiIktJhuhtZB5OinMnVo2djcD0XjsCm2O5YBhtRe/s400/sbicea16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722585320729255714" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I have been seeing scats along this upper north shore of the bay for years, but I have never seen the otters here and I am not sure how they forage here. While kayaking at dawn I have seen them or heard them along the upper south shore of the bay and then I did not get the impression that the otters fished back in the bay too. Of course, my kayaking by them might have made them shy. There are latrines back in the bay and no doubt otters check in there, but I think the fishing, and crayfish hunting when they are in season, is sufficient at the entrance to the bay just off a strong current that runs from Eel Bay, through the Narrows and into the main channel of the river, though let me be quick to add that I have never seen otters foraging in a way that I could be certain was “off a strong current.” I began thinking about how otters fish the river when I made up bedtime stories for my son 15 years ago. I am still telling myself new stories.Then I went up to check Audubon Pond. The beavers have still not come out from under the ice anywhere. However, the wind has been doing some work for them, blowing down the hickory on the point along the west shore of the pond that the beavers had half cut. </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5zBGtbFUjr6WCGLhpc6wr0gdIWx_JvrD1GWWUd8RxG-Anucsi6HpvewIE786h2CfRSvKSWKT_iSMC63sUM8TBF7jqOpeOjXqp0GdPKpP9jucGvl5sOPIqvEFihggC2rqk_p4PMaChr2q/s1600/aphickory16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5zBGtbFUjr6WCGLhpc6wr0gdIWx_JvrD1GWWUd8RxG-Anucsi6HpvewIE786h2CfRSvKSWKT_iSMC63sUM8TBF7jqOpeOjXqp0GdPKpP9jucGvl5sOPIqvEFihggC2rqk_p4PMaChr2q/s400/aphickory16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722584291588331602" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Then I hurried over to the East Trail Pond staying on park trails until I veered down the little rock lined valley which has become my winter gateway to the pond. Coming down that protected valley keeps me out of the wind so I can scan the pond and see if a beaver or mink is out without my smell alarming them. As usual this winter, no animals were out or about. (The one time a beaver was out on the far ridge, I didn’t see if from the valley and walked around most of the pond without alarming it before I did see it.) I checked the hole the mink had in the ice in front of the burrow on the south shore of the pond. The ice and snow around the hole looked rather used, much more than minks might do.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsuIc6vMEc0hfGeeyHNGGz4X5McuFJH3DlewAMVdB0QBshdQgl0LKteNsjR19D4cksNFHVJE1zUK-SQWCTj4aqk-3Zw3UNdd_pVv6g9U7GCf6QX886nbyCKsBym40qeQGtejH2psTiHNl/s1600/etminkhole16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsuIc6vMEc0hfGeeyHNGGz4X5McuFJH3DlewAMVdB0QBshdQgl0LKteNsjR19D4cksNFHVJE1zUK-SQWCTj4aqk-3Zw3UNdd_pVv6g9U7GCf6QX886nbyCKsBym40qeQGtejH2psTiHNl/s400/etminkhole16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722584551979456274" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I saw some otter prints and then some generous black scats on the snow covered ground next to the hole.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNw0F6YwWwSpVMZDKk_iHtFP37kcX8GzjpZsXDSTt6l3uu0WL5igvgu0swLAzoYz91vGGKrNHTctjnPifFYHxjoao5hE5NEl89Cu8BRteheGyJ2Do4G2LUEZejHd8hiripg_Orb5x9_9N/s1600/etscats16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNw0F6YwWwSpVMZDKk_iHtFP37kcX8GzjpZsXDSTt6l3uu0WL5igvgu0swLAzoYz91vGGKrNHTctjnPifFYHxjoao5hE5NEl89Cu8BRteheGyJ2Do4G2LUEZejHd8hiripg_Orb5x9_9N/s400/etscats16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722584801718579474" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I think the experts say that the all black comes from eating frogs and pollywogs, which makes sense in this case because frogs were plentiful in this pond. The scats were also very big.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAy92HugyTm01A3EtzNeTphJImbeFKpMz-q4UZsSDYGmeA3oL5k7Wi_7X_GTVnLdPAn53HfPDwjkeGo53JT23rzjDTGsoBxTRnmoSLv7olcW9yTmumFuVgIKpCm2n5iibPj1CqFRFn3SJ/s1600/etscat16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAy92HugyTm01A3EtzNeTphJImbeFKpMz-q4UZsSDYGmeA3oL5k7Wi_7X_GTVnLdPAn53HfPDwjkeGo53JT23rzjDTGsoBxTRnmoSLv7olcW9yTmumFuVgIKpCm2n5iibPj1CqFRFn3SJ/s400/etscat16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722584794623712210" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>There were no otter slides leaving the hole. I walked over to the lodge to see if the otter had used the hole beside the lodge, a hole that it may have made. The hole remained covered by what the beaver had pushed over it and by the snow.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCDFWRjXT8h-B7uvzqZiRw28rUWmQsa0yNWOxyNBcatJ2rrjAXtY2g0pcY6vRFJFv-JuLqiV-1fHr7UXdmycB7bzACDtal-fjIPz-QssOoNgGPhyphenhyphendVzmCf5A-UzgqqOM0To73jD11ZbaF/s1600/etldghole16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCDFWRjXT8h-B7uvzqZiRw28rUWmQsa0yNWOxyNBcatJ2rrjAXtY2g0pcY6vRFJFv-JuLqiV-1fHr7UXdmycB7bzACDtal-fjIPz-QssOoNgGPhyphenhyphendVzmCf5A-UzgqqOM0To73jD11ZbaF/s400/etldghole16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722584541386287826" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Down at the dam I didn’t see any scats on the snow. A bit of the slope of the ice from open water to the dam looked gray with use, consistent with an otter going up and down. </p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7GbMACeC5mOHqYbDkYt3ecJb5p8xYTuvkSNBaa4QAfn541_MWQhsgOFlgyIhnB-cn_Ekpmfz0skIXDnHfZb-J5cXo6HvuqdvIa0Vqakbo4Qr3_DNfq9X9aS5TjwhkWhr2JWy4MENR5Dx/s1600/etdamhole16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7GbMACeC5mOHqYbDkYt3ecJb5p8xYTuvkSNBaa4QAfn541_MWQhsgOFlgyIhnB-cn_Ekpmfz0skIXDnHfZb-J5cXo6HvuqdvIa0Vqakbo4Qr3_DNfq9X9aS5TjwhkWhr2JWy4MENR5Dx/s400/etdamhole16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722584532261050162" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I didn’t go up on the dam to see if there were scats there but I assume there are. I walked up pond toward the hole in the ice on the north shore and checked the holes that are opening up in the middle of the pond. I saw a sloppy trail paralleling one crevasse. The prints looked like an otters, and the gait was like an otter‘s.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlNKay-oUlU04B_Ehw4vb0JXVHWzQzlbxprpwNQS6fSOHmkWH1N4YojPuk7mM02ZBnRT8MmzcUYRQa_Bp0uoEJCtGsMrCcUwjo4uCNgelstcY2Y9qFiSgEXuXw3SO5nPyEbK4PwomF4IX/s1600/ettks16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlNKay-oUlU04B_Ehw4vb0JXVHWzQzlbxprpwNQS6fSOHmkWH1N4YojPuk7mM02ZBnRT8MmzcUYRQa_Bp0uoEJCtGsMrCcUwjo4uCNgelstcY2Y9qFiSgEXuXw3SO5nPyEbK4PwomF4IX/s400/ettks16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722584808466307858" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>There was a small spread of scats near the hole.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFrVTTa5mLyL8SYiLXaj6Eq4titaQYhCm_RMMb5wCejSVpeA2Oaj9benzmJyQX3rs01C728u1VN7u3sN-uHFGPSRcUiZxE1eoyLpkTc9WdZGoaZW-N6JvGVtdsHL8KqhI1AvBTo3BPODf_/s1600/etscatsa16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFrVTTa5mLyL8SYiLXaj6Eq4titaQYhCm_RMMb5wCejSVpeA2Oaj9benzmJyQX3rs01C728u1VN7u3sN-uHFGPSRcUiZxE1eoyLpkTc9WdZGoaZW-N6JvGVtdsHL8KqhI1AvBTo3BPODf_/s400/etscatsa16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722584803961071074" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>And away from the hole the prints in the ice and snow became more distinct. The distances between the holes that the otter used seemed to preclude sliding. Otters like to pick up a little speed as they run before they slide on their belly.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3kIiDURErH0yKPNqCKg3oiagX_X1a-iV5GFRXCl7S_1LdK8owNkLYZDXCQenNwmyVhTKHGLEx8AR7MqGxOn2Yl2NoX7jYWusIQ_RVHlwzTB1RXh_cuBJjtVwIwIqE1zNimahDYi1QVy6/s1600/etprints16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3kIiDURErH0yKPNqCKg3oiagX_X1a-iV5GFRXCl7S_1LdK8owNkLYZDXCQenNwmyVhTKHGLEx8AR7MqGxOn2Yl2NoX7jYWusIQ_RVHlwzTB1RXh_cuBJjtVwIwIqE1zNimahDYi1QVy6/s400/etprints16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722584790017995298" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>There were more scats near the hole in the ice, next to a clump of shrubs, that the otter ran to. I’d like to say two otters made all the commotion left on the ice around the hole, but, in my experience, two otters on the ice leave much more commotion.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbXPad0bGeKfLLL7KcEcVTc3jibBIP7N9RTKM14_inJtnG3PMhseRILjjrYiZKvD0OocFu4L5kkAzgHSdTMfc2Ce3ntTXEkZ9Pb3VnwS5vQdlNuTkQb7SrSiircmK4dYpM8RLpioJrWcW1/s1600/eticelat16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbXPad0bGeKfLLL7KcEcVTc3jibBIP7N9RTKM14_inJtnG3PMhseRILjjrYiZKvD0OocFu4L5kkAzgHSdTMfc2Ce3ntTXEkZ9Pb3VnwS5vQdlNuTkQb7SrSiircmK4dYpM8RLpioJrWcW1/s400/eticelat16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722584538128785090" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The hole that the beavers are using to get out from under the ice on the north shore of the pond is almost directly below the rock slope covered with pine straw and moss that was the otters principal latrine during the fall. The snow below part of the latrine and leading to the hole was gray with use, and it looked like the pine straw in the latrine had been scraped up again. But I didn’t see any scats in the latrine or on the ice.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcNBP1sjZ2Fbi3jA1scEwLWu5j0KWo9u2W67x13DEggaLdG9Fc_K5hnUC0KkE3J1sC_MxksOx0jVY-SMa72POJT5Pw4JFPKlrFZS9soHBKgnHl81NT6_7B3OLh9B4ZwMaE_MJH5EUCVyn/s1600/etbvhole16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcNBP1sjZ2Fbi3jA1scEwLWu5j0KWo9u2W67x13DEggaLdG9Fc_K5hnUC0KkE3J1sC_MxksOx0jVY-SMa72POJT5Pw4JFPKlrFZS9soHBKgnHl81NT6_7B3OLh9B4ZwMaE_MJH5EUCVyn/s400/etbvhole16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722584300380566226" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The prints I could distinguish around the hole were left by a beaver coming out to nip a small branch.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisw4XZ9S-Mfy7MUp2iLOAp3UOY_S9VisozFEpr2GuYXqIVAvbGYnC0G7oJ3Oe7RjmaUfALTJOn1xrLaTEnVydGFRHayBGJe1buTiYdJeePVBLJAY4wDrtCoP1Gdd78e7FY70JhTrO_zJ7B/s1600/etbvtks16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisw4XZ9S-Mfy7MUp2iLOAp3UOY_S9VisozFEpr2GuYXqIVAvbGYnC0G7oJ3Oe7RjmaUfALTJOn1xrLaTEnVydGFRHayBGJe1buTiYdJeePVBLJAY4wDrtCoP1Gdd78e7FY70JhTrO_zJ7B/s400/etbvtks16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722584310119941266" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I took my usual photos of the hole. I confess to being inordinately fascinated by a hole in the ice. However it is getting more difficult to tell what is old nibbling and what I haven't seen before.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE09Q8OnW26Mr6ckYtk-gx-qbySfRPYtp81rXa0_7pM_3EXGr62Kz3LWmpf7vkQh6nt_wI2EMfa82JLkG7SFYrcJbKRqk8miFk10MWzSw-1UFt1L_bhXNfOaASKjj5rcGXKii1Xg0q_f7d/s1600/etbvholea16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE09Q8OnW26Mr6ckYtk-gx-qbySfRPYtp81rXa0_7pM_3EXGr62Kz3LWmpf7vkQh6nt_wI2EMfa82JLkG7SFYrcJbKRqk8miFk10MWzSw-1UFt1L_bhXNfOaASKjj5rcGXKii1Xg0q_f7d/s400/etbvholea16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722584307104146322" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Judging from the photos I’ve taken under the ice, the beaver has added another stick, a thin one as yet mostly unstripped, to the pile of logs and sticks it has collected under the ice.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9Y2wko9-w3dkKxVWeAsMIy_rPBI-ZLVd62-7ZliiQGHgtCM7DFmpL3JfeTmJ7cYuekYd4Lt0AUemjfqn9HMKQdtr3Vsc5RkPWmqv9cGLiiB2qnrQ_WpXfdmVXvXxA_udn4a4v9T2acHr/s1600/underet16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9Y2wko9-w3dkKxVWeAsMIy_rPBI-ZLVd62-7ZliiQGHgtCM7DFmpL3JfeTmJ7cYuekYd4Lt0AUemjfqn9HMKQdtr3Vsc5RkPWmqv9cGLiiB2qnrQ_WpXfdmVXvXxA_udn4a4v9T2acHr/s400/underet16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722585538277322802" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Looking up pond I noticed some new nibbling up in that direction.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrE5LtuHCMiu3ndWtdPhRFhHmzjBRo0KTYFLSAUjFy5q4Xd8ZuUgMAi0LNm4vR35yDL0xoOEljI8_ABxcpxGfAZ7CHi5gBf9NqME7HFzcQiSZA7qEvAqdHcZMw2-r-sBasDaDCah6v_0i/s1600/undereta16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrE5LtuHCMiu3ndWtdPhRFhHmzjBRo0KTYFLSAUjFy5q4Xd8ZuUgMAi0LNm4vR35yDL0xoOEljI8_ABxcpxGfAZ7CHi5gBf9NqME7HFzcQiSZA7qEvAqdHcZMw2-r-sBasDaDCah6v_0i/s400/undereta16feb12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727935671192789362" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>All very interesting, but my mind was pulsing to figure out what the otter has been up to. There were no signs that it had been under the ice there, save that there was some open water which a foraging otter could have kept open. I saw otter tracks coming into the pond on January 23 and haven’t seen any leave the pond since then. However, this has been a bad year for tracking. And I have seen otter signs in South Bay which is not far away. On February 7 after I had seen a beaver and a mink, I thought I twice heard otter snorts. But between January 23 and February 7, I didn’t see any otter signs here and until today I have not seen any otter signs since February 7. I have tracked otters to ponds before and had to wait for several days to see evidence of them coming out on the pond, and that was a family of otters. It is certainly possible for a single otter to lay low for three weeks, and with such poor foraging opportunities at the Big Pond, Lost Swamp Pond and Second Swamp Pond, it makes sense that an otter would stay here. So I think an otter has been under the ice all this time, but time will tell. Maybe I’ll see evidence of one otter in those other ponds; maybe I’ll see evidence of one otter coming out of this pond; maybe I’ll see evidence of an otter going back and forth between this pond and South Bay. So far no otter signs on or around South Bay have pointed to any otter coming here. I went up the ridge to see what the beaver has been cutting. The now and then, with a February 5, photo of the red oak the beaver last cut shows how thoroughly the beaver subdued that tree.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabumSDcXWhxKaEpCVoUyvyKlj96sFjgfnhUjYXE9QKLINiKbhdGZz9fvENZxZnNAcRgXC3PkBnbIjAB_8_VE7wtN1qHMmlwQi3Rlt8c9109A6FVI69KrZV1rJTZNcs59pvtoqrSUxgIPf/s1600/etwka5feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabumSDcXWhxKaEpCVoUyvyKlj96sFjgfnhUjYXE9QKLINiKbhdGZz9fvENZxZnNAcRgXC3PkBnbIjAB_8_VE7wtN1qHMmlwQi3Rlt8c9109A6FVI69KrZV1rJTZNcs59pvtoqrSUxgIPf/s400/etwka5feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721813694604692226" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p align="CENTER"></p><br /><p align="CENTER"></p><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSV87QGyC0EDw6p0p1W2J4v3hGpJe4fLKib92FpJZW_w851RMDpyeQMxUJZDVhJXGgwWpsCYs1aGXBvUpGff5mdaaWG0JoAVej4VstuWfZMgFB_aXHakhooXZY4hCHJoaxx5YzvxjbES4/s1600/etwk16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSV87QGyC0EDw6p0p1W2J4v3hGpJe4fLKib92FpJZW_w851RMDpyeQMxUJZDVhJXGgwWpsCYs1aGXBvUpGff5mdaaWG0JoAVej4VstuWfZMgFB_aXHakhooXZY4hCHJoaxx5YzvxjbES4/s400/etwk16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722585020363385362" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>The red oak it cut down before that one has been trimmed of branches but the trunk bark has not been gnawed, and there is still a bit of bark on the red oak it cut before that one.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxzPosIb2mTiZTCvcqU3Dg6DfdMdHCawRchVbUG1M9dVCst_5pJt8OxmqOVccxwHw18WLDaWWTFDWnH-WE7cFj7N0HLldNNnWfvkEsauBDIV5ou5NqX0k9i8GLF9IGJYqo5I-gW9swZ6g/s1600/etwka16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxzPosIb2mTiZTCvcqU3Dg6DfdMdHCawRchVbUG1M9dVCst_5pJt8OxmqOVccxwHw18WLDaWWTFDWnH-WE7cFj7N0HLldNNnWfvkEsauBDIV5ou5NqX0k9i8GLF9IGJYqo5I-gW9swZ6g/s400/etwka16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722585023427046834" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>I headed home via the other ponds just to make sure that no otter had been there. I found all three ponds as quiet as usual. With the snow gone at the Lost Swamp Pond latrine, I could see the old otter scats. Unfortunately it is difficult to judge the age of otter scats in the winter. The ones I saw today could easily be over a month old. The other poop there had been left by a coyote.</p><br /><br /><p align="CENTER"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoO4e1vmCan6zHNAy8T6M7pf6fMgdgX23B3T4Rk8EdhxhFd3uhyphenhyphen2mUtaPMJwNz0zm41n4UW5-dwwoW9h41EiIaMWhFkkUJ4yrGNyQXyshtSZyC4EyqAXZ8rBaDzZQP6N0iP3HW7jCvoxA/s1600/lspoops16feb12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoO4e1vmCan6zHNAy8T6M7pf6fMgdgX23B3T4Rk8EdhxhFd3uhyphenhyphen2mUtaPMJwNz0zm41n4UW5-dwwoW9h41EiIaMWhFkkUJ4yrGNyQXyshtSZyC4EyqAXZ8rBaDzZQP6N0iP3HW7jCvoxA/s400/lspoops16feb12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722585030424242578" border="0" /></a></p></span></span>Bob Arnebeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15893961792819124892noreply@blogger.com0