View of Wacouta from the top of Rattlesnake Bluff
Despite the fact that we had a string of 8 days the last part of January where high temperatures each day were at or near 40 degrees, winter and a snowy landscape are still the rule of the day. If Mr. Groundhog has anything to say about the situation, we are still in for at least six more weeks of winter.
Ski Tracks across Wacouta Pond
With the recent warm weather and and freezing rain, the snow that we still have is very compacted. The little skiff of snow that we received two nights ago has made for ideal cross country skiing in the Wacouta area. Skiing from one end of Wacouta Pond was quite exhilarating and gives one a new perspective of the pond.
Coyote tracks crossing Wacouta Pond
After dark these days, there is a flurry of activity in our area of various wildlife in search of nourishment. I have encountered tracks of deer, cottontail rabbits, fox. coyotes and mink in the past couple days. With warmer weather in the near future, it won't be long before skunks and raccoon will be on the prowl as well.
Backyard Weather Stick
In the last post, I had a photo of our backyard weather stick responding to humid conditions of a low pressure system. This photo demonstrates how the stick changes in clear weather of a high pressure system.
Eastern Screech Owl
In the late afternoon of January 25th, I glanced down to see an eastern screech owl occupying the entrance of one of our wood duck nesting boxes. It rekindled a very clear memory of several years ago of our next door neighbor. In mid- February, he was going to clean out his wood duck box and get it ready for the ducks that start arriving with March weather. As he was about to open the box, a screech owl poked it's head out. Not wanting to disrupt the nesting owl, our neighbor delayed the box cleaning effort for a few weeks. In the meantime, he observed a gradual decline in the number of cardinals that were coming to his feeders. Finally, he cautiously opened the box to discover about 4 inches of cardinal feathers in the box.
Blue Jay feathers at the bottom of the Wood Duck Box
Not wanting a repeat performance of my neighbor's experience, we kept a close eye on the wood duck box. After not observing any activity for the next three evenings, I went down to check things out. Upon opening the box, I discovered quite a collection of blue jay feathers. Evidently, screech owls are not real fussy where there next meal comes from.
Cardinal Feathers in the bottom of the Wood Duck Box
After discovering evidence of screech owl activity in wood duck box # 1, I thought I might as well see what was going on in box # 2. As you can see, the bottom of the box was lined with female cardinal feathers and a large beak. In visiting with Lyle Bradley, a good friend and avid birder I was informed that unless cardinals can find thick heavy cover to roost in they are easy prey for night hunting screech owls. I guess we are having a golden opportunity to observe the "circle of life.".