When conditions are right, spotting animal tracks becomes much easier. Wet sand or mud and fresh fallen snow are two of the best surfaces for capturing imprints. While some parts of New England received a foot or more of snow over the last day or two, here in Bourne we only received about 2 or 3 inches. With snow, less is often more when it comes to studying animal tracks. This morning, when I left the house for work, the…
North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) can be found anywhere there is a permanent food supply and easy access to water, and are common in both fresh and coastal waterways across Massachusetts. Thanks to their well adapted body design, including webbed feet, a streamlined body, a thick muscular tail, and a dense coat of fur, otters are accomplished swimmers and underwater hunters. Small fish make up the bulk of a river otter’s diet throughout the year, but they will also…
Thoughts of salt marsh wildlife typically evoke images of great blue herons, ospreys, hermit crabs and various species of fish. Seldom due people consider the mammals that inhabit a salt marsh, particularly during low tide when the exposed marsh platform and mud flats provide considerable opportunities for foraging, but many mammals do regularly utilize these habitats for foraging, including raccoons. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are found everywhere in Massachusetts, except on Nantucket. Although we’re all familiar with raccoons’ reputation as masked…
Despite the occurrence of the vernal equinox tomorrow, it’s looking very un-spring-like outside these days – three nor’easters in three weeks and another one forecasted for Wednesday! While I am immensely looking forward to returning ospreys, blooming flowers, and green leaves on the trees, I also appreciate the insight snow can give us into animal presence and behavior. Previous posts have highlighted mammal sign left in fresh snow, including eastern cottontail and mouse tracks, as well as other sign left…
Although black bears (Ursus americanus) spend the winter hibernating in New England, there are still opportunities to find signs of bear activity from previous seasons or previous years. For example, on a recent walk in Asheville, MA with naturalist and tracker Kathy Dean, we found a tree sprinkled with claw marks. Discovering a tree marked by a black bear climbing activity is not uncommon, since these animals are known to forage in oak trees for acorns, in beech trees for…