Isabelle and I went to the trailcam, Sun., March 31st, just before they went home, and down there we noticed the pileated woodpecker had been busy. I went back.
You can see in the first photo, above, that the shoreline has begun to melt. I went back on Monday, and it had refrozen overnight. Funnily, a weather page said -5 ˚ C., the Weather network said -1 ˚, but it was -8 ˚ C.
The ice was beautiful!
I managed to find a spot where I could cross to the base of the tree. This gives you an idea of the size of the hole. That's a lot of sawdust.
In case you've forgotten, here is a pileated woodpecker (Feb., 2018). They are beautiful. I have heard them calling in the forest. Its long tongue wraps back behind its brain to protect it as it smashes into the bark.
This is where I crossed to the base of the tree, the tree is in shadow. It is a bit iffy, as you can see. I trod carefully.
There were friends in the forest overnight. Raccoons, fisher, coyote tracks.
The moss has frozen overnight, still a bright green.
This is my favourite tree! It's an old white pine, and it has lost a lot of limbs.
The trailcams provided the evidence. Doe, a deer, April 1st.
March 29, 11:30 in the morning, I got a coyote butt! This was prior to the melt.
For this reason, I moved the camera to a tree opposite this position. They came by, again, in the night. In the next photo, you can see coyote #2's eyes on the far right! It followed its buddy across the path of the camera.
Finally, the mystery. I opened the metal garbage can that holds the bird seed. Lo, and behold a mouse. It did not budge. I picked it up by the tail, and it was dead. I put its little body on one of the garden flagstones. Later that day it was gone. I was sure it was rigor mortis, but who knows??!!
Also, Maggie.
Maggie, the dear deer
Maggie, the dear deer – Dec. 2016
Maggie: Broken-legged deer video – April, 2017
JB talks to her. – Nov. 28, 2018
Video: March 16, 2019
This video is about Maggie deer April 4, 2019.
