Special Edition, from the Engineering Department

Hi,

I thought this was a very well written article that you all might enjoy.

http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2013/09/wildlife-architecture-building-beaver-lodge.html?utm_source=Adirondack+Explorer+%26+Adirondack+Almanack&utm_campaign=f55155da8e-Adirondack_Almanack_RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b49eb0d11b-f55155da8e-24952033

More later.

Blobsquatch! on camera!

So.... I went to visit the camera today.

The first thing I noticed is that the beaver(s) are still active, and building a new dam. it's interesting to me that so far, the dam is built with recycled lumber. None of the sticks used so far seem to be trees cut down by the beaver, but rather old lumber used for the dam.

I'll keep an eye on this.

Second thing I noticed is the Hawk Watch. 

The crew was out today, and a beautiful day it was. Cromwell Valley Park is on a major hawk migration route. http://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=621

When I stopped by today, about 2:30 pm, they had already seen about 500 hawks, and more than one eagle.

Wow.

The migration is not over yet, and all are welcome to enjoy one of nature's great sights.

The hawkwatchers are splendid people, and friendly. 

Please stop by. They'll be delighted to share their knoowledge, and you'll have a great day.

Meanwhile, back at the camera site. 

The camera has been set to record video since my last visit. Below, you'll find several videos. I noticed something interesting in the current camera location. While I recorded several videos, almost none were during daylight hours. The camera is set at the highest point in the park, in a forest with oaks and other trees.

Acorns, as you may know, are a major food source for deer, squirrels, some birds, and other animals. 

So I expected to see more daytime activity. But almost everything the camera recorded was at night.  Perhaps, the animals are closer to water during the day? 

I got several videos that I have posted below. I enjoyed the one of some animal investigating/attacking the camera in detail. It's the first one below.

This one may be Sasquatch, (or Blobsquatch).

More later.

An Eastern Box Turtle was waiting to greet me....

When I checked on the camera Saturday, I was delighted to see this handsome turtle waiting patiently, enjoying the view. It didn't move all the while that I was adjusting the camera, and didn't even tuck inside its shell. That surprised me.

I might add that this turtle was pretty far from water. You may recall that I have the camera on the highest point in the park, on the top of a ridge about 260 feet above the Loch Raven Reservoir, and Minebank Run, where the beaver lived last year.


Also hanging around was this caterpillar. It was on the back of a small sign that I post next to the camera, explaining what it is. I'm bad at caterpillars, and would be happy to have one of you tell me what it is.

Please.












And what, you're probably asking, was caught on camera this week?

The usual, I dare say.



 I'm not sure what bird we have here.

 Right now, these two are getting along. But soon they will be fighting over the does, won't they?

 These are beautiful animals, aren't they?

 The Ridgelys of Hampton (www.nps.gov/hamp) used to keep squirrels as pets. They even put leashes on them.

And on the way back to me car, I happened to look over this bridge. See a brown squiggle on the right side of the pool? It looks like it could be a stick, perhaps. It isn't. It's a Northern water snake.


That makes the total for this week:

1. deer
2. fox
3. squirrel
4. bird
5. snake
6. caterpillar
7. raccoon
8. turtle

More later.

Cue Timon, Cue Simba, bring in Rafiki--it's the circle of life....

So, like the Car Talk Puzzler, the blog has been on summer vacation. But we are now back to work.

I have two things to offer with this entry. Some new pictures and an interesting beaver update.

After the beavers were flooded out, I decided to take the camera uphill to see what might be seen. Below are some pictures from that.

Meanwhile, new beavers were seen in the park. A small start of a dam was seen upstream from any earlier sightings. Today, I had a chance to explore, so I determined to go and see what that new dam looks like. I started about 50 yards upstream from the old dam and walked. I walked through water, and sand, and, and, and, found nothing.

That's not really true.

I found a turtle.

And a Great blue heron. (It's in the center background, trust me.)
















And a really cool looking dragonfly.


















And a deer.




















And proof that a fox has been around.



















And I found that my boots and socks and pants were very wet.












All in all, a good Thoreau kind 0f saunter.

But I did not find any sign of beaver. So, I turned around and went back upstream. I decided to go all the way upstream to where the beaver was firs seen about a year ago; just to see what was to be seen.

I saw the original beaver den. It was built pretty well and is still there. It's probably home to another animal.
















A few yards upstream, just where the old dam was--you'll never guess what I saw.

Wait for it.

Can you guess?

the dam. 21 August 2013.

Yep. The beginnings of a new dam, just where the old one was.

And just about a year after the old one started.

Another year--another cycle.

Fascinating.








Other notes. As you can see from the pictures below, the deer are forming new antlers. Fall, and the rut, are coming soon.

I don't plan to keep the camera on the beaver this time. I am looking to the hills this fall and winter, so have decided to keep the cameras at higher elevations. It'll be fun to see what is up there.

More later.

Activity at another watering hole

I decided to move the camera uphill to see what there is to see. I found a small stream that flows down to Minebank Run.  I placed the camera next to a small animal trail that crosses the stream.

Herewith, a review of the animals follow that trail.

The raccoon was a common sight. I found several pictures of it hunting for food.

It probably goes without saying that a deer walked in front of the camera. Sometime in the future, I hope to look at deer, and their effects on the environment.

The fox was another animal that came to the stream several times over the last few days. If you look closely at the first two photographs, you'll see an animal in this fox's mouth. Probably a dead rabbit. Perhaps being brought home to feed the children.

Birds also need to drink too, don't they?
Do you have a birdbath in your yard?









And, finally, people and their best friends. The park is for them too.

And we will  finish with an interesting tidbit. If you look at this last photo, you might notice that the camera switched to black and white. The forest floor is actually darker in the summer than the winter. This is due to the heavy leaf cover from the trees.

Where's Waldo?, the Cromwell Valley Park version

So, it appears than the beavers, like Elvis, have left the park. I expect that one will venture back sometime in the future, but for now the park is bereft of beavers.

I have decided to lift my camera up to the hills, and to explore what may be seen there. With the help of my son, I placed to camera along a deer trail. After about a week I had a chance to retrieve it a and check to photos.  Turns out some animals can be pretty hard to pick out of the background. It certainly was fun, though, looking closely to see what tripped the camera.

Take a look at the pictures below and see how you do. Each has a mammal in it. Some, though are pretty hard to identify. I really don't know for sure what a couple of them are. Do you?

More later.

Back in business

washed downstream.

Remember that flood? I had a a chance today to take a good look at Minebank Run. Among other
things, I found this tree. It used to be part of the beaver's den, but was washed about 30 meters downstream. Man, that was a lot of water.








I am happy to report that the ruined camera has been replaced as an early birthday present. I might also take the opportunity to compliment www.trailcampro.com. They are a great outfit, with splendid customer service.

The camera is in the park. Who knows what we might find? (Personally, I'm still hoping for sasquatch.)

More later.