Foxes are monogamous...

So, it seems that everywhere I have put the camera in Cromwell Valley Park, I get a picture of a fox. This
led me to wonder how many there might be in the park. Great question, isn't it? Turns out the best answer I can find is something like "it depends".

Apparently, their range varies with food availability, and tends to grow in the winter.  Some sources say that their territories can overlap, although the den areas never do They do travel. One source says that daily travel of over six miles is not uncommon.

I surmise that food is plentiful in Cromwell Valley as there seem to be a lot of fox in the neighborhood.

Meanwhile...we seem to be at the peak of the white tail rutting season. See, http://www.fieldandstream.com/rut-report.

Or see this picture. This guy is after something, isn't he? By the way, be careful driving. The deer are running around everywhere And they aren't paying attention to cars.






The beaver activity seems to be increasing. That is to be expected. Both dams are being built up, and the underwater food cache is growing. Winter is coming, and our favorite rodent knows it.

In this picture, you can see the beaver carrying food into the stream, preparing for winter.








More pictures are below. I hope you enjoy them.

More later.

Great day yesterday.

So,  three weeks a go I thought I would place the camera overlooking a field below the Sherwood Farm. It turns out that I picked one place in the park that has no wildlife. In all that time, the camera picked up one deer--and nothing else.

Good day though, anyway.

I went to see the progress the beaver was making on its new dam. As I was standing there, I heard a small plop in the water.

Seconds later, the beaver appeared. It swam to and fro for several minutes, before going back to hide somewhere. This was just before 1:00 pm. It's pretty rare that beavers come out in the daytime. I don't know if it is significant that this one did, or just a random event.

Either way, I was glad to see it.

Enjoy the pictures.

More later.

The beaver is still there

So, the repaired camera came back from the vendor this week. I cannot say enough about the prompt and fast service from www.trailcampro.com. They rock.

I looked around for a new place for the camera and decided to see what is to be seen in an open field. So this is the view from the current camera placement.  I've never put the camera in such an open place. Let's hope we find something. Stay tuned.








Then I decided to poke around the recently storm-destroyed dam. I was decided to see that the beaver is still in Minebank Run, just a little further upstream.

This time, our rodent friend has built two dams, perhaps 30 yards apart.

Upstream from the two dams is a pool where it has started its winter food cache.

I also saw what I believe is the start of the bank den.

And look at the way it's eating the bark off this big tree.
After taking this photograph, I noticed the same thing done to another tree. Both trees are over 2 feet in diameter. It's hard to imagine that the beaver can cut them down. Time will tell.







More later.

The dam and the camera are both broken.

the dam. Friday 11 October 2013, 11:41.

I checked the dam twice during our recent deluge.

Once on Friday morning.

You can see that the water is already over the top of the dam, and going around it on both sides. Really, I was surprised to see it still standing.

the dam. Monday 14 October 2013. 14:40.

By Monday the 14th, It was breached.

You can see that about half of the dam has been washed downstream.

I'll keep an eye on this to see if the beavers decide to move on.









Meanwhile, back on top of the hill....
I got some videos of the animals that I'll post here. I think I've proven over the last few weeks that there are fox, deer, squirrels, and raccoon up there. Not to mention a dangling leaf. So, I'm going to move the camera to somewhere else in the park--just don't know where. And not until I get it repaired.

 More later.

If there's no water in it, is it still a stream?

So, I had a chance to visit the camera yesterday.

 I thought I had it set up with a nice view through some relatively open woods. I expected to get quite a few interesting pictures.


Well....







I was wrong.

I got a nice deer, a fox, and just a few squirrels.
This may be a camera placement problem, or perhaps seasonal change in behavior. Perhaps the animals are moving downhill for some reason?

The camera is still in the same area, but oriented differently. The next visit may reveal some answers.















Meanwhile, back at the dam....

The beaver has certainly been at work.

the dam. 1 Oct 2013.

You can see that the dam is larger than it was when I last saw it. And in the photographs below, what I think is the first of its winter food cache, secreted in the new pond.

And another fascinating observation. You can see that there is water in Minebank run where the beaver dam is. About 500 yards downstream from that, where second dam was destroyed completely by flooding, there is no water in the channel.

Another 400 yards downstream there's water again. Go figure.

I've read some reports about the restoration efforts on Minebank Run and haven't found any references to springs feeding the stream. That seems a likely explanation, though. I know that there are springs in the area.


More later.

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.