Nice photos!

Thanks..

Yikes! The bird frenzy at the feeders didn't go unnoticed;
I just heard a crash as a Sharp-shinned Hawk hit the window glass. It rested a moment in the Tulip Poplar tree before flying off, a little unsteadily

Cool that you had so many! Coincidentally, I had some pine siskins in my yard yesterday too, but the frenzy was mostly goldfinches. I think there were maybe 4 or 5 siskins, but tons of goldfinches. Still, it was cool to have a new yard bird.

I love your trail cam. Thanks for posting more photos.
Robin

You have some really exiting pictures to share...thanks for posting!

Konrad

Thanks! Nothing much last night

2-23-09, wild turkey hen, 9:42 a.m

2-23-09, young female coyote, 4:14 a.m.

Great pictures,Rachel.I also saw pine siskins yesterday feeding here in Mass with the goldfinch.I did notice that your goldfinch are more yellow than they are here at this point.Love all your pictures and your description of it all.Enjoy it all......Jane

With the Cuddeback camera, every morning seems like Christmas..I can hardly wait to see what I have!

Last night's photos:

2-23-09, Pond trail, female Gray Fox, 9:26 p.m.

2-24-09, Pond trail, young male Red Fox, 1:21 a.m.

2-24-09, Pond trail, female Gray Fox, 5:31 a.m.

I took photos of the jumble of tracks in front of the Cuddeback camera to establish the genders of the foxes in the photos

2-24-09, mixed fox tracks; Round-toed Gray Fox below, triangular Red Fox tracks above

2-24-09, Red Fox tracks, showing slight inner step with hind foot, showing him to be a young male (male's shoulders are wider than female's, so the hind foot, which lands on top of the front foot track, tracks slightly to the inside)

2-24-09, female Gray Fox tracks, showing hind foot stepping slightly to the outside to account for wider hips

The young female coyote's tracks came down the hill behind the horse shed by the kitchen, then trotted up the pond trail to the first corner before cutting off through the woods.

I followed the male Red Fox's tracks further down the logging road until the young female coyote's tracks reappeared on the logging road further back on our property. A male coyote's tracks from the day before came down the hill and onto the logging road at a track "intersection"-another great spot for a Cuddeback camera.

I followed the female coyote's tracks until she turned off the trail, straight down the hill, then I circled my land and found where she crossed a log high above the creek gully onto the property in the first place.

then went up the hill where she must have circled around to come out by our kitchen

I even slithered down a steep, snowy hillside, hanging onto shrubs high above the creek, carrying my expensive camera, to investigate a den in the side of the mountain, but only a squirrel's tracks were near the entrance.

For three hours I tramped around our property writing down track and stride measurements, taking hundreds of track photos, etc.
I'm really nosy like that; I told DuBois that if the animals were humans they'd have a restraining order on me for stalking and photographing them.

To get back on the forum subject (I really should find a wildlife forum for these photos)-despite 17 degrees this morning, the Red-Shouldered Hawk is yelping again to declare his territory, Cardinals have started their "cheer, cheer!"s, Titmice have begun their "Peter-peters" and even the Carolina Chickadees are doing "see-bee, see bay"s now.

So, ready or not, spring is coming

Hi Rachel and all,

Some years ago I followed some tracks of raccoons, wisels, deers, with a compass to show those tracks on a maps.

I am sometime thinking to do it again this time using gps but the week end seem always too short.

Fortunately I can read your interesting stories.

Luc

I waaaaannnnt turkeys! I'm envious.

Yes, I love turkeys. I've fully embraced my inner dork, it's okay.

nice series rachel. love that titmouse shot. your trail cam shots are cool also.

The trail cam photos surprised me-I thought I'd see the same animals at the same time night after night but, besides the coyote and male fox, that hasn't happened.
Yesterday's photos:

Rachel taking photos of fox tracks

2-24-09, striped skunk, 7:06 p.m.

2-24-09, Red Fox vixen (note lighter legs, wider hips than male), 9:55 p.m.

It would be great if I could find their den and put a camera nearby. I guess we'd need more snow so I can follow their tracks to it, but I also want it warmer so I can watch the Woodcock aerial mating displays tonight at the very top of the mountain.

I wish I knew what kind of camera to use to capture the displays. I could use flash when they land, but my Canon 40D refuses to focus unless there is enough light, and I can't see well enough in the dark to focus it manually.

Rachel, WOW, what great photos! Your trail cam is fascinating!

I'd never seen a Pine Siskin till this year and, oh boy, I am loaded with them and really enjoying the first time lifers for me. Not sure my Am. Goldfinches are as excited by this Siskin invasion as I am. :D

Love your trail cam! How cool to see the animals going about their "natural" activities.

I've got lots of Siskins too, usually between 25 and 50 on a given day. The Goldfinches and House Finches are way outnumbered, but they manage to get a few seeds in edgewise.

With rising temperatures my Siskins and Goldfinches are about even in number right now.

I was going to watch the Woodcock aerial displays last night on the very top of the mountain but came across some 4" long x 4 1/4" wide tracks with a 27 1/2" stride a few yards back of the Cuddeback camera.

I circled the pond and found many tracks, including tapered 5-inch scat wrapped in hair next to 4 X 4 1/4 inch tracks, all of which I photographed next to a tape measure to show size. Then I sent the photos to the only two "ask the expert" websites I could find online. In the meantime I googled jaguar/cougar comparison websites and found a match with a jaguar print and scat (see my "Yikes, 'Bigfoot' is back" post from yesterday for photos)

Whatever it is, it seems aware of and avoids the Cuddeback camera-at least, so far. But it doesn't seem dangerous..I don't think..at least, it's been around at least a year and I'm still here. Well, it was raining this morning but as soon as it clears, I'm heading up to the hayfield on top of the mountain to see the Woodcock displays

Here are Cuddeback photos from last night

2-25-09, doe, 7:26 p.m.

Same doe, 7:27 p.m.

Same skunk as the night before

2-26-09, Striped Skunk, 6:08 a.m.

Now that I'm aware of it, I found its scat everywhere around the pond area.

In fact, since finding the huge round tracks, I've been nervously scanning the ground for tracks more than I scan the trees for birds.

I even found one of the huge round tracks a few yards up the logging trail from our horse shed, so whatever it is, it's been around.

Last night the dogs went crazy barking, so I dashed to the window and listened carefully. I could hear what I presumed to be the young coyote trotting up the logging road just outside our window, past the dog yard. When snow was on the ground, I found that she routinely takes that route.

Big round tracks or not, I still plan to watch the Woodcocks when the weather clears. I just don't know how to photograph them since they only display after sundown and just before sunrise when its too dark for my Canon EOS 40D to auto focus. I wish I knew what camera to put on my wish list..or maybe its not yet been invented?

AAKK!-another hawk strike.
I just heard a small thump on the window glass, quickly follow by a window-shaking crash. I just glimpsed a huge gray barred wing flashing in the window-possibly a Cooper Hawk, but by the time I dashed over there, there were no birds to be seen anywhere.

I have plenty of cover here, but the hawks are getting bolder