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. From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail 2-24-09, Pond trail, young male Red Fox, 1:21 a.m. From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail 2-24-09, Pond trail, female Gray Fox, 5:31 a.m. From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail 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 From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail 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) From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat 2-24-09, female Gray Fox tracks, showing hind foot stepping slightly to the outside to account for wider hips From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat 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. From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat then went up the hill where she must have circled around to come out by our kitchen From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat 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

I haven't seen any this year here in Plymouth, MA but I just checked eBird for May 2013 in Massachusetts and there are a lot of reports. I checked the Birds of North America Online site and they say: "Also breeds very sporadically and locally (usually after major winter irruptions) south to se. Massachusetts (Veit and Petersen 1993)..." Maybe they'll breed in your area! Claire

i live in the foothills outside of Durango Colorado about 7,000 foot elevation. Most years the siskins stay up in the mountains from spring thru fall and come down to here in the snowy coldest parts of winter. but last two years there are some that stay year around and nest close by and fledged broods this spring. and then there were several large flocks that showed up in the winter and stayed till spring. we do get snow cover on the ground that stays most of Dec. Jan and Feb. and then snow showers up till late march. most local birders say they see them in the pines and spruce and aspen forests in good weather but here i have Juniper and Pinyon and oak brush And they seem to adapt to it here. i put out the small millet seed for the house and gold finches and the siskins eat along with them

i'll reply to myself so it will start down the list