mondhasen

Or Martes pennanti

We saw a medium-sized Fisher Cat while driving to town Saturday morning at about 6:30 AM. It was crossing the road down by the high school, about 2, 2 1/2 miles from here, taking a path beneath the high tension power lines that I've seen the deer follow over the years. The animal was beautiful, stunning even, with its mostly deep brown coat with lighter front highlights. And it loped along so fluidly, like its otter cousins, that I just had to smile at its majestic countenance: one forgets how vicious these are!

Web photo

I saw what looked like fisher prints in the back yard recently, judging by the size and pattern. I've seen them near the house, never threatening but just wandering through. We had one attack one of the dogs several years ago (to be fair, the dog went after the critter first): The cat took off and the dog came away with just a few stitches required!

The bunny reappeared in her form this morning after going missing all day Thursday. Surprisingly she preened a hind foot while I watched, even though she knew I was about. She was settling in a bit the second time I came 'round, and blissfully ignored me even then: she's grown used to me perhaps :o)

I tossed some grapes over the fence further up from her home but on a route she uses to traverse the yard there. Maybe she'll eat them before the birds get them.

I'm glad she's back, too. We had hellacious rains Thursday into Friday morning (enough to take a downspout off the back of the house) and I worried about her safety.

Other news-

- no Leonids seen this year, even on the clear nights, but I did see a Taurid

- we've had a small flock of robins visiting the birdbath these past few days (they probably miss the puddles in the driveway)

- odd story on the skull of the inspiration for Winnie The Pooh...

I saw the cutest little plush foxes today at Babies'R'Us! They're made by a company called Lambs&Ivy which I presume is a take on the *Mairzy Doats lyrics. The company makes a full line of baby bedding and accessories, all of which looked absolutely adorable (some can be seen on their website, here). Ah, to have grandchildren to set up a nursery for! :D

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*Remember the rhyme? I didn't realize it was a song!

One of the nice things about snow is how it shows up animal movement: tracks, silhouettes, and even scat. There were deer tracks all around the yard this morning, front, sides, and back. Some sets were in pairs, with large sets along with tiny ones; some trails showed evidence of three and four deer walking through. I saw one of these deer last night after hearing deliberate, crunching paw-steps out in the dark. Suddenly this shadow leaps by and I got to watch her/him trotting off down the road, silhouetted in the moonlight and by the snow, and briefly lit by the street lamp glow.

We also had fox prints along the dogs' fenced yard. These right-angled to and then paralleled along the wire for about 100', stopping and circling a bit by my derelict truck and near where there are bunny tracks, and scat. The rabbit likes to 'go' almost next to the fence in defiance of the pups.

The rabbit, I assume it is the same, can be seen within the fenced yard as well. He was also silhouetted recently among some brambles in, yes, a briar patch, nibbling on vines at dusk. The tracks, and scat, are all around, and the little 'part beagle' dog races along trying to locate this fellow. She spooked him one night and he brushed past my leg as he zig-zagged away from her and into another little thicket. I coaxed her away and he fled out the back corner of the enclosure (the dog yard is approximately 100 feet deep by 100 feet wide).

There are also myriad mouse, squirrel, and bird tracks to be seen. It's nice to know all these critters are about and I love to live among them.