Daily Updates
Daily Doubles - UPDATE January 25, 2020
25 January 2020
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After not seeing a pileated woodpecker for many days, today there were two. First the female flew in. Pileated pair
Pileated pair
Then the male peeked out from behind a pile of snow and made his entrance. Then they peacefully shared the piece of suet?something I can?t remember seeing before. I?d say I definitely haven?t seen it, but I?m 80 and I?m afraid someone would remember that I did.
Then it was Stripe?back after a week of us thinking that Streak ran her out. Stripe was wary, though, looking around a lot and sniffing the snow in places where Streak had been. Then we saw what might have been the reason for the caution. Streak was coming down the driveway. Minks are basically solitary, and they don?t interact; but it was another daily double. With Stripe here, Streak did not come in close. He headed off for the brush pile but had some trouble in the soft new snow. To my surprise he disappeared down a hole in the snow and emerged 30 feet closer to the brush pile. I didn?t know they made long tunnels under the snow like that.
Pileated male
Pileated male
Pileated female
Pileated female
Stripe took her second piece of bologna up the driveway and then cut off to the left, having a hard time climbing the bank of snow from the snowplow. She moved a few feet over to a deer trail and disappeared into the woods still holding her head high carrying the bologna.
Stripe looking around
Stripe looking around
Stripe looking around
Stripe
Mink Stripe
Mink Stripe
Then they were both gone.
The daily double for yesterday was the first pair of red squirrels I?ve seen mating this winter.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center