Friday, September 23, 2016

TCBO mammalia

Red Fox Vulpes vulpes
Martin the Groundhog Marmota monax
Martin the Groundhog Marmota monax
Eastern Chipmunk Tamias striatus
Dramatic Chipmunk
Vole sp. (I'll sort it out later - sure glad I'm not a volewatcher)
White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus
  The Thunder Cape Bird Observatory is built on the site of a Victorian-era lighthouse, and Martin the Groundhog has taken full advantage of this. Martin lives in the most secure burrow of all time - a vintage iron boiler. Who says rodents aren't intelligent?
  The deer that hung around the station weren't a problem until a big buck started lurking behind the buildings and lowering its antlers aggressively at nocturnal strollers. Pro tip - never pee in the same spot twice...deer go crazy for the human pee-pee.
  The chipmunks made a regular habit of filling their mouth pouches with corn from the ground traps, and at one point a chipmunk and a Savannah Sparrow got caught in the same trap. The chipmunk ran in circles until it bumped into the sparrow, which it punched in the face before fleeing. Shenanigans.
  Our resident Red Fox was gorgeous, but we had to scare it off, as it was hanging around the nets. No Lynx or Wolves to report, unfortunately. Apparently the Sibley Peninsula used to be blessed with a formidable herd of Moose, but most, if not all of them have succumbed to Moose sickness, which allowed the deer to take over.

  The Black Bears...merit their own post.

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