Round Lake Deer Bed Down on Old Trolley Line

On February eighth, after a delicious breakfast at The Mill, I snowshoed down the old trolley line with friends, Sue, Tom, and Judy. ( Dan was home making an eight hour all-grain mash for a 5 gallon batch, of Imperial IPA with home-grown hops!). There were a lot of fresh deer tracks crisscrossing the line. When we got further away from Route 9, we began seeing deer beds. They look like large depressions in the snow. Leaves were showing on the ground in the beds while the snow, in between beds, was trampled down. Tracks led in and out of the areas.

Deer Beds

Deer Bed

Deer Beds

Busy Beavers

Looking North from Trolley Line

Chilling the Mash

We saw a couple of dozen active beds, as well as, some that had been abandoned and were semi-filled with fresh snow. We didn't go all the way to the outlet because we saw that the deer were on the move. We did not want to stress them with all the snow on the ground and another storm on the way. (Storm number three had already started.) It's a quiet spot for a winter yard with lots of twigs, nuts, lichen, and fungi to eat. We also saw evidence of beaver activity and fox tracks. Our local wildlife is enduring a frigid, snowy winter indeed!

Around the Village in Photos: January 29 - February 4, 2015

This is winter, folks! A foot of snow, temps way below zero, icicles, snow mountains, school closings, dead car batteries, drafty old houses and frozen pipes. Oh and snow and cold, snow and cold, snow and cold... But there's always something interesting to see Out and About!

Feces and Feathers

Woods at Peck Avenue

Bluebird at Ames Avenue

Fang

Now That's a Snow Storm!

No-Show Chuck ( Forget About It Buddy. You're Buried Under There)

Chickadee and Downy Woodpecker at Suet

Schoolhouse Park

Around the Village in Photos: January 22-28, 2015

Food Chain

BRRussel Sprouts

Wasp Hive

Meadow Vole Tracks

Vole Hole

Before the Blizzard of 2015 and then...

Only a Few Inches in Round Lake

White-breasted Nuthatch

Around the Village in Photos: January 15-21, 2015

Hoar Frost on Peck Ave. Stream

Milkweed Pod

Frozen Lake

Game Time

Bergamot Seed Head Eaten by Gold Finches

Staghorn Sumac Fruit Enjoyed by Robins and Bluebirds

Red Squirrel's Dining Spot

Gnome Home

Snow Sculpting

After a snowfall, I love to see how the snow has settled in the woods. These pictures were taken in the pine forest at the end of Peck Avenue on January 16, 2015. It snowed several inches the day before.

Dustings and Coatings

Leaf Clings

Branch Bling

Topped Off

Red Pine

White Pine Needles and Cones

Red Pine Bark

Leaf Catchers

Around the Village in Pictures: January 8-14, 2015

Northern Mockingbird on Ames Avenue

Hidden Hellebore

Junco Roundabout

They Live! At the Children's Garden

Grasses in the Garden

Paper Wasp Nest off Zim Smith Trail South

Male Pileated Woodpecker at South Lawn

Around the Village in Photos: January 1-7, 2015

Dead Squirrel in Tree Hole Schoolhouse Park

Dark-eyed Junco in my Yard

Barred Owl along Connector Trail off Zim-Smith Trail

Rock Wall on Prospect Avenue

Willow Branch on South Lawn

Snow Snag in Peck Avenue Woods

Chilly House Finch in my Yard