Hello my name is Phil. Over the course of the next couple of months (hence the name of the blog, past, present, future yes it is in latin and yes i am sort of history geek) I am going to be out in the wonderful woods of Rowley/Ipswich, attempting to make some observations on the flora and fauna of the area. I do run regularly through this labyrinth of trails so I am some what familiar with area and I have a rough idea of the various critters that inhabit this glorious section woods.On previous jaunts through the woods I have frequently come across whitetail deer does and even had a run in with the ferocious fisher cat.
Fisher or Martes Pennanti, is a member of weasel family. The males typically are 90-120cm long (that's between 3 and 4 feet) and weigh between 3.5 and 13 kg (8-13lbs). The lady fishers are smaller and lighter. They live in the forests of North America, typically in the northern states and Canada. They are omnivorous, and are one of the few hunters of the porcupines. Despite their name they seldom eat fish.
Sadly on today's excursion I saw neither deer nor fisher. Alas the only wild life I managed to glimpse on this snowy day was the Turdus migratorius (American Robin). Though always thought that this bird migrated south for the winter, this notion was quickly dispatched by; A. seeing one in winter and B. reading about them. But that one robin, was it. The woods were incredibly quiet with the only noise, besides the clatter of my snowshoes, was clumps of snow dropping of bows of the pine trees. (Thanks wikipedia for the animal factoids).
But from the abundance of animal tracks there I know I have the opportunity to see a lot of wildlife and hopefully grab some pics to. Plus with spring not far off I will be able to see what these woods have to offer by way of plant life. 
Oh and I know that there is owl out there cause it scared the crap out of me a week ago when my run took me into the night but have yet to figure out what species of owl.
A beautiful and promising observation area. I too have chanced upon a fisher during a run. Elusive beasts. As for the robins, what about that apparent myth that they all fly south for winter? Perhaps you might enlighten us all in a future post. Unless the owl steals the show. Keep an ear open for them--some species of owl, like the Great Horned, have incredibly early breeding seasons and are calling for mates at this very time of year.
ReplyDelete