Presentation #1 was a Success!

I started this blog in response to a class requirement and Monday was a big day for that class. There are 11 UVM grad students in the class, and we're all working on projects within the city of South Burlington. Yesterday we gave a presentation to a group of South Burlington residents and officials, as well as representatives from many local groups and organizations. The presentation was the culmination of weeks of planning and preparing, and went off really well (in my opinion). Audience members gave me a lot of feedback about this project, making me even more excited about getting out and finding wildlife. So today, when I got home from classes I headed outside with my dog (even though I live pretty far from South Burlington and can't add anything that I see at home to the South Burlington wildlife list).

While we were out in the woods we saw a lot of fresh tracks in the snow that fell last night and today. There were squirrel tracks, hare tracks, and grouse tracks. I also saw some itty-bitty small mammal tracks that I'm not confident about--maybe mouse or shrew or vole. It was great to get one more session outside, tracking in the snow.....but I have to admit that I'm ready for the snow to be gone, even if it does mean tracking will be a lot harder in the next 6 months!

Unlike where I live, South Burlington has been snow-less for a while now so you probably haven't seen any tracks in the snow lately. Have you seen any other wildlife sign in South Burlington lately? Or any actual wildlife sightings there? If so, I'd love to hear about it! Simply comment on this posting to tell me about what you've seen in South Burlington, and where. I want to hear about sparrows, or raccoons, or salamanders...whatever you've seen! Check out my first post, called "Let the Fun Begin" for more info!

As Vermonters say: Jeezum crow!

The other day I was walking outside with a friend when she stopped to look at the bird flying overhead. As I looked up to see an American crow, she started walking again with a disgusted mutter: "trash bird". What??

When I asked her about it she said that she calls crows trash birds becaus they're common and uninteresting; therefore not worth the time to really look at. What?? How can anyone think that crows are uninteresting?

• Most young crows stay with their parents (for up to 5 years) and help to raise their younger "siblings".


• American crows sleep in communal roosts during winter; the roosts may be a few hundred or even a few thousand crows!


• Even though we often see crows eating road kill, they are not 'designed' to be scavengers. Their bills are too weak to break through the skin of other animals, so they must wait for something else (a true scavenger, or a car for example) to open a carcass before they can eat.


• Baby crows are like baby pigeons: it seems that you never see them! In fact, you do see them, but don't realilze it. Young crows are about the same size as adults, but have blue eyes and pink inside their mouths. The eyes and mouth get darker as the bird ages.


• Crows are really smart; this is a problem for researchers because it makes crows hard for them to trap!


• The "caw-caw" that we're used to hearing from crows is an alert call, warning family members that there is an intruder.


• Crows can open nuts by striking them with their bill while holding the nut under one foot. If it's a really heavy-shelled nut, or a clam, the crow will fly up into the air and drop the food on a hard surface to open it.

Have you seen crows or any other wildlife in South Burlington lately? If so, I'd love to hear about it! Simply comment on this posting to tell me about what you've seen in South Burlington, and where. I want to hear about crows, or rabbits, or coyotes...whatever you've seen! Check out my first post, called "Let the Fun Begin" for more info!

Porcupines

Almost a year ago exactly, my dog had her first, and so far only, encounter with a porcupine. After carrying her out of the forest, on snowshoes, for about a mile, we took a trip to the vet’s to have all of the quills pulled out of her face, chest and legs. It seems like almost every Vermonter has had the same experience with their own dog, or knows someone whose dog has met up with a porcupine. That goes to show how common porcupines are throughout the state, but how much do most of us actually know about porcupines? For instance, did you know that:

• Porcupine babies (called porcupettes) are born with soft, bendable quills that harden in the first days of life.
• Adult porcupines average 10-28 pounds and are 18-28 inches long.
• Contrary to popular belief, porcupines cannot throw their quills.
• Fishers (aka fishercats) were re-introduced to Vermont in the 1960’s to try to control the state’s huge porcupine population.
• In summer, porcupines eat leaves and fruit. In the winter they eat tree bark, conifer needles, and the cambium, or layer of living cells just beneath the tree’s bark.
• Porcupine quills are actually modified, hollow hairs with a barbed end. When threatened, the porcupine can contract muscles to make the quills stand upright.
• Porcupines love salt—they’ve been known to eat the wooden handles of tools left outside. They are attracted to the handles because of the salty residue left behind by human sweat!
• Adult porcupines have over 30,000 quills, and it takes 2-8 months for lost quills to re-grow.
• Porcupines are nocturnal and have long, curved claws for climbing trees.

Have you seen any porcupines (or has your dog met any) in South Burlington? I'd love to know about it or about any other wildlife sightings there. Simply comment on this posting to tell me about what you've seen in South Burlington, and where. I want to hear about porcupines, or robins, or squirrels...whatever you've seen! Check out my first post, called "Let the Fun Begin" for more info!

Let the Fun Begin!

Today marks the start of a new, indoor-outdoor adventure!

The indoor part of this new undertaking is what you're looking at right now. The outdoor part involves looking for wildlife in South Burlington, VT, whether that means following a bobcat or rabbit track for awhile, looking at birds at the backyard feeder, or getting a quick glimpse of a deer springing away from you in the woods. The impetus for this comes from a class I'm taking in which I'm trying to get an idea of what animals live in or are moving through South Burlington.

But, I need some help in order to get a really good idea of what animals are there. I don't actually live in (or very near) the city so I only spend a little bit of time there each week. Here's where you can help: If you see any wild animals, or signs of them while you're in South Burlington, please let me know! I'd really appreciate your help!

To let me know what you saw, simply post a comment to my most recent posting on this blog describing what you saw and where you saw it. Those are the only "essentials", but if you have the time (and desire) to share more about what you saw, I'd love to hear about it!

Also, check back to this site every once in awhile to get information about some of the animals that call South Burlington home for at least part of the year, if not the whole year. And feel free to send along suggestions about what animals I should highlight!