Site Discussions

I remember Bill when he had a place up on Cherry Mtn Rd. True artisan and good man.

What a wonderful piece. Thank you for putting together all this info. Much I knew but I love it being tied together.

Great article…..how do I reach Bill if interested in his snowshoes?

Wonderful story, and a meaningful reminder that fur only belongs to those born with it.

What a fascinating article! These articles never disappoint. I always come away with new information and a deeper appreciation.

Thinking more about this article and thought I’d share my experience.  After reading Sy Montgomery’s ” Spirit of the Tiger”, when I describe passages of the book that I found frightening, my air still stands on end even years later!  Makes me wonder now when I walk in the woods at night and my hairs stand up for no reason I can see or hear….hmmm.

This is so interesting, especially Ian Baker’s studies.  Thank you.

One day last week at around lunch time I began hearing a noisy scrabbling on the rough pine siding of the house just outside the bathroom near the bird feeder there.  I went to have a look and saw an American marten chasing a gray squirrel up the side of the house and down again.  I called for Eileen.  She and I watched together from the kitchen window as the marten—who looked no bigger than the squirrel, though he was surely heavier—chased after him, catching him and then losing hold.  Up the house and down, leaping into the snow and then back up the side of the house.  He was very fast.  At one point the marten caught sight us watching and paused half a second to take us in. Ten seconds later he had the struggling squirrel on the ground, straddling him, teeth in his neck.  He dragged the squirrel across the driveway and around the woodpile beside garage. 

I went out and followed him.  A marten has big feet for his size, big as a half dollar, though the males weigh no more than three pounds.  He dragged the squirrel some distance, leaving blood in the shallow snow, well up into the woods far behind the house into an area where there are so many spruce blowdowns that it became too tangled and thick with spiky deadwood for me to follow.  That’s the kind of cover they like, where they’re protected.  It’s a pleasure to know there’s one on the land.

Great article. Possums should be allowed to live as long as possible. They are good not bad. If you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.

Thank you for the detail on the sharp-shinned hawk hunting habits.

I have spent the last two mornings researching the net & bird books trying to identify the hawk who raided my bird feeder. She was a very dark brown color overall, with very little variation and a buff colored breast with very dark rivulets of color overlaid. Her tail had a few horizontal alternating brown & dark grey bands & did not seem overly long. But her fluffed up feathers made her look quite broad. I first noticed the hawk eating her prey & when she was done, she hopped 4 feet forward in the feeding area fluffing up in the cold. She seemed to jump around here & there, then over a border hedge, moving swiftly very close to branches, the ground, & other plant debris, including a discarded fir tree from the December holidays. She flew quickly throughout this area & flushed out another sparrow which she was forced to chase with seemingly no success.

My best guess is that she is an immature female sharp-shinned hawk. She seemed quite large with her feathers fluffed up which made me decide female, and your description of their hunting behavior seemed to confirm my guess.

Thank you!

I lived a few years in Illinois and knew Carolina Wrens well.  Back in Maine in the early 1950s, I was astonished to hear that familiar call.  Confirmed through binoculars.  I didn’t hear or see it again.

Thank you for the fantastic article! I wonder, is there an application for the blackberry thorns, whether medicinal or culinary?

Enjoyed the article … I inherited the family home in an old Tannery town. As a child I visited my grandparents here in the 1940’s & early 50’s, we got use to the smell. My grandfather retired from NOXEN TANNERY but he still remained here. Several hotels in town housed foreign workers, many farms in the area too but when Tannery closed population dropped. Also the closing of lumber mills & ice harvesting business left the town with no businesses & only about 900 people. Great place to retire to with beautiful mountains & a creek to enjoy.

Thank you so much for your article…
I so love crows.. and my little everyday flock of 13 get 2 lbs of diced hotdogs every morning.
Capt ed

Excellent article and very informative. I have noticed increasing numbers of American Robins in my neighborhood in the winter months.
Thank you.

Great article. I have possum that had to have his eye taken out as a baby because something had popped his eye out of socket. He is 1 and 1/2 yrs.old now. and I use him to educate others about the benefit of possums.  His name is One Eyed Willie.

I enjoyed reading your article about the Carolina Wren …. They are the cutest and spunkiest birds …. The first time I saw them at my backyard feeder, I wondered what they were too.  They often hopped around the bushes by my bedroom window waking me with their songs.

Someone here recommended using boiled linseed oil “only” because normal, raw linseed oil doesn’t cure. Pretty obvious they haven’t tried it. It cures fine and doesn’t get gummy at all.

Boiled linseed oil has drying agents and lead in it. You really shouldn’t put it on anything you plan on touching often, and never apply it without PPE.

When using raw linseed oil you’re talking about waiting an extra day for it to dry. To avoid exposing my family and myself to lead, I’d say it’s worth it. I really can’t afford to get any dumber. So no BLO for us.

I have to admit that it was an episode of South Park that brought me here. I’ve never heard of “water bears” or Tardigrades before but reading this article has me very intrigued.

This was a great read! I became really interested in these boletes after noticing a large group of them right next to my house, near a water hose. I thought they were soggy leaves until I saw the bright underside of their caps. they’re fascinating!