What in the Woods Is That?

Play our biweekly guessing game!

Whatever draws us into the forest—be it birdwatching or logging, hiking or hunting—all of us are unified by the sense of wonder we feel in the outdoors. The forests, fields, and streams of our region are full of mystery, and if you stop and look closely, you’ll see all sorts of oddities.

Below find a picture of one such woodlands curio. Guess what it is and you’ll be eligible to win a Northern Woodlands woodpecker magnet designed by artist Liz Wahid. A prize winner will be drawn at random from all the correct entries. The correct answer, and the winner’s name, will appear when the next column is posted and in our newsletter (sign up here!).

Tunnel Vision

Kyle Jones took this close-up shot of a tree’s root wad with a small hole at its center. What do you suppose made this hole?

Answer

A winter wren’s nest.

Wrens are cavity nesters, and this particular wren took it upon himself to make use of an overturned tree’s dense root wad to tunnel out a home for him and his family. While winter wrens living in the northern tier of our readership area have migrated south by now, you cannot miss their intricate song in the summer forest. These tiny birds have powerful voices – ounce for ounce, it’s 10 times more powerful than a rooster’s crow!

This week’s contest winner was Hank Golet of Old Lyme, CT.