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!).

Walk This Way

Guess which animal sports these little feet.

Answer

Belted kingfisher.

These odd feet belong to a juvenile belted kingfisher; they will turn gray as the bird ages. Kingfishers belong to the order Coraciiformes and one characteristic of this order is syndactyly feet, meaning that the two outer toes of each foot are fused together. These feet, along with their large, pointed bill, help kingfishers dig out cavity nests in the banks along rivers.

This week’s winner is Richard Marr, who not only knew these were the feet of a belted kingfisher, but that they belong to a young kingfisher.

This week’s contest winner was Richard Marr