Persistence Pays Off , Nature Can Be Hard !

What an experience this morning! I headed out early to a northeast gate, the temps were in the forties and it felt good not to wear heavy cloths.

My plan was to visit the shoreline and sit for a while hoping to see a coyote walking the last ice in search of food.

I could not have found a better location to watch. I looked right down the reservoir and nothing going on, or flying overhead. I looked left and I’ll be darned, a coyote was moving at a pretty good slip. Why?

Several hundred yards in front of the coyote a deer was running for an island shoreline. How neat is that!  The deer is going to win this hunt!

WRONG!! 

For whatever reason the deer did not jump into the wood line. Instead it hangs a 90 degree turn and continued running on the ice. The coyotes course turned diagonally towards the deer and it was a short chase before coyote grabbed the deer by the leg.

Although distant, my binoculars and camera provided a detailed sequence of events.

The few hours after the kill I watched a coyote pack take turns feeding while crows and two eagles waited for their opportunity.

What an experience to whiteness. Mother Nature at its hardest.

Jim

Find The Pockets Of Open Water

With the majority of the reservoir still covered with ice, locating isolated pockets of open water can present photo opportunities.
I headed out to my favorite north east gate in hopes of finding something to photograph. Reaching the shoreline I could see an open area of water not to far off.
Using my binoculars I could see two  immature eagles standing on the water ice line.
My plan was to head towards the water and find a place to sit inside the wood line and watch for a while.

This mature eagle flew overhead not to long after settling in.
Below this guy had an opinion about me watching the open water.

Just before calling it a morning. This immature eagle flew overhead.

Jim

Man, Winter Just Does Not Want To lLet Go!

 My hike this morning would take me to the furthest northeast gate.  When I started hiking, the distant sky showed a glimpse of pink.

  My plan today was to hike to a distant swamp and sit for a while hoping I might see a coyote or fox in search of food. Not much moving at all this morning. I did notice a set of bobcat tracks in the frozen mud. and a chipmunk with cold feet.

No doubt in a several weeks the woods will be busy with wildlife

Jim

Some Wildlife Enjoy's Winter !

Catching up from Sunday March 9th. It was bitterly cold and I thought I would give Gate 41 in Petersham a try . Glad I did. Following a snowshoe trail I came to a small beaver dam that had moving water.I took a few minutes and checked out the small frozen pond before heading back to the beaver dam, When I reached the dam I looked left then right. Oh No ! Here comes an otter running and sliding on the ice . Just by luck I was in the right place at the right time. The otter stopped once to give me a quick glance before moving on. This past Saturday I hiked Quabbin park. The morning started out with a few showers clearning before noon. I did see three deer and five bluebirds. Several coyotes were vocal but I did not see them. Yesterday, I stayed closer to home and did some bushwhacking. I did see a mink scurrying across a frozen swamp and where a bear had walked through leaving tracks in the snow. Jim

You Never Know What's Around The Next Corner !

This  mornings hike took me along the northeast shoreline. I could just sense that this was going to be an eventful morning. The sun’s rays  and unique cloud formation's made for a nice setting while eating my morning snack.  

 

 

 Walking the shoreline I anticipated seeing an eagle or two and maybe a coyote on the ice. For such a beautiful morning the only  two things I saw  were three blue jays and one crow.  

However  , it wasn’t to long after I was in the right place at the right time. I caught glimpse of it just before it saw me. In a flash it disappeared behind a pile of snow. Anticipating that it might give me one last look when it came back in view....

I pushed the shutter

 

It made for an eventful morning

Jim

Bird Activity Interesting

Very cold yesterday morning with the thermometer barely reaching zero. My hike would take me to Gate 8 knowing the road would be plowed. Sections of the road still had a light dusting of snow which revealed a variety of recent tracks. Fox, coyote, deer, moose, squirrel and rabbit were easy finds.

 Although very cold, bird activity was scattered throughout the hike. I recently added a bird appt to my phone in hopes of learning more about the birds that inhabit Quabbin. It was interesting walking along looking as well as listening. I clearly heard three birds on the hike that I could not identify.

Reaching the boat launch two mature eagles were soaring over the ice covered reservoir. Enjoying the dawn setting, I walked the shoreline north looking for coyotes on the ice.

Plenty of tracks but no activity this morning.

Getting back to the boat launch, I just started up the hill when the call of an owl broke the silence coming from a distant ridge. The crisp morning carried the call with clarity and the volume set on high. The call sounded awesome breaking the morning silence. This calling went on for nearly ten minutes. I could not confidently identify  this owl. It wasn’t the usual sound of a Great Horned or Barred owl. I am thinking maybe the call of an owl sitting on a nest. I will use my audio field guide to see if I can’t figure it out.
Jim