Fisher on Snow Crust

Around the corner from the mink tracks that I just posted, Lars found fisher tracks on the same peninsula of Delaney Pond in Bolton/Harvard/Stow, MA. He was 2x2 bounding in the powder, and when he hit a harder crust on the snow, he switched to a gallop. I followed the trail in both directions. One way led across very thin ice (no, I won't go that way). The other way led to the marking shown in the third photo.

If anyone has tricks to distinguish fisher from otter, it would help extinguish my sense of confusion regarding this matter. I see no webbing in the prints, nor fish scales in the scat.

Mink Hole in the Snow

Yesterday, Lars took these photos of a mink trail, 2x2 bounding through the snow. His path ran along the pond/forest edge of the peninsula in the northern section of Delaney. The mink dove down into the snow, then backed out, turned and jumped over a fallen tree. You can see where he placed his feet to look over the tree before he jumped. Peterson's Guide says that mink dens tunnels are 4 inches in diameter. This snow tunnel looks to be 3 inches in diameter. In powder like this, how can one tell the difference between mink and weasel?

Kill site

Lots of "precious bodily fluids" out on the snow yesterday. I could see
the coyote highway from quite a distance, so knew there was something
good to see up yonder. As I approached, I noticed fisher tracks
entering from another direction. The photo was taken prior to my
tampering with the evidence.

I tried unsuccessfully to excavate -- it was too frozen. However, I do
believe this is something buried under the snow, rather than just the
remaining blood stain, because for the few inches I was able to dig, the
stain became denser and denser. Look like the animals keep returning to
see what they can dig up. No other feeding sign on the snow surface.

You, see, I really can find the occasional kill site even without the
dogs, although I must admit that while struggling to excavate, a certain
Jack Russel terrier came to mind...

Could be a good place for a camera.

Fisher scent stations

The fisher never disappoints. I followed a trail yesterday, and in the
span of less than 15 minutes, found two interesting scent stations.
Sorry - photos not very good due to poor lighting.

The one with the tunnel is curious. The animal had been 2-2-ing through
the woods, then for no reason obvious to me, it appears that it dove
into the snow, and left a couple of urine stains near the entrance. One
stain is fairly easy to see, at about 8 o'clock. The other, at 5
o'clock, doesn't show very well. Looks like it might have rolled around
near the mouth, then made its exit, 2-2-ing away.

Although you cannot really tell from the photo, the other scent station
was on a mound, perhaps a tree stump under the snow. This time, the
animal left a tidbit of scat along with the urine stain.

These were in the same area where I found a nice fisher scent station
last winter.

'Tis the season

Janet posts for Bob Z, who yesterday found sign of coyote in heat at the
edge of an apple orchard in Bolton.

Scent Mark or Back Scratcher?

Lars was out at Delaney this morning. Lots of fresh tracks in the inch of new powder. I saw a variety of fox, coyote, rabbit, squirrel, deer, snow tunnels from mice and a long-meandering fisher trail. I still scratch my head over the differences between otter and fisher, but this seemed fisher to me. Following the track through the woods and over the eskers, I found three piles of scat and pee, and lots of nosing into trees and bushes.

These three pictures are the most puzzling. I'll stick with my very first impression as I skied up to it. With an evergreen sprout bent over stuck in the snow, and the body impressions in the surrounding snow, all I could picture was a fisher rolling around over the evergreen scratching his back (or scent marking). It seemed just like my old dog used to do in the grass on a summer day, or in the snow. A final parting gift was left, as you can see in the middle of the second photo. The track leading away is found in the third photo.

This was found in one of my favorite spots, a wooded wetland just off the trailhead on Finns Rd cutting through the middle of Delaney. It's a place that I've found what I think are Dan's boot prints, too. Size 11? So, for the panel of experts - Fisher? What on earth is he doing?

Another Mystery Track

Lars came upon these 5 days ago on Heath Hen Meadow Brook in Stow. The second photo shows a couple of nice belly slides. In the third photo, the wing span is 20 inches, which I managed to measure before my skis cracked through the ice. Why was I standing on the ice of a running brook? To get the shot.... What's your guess as to who left these tracks? I'll give it a day and then answer.