Scat I.D.

Anyone care to take a stab at identifying this scat?  It was plop in the middle of a rough upland trail through mixed woods.

Snakes on the Lane

Discovered along a wooded trail yesterday, these garter snakes appear to have the same thing in mind.  I don't know if three is enough to constitute what is known as a "breeding ball," but either way, it's a sure sign of spring.  My uneducated guess is that the big one is female.

Red-breasted nuthatch

Nuthatches and woodpeckers are my favorite birds. Here's a very
cooperative red-breasted nuthatch that I encountered yesterday, while
walking on the road.
-Janet

Otter Slides and Fishy Coyote

Lars was out on Flagg Hill Pond, Stow MA skiing this morning.  I found a long otter trail going over the ice and then returning, leaving many otter slides. A coyote track followed the trail.  The otter trail went to a beaver lodge, ducked under the ice, caught a fish, ate it on the shoulder of the lodge (second photo), and left.  Not 50 feet away, I found the coyote trail widen into a roll site, with the tasty fish head the coyote found. Just had to roll in it....

Tunnel and Trail

Which mustelid is this? Mink?  Taken on Flagg Hill Pond in Heath Hen Meadow 3 days ago.

Squeezing Fisher

Lars followed a meandering fisher track in Heath Hen Meadow, Stow, and found a tight spot where he had to squeeze under a fallen branch.

Orchard happening

I was also out this morning in a Bolton orchard and indeed it was spectacular. I found the scene below along the edge of a trail that winds through the orchard. The first two pictures comprise the two halves of the area in question (right and left). There were no other tracks leading to or away from this area. The third picture includes my pole for scale.

This is a close up of the upper right corner of the scene (wings)

 This is a close up of the middle of the area. If you look closely you can see several tracks that look more like hawk than owl.