Playing Possum...

Did you know that there are opossums in New Hampshire? Opossums are the state's only marsupial. They have a long prehensile tail, like a monkey, that aids them in climbing trees. Although they can snarl and open their mouths wide when threatened, they also will feign death and "play possum." Most live out their lives within just a few hundred yards of where they were born. 

 In New Hampshire, opossums are at the very northernmost edge of their range. Opossums were once thought to not be able to survive such a cold climate, but they just keep plodding north on frostbitten feet.

Moose Watching...

This is video from last Sunday when I went out moose watching. I thought is would be appropriate for Earth Day.

 When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.
-John Muir

Wild Wild life...

I've been too busy getting new gardens set up to be inside on the computer. I did take some time at sunrise yesterday to go wildlife watching....it was exceptional!

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Porcupine

What a great week for wildlife viewing! First the moose and otter, then all the wild turkeys, and today...a porcupine!

Happy Anniversary Camera Critters

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Turkeys a'courtin'

Wild Turkey Mating

As days get longer, (March and April) this signals the beginning of the turkey mating season. I was so lucky to find a few groups of turkeys today (in Amherst and New Boston) in full courting mode. I got some really great shots!

This male Wild Turkey is displaying for the female.

During mating season, the male will erect his tail and spread it like a fan. His wattles are more brightly colored and will swell. He will puff out his feathers and droop or even drag his wings.

This male is strutting around making gobbling sounds.

All males operate through a rigid pecking order. The dominant male mates the most.

After a male finishes mating with one hen, he immediately looks for another.

Since males are not worrying about taking care of any newborns, they have plenty of time to preen and strut.

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A morning ramble...

I got up to my camp in Twin Mountain yesterday evening, I set out this morning at sunrise to look for moose...

...an added bonus was finding a pair of otter playing in the water and resting on a small ice shelf at Saco Lake.

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Turkey in the Trees...

Well, I've heard of  'Turkey in the Straw' but had to stop and get a few shots of these Turkey in the Trees...

...Amherst, NH.

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Red Tailed Hawk

Coming home from our ski trip to 70 degree weather, I spied a red tailed hawk. I got a few shots before it noticed me and flew away.

Wild Turkey

I came upon a rafter of turkeys and some appeared upset. It seems half of the group had already crossed the road and the others were anxious to get to the other side...

Wild turkeys totally disappeared from New Hampshire 150 years ago because of habitat loss and the lack of a fish and game department to regulate hunting seasons. N.H. Fish and Game began transplanting wild turkeys into the state in 1969-70 (this initial effort failed), then again in 1975. Today the population is estimated at upwards of 25,000 birds. Turkeys are now present in every county in New Hampshire.

Wild turkeys aren't territorial. They travel over 4 to 5 square miles during the year, although during the winter and nesting season they often restrict their movements within 100-200 acres. Turkeys are active during the day, roosting in trees from sundown until sunrise. Wild turkeys take advantage of different habitats throughout the year based on their food and nesting needs.

The idea that Benjamin Franklin preferred the turkey as the national bird of the United States comes from a letter he wrote to his daughter Sarah Bache on January 26, 1784, criticizing the choice of the Bald Eagles as the national bird and suggesting that a turkey would have made a better alternative.

Good Morning Miss Moose...

I got up early to go moose watching, grabbed some coffee and my cameras, and was out the door. I didn't know there was rain in the forecast. I didn't see any moose where the two bulls had been yesterday. Before heading home, I thought I would drive a little further to where Tom and Robin saw the young cow moose...sure enough, she was there.

She let me sit with her for twenty minutes or more while she ate her breakfast.

When she had enough of me and my camera, she blended into the environment and I knew that was my cue to leave.

I hope she stays safe...hanging out so close to the road and all...

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