Stale chunks o' bread

This winter has sucked in the Northeast for camera trapping, in my opinion. It's been frigid, which really takes a toll on the batteries, and we've been dumped on with snow! Feet and feet of snow! So, if I actually had had cameras out during December-January-and the beginning of February, they may have gotten covered over, or it would be inconvenient to check on them. And, the animals don't move around as much!

An Eastern cottontail...blinded by the flash!

Well in recent weeks, I've stuck my two cameras (a Bushnell Trophy Cam and a Cuddeback Attack) in the woods right behind my house. I've had all the wild canids that call NY home, bobcat, fisher, cottontails, squirrels, an owl, a hawk, other littler birds too. And it's easy to get to.

The Cuddeback Attack's flash is so bright, it just can not take pictures in the snow, unless I cover up the flash somehow, so I don't have any pictures that are worth sharing. You can see in the picture at left how washed out it is. It is taking pictures though, so that's a plus! (it doesn't always take pictures...)

But, my trusty Bushnell pulled through with some nice pictures. I threw out some crusty, stale bread...which the woodland creatures seemed to enjoy.

By the way, the date and time is not correct. Rookie mistake: changed the batteries and didn't reset the clock!

One of the first Eastern chipmunks I've seen this season! Chippies do not hang out above the snow, and are one of NY's true hibernators. BUT, with slightly milder temps, longer days... they somehow know that it's time to wake up!

Two Eastern cottontails enjoy some bread too!

Blue Jays

And finally, a spindly-tailed red squirrel. I wonder if someone took a grab at him!

 It's odd to me that I haven't seen any of the usual scavengers around lately, either by picture or by tracks in this snow. Raccoons, opossum, striped skunks, and even porcupine love a free meal.

Finally, here's one last picture I will share from the Cuddeback. It's REALLY too bad the snow was so bright, but did I catch the first mating pair of Ruffed Grouse for the season?

SUNY Cobleskill

Well, here I am...13 days ago I was in Alaska, and now I'm living in Cobleskill, NY! That's about a 3 hour drive East from where my family's from in NY. It's a nice enough area, and my house that I share with my friend Mady is comfortable...I'm just not quite settled yet. My life since about mid-May has been chaotic, and I'm kind of looking forward to being stable and living in one zip code for more than 3 months!

This is kind of a "boring" post, but I wanted to share what courses I was enrolled in this semester (Fall 2012).



Geographic Information Systems (3CR)

• This course is designed to introduce students to the principles of GIS, and discuss the collection, management, manipulation, analysis and display of geographically referenced data. Students will apply GIS in a variety of "hands-on" laboratory exercises and assignments.

Woody Plant Materials (3CR)

• A detailed study of deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubs and vines; their identification, growth habits, cultural requirements, ecological usefulness and use in the landscape. Emphasis will be placed on the study of both native and introduced species.

Spreadsheet & Database Application (3CR)

• This course emphasizes the use of advanced concepts in spreadsheet and database applications. Students will gain understanding of concepts and skills required to develop complex business applications. Using software applications such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access to store, organize, and retrieve business information that is critical to decision making. Concepts explored include developing complex business models, interaction with other software applications, and using visual programming tools.

Environmental Law & Regulation (3CR)

• This course provides an introduction to environmental laws and regulations including an introductory overview of administrative law and procedure. Additionally, the course provides a basic understanding of environmental laws and discusses how various factors influence environmental policy and law. The course emphasizes the development of critical thinking skills by analyzing various court decisions that have helped shape the environmental landscape.

Wildlife Policy & Regulation Compliance (1CR)

• A review of the policies of federal and state agencies that regulate and manage wildlife populations and their habitats. Reviewing environmental impact statements will be emphasized, along with other procedures of regulatory compliance designed to evaluate impacts of land development on threatened and endangered wildlife.

Wetlands Assessment & Dilineation (3CR)

• A techniques course dealing with the recognition of hydric soils, hydric vegetation, wetland hydrology and the delineation of jurisdictional wetland boundaries. Hands-on laboratory exercises entail assessing the functional value of wetlands, collecting and identifying wetland vegetation, interpreting hydrological and biological indicators, and delineating wetland boundaries.

So that's 16 Credit Hours, which is full time (actually full time is just 12 CR). I'm also hopefully picking up a part time job or two, and getting involved with The Wildlife Society chapter here at Cobleskill.

I'll leave with a couple pictures of the critters we've "seen" in our backyard :)

Meet "Skinny", our thin-tailed gray squirrel. I think he's going to be a common player in our backyard stories.

 

Eastern cottontail

 

A different gray, note the thicker, bushier tail AND...the bald spot on his ribs? We've put up a few bird feeders, which you can see below is quite popular. We've witnessed a few scuffles among the locals, so perhaps he sustained this injury from a bird seed tussle.

 

Bad Skinny!

 

Skinny again!

 

Eastern chipmunk