On Saturday April 27th Nature Up North led a hike out at Wolf Lake State forest. We had a small group but it was a great hike. The day was overcast but warm and we found out quickly that the black flies have made their spring return to the North Country! We made our first stop at an amazing beaver dam about 1.5 miles into the hike where we paused to have a quick lunch (in between swatting black flies). We heard a pileated woodpecker and northern flicker while we were stopped, and saw a heron.

Animal Evidence/Plant Photo

I took this photo on a class trip for Natural World. There is evidence of a porcupine feeding on a beech tree. The porcupine feeds on the the tree for the nutritious outer sap and bark. I was attracted to this photo in part because of the interesting patterns the porcupine has created on the bark of the tree. The habitat here is a a mixed hardwood forest on the Raquette River.

All bark and no sap
04/12/2013
St Lawrence University
Closeup
Forest

All bark and no sap
04/12/2013
St Lawrence University
Closeup
Forest

During a lab exercise for reflective writing, I was walking around a woodland area about 100 yards offshore from a river. I found this porcupine pelt on the ground in between trees. After showing it to Dr. Visser, it was determined that the porcupine had been killed by a fisher. Fishers eat the face of the porcupine first, and there was nothing left of this animal except for the pelt.

About 1 foot of snowpack, cold, dry, overcast. In the middle of the trail, we found a wolf spider, alive, but completely still. No web was in site. Halfway down the river left trail at Stone Valley.

Cold, dry, overcast, and about one foot of snowpack. Banks of a river in a deciduous woodland area.

Cold, dry, about a foot of snow on the ground. The area was woodland right next to the Raquette river.

When going to the wild center at Tupper Lake, there were several exhibits one of them being the Oxbow marsh which is home to various bird species like the wood duck. North America is the home to the wood duck, it can be identified by its colorful feathers. Wood ducks can mainly be observed near large bodies of water or swamp like marshy areas, they are unique as they nest in trees. Wood ducks eat fruit, insects and fish. I chose this picture as the wood duck is a beautiful animal and are not seen as often as mallards and other common ducks.