Day Four, (Wednesday) Field Work

After our usual scrambled eggs and bacon feast, we are off to Cook’s Lake once again. This is our third day working in the field, and as usual, we begin by checking traps. Most of us, by this time, have become a bit more confident and adept at handing the rodents. Save a few bog lemmings and short-tailed shrews, the majority of our catches are meadow voles. These voles are fairly easy to trap due the fact that they are herbivores and are very attracted to our traps, where they visit to dine on various seeds and apple pieces. The hay inside also creates a warm and dry shelter. Many of the voles are being listed as "recaptures" as we can tell by the hair clippings that Christina and teammate Jane have oh so carefully made on their side bodies.

Just to give you an example of some of the animal sightings of the day, please check out the pictures above. While we were surveying for deer droppings after lunch, we saw a yellow frog, (top middle) and a grouse (bottom left). Also, walking along the road, we came upon coyote tracks, (top right) and we foound out that although elusive, they do frequent the area.

Other stars of the day were my new friend Lyman (a radiologist from Rhode Island) handling the ever-so-popular meadow vole. Far sake of comparison, see the white-tailed mouse at bottom center (actually not found until Thursday) and the short-tailed shrew next to him on the right. What a wild day!