The same raven has been coming to visit over the past few days. Each time, it returns to the same spot right alongside the frozen river. It walks across the snow, pauses, sometimes rubs its head against the ground like it’s scratching an itch, and even carried food in its beak once. It’s head rubbing behavior is called feaking . It’s how many birds clean and take care of their beaks. The raven could have been wiping away some bits of food on it. In other times of the year, th
We had one warm rainy day which melted some of the snow pack over the river, leaving just a thick layer of ice. It revealed these tracks, frozen in time, which belong to a river otter. When they walk on ice, their tracks can leave an impression that almost looks like something was scooped right out of it. Frozen rivers become a good travel route for otters in the winter. They make paths across them to find good fishing spots. A few days later, we watched a fox follow the same
Even in December, we still have some dandelions peeking up above the snow. Today we sat and watched the chickadees hop around from one to the next to snack on their seed heads. They worked so carefully to pick them apart, and left tiny tracks and crumbs on the surface of the snow. It was such a simple little moment, but a good reminder that there’s still plenty of life all around us.
