The Secret Life of Walter Woodchuck

Woodchuck

Last spring, I set a Cuddeback Attack on a woodchuck hole in the backyard. This year, I put a Reconyx on the same hole. The Reconyx is relatively new to me, so I have it set to take a burst of three photos then almost immediately take another burst, etc.etc as long as an animal is there to trigger the shutter. This is both a blessing and a curse. The GOOD news is I feel as if I am missing nothing. Aside from the multiple photos, the Reconyx seems to have a wider cone of detection than the Cuddebacks. The BAD news is I have become quickly overwhelmed with data. And these thousands of images are coming at the busiest time of the semester for me.
So here is my solution: Instead of half a dozen detailed posts, how about one long one with a ton of cool things that have been happening with my woodchuck? Fair enough?

Where to begin? 

Bedding material: In my last post I also wrote about woodchucks and specifically this behavior. I still do not know if this is a female making a bed for her young or a woodchuck just gathering material for its own bed.

Woodchuck with bedding material

 Last year, I created a whole video of visitors to the woodchuck burrow which you can view here. This year saw some interesting characters as well including:

Eastern Cottontail

Blue Jay

WHOA! Look at that photo above again. I have obtained many bird photos with the Reconyx that would have been missed by the Cuddeback. Occasionally, the trigger speed can't keep up with the movement though :)

A final visitor couldn't resist rubbing on the scent mark left by the woodchuck.

Feral cat

That little tree is Walter Woodchuck's favorite marking location. Not his ONLY location, but his favorite:

Woodchuck rubbing on tree

I don't believe I have ever used the word "adorable" in a blog entry yet, but perhaps I should give it a try to describe that photo above...

Walter loves that tree so much he even climbs it:

As I mentioned, Walter leaves scent on other places:

 

 Besides scent marking, Walter likes to stretch. A stretch often leads to a yawn. Observe: 

Now for a series of three...

Well, what happens when Walter STARTS to scent mark but then gets the urge to stretch?

Scent mark? Nope! Gotta stretch..

Woodchuck grooming

Finally, Walter spends a fair amount of time grooming. Although the individual photos are fun to look at, I have taken the series of stills and strung them together for a nice stop action style video. I think its worth the watch: Woodchuck in the sun

I have moved the camera. I am concentrating on other squirrel species now. But I think I will have to revisit Walter later in the season and see what other secrets I can uncover...

Woodchuck action through the lens of a Reconyx

Last year at this time I was playing with a new Cuddeback Attack and its video feature. I wrote

Woodchuck

several blog entries you can check out via the label "woodchuck" at this blog. This year, I decided to put out our new Reconyx camera at the same location and compare the results.
The Reconyx model we have does not take video, but it does take a burst of three photos in a row and then almost immediately is ready to take another burst of three. So I have been playing around with turning those still photos into a video. I am pleased with the results so far.
Two behaviors have emerged this week worth blogging about: Biting and the gathering of nesting material. 

Most, if not all squirrel species bite in order to leave scent behind. The glands are located in the cheek region and the actual bite may serve to anchor the face to the branch or serve as a visual marker or release aromatic chemicals from the wood or....??? :)

Regardless, my woodchuck has been active again this year at the small trunk at the entrance to its burrow. I have captured several nice images of it in action:

Woodchuck biting

Woodchuck biting and scent marking sapling

 

Several species have been captured investigating the entrance including raccoon, feral cat, striped skunk and this red fox. Red foxes will often take old woodchuck dens as their own and I wonder of this one had designs on housing or dinner...

Red fox at the woodchuck hole

Red fox sniffing a woodchuck's scent mark

That was five days ago and the fox has not appeared since.

The behavior I wanted to show is the gathering of nesting material. I only have images of this from a single day, but it happened twice.

I am not sure exactly where we are within the breeding process. Is this a precursor to mating or is this a sign that babies are nearly upon us? Is this a female? And is this even a natal nest being created? Why can't this just be a woodchuck cozying up the place without any expectation that the stork will be making any deliveries? Regardless, the Reconyx takes so many photos that they are of near video quality. I took all the photos associated with this event and put them in Movie Maker. Each still is up for .33 seconds. Have a look:

There are more stories to be told from this camera set. Stay tuned!

Woodchuck VII: The Groundhog takes to the Trees!

Whether you call it a woodchuck, groundhog or whistle pig, it is all the same thing: Marmota monax. It is not unusual for an animal to have more than one common name. Some are regional while others are more widespread. The woodchuck is even called "gopher" by some, but that name is particularly confusing since there is already another animal called gopher... This is my seventh post since I began monitoring this particular woodchuck burrow with a Cuddeback Attack. Just when I think I have blogged about everything, this critter does something different! Read on...

Woodchuck
(Seneca Falls, NY 4/12)

Many people are surprised to learn that woodchucks and other marmots are members of the squirrel family. I tell my students that there are two things that will help them remember that woodchucks are squirrels. as mentioned in a previous post, the first thing is the tail. Check out this first photo and note the bushy squirrel tail. Sure, it isn't as fluffy as the gray squirrel for example, but the woodchuck spends far more time on the ground (and under it!) than the gray squirrel. Which brings us to the second point regarding woodchucks: they climb trees just like other squirrels.

I have only seen two woodchucks in trees myself. Both times, I happened to be with students and both times the woodchuck were in fruit trees. Seeing a woodchuck in a tree will forever remind you that it is a big ol' squirrel. I still have the Cuddeback Attack set up on the woodchuck burrow in my backyard. I checked the camera last week and had 214 videos captured. That is 107 minutes to watch! About half way through I hit the jackpot; my woodchuck decided to climb. Here she is just before the video starts. She looks to be sizing up the situation...

When you watch the video, note that the woodchuck remains arboreal throughout the entire 30 seconds. In the next video segment recorded, she is down. I have been monitoring this particular burrow nonstop for weeks now and this is the first tree climbing noted.
Enjoy the video and remember to keep your eyes on the trees, watching for New York's largest squirrel.

Woodchuck VI: Stretching and Yawning with Groundhog Yoga

Woodchuck
(Seneca Falls, 4/12)

The Cuddeback Attack continues to produce some interesting video. Did you know woodchucks yawn? Yawn and stretch? In a way that makes them look like they are doing yoga? No? Well then! Check out the video below. As you watch, think about the purpose of the stretching. Woodchucks are known for spending a lot of time underground. Is the stretching simply a reaction to being up and out in the open? Or is this more of a reaction to waking up after a winter-long hibernation?

The video is a montage of several yawns and stretches but I saved the best one for last