Continuing Our Mammal Study

So the sun was out and I took advantage of the time to take an spin around the yard with the boys. It is still pretty cold and wet but it was nice to have a chance to see if we could find any signs of mammals in the yard.

First stop, we found a hole under the birdfeeder that we are thinking is probably a mole or it could be another vole....we are not sure.

(be sure to click any photos you want to see enlarged)

Next we spotted some fresh dirt here at the edge of the lawn and mounded up in between the river rocks.

How about this little hole? This one is at the far end of the yard under the pine tree and the pine needles are neatly pushed out from around the hole.

It is amazing what you can find in your own backyard with close scrutiny.

I also wanted to share our robins that were in the tree outside our window. I counted six at one point.

Well that is our mammal study for the week. Even with the bitter, cold weather we are trying to be good about getting out of doors.

Until next time,
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Mammals in Our Backyard

We have decided to work through our list of mammals that we have observed in our backyard and make journal entries for them in our nature journals. Often times we observe an animal and do not take the time to do the research or the entry into our journals. On these cold, rainy days of winter we will take the opportunity to read about each one in the Handbook of Nature Study if possible and then record our findings. Many of the animals we observe are not specifically covered in the HNS, so we will use the internet or our field guides to get the information.

Here is the list of animals we are going to study:
(also found as links on my sidebar)

Western grey squirrel
Striped skunk
Broad-footed mole
Long-tailed vole
House mouse
Norway rat
Mule deer
Common raccoon
Little brown bat

Covering one animal per week for the next term, I think that our goal is within reach. I will share our results as we go along.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom