Signs of spring: bear and bobcat in Franconia

[Waumbek]

Over the weekend a medium-sized bear emerged from hibernation in a pile of blowdowns on my back 40; it skeedaddled off quickly. It seems a bit early but he's out & about. And a neighbor saw a bobcat during the day. That's right on schedule. It's bobcat mating season and a good time to look for this normally elusive and nocturnal animal. They'll be active again diurnally in June when mothers are feeding litters. Early spring is coming even if it currently snowing with 1" down this morning.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

On a much less interesting note, the snow fleas are out in the Carter Range.

Tim

 

[una_dogger]

I think those are really called "spring tails", Tim!

 

[Puck]

And a neighbor saw a bobcat during the day. That's right on schedule.

What is most amazing the bobcat is the one without the datebook and calander and s/he is so punctual...

 

[Mattl]

I can't believe a bear came out in Franconia already, isn't there still a good amount of snow there? I know it was warm for a couple days, but I thought in the White Mountains region it's usually April. I know it is highly dependent on snow depth and temp, but I find that interesting..just barely into the second week in March? hmm..?

 

[roadtripper]

On a much less interesting note, the snow fleas are out in the Carter Range.

Tim

What are snow fleas? I've never seen or even heard of these things? Where can they be found, and how long do they last for?

Very curious...

 

[rhihn]

What are snow fleas? I've never seen or even heard of these things? Where can they be found, and how long do they last for?

Very curious...

Some info here and here

 

[TDawg]

You've probably seen them while hiking in the spring time and just didn't notice them. They look like someone took a pepper shaker and shook it into a hole in the snow (posthole.) When you look closer, the pepper is moving!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_flea

 

[erugs]

Our group saw snow fleas on the trail on Saturday, too (Coppermine Trail). They weren't as active as I've seen them in the past.

 

[wardsgirl]

I wonder why we see them when hiking in the mountains, but not around the house and garden, even in a wooded rural NH neighborhood?

 

[erugs]

When you realize how small they are, and think of how much we travel without seeing them...

I was surprised once to hear them in the wood near my New Boston, NH home once when there was no snow on the ground. Somehow, I heard the noise in the leaves and when I looked closer I saw them hopping around.

 

[OldMan]

What are snow fleas? I've never seen or even heard of these things? Where can they be found, and how long do they last for?

Very curious...

I posted a closeup photo of the ones we saw on a hike in the Carters this last weekend in this thread...

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=28607

 

[Waumbek]

I can't believe a bear came out in Franconia already, isn't there still a good amount of snow there? I know it was warm for a couple days, but I thought in the White Mountains region it's usually April. I know it is highly dependent on snow depth and temp, but I find that interesting..just barely into the second week in March? hmm..?

Back to bears--yes hibernation usually ends in April here, and there's plenty of snow back in the woods. Wildlife biologists attribute an early end of hibernation to habitat disturbance or to insufficent layering of fat in the fall. Brown and black bears in Alaska are coming out early this year for one or both reasons. But I don't think either applies in this case, so I don't know what's up with this particular bear.

 

[Trail Bandit]

This is a diversion from bears, but the Snow Fleas are out in Henniker. There is more about these critters at http://science.exeter.edu/jekstrom/VT/SPRINGTL/SpTail.html

 

[JohnL]

Bobcat paw print?

When I was on the summit ledges of Mt Liberty on Sunday I came across quite a number of paw prints that I first took to be from a dog. It appears that all the prints were made in slush the previous day when the sun had warmed the snow or from the ensuing rain. However the more I looked at the prints I was curious as to why I was not seeing any human prints. Surely the dog is not roaming around the summit by itself. If it was with a human at or near the same time, then I would be seeing human prints. But I didn't. That got me looking even closer. All the prints were lined up almost in a perfect straight line which led me to think more of a cat than a dog. None of the prints I looked at showed any indication of claws. Again, cat, not dog.

The photo link shows one of the better prints. Wet snow followed by precipitation and freezing left most of the prints with an indeterminate form. The animal would be traveling from left to right in the photo. Thoughts?

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2948049570027359582fjEsXJ?vhost=outdoors

JohnL

 

[Waumbek]

I don't think that's a bobcat print. It's too small and lacks the very distinctive heel (or center) pad of the bobcat with three lobes on the bottom and the concave (caved in) top.

Here are lots of examples: http://www.bear-tracker.com/bobcat.html

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Red-wing blackbirds showed up today (in Nashua.) That's a sure sign spring is a comin'.

Tim

 

[dentonfabrics]

I think this is a bobcat print...