January 21, 2018

It was another week of variability on the lakes.  Right after the rain froze everything up there were a few days of good skating on large areas of smooth ice.

Active, year-round lake enthusiast Harry Clymer went to check the ice quality on that first, frigid, frozen day, and declared it acceptable for skating.

The ice was quite nice in some places, even good enough to make a trek all the way around the lake if one was willing to brave a few rough spots.  It enabled quite a few people to get out on the ice as shown by tracks etched in various locations around the lake.

In mid January the sun is still setting far to the south - even though the days are lengthening - and it painted long reflections on the ice as it set behind Arbutus Hill to the west.

Then on Wednesday things changed as snow returned - a peaceful, gently falling veil of snow through a still sky that obscured all color, conceding only shades of gray.

Nothing but gray

The next morning's sunrise revealed that all had been tucked back under its pristine white winter blanket.

Morning sunshine on pristine snow

Thank you all for your feedback on your winter squirrel sightings, and for the offer to send some of yours our way.  It seems they took you up on your offer, as this week we had many gray squirrels back around the house.  Perhaps the impenetrable ice layer is keeping them from their food stores so they are looking elsewhere.

They're back....

Gray squirrels live above ground in a tree cavity or in a giant nest of leaves high in the branches of a sturdy oak tree.  Red squirrels - which are still absent from the feeders - live under ground, so are more accustomed to digging down below the snow and ice, and likely still have access to their subterranean food supply.  But if we have a long winter we will see them arrive at our feeders as spring approaches.

A trip around the lake after the snow fell betrayed the nighttime travels of a number of winter predators out on the hunt for sustenance - including any squirrels foolish enough to venture onto the lake.

Multiple animals used this passage between Loon Point and Point Island

 The track on the right was made by a coyote as shown by this clear paw print:

Note the well defined toenail imprints

 Later, another set of tracks:

A bobcat trail 

This bobcat followed the northern shoreline for over three quarters of a mile.

Over on Blake Brook I found a few old otter slides, ones that were made before this last snow.

An otter takes advantage of a beaver lodge to get a start on its luge run

I'm happy to have the change back to snow, though it was nice to have a chance to get a few skating strides in this winter.  Plus it made for some different winter landscapes for us to enjoy.

A lone skater sets off as the sun sets slowly in the west