March 29, 2026: Wandering Skunks

 A bit more snow this week provided evidence of a skunk meandering here and there looking for things to eat.  The snow also gave us more beatuiful scenery in the steadily intenstifying spring sun.

That light overnight snowfall left an ideal medium to record the skunk's tracks as it made its rounds of the neighborhood.

Meandering skunk tracks in fresh snow.

You may recall last summer (Skunking Through the Flowers, August 3, 2025) we had a juvenile skunk exploring the yard during the day when I was able to watch its meandering all around and through the flowers.  

Our young skunk last summmer.

I wonder if this was the same animal, now mature and traveling at night as mature skunks do.  I followed its tracks around where the flowers will soon rise again, over to the garage, around the house, and even right up onto the front step.

One of the best ways to identify skunk tracks is ther quite random and variable path, far different from most wild animals.  

This may be due to the fact that a skunk doesn't really worry too much about being attacked, as most predators know enough to stay away from a skunk.  But a hungry bobcat, fox, coyote, or owl will still take a skunk if needed.  They are easy prey, and the stench is worth it if one is hungy enough.  There weren't any clear prints to study due to the soft, light snow, but this shows their size, and you can make out the toenails in one of the prints:

Skunks have especially long front toenails to held them dig for food and making dens.

Skunks in New Hampshire have mated by now, and the young will be born soon if not already.  They'll spend seven weeks in the den nursing before their first venture out into the world.  My skunk could be either a male or female; the male has no role in raising the young so mom needs to hunt for herself.  Sometime in June she'll bring the half dozen or so kits out of the den and show them how to hunt for themselves.

Waukewan Canal between Lakes Waukewan and Winnipesaukee.

Linda and I took a nice spring walk around Swasey Park in Meredith Village during the week - there's still a lot ice in the canal and on Lake Waukewan.  But in open water there are now ducks and geese staking out their nesting territories.

I also saw two geese in a small patch of open water near the outlet of Wicwas.  

We extended our walk into the village to check the outflow of the canal over the falls at the Inn.

While in town we spent time enjoying the blue sky and soaking in the sun while perusing the many sculptures and weathervanes in Meredith Village.

"Pamola" - The Wabanake spirit that lives atop Mount Katahdin and guards the highest point in Maine.

Congregational Church

Palmer Inn at Mill Falls

Hermit Woods Winery

The Inn at Bay Point

I'll close this journal entry back at Lake Wicwas with yet another visitor to the lake:

Eastern Coyote

This coyote trotted across the lake just yesterday, so I'll read up on coyotes and provide more information about this interesting and sometimes misunderstood animal next week.

It may look spring-like in some spots with crocuses emerging and the snowdrops blooming,

Snowdrops

but Lake Wicwas is still firmly in the grip of Old Man Winter with 12" of solid ice on the lake, plenty to support coyotes for a couple more weeks.

Old Man Winter still has a few cards left to play.