The Cedar Bush and Swamp

The conditions for tracking continue to deteriorate--with no end in sight. There is rain in the forecast for tomorrow, which will take out most of the rest of the snow, and as the weather cools again replace it with ice.

I did see more deer sign, and a little new fox sign in the cedar bush. The juncos are still in the bush and still excitable. And we saw 15 cedar waxwings in the yard this morning. But I thought I'd continue to show features of the walk with some images from the bush and swamp taken today.


The swamp is fed in part by a spring, and has open water all winter, most winters.

Here is another view that shows, in the background, one of a number of dead trees that attract woodpeckers, including the pileated, and may one day provide a nesting place for a wood duck.



The cedar bush looks quite open in the picture below, but in reality most of it is a bit of a scramble to get through, unlike the wide open spaces of the ATV/snowmobile trail through the fields.



The cedar bush is not terribly old. Human spoor, such as shown in the picture below, show that it has been used as a dump in the past. Near the tractor seat there is also an old wagon wheel with a fairly substantial tree growing through the spokes.



Next time, the far field and the fox den!