1.27.12 I ventured out to the mailbox in light, cold rain and an inch of frozen slush underfoot to be startled in my musings by the chatter of a Belted Kingfisher as it made a mad dash first into a nearby white pine, then back and forth through swamp shrubs near the bottom of my driveway, scolding and chattering all the while. Although it rained much of the night and morning, there isn't a lot of open water around here.
Yesterday, a short loop through the area revealed the meanderings of river otter (its slide and tracks preserved in ice); oppossum; red fox; gray fox; coyote; deer. Yet unidentified, there were clear tracks of a weasel-family member as it dropped into open holes in the brook and exited onto snow leaving muddy tracks and drips of muddy water. All tracks were greatly magnified by the thawing temperatures - great viewing without the need for glasses!