Peeing in the Woods

Something you don't see every day; a whitetail taking a leak.

Same posture as my dog...

  

Wiley Coyote

Each evening there is 'last call' before bedtime for blonde dog to piddle one last time.  This is usually accompanied by giving the evening air a good long sniff, raised hackles and barking at the the general darkness surrounding the house.

On our daily walk there is typically a lot of sniffing and peeing.  No barking - but plenty of scent-marking.

There are coyotes out there.  We don't see them in real time - yet they are there.

Our resident coyotes are pretty cagey and make every effort to avoid direct contact with people.  Nevertheless, they're out there and blonde dog makes a regular effort to keep her territory marked.  

Taken only a few days-apart at the same location there are these images from the DNR trail camera that we host.....

Tag Team - Two

Yesterday I posted a couple of photos of a duo of coyotes on the hunt.

Today there is this short, silent video vignette. Same date, different location and slightly different time.

You have to be quick to notice the hind quarter of the lead coyote in the very opening frame - this was the animal that triggered the motion-activated camera.  It is the second animal that is worthy of observation.

 

She pauses to pee and then scratch to finish marking her territory before moving on.  This territorial marking is no different than that of our Labrador retriever.  Likely the same for your dog too.  The difference is that around here is is a constant battle to mark territory.  The coyotes pee and scratch, the Blonde Lab sniffs it out and then proceeds to mark it and scratch it herself.  The coyotes pee and repeat. The cycle does not end.

It's an on-going contest to determine who's Boss Dog of theses here parts......

Solving An Age-Old Problem

If you are like me and were born with outdoor plumbing be grateful for being equipped to easily pee in your woods when nature calls.  No dropping the drawers for we of the male persuasion.  Hey, when you've acres upon acres of trees the world is your urinal.  That said - I also have a couple of comfy outdoor privies with contoured seating and panoramic views - but we'll save that discussion for another day.

If you're also like me - and have traveled here and abroad - there is nothing worse than being in an urban public space – a park, a botanical garden or a plaza - and being assaulted by the strong smell of cat box. I take that back – cat boxes don’t smell that bad. What I’m talking about is the sensory assault visited-upon us by public urination.  Guys (yes - guys) the Town Square in not your urinal.

I have witnessed the acrid, ammonia-like stink lingering in the city air all over North America and abroad. It is as old a challenge as civilization itself. You have to hand it to the Romans and their vast department of public works and civil engineering to introduce the concept of modern public sanitation. Yet this problem persists. And as a consequence of thinking out of the box there may be a sustainable solution.  

photo - GreenPee

This is the GreenPee – manufactured by the Dutch company Urban Sense - these colorful planters not only provide a location for pollinator habitat they also are a possible solution to urban public urination. These are being deployed in Amsterdam as well as additional Dutch cities and urban locations in Belgium. 

They reduce water use associated with traditional urinals, provide an alternative to the annoyance of public urination and can be equipped with a sensor that sends an alert when it is time to be emptied. The contents are fetched and subsequently converted to fertilizer and clean water. 

You can learn more here. 

In the mean time watch for a GreenPee coming to a big city near you.

Found in a Forest

 It's a toiletree

Who Pees in the Woods?

While out turkey hunting the other day I noticed something about five feet from where I was seated in my place of concealment. 

Adjacent to a white spruce and in a worn whitetail trail was what looked for all the world like blue pee in the snow.  Instead of the normal yellow pee stain you would expect to find on a deer trail - this was blue.  Yup, blue! 

I looked around thinking one of the trees or shrubs had blue berries remaining on the branches.  Nope.  Everyone knows spruce don't have berries. 

Maybe a bird was eating a berry and dropped in in the snow creating the blue stain?  Nope.  The stain had no berries or parts of berries - just a consistent blue stain.

Stumped, I took some photos and after returning home emailed them to a pal who is a certified biologist with the UW-Madison Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology.  I asked if it is possible for deer urine to be blue.  She was stumped too - but only initially.  Her reply included the following:

Very interesting! I did some looking on line and I think u are right.  Deer were eating the juniper berries.  Check out the following article about rabbits and juniper berries.  I learned something new today, thanks!

You can learn more about this interesting phenomenon here. 

The $1,000 question is can I convince my deer hunting pals to replicate this in a human trial?

Stay tuned....

Who Pees in the Woods?

Truth be told - everyone pees in the woods.

When you gotta go - you gotta go....

Urology

Recently I found myself turned-around over at the medical center.  I was not lost.  My delicate sniffer helped me to find my way out.  

When the atmosphere begins to become infused with the scent of pee it is beyond a doubt that you are close to the department of urology.  From there you follow the fresh air to the exit...