Winter Outerwear

If you're like me and don't head south for the winter months winter warmth is found in a walk in the woods with the dog, whipping-up terrific food in the kitchen and sitting fireside by the wood burner with a book or to watch British detective series or a good movie.

The critters that make their home in our woods have their own survival strategies to get thru winter.  Including the addition of new winter outerwear.  They do so by means of molting (shedding) their summer coat and swapping it out for winter pelage that is a thicker, denser, water repellent coat of fur that provides superior insulation and camouflage.  

When you live half-way between the equator and the North Pole the fall molt is especially important to animals adapted to cold climates. That new winter coat serves two purposes - warmth and concealment. 

This time of year the ubiquitous deer appear fuzzy or chubby in their cold weather wardrobe.  Whitetail deer sport a uniquely adapted winter coat that efficiently absorbs scarce winter sunlight.  Solar heat is trapped by coarse outer guard hairs - each of which is hollow.  For added insulation the layer beneath is dense and soft - retaining heat close to the skin.  Deer also produce an oily substance that works thru the entire coat to enhance waterproofing.  These insulating qualities are so efficient that falling snow will collect on the animal without melting.  Furthermore, the dull brownish-grey winter coat this time of year is superb camouflage.   

The long-tailed weasel changes into all white winter coat.  Brown in the summer months with an identifying field mark in the form of a black-tipped tail year-round.  This species is larger than the short-tailed weasel and the least weasel - who lacks a black-tipped tail.  

Then there is the larger mink who does not sport a white coat in the winter.

Indeed, like the mink, the fisher also does not sport white winter camouflage either. One of the largest members of the weasel family the fisher's coat is characterized by a soft suppleness and so prized as a fur bearer that is was oft referred-to as the American Sable.

Raising a toast to warm, winter outerwear.

Furbearer

Meet Mustela vision - the American mink.

For purposes of scale here is a photo taken from the same camera of garden variety cat.

The American mink is a semi-aquatic species of mustelid (weasels, badgers, otters, martens and wolverines) native to North America.  I have found this critter's tracks in the snow over the years and trail camera photos only a couple of times in the last ten years. 

A strict carnivore, mink feed on mice, voles, rabbits, muskrats, frogs, fish and crayfish.  They also prey-upon birds and their eggs.  As a strong and agile swimmer much of their food is obtained closer to the shoreline habitat.

With the exception of the mating season this is a solitary critter.  Polygamous both sexes will mate with multiple partners but it is the females that raise the young.  Breeding around here  begins in March.  Litter sizes range from two to eight  (typically four) and the young become independent at six months of age.

Unlike some weasels this critter does not turn white with winter.  The pelt (fur) of this animals is quite valuable; as a consequence, domestic farming of mink provides the majority of the fur that is brought to market. 

This species' conservation status is of least concern.

Rare Predator

Weasels get a bad rap.  Oftentimes, co-opted as a pejorative term for a scoundrel or rogue.  I think it's a pretty cool critter inasmuch as I've never captured an image on a trail camera before.  I checked.  This is a first.  Mink, yes.  This fella, nope.  I've saw one on a rock pile during a late December bow hunt years ago but alas, no photographic evidence until this.

Meet Mustela Frenata - the long-tailed weasel.

click on image for a closer look

Appearing here in all white winter coat.  Brown in the summer months with an identifying field mark in the form of a black-tipped tail year-round.  This species is larger than the short-tailed weasel and the least weasel (lacks a black-tipped tail).  Smaller than a mink who does not sport a white coat in the winter.

A nocturnal animal it is active throughout the year.  Primary prey are mice and voles; however, it will take down a rabbit and climb a tree to snag a squirrel.  Weasels also dine on insects and bird eggs during the warmer months.  A busy predator this critter consumes one-quarter to almost half of its body weight on a daily basis.  Having dined on larger prey the leftovers are cached for later consumption.

Breeding season is summertime with fertilized eggs implanted for later development. Four to eight kits are birthed once a year in spring.

If you want to use a euphemism to describe a scallywag; don't impugn the reputation of my pal and totally cool predator by referring to the jerk as a weasel.

Tracking

From our walk the other morning there were these fresh tracks in the fresh snow...

Weasel

Deer Mouse

And Wile E. Coyote

Rare Vistor Pays a Call

I stumbled-upon a technological hiccup with a recent upload of photos from our Snapshot Wisconsin (DNR) trail camera.  It would appear that back in February a routine upload to the cloud network failed to send all of the photos.  Last weekend that SD card found it's way back into the upload rotation and sure as shooting a big slug of photos from January and February showed-up.  Good thing because this infrared gem was in the collection......

click on image to enlarge

I captured my very first picture of one of these in February of 2019.  Again in March and October of last year.  And the end of January this year.  Woot Woot!   

This is Martes pennanti - the Fisher.  One of the larger members of the weasel family - only the river otter is bigger.    

Characterized by a soft and supple pelt this highly-prized furbearer was oft referred-to as the American Sable.  Once widely distributed across Wisconsin - the great cutover of our northern forests and unregulated trapping eventually led to the extirpation of this species.  Only very small remnant populations retreating to the northern-most reaches of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Nevertheless, the species persists as a consequence of reintroduction efforts and reforestation of marginal farmland.  Four photos over three consecutive years is not happenstance and it would appear that southern Door County is now part of an expanding range. 

These are habitually solitary animals and while a pregnant female will den-up for a period of time - males are always on the prowl with a typical boy requiring as much as 150 square miles of territory.  March and April is mating season for the fisher and is characterized by a reproductive curiosity featuring a delayed implantation period of 10 to 11 months.  Possibly stimulated by longer daylight - the blastocyst (the earliest stage of the embryo) is then implanted in the uterus.  Gestation is 6 weeks followed by the birth of three to four kits.  Since mom is capable of mating immediately afterwards females spend virtually all of their adult lives either pregnant or lactating.  By the end of summer the young will leave the den and disperse to establish their own territories.  Males contribute nothing to the raising of the young.

Another fun fact is that this critter is an accomplished swimmer and quite comfortable in the water.  You're probably thinking - how many fish can a fisher fish?  The answer is none.  The fisher does not fish.  Their smaller mink cousins are better fishermen than the fisher.  An opportunistic feeder this animal will dine on mice, voles, dead fish, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons and an occasional house cat.  Seasonally they'll help themselves to reptiles, amphibians, nuts, berries, eggs and fruit.  Equipped with cat-like retractable claws this is one of the few predators that will take-down a porcupine with little to no ill-effect. 

I'm positively tickled to capture another photo with an ever-patient, motion-activated woodland sentinel.

Raising a toast to big weasels and second-rate fishermen....

Tracking

One of the principle advantages of winter is snow.  All the better to learn who is moving about.

From our walk today we followed the bounding track of four footprints spaced 12 to 18 inches -apart.

Weasel.

Illegitimi Non Carborundum

It was likely a good strategy initially - Trump fatigue was a terrific way  to wear down the president’s critics. 

Alas,  it has ended up a way to wear down the president’s friends. 

And with friends like Trump - who needs enemies?

Look Who Showed-up on the Trail Camera

Not having previously spotted one of these my initial reaction was - whoa!  This has got to be the mother of all weasels. Thumbing thru a field guide of Wisconsin mammals I had a tentative ID in relatively short order yet was unsure.  These weasels are not at all common around these parts.  I figured I better seek a second professional opinion to be sure of the identification of this rare critter.  Both a UW and DNR biologist concurred on the identification.  This was an exciting first for me and I got to check another species off of my life list. 

click on image for a closer look

 

Meet Martes pennanti - the Fisher.  One of the larger members of the weasel family - this mammal was once widely distributed across Wisconsin.  Characterized by a soft and supple pelt this highly-valued furbearer was oft referred-to as the American Sable.  Unregulated trapping and deforestation eventually led to the extirpation of this species with remnant populations retreating to the northern-most reaches of our state and Minnesota.  Nevertheless, the species persists as a consequence of reintroduction efforts and making a come-back would appear to also make Door County part of its range. 

Pregnant females will den-up for a period of time while males are always on the prowl with a typical boy requiring up to 150 square miles of territory.  Equipped with retractable claws (just like a cat) this is one of the few predators that will prey-upon a porcupine with little or no ill-effect.  It will also dine on small mammals such as mice, voles, squirrels, rabbits as well as nuts, berries, eggs and fruit.

This is the mating season of the fisher and females give birth to three to four kits in the spring.  By the end of summer the young will leave the den and mom's care and disperse to establish their own territories.

Incidentally, the fisher is a strong swimmer but it does not fish.  Mink are better fishermen than the fisher.  That-aside, I'd still like to raise a toast to weasels.   They are survivors after-all....