Geese are back, we’re starting to hear the cranes occasionally, and it’s time to look for frog eggs. Enjoy the warmer weather!
Frog Eggs and Toad Eggs
Spring seems to have finally arrived, and soon the pond will be full of little frogs. As it turns out, frog eggs and toad eggs are different, and far easier to tell apart than the tadpoles. Frog eggs typically form nice clumps. -this years batch are particularly muddy. Toad eggs, however, will generally be in strands. While the eggs will typically hatch within two weeks or so, it’s still possible to tell the difference in the next stage. Tadpoles: The frog version will typically school. Eating eggs (or smaller tadpoles) is less common in frogs, and so there’s…
Game Camera: Sandhill Cranes
Perhaps you’ve heard the distinctive call of the sandhill cranes recently? -Patches We’re actually in at the very south edge of the breeding range for Sandhill Cranes. They’re not particularly picky eaters- they’ll eat snakes, frogs, insects, seeds… Often, we’ll see them in the spring, hunting frogs in shallow water.
My life with Canada Geese
In the flyway, I saw geese as population, as statistics – an appropriate way for a demographer to view any group. As a retiree, back in northwest Montana, I saw geese as neighbors on about 3 ½ acres of pond. Watching individuals, and then families, began in 2015. Goose appropriated the island for her nest, and Gander made certain nothing shared it. In later years, mallards, teal and even coots would share the island’s safety for their nests – but in this first year, all other species were regarded as competition. When larger geese wouldn’t leave, Gander would…
Thatch Ants
Our mound-building ants in this part of the country are Western Thatching Ants, Formica obscuripes.These ants are rather special because they generally have multiple active queens in a single colony – the young queens often help out and reproduce at home, instead of founding their own new colonies…
Trego's Mountain Ear 
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