The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow.
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I was sitting on the bank of Durden Creek (near the junction of Turkey Creek) when I shot the following video.
1 minute film
My morning began with splendor and even the routine events of an abandoned October lake bed were spectacular. Flocks of White-fronted Geese dropped in to join the Canada geese plowing the fresh grass off the mud flats as a Bald Eagle observed.
Here is a 1 minute video of the calm action.
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A dark blur, moving through the short grasses, caught my attention. As I walked closer, I found unfamiliar tracks. I soon discovered the paw printer.
When I got home I learned a lot more about skunks than I ever imagined. Nocturnal hunters (typically) a skunk will hunt during the day if they endure a cold snap (not the case for this one), a bad night of hunting (most possible) or a larger than normal litter to feed.
After seeing the behavior I filmed, I had questions about the unusual movements the skunk made. I will show you the 1:07 minute film before covering my findings and speculations.
I could not find any study on hunting tactics skunks use. They do eat most everything they encounter (insects, lizards, small animals like voles, birds and eggs) much like Raccoon and Opossum. So when I saw the low to the ground circling, I figured this was similar to a canine tracking it’s prey.
However, when you google: “skunks running in circles”, you’ll find papers and videos on distemper and rabies. All the animals in those videos showed signs of sluggish movements, lethargy or random aggression. The animals on those sites are easily recognized as sick and that is not the case with the skunk I saw.
My conclusion is this; there were lots of small insects in the short grass and I believe the skunk was herding them together with the reducing concentric circles it was making. When enough bugs were together, the skunk pounced (as seen in the video) and gobbled up as many as it could. I watched and filmed this routine for an hour before I was distracted by my Bug of the Day.
Another look at the Damselfly that roams marsh banks. It is late in the year and this may have been a late bloomer making the last loops before winter.
I would love to hear about your own sequences. Please bring any of the findings you have.
Here is the schedule for our Friday Sequence for the remainder of this year. If you’d like to host a slot, please choose one and let me know.