To Gnaw

I came across a large bone on the forest floor which was probably left by a predator such as a fox or coyote that had either killed the animal it belonged to or had confiscated it from a kill site. Upon closer examination I discovered fine lines all along it edges. These lines were the cut marks left behind by the teeth of some sort of rodent. Bones, along with the shed antlers of deer, are loaded with calcium and phosphorous and are eaten by rodents such as mice, rats, and squirrels for these minerals. That's why deer sheds are so hard to find. Also, rodents have only one set of chisel-shaped teeth their entire lives, which continue to grow. They must gnaw on something hard in order to keep them sharp and to provide wear to prevent overgrowth. An interesting find. Click on pic for closer view. By the way....the word rodent originated from the Latin verb rodere- meaning to gnaw.

Return of the Purple Martin

The return of North America's largest swallow, the purple martin has begun. Sightings have been reported in Florida and Louisiana. Over the last 12 years that I've had a colony, their average return date here is around the second or third week of February. My 32 Supergourds are up and ready, but I'll keep them plugged until I begin seeing them in the area, otherwise their two main nest site competitors, the European starling and the English sparrow, would try to move in. If you have any experience with a martin colony you know how much a pain in the *** these two birds can be so it's best to keep them in check by any means. As the season progresses I hope to post any and all things interesting that I come across. Hopefully this season will be one of many new fledglings.