Welcome to the 'Possum Valley Blog

Opossum and I live in a little woods on a little river in the Midwest. The varied habitat--riparian, early successional with a few big trees, ag/forest edges, and river--makes for better than average wildlife viewing opportunities. Too, we've planted hundreds of native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers to enhance our little ecosystem for the local critters.

The idea of blogging came to me after this morning’s vision of a Gray Fox walking along the riverbank, right past the kitchen window. We saw him (her?) for only a few seconds, but he was unmistakably a Gray, with grizzled gray, brown, and reddish fur and the distinctive black-tipped tail. We see Red Foxes 2 or 3 times a year (with their white-tipped tails), and an occasional Coyote, but a Gray sighting in these parts is rare. They’re primarily nocturnal and unique among canids in their tree-climbing ability.

It was a real treat to see him, and as he dropped over the bank and out of sight, we speculated where he might be heading: Off across the field? Was the ice thick enough to support his weight, so he might be able to feast on one of the geese on the far bank? Could he have a den amongst the roots of one of the giant sycamores? We refreshed our memories by re-reading about the species in field guides, and talked about him far longer than we actually saw him.

And I thought that sightings like this were special enough that they deserved to be noted.

It’s wicked cold this weekend, 5F/-15C, a time when critters usually lay low, but there’s a lot going on here. A dozen or so Canada Geese appeared over the last few days; they seem to churn the water to keep it from freezing at the bend. We wondered why they came in January, of all times, and if they had come down from the north for some relative warmth.

Sitting in the living room last night, we turned on the outdoor floodlight to see what was going on. It didn’t take long to see Southern Flying Squirrels gliding to a shelf nailed to an American Linden tree. The Red Squirrels and Blue Jays had emptied the shelf of its nuts earlier in the day, so Opossum bundled up, grabbed a flashlight, and delivered a fresh supply of peanuts and hazelnuts.

The Flyers are fast as lightning (maybe faster), but we had several good glimpses of them. Before take-off, they calculate their landing to the far side of the tree--so as to avoid any pursuing predators--then scurry to the opposite side, where the goodies are.

The summer was so dry that the Black Walnuts failed so a few extra nuts should be welcome.

The Nut Shelf Tree