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Wildlife Wednesday — Fartlek

Fartlek is a Swiss term for “speed play”. Many runners use fartlek training to help improve not only speed, but also strength, agility, efficiency, and endurance. Fartkeks can take many forms from recess on the school yard to segments of fast paced running based on time or distance. It can be regimented or totally free form. In the animal world you may see this with a pack of coyotes, or elk calves — both social animals, chasing and playing together.

For deer, fartleks are especially important and take a more regimented or constrained form.

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Rachel Ames Rachel Ames

Wildlife Wednesday — Least Chipmunks

Last week we were treated to the sight of a baby Least chipmunk making its first excursion from its natal den. At first it looked a little stunned as it sat motionless on a post. Perhaps it was the bright sunlight or maybe the discovery of a whole new world.

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Rachel Ames Rachel Ames

Furry Friday — Mother Elk

It seems like elk have been in the news a lot lately with 3 attacks by cow elk here in Estes in the last week. While this is an unusual number, these elk are displaying normal behavior.

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Rachel Ames Rachel Ames

Wildlife Wednesday — 8.5 months

Think back to what you were doing about 8 1/2 months ago. Maybe spending the evening watching the elk rut in Moraine Park? Or maybe a month later you were watching the Mule deer bucks chasing does. Now we see the fruits of their labor with new calves and fawns.

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Rachel Ames Rachel Ames

Wildlife Wednesday -- Celebrating Motherhood

This week we celebrate motherhood. Motherhood takes on many different forms and requirements depending on the needs of the young. For some, like the frog or salamander, the mother’s job is done once she lays her eggs. For others, like the Terrestrial garter snake, the mother’s duty goes one step further by retaining her eggs in her body. Once hatched, her young are on their own. For most others, however, motherhood is much more of an investment.

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Wildlife Wednesday -- Thatching Ants

If you have been out in the meadows and valleys lately you may have noticed an increase in ant activity, particularly the Western Thatching ant. These ants create mounds covered with twigs, or thatch. The nest often starts at the base of a sage brush, wax currant, or similar plant. The ants then chew away the bark and spray formic acid onto the plant until it dies. The plant is then removed allowing a central passage down into the nest. Pretty clever!

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Wildlife Wednesday -- Hibernation Zone

First came the chipmunks and then the Wyoming ground Squirrels. More recently, marmots and Golden-mantled ground squirrels have emerged from hibernation. Rodents are known for their ever growing incisors, or front teeth. Throughout their lives dentin is added on a circadian, or daily, basis to the root of the tooth. These teeth are kept in check by the wear of chewing.

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Wildlife Wednesday -- Western Spotted Skunk

A big thanks to Robert Yone for sharing his Western Spotted Skunk photos last week. (As well as his previous photos and video from last fall). Both Western Spotted skunks and the more common Striped Skunks are rare sightings since they are highly nocturnal creatures. Both species are carnivores preying on insects, worms, grubs, small mammals such as voles, mice, and ground squirrels, reptiles and amphibians, as well as birds and bird eggs. Both will eat vegetable matter such as fruits and berries as well. Aside from their markings, there are several differences between the two species.

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Rachel Ames Rachel Ames

Wildlife Wednesday - Signs of Spring

I missed the big snow in the Estes Valley last week but got to observe some interesting insect activity down in the Front Range. Recent warm temperatures and plenty of moisture have provided an early glimpse of spring.

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Wildlife Wednesday. - Bluebirds in the Estes Valley

Mountain Bluebirds are one of our first migratory birds to make their way back to the Estes Valley. We often see them perched on a bush or fence scanning the ground and then dropping down to catch a bug. How do they survive heavy spring snows like we are about to receive? Bluebirds are omnivorous so can switch their diet from bugs to fruit when needed. In March in the Estes Valley that may mean feeding on juniper, mistletoe, or currants. Prolonged periods of winter weather can be hard on all of us. Fortunately, late season storms usually don’t last long so warmer days shouldn’t be far away. In the next week or two, we should be seeing the first western bluebirds in the area, too.

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Rachel Ames Rachel Ames

Wildlife Wednesday — striped skunk

Spring is in the air. Bluebirds have returned. Deer have lost their antlers and elk are starting to shed theirs. Chipmunks are out and starting to establish territories and skunks are starting to become more active as well. Unlike chipmunks, skunks do not hibernate but greatly reduce their feeding and activity level during the winter. Skunks spend much of the winter bedded down in a den, usually an abandoned burrow of another animal. A couple times a day they may get up to move around for a few minutes but otherwise the winter is spent conserving energy.

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Wildlife Wednesday — Anatomy of a Red fox track

Foxes are one of those animals that we rarely see but the tracks they leave behind alert us to their presence. Red fox tracks can be confused with those of coyotes. Both are similar shape and size, although the fox’s tend to be a little smaller. Red foxes’ tracks tend to be less than 2” across, coyotes’ a little over.

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Rachel Ames Rachel Ames

Wildlife Wednesday - Ptarmigan in Winter

High up in the upper reaches of the Estes valley watershed lives a bird perfectly adapted to the alpine conditions — the White-tailed Ptarmigan. In fact, the White-tailed Ptarmigan is the only bird that spends its entire life at tree line or above. It is so well adapted to the winter that it actually gains weight during these cold months!

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Wildlife Wednesday - Squirrel Appreciation

Last Sunday, January 21, was “squirrel appreciation day”. While all the ground squirrels of the Estes Valley spend the winter hibernating under ground, our tree squirrels can be observed year round. The Estes Valley is home to two native tree squirrels - the Pine squirrel and Abert’s squirrel. How they live and where they are found differs between the two, however.

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Wildlife Wednesday - Goosebumps

A sudden chill often gives us “goosebumps”. “Goosebumps” form when tiny muscles at the base of our hair follicles contract and raises our hairs. Birds and many mammals have a similar response to cold temperatures. The fluffing of the feathers or raising of hairs helps opens up pockets of air that can trap heat close to the body.

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Wildlife Wednesday -- Tale of Two Weasels

The tale of two weasels. The Estes Valley is the home to both the Short-tailed and Long-tailed weasels. At first glance they look nearly identical. The Long-tailed is larger overall, however, at about 12 to 18 inches nose to tip of tail, while the Short-tailed weasel ranges from 8 to 10 inches. The tail of the Long-tailed weasel also makes up a greater proportion of its length. (Of course, weasels are very fast and the tail length is only helpful if you can see the its tail). Although rarely seen, weasels are active all year round, day and night. Breeding takes place in late summer and with the help of delayed implantation, births do not occur until late spring to early summer. Kits develop rapidly and females are able to mate the same year as their birth.

How they got here is also an interesting tale.

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Wildlife Wednesday -- Mule Deer Digestion

Mule deer adapt their diet to match the season. Summer is the time of plenty- a time for rich, high carbohydrate leaves and forbs (flowering plants). This allows deer to bulk up and store fat they will need to rely on later in the year. As greenery disappears, deer reduce their intake and switch to low-carb, high fiber browse of shrubs, twigs, and needles. As ruminants, deer, like elk, moose, sheep and cows, depend on a finely tuned mix of microbes to help digestion.

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Wildlife Wednesday -- WolF Reintroduction

On Monday, December 18th, 5 Grey Wolves from Oregon were released in Grand County as part of Colorado’s Grey wolf reintroduction program. How does Colorado’s effort compare to the previous reintroductions? Back in 1995 the US Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced Grey Wolves brought from Canada to Yellowstone National Park and remote areas of Idaho. In Yellowstone, the USFWS used what is called a “soft release”. That is they held wolves in one acre pens for several weeks to allow them to adjust to their new surroundings. Twice a week they were given food — elk, deer, moose, or bison that were found dead in the park. These wolves (14 in 1995 and 17 in 1996) came from different packs so were also allowed to bond with their new neighbors. Some even mated in this captive situation. Once released, these wolves tended to stay near the pens for a week or two before going off to explore their new surroundings.

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Wildlife Wednesday -- Shrews

If you see some teeny tiny tracks in the snow, you may just be looking at the path of a shrew. Shrews are our smallest mammals, many weighing less than 5 grams, about the weight of a nickel. To satisfy their voracious appetite, shrews speed through the forest litter in search of food. In fact, a shrew needs to consume at least its body weight in food daily to avoid starvation.

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Wildlife Wednesday -- Cactus Buck

Now here is something you don’t see every day. This is what is referred to as a “cactus buck” and is a great example of why testosterone is such an important driver in antler development. Increasing testosterone levels initiate antler growth, allow calcification, velvet shedding, and eventually an annual loss of the antlers post rut as testosterone levels diminish to complete the cycle.

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