Sunday, June 19, 2011

Mystery Dig

Something has been digging in one of my barrens. There wasn’t a lot of evidence left behind, so I’m having a little trouble figuring out just what’s going on. The hole measures about six inches wide and three deep.


At the head of the dig there appear to be marks made by toenails.


There’s evidence of earlier digs having taken place on this site. In fact, I found this hole dug out last weekend and filled it back in the best that I could. Still no clues as to what the animal was after.


The area has a lot of bare ground, but the digging is concentrated in just one spot. There is a small island of soil just left of the dig site.


The island contains a small red cedar and a heavy patch of Indiangrass. This is where I found my only other clue.


The grass on the island has been mashed down by something either laying or sitting on it. The only animal I can think of that has sharp toenails and would curl up on a mound of grass in the middle of an open clearing is a dog.


I filled the hole and tamped it back with my boot. I’ll check this spot a little more regularly to see if I can figure out what this animal is up to.

3 comments:

  1. I've seen red foxes act that way at times, sitting on a grass clump above a den.

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  2. Hi, Lois. It's a mystery how I'm ever going to solve all these mysteries.

    Hi, Michael. While I was out today, I found two areas of matted grass about 100 feet up the hill from this spot. One spot was about 7 feet across and the other about 4 feet. It looked like something had stretched out and rolled and scratched the way my pet dogs have done in the past. Add to that the fact that during the past couple of months I've seen a spotted Great Dane and a black Lab roaming the area and I think I know what's been going on.

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