I have collected some photos of mammals. All but a few were taken in Hanover, NH. All but one were taken in 2026, most in the last month. I’ve arranged them by weight.
Chipmunk
Chipmunks weigh in at 2 to 5 ounces, though I have never weighed one. They are inquisitive and cute. These photos are from the rail trail east from Mascoma Lakeside Park.
Red Squirrel
I came across a nicely backlit red squirrel a few days ago in the Canaan Town Forest. This one posed for me as it moved around to several perches. In parts of the U.K., red squirrels are cherished and protected. Red squirrels weigh 7-12 ounces.
Gray Squirrel
Somewhat larger than red squirrels, gray squirrels weight 1-1.5 pounds. These two were photographed near Occom Pond in Hanover.
Woodchuck
The woodchuck, also known as the groundhog, is a rodent that belongs to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. It typically weighs 5-14 pounds. I found this one in WRJ while I was searching for red fox kits.
Gray Fox
A few days ago a gray fox spent over 3 minutes strolling through our backyard. I was lucky to spot it. I went out on our deck to photograph it. It knew I was there but seemed unconcerned as it ambled from being backlit in ferns to frontlit by the late afternoon sun. Gray foxes can climb trees. They weigh 7-25 pounds.
Red Fox
I published an entire blog on the red fox kits I photographed in WRJ in April. Here is one photo of the vixen from there. Red foxes weigh 7-25 pounds.
Porcupine
While hiking with Jann in Etna, we spotted a porcupine. It was not in a great spot for photography, and I did not want to try to move it. Porcupines weigh 10-35 pounds.
Bobcat
In the autumn of 2022, a bobcat spent almost 30 minutes in our yard watching me grill our dinner on our deck as the sun set. It certainly knew I was there, but it seemed unconcerned. It was hard to focus because the light was low and it was in tall grass. Bobcats weigh 14-40 pounds.
Beaver
Beavers weigh an amazing 25-75 pounds with 40-60 pounds typical for an adult. The beaver is North America’s largest rodent. This one was photographed along the Cross Vermont Trail in Wells River.
Closer to home in Etna, this beaver was gathering vegetation for a possible lodge. If the pair are building a lodge, it will not be easily visible.
The pond is also the home of a family of eight Canada Geese. The young are now nearly adult size. Here some of them inspecting the beaver.
White-tailed Deer
The area around Occom Pond, especially along Occom Ridge Road, has been great this year for wildlife, especially warblers and deer. Here are photos of small white-tailed deer taken two different days. Deer in this area are very blasé about humans. White-tailed deer weigh 130-300 pounds.
Black Bear
In my previous blog post, I showed some photos of a huge black bear that ambled through our yard on July 1st. Here is one I did not show. Black bears weigh 400-800 pounds.
