Alcott Smith gave a very educational seminar as a dozen participants hiked the Marshall Brook Wetland in NE Hanover. Sponsored by the Hanover Conservancy, we hiked on fresh snow in a beautiful and varied habitat. Here is Alcott examining a tree where a pileated woodpecker feasted on carpenter ants.
After an interesting crossing of Marshall Brook (see slide show below), Alcott found bobcat tracks. It had chased something—a squirrel most likely—down a bank to where Alcott is standing and then walked the length of a downed tree. You might be able to see the tracks on the log; if not below is a close up of one.
We followed the bobcat tracks until we spotted roughed grouse tracks. These tracks were very near a deer stand. We then hiked across the frozen wetlands to an active beaver lodge.
As a fitting “end” of our adventure Alcott reached in his jacket and pulled out a bear plug he found recently a bit south of our area. The bear had been out or its den for a few days based on the tracks he left.
Two slide shows follow. The first shows our adventures crossing Marshall Brook. The second contain a variety of photos taken during our 3 hour hike/seminar. A huge thank you to Alcott for generously sharing his broad and deep knowledge of the forest.
