A morning stroll through Friendship Bogs

[ecampbell]

Monday morning we took a slow walk through my favorite place in the pines, spending as much time listening as looking.

A cold but very still morning

A stregically placed bridge

A bog asleep, almost.
The range of contrast was a challenge to the camera.

An upwelling from an ajacent bog kept the water liquid.

Tracks were supprising few.

An inviting trail.

A savahnna for Bob.

The hikers.

On the way out.

Of fin the east we heard the solitary howl , and later another to the north.

A frosty morning from a week earlier, but I wanted to share.

Ed

 

[bobpbx]

Nice photos Ed. I am surprised how colorful it still is out there.

 

[RednekF350]

Beautiful Ed.
I love winter and the rugged beauty it brings.

 

[Teegate]

That was an incredibly important acquisition for this state. It is a shame most people don't even know about it. Then again that is good for us

Thanks Ed! Looks like a great time.

Guy

 

[BlueMoonMuskrat]

Wow, it looks like another planet in the first photo. I can't wait till I can get out there and enjoy it.

Did you say you heard a howl before you left?

 

[andy1015]

Nice pictures. The size difference between the dogs is funny.

 

[ecampbell]

Wow, it looks like another planet in the first photo. I can't wait till I can get out there and enjoy it.

Did you say you heard a howl before you left?

It is an escape for me to another world, except for the intrusion of the noise of an occasional jet.
Yes, a howl in the east and then one to the north. There are many wild canines out there, there identification is a matter of dispute, but some are certainly coyotes. I've seen some strange ones. Sometimes we can hear the fox hunters, but that's a different sound.

Ed

 

[ecampbell]

Nice pictures. The size difference between the dogs is funny.

The little Jack is the boss.

 

[BlueMoonMuskrat]

I know for a fact that there are many canines out by the great swamp area, to the east of rt 206. Infact, my friend and i were approached by a full sized wolf early in the morning last week while we were camping. We believe he was the alpha male pack leader, and finally decided to check us out after we had camped out all night. We think we accidentally camped in his den area and the next morning, after cooking breakfast, he finally decided to show himself to us. He was about 30 feet away, and my friend and i both got a good long look at him. He was large, maybe 4 feet tall, probably weighted about 150 lbs. He was mostly white, with a thick, healthy looking coat of fur. He also had some patches of brownish fur on towards his tail. After he saw us both look right at him, the wolf then turned and casually made his way back into the thicket he came out of. Needless to say, my friend and i packed up camp immediately and left.

Until this encounter, i had always thought that the paw prints i saw in the sand were only coyotes (which i have seen on a few occasions in chatsworth) but i know believe that there is a large population of wolves out there too.

 

[woodjin]

I would be very skeptical of wolves in the pine barrens. Perhaps what you saw was a coydog. The eastern coyote is large but not anywhere near the 150lb mark. That would be large (but possible) even for a wolf. Also, increases in coyote populations almost never occur at the same time as growth in wolf populations. It is a real stretch. Although I am not doubting that you saw something.

Great report BTW Ed. I have an affection for the friendship bogs myself. Actually I rarely post about it because I'd hate to see it get too "crowded".

Jeff