Pictures aren't the clearest due to my old phone, but they are better than nothing, and we do love pictures here, So here goes: I wanted to clean up the small poplar that were too close to the cabin for some shoulder season wood. There are still patches of deeper snow in the woods. It ended snowing another 12-15" the day after this picture was taken on 4/28. The snow depth was to the top of the stacks 6 weeks ago, so no complaints from me. Loaded up some sugar maple and birch for the hearth at the house. A buddy stopped in with a very large male beaver and an otter he had caught that morning out of the headwaters of the creek that flows through our land. Unfortunately my slider phone camera didn't capture the shot for some reason. I may have not fully depressed the trigger key as it is so small I need to hit it just right. It was a nice spring day in the north. Lots of grouse drumming, loons, ducks and geese flying, chipmunks out of hibernation, sparrows singing, and no bugs. There were fresh tracks from a moose that wandered through our yard 50' from the cabin sometime when I was there, but I never saw it. High temperature was in the upper 30s which was perfect.
I wish the picture of the beaver and otter would have turned out. I bet that beaver was pushing 50lbs, and otter was really a nice big specimen as well. He has to report it to our local CO as they are out of season. It was a legal set so no big deal. He is going to skin it out and donate it to a school, natural museum or trapping organization.