Co-habitating with our local wildlife

     One of the best things about running early in the morning is that you get to see the activity of wildlife that is harder to see the rest of the day.  The past few months I have been noticing the beaver activity around Lake Elkhorn.

It is hard to miss their work with the trees they have been cutting down.

A week ago I saw the beaver go into their mud and stick lodge along the bank of the Lake.

      Even though they can be damaging to some of the trees along the lake I have to admit that I enjoy watching them and admiring how industrious they are. They come no where close to negatively impacting our environment as we humans.  Building our homes here have led to the cutting of more trees than our beaver friends.  And they undoubtedly have been residents here longer than any of the rest of us. The Howard County Rec and Parks has a good brochure on beavers.
     My run down the Patuxent Trail toward Savage is always my favorite run for the variety of wildlife along the trail.  One of the more unusual animals to see are the black squirrels that inhabit the area near the
Brokenland Parkway overpass bridge.  We are used to seeing grey squirrels so seeing black ones is a treat.

     A little farther down the trail just past the Guilford Road overpass bridge a family of blue birds are seen on occasion.
 

    Although commonly seen (and heard!) it is always nice to see the many Blue Jays we have in our area.

   Finally as you near the iron bridge in the Guilford area you can often see the family of deer that make this area their home.  I have seen a couple of large buck around a number of does grazing on the clover in this area in the Spring and Summer.

P.S.
   From the Maryland Food Bank:
"The Maryland Food Bank always needs volunteers, but that need is particularly dire after the holidays, when volunteerism typically declines—and we're going to need your help as we enter 2015!
With thousands of pounds of holiday food donations rolling into our warehouse and just a handful of regular volunteers, the food bank will undoubtedly feel the strain in January and February.
     A simple donation of time will help us fight hunger in the coming months. A group of 15 volunteers can pack up to 10,000 pounds of food per shift, providing the equivalent of 7,700 meals to Marylanders in need.
    Get a jump on your New Year's resolution—and make a real impact for hungry households.
Schedule a volunteer shift for January or February today!
There's still time to give this holiday...

Our mailing address is:
Maryland Food Bank
2200 Halethorpe Farms Rd.
Halethorpe, MD 21227 "

Please contact Ms. Kelsey Gower or Ms. Jill Rowlett, Volunteer Coordinators, at 410-737-8282. One-time or regular volunteers are welcomed to join us. "

P.S.1
Another organization that especially needs your help at this time of year is the American Red Cross blood donations. The holiday times are the most urgent for donations.  We seldom have a chance to save a life but donating blood may just do that.  Contact them to donate.

#hocoblogs