Coyotes at Bennington

It was cold and sunny for our Tuesday walk today.  The lake was mostly frozen, but 20 common mergansers found a little open water to swim in.  The little birds were generally quiet when we started our walk, but the black-capped chickadees began to sing by the time we were on the lower trail heading back to the parking lot.  No owls today, but we didn't spend much time searching for them.  A downy woodpecker and a hairy woodpecker were busy getting food right in front of us along the west side trail, giving us a great chance to see the differences in the two species.  However, the most exciting sight of the day was watching two yipping coyotes in the fields.  They were quite vocal and we could hear them for some time.  There were also four unconcerned deer in the same vicinity.  Another fun outing for all of us.  Ginger