Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss What critter do you think did this?

This was from a bit back and I just ran across the pictures on a portable HD. Cat or Bear? We have both. Maybe another?

My guess is a toothpick company.

They wouldn't waste so much

Was the rest of the tree around?

Beaver??

Probably right.

I don't know what did that, but whatever it was I don't want to meet up with it when it's having a bad day.

Any prints or hair/fur?

It was a small round tree, and I don't think we have the critter type beavers (that's for Bob-O) in the area. It would be a hike for them from the Muskegon River.

My uneducated guess is it's a critter doing some claw work? Don't know, but the pics were taken later after I spilled coffee all over myself early that morning when something jumped out of a tree and I was feeling my way to my truck in pitch darkness.

Do your best guess, because I sure don't know.

There was some poo and thought I had a pic, but not.

My best uneducated guess is it's a Cougar (Mountain Lion), a cat clawing stuff to sharpen up.

We do have black bear in the area and have seen foot prints recently, but not sure they would shred a tree to a nub.

I don't want to meet up with either!

Groundhog coming out from hibernation?

"Groundhog coming out from hibernation?" Don't mention the G word or Condello will be all over this post.
As for the poo on the ground, If something jumped out of a tree near me and sounded any bigger than a tree rat, the poo would be mine!

Lets see...........

Tree is about 6" diameter? Soft punky wood, probably with bugs in it.

I'm thinking Flicker or Woodpecker, although it's low to the ground. Whitetail bucks should be starting to shed their velvet too about this time, but I don't think they'd make small pieces like that, but it's also possibility.

Ya I was thinking the same thing the big pileated woodpecker.

They can pull toothpicks like that in minutes if there is bugs in there. Look soft and punky.

Cheers Don.

The tree was standing the day before the pic. The top of the tree was missing due to whatever reason. The rest of the tree is laying on the ground next to it. It's only maybe 100' from my camper. I noticed it was down the next morning, that's when I went to check it out later after I got back.

We do have woodpeckers, but never seen this before.

I've watched a Pileated excavate a hole into a mature maple tree to create a nest. This is exactly what the shavings look like as they were discharged from the hole. As the shavings are peeled off, they were carried to the opening and dropped out to fall the 25 feet to the ground below.
It happened at our old river place. When I first arrived, I walked down to the river and stopped at a maple tree that had this curious carpet of wood chips and shavings surrounding it. I stood there, dumbfounded, and trying to figure out what the heck happened. Then one landed on my head and I looked up. Woody was looking down at me, cocking his head left and right, likely trying to decide if I was there to help excavate or clean up.

If it was done at night, I'd suspect a skunk was digging in the bark for the bugs/grubs, being so low to the ground. If it was clost to the camper, it's a good thing that it didn't fall on whatever critter did it, especially a skunk!

But like the others, I have seen shavings look like this from other trees and you can see where birds were looking for insects/grubs.

I agree that the 'shavings' look like the work of a Pileated WP, but I've never seen them fell a tree before.

If that's a PWP that's one BA WP! I have them also and I have never seen them drop a tree even dead. And have never seem them below 10 or 15 feet let alone 6 inches offf the ground?

That's a cat I bet if you have cats. Bobcat, or something! You need to put up a game camera around there see if you get any pics on it! Would be interesting to see if you get anything.

RC

RC, I've seen PWP's as low as 2-3' off the ground working a stump. Not often, but a few times.

Love those birds!

One whittled on a dead sassafras tree so much that it broke about 15' off of the ground where it was working the hardest.

I too think it was the work of a pileated woodpecker.

But, could it have been one of TeehJaeh's friends????

I've never heard of a Pileated Woodpecker and it doesn't appear we have them here in Nebraska, but here's what I found on Google and it sure looks similar to what you have!

Adults are 40 to 49 cm (16 to 19 in) long, span 66 to 75 cm (26 to 30 in) across the wings and weigh 250 to 400 g (8.8 to 14.1 oz), with an average weight of 300 g (11 oz). Each wing measures 21.4 to 25.3 cm (8.4 to 10.0 in), the tail measures 14 to 17.4 cm (5.5 to 6.9 in), the bill is 4.1–6 cm (1.6–2.4 in) and the tarsus measures 3.1–3.8 cm (1.2–1.5 in).

They are a big bird, not to be confused with any other woodpecker that is alive in the USA today.

Last September there was a Sasquatch sighting in the area.

In my front yard. They were a foot long or so. These were courting I think.. lots of prancing around the trunk and no whacking. Might have been two males prancing for a lady nearby as we saw a flash of another also.

Yeah you DONT want them suckers tapping on the roof of your house!! LOL! Sounds like a AK47 going off!!!

RC