Although Fisher Cats are considered crepuscular animals (dawn and twilight feeders along with red fox, opossums and many others) one wasn’t paying any attention to that when a visitor in the back 40 with my little unleashed hunter saw a black fluffy mass. At first she thought it was a bear but when she saw it run, with a loping stride peculiar to otters and weasels, she realized what it was. As it was only about 20 feet away I would have been terrified as they are vicious carnivores and although not as big at 17 pounds as my little dog, it could have killed him in a flash. Fisher cats are not cats and they don’t eat fish and they have been ravaging local chickens and perhaps small dogs and cats, which I hadn’t heard about in our town. They kill for pleasure, not food.

Global warming is going to produce many stories — ancient Viking wooden skis, dinosaur tracks and so forth — but close to home none more curious than my bird guru’s Humbird (his name and mine forever after) which appeared at his feeder last week — November 16, then left, then returned to the feeder syrup which he had wisely just refilled. It had curious orange blobs on its chest and if you are interested here is what David Allen Sibley has to say on the subject, see www.sibleyguides.com/2011/08/the-mystery-of-the-orange-throated-hummingbirds/

I haven’t checked for sunshine on Thursday, but I hope whatever the weather, you enjoy being with family and friends.

Sidney Tynan

Little Compton