2204_0396 Porcupine
Yesterday I spent some time with a Porcupine - no, not this Porcupine, this one is from a year ago. Yesterday's Porky was feeding on new growth, like this one, but in a more enclosed place and in an hour of watching I couldn't get a clear sight line. Last year, however, this one came out into the open in sagebrush flats above the Frenchman River.
I see Porcupines on the ground most often in spring. I think they are looking for a change in diet after spending the winter stripping bark from trees and nibbling on hard little buds. All nutritious stuff for the big rodents, but who can resist a taste of fresh spring grasses and nutritious roots?
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2022 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2204_0396 Porcupine
Yesterday I spent some time with a Porcupine - no, not this Porcupine, this one is from a year ago. Yesterday's Porky was feeding on new growth, like this one, but in a more enclosed place and in an hour of watching I couldn't get a clear sight line. Last year, however, this one came out into the open in sagebrush flats above the Frenchman River.
I see Porcupines on the ground most often in spring. I think they are looking for a change in diet after spending the winter stripping bark from trees and nibbling on hard little buds. All nutritious stuff for the big rodents, but who can resist a taste of fresh spring grasses and nutritious roots?
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2022 James R. Page - all rights reserved.