Oakham Odie!

There has been a burrow up on the house-facing side of our leach field for the past few years. I've tried several times to fill it in but it always seems to get dug anew. I've tried setting the wildlife cameras to catch whatever lives in the burrow but, until now, all attempts have failed.

It's possible that the burrow has gone through a succession of owners but we definitely know who's living there now. We have a groundhog (woodchuck, marmot, etc.) who seems to feel so safe when its in the proximity of its burrow that it will let us approach to within a few feet before diving to safety.

We first noticed it standing tall on its mound like a prairie dog or meerkat and we now see it all the time. Its diet includes wild strawberry leaves and shagbark hickory nuts which are both abundant on our property.

Yesterday, I put one of the wildlife cameras on a short tripod and set it about 6 feet from the burrow. The results are fantastic!

For the next round, I've reset the camera to take still pictures.

-JC-