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Porcupine munching on a tree
Bones: If you’re looking beside trails you can find skeletons, large and small, year round. But we often see more in the fall, when ground cover thins and predators are fattening up before the winter. Recent adventures have uncovered not just the odd deer and coyote bones but a porcupine skeleton (that may still be beside Cowiche Mountain West Trail, about three fifths of the way to the top)! What other skeletons are you finding out there? Let us know!
More Boot Brushes! We’re continuing to install boot brushes at select CCC trailheads. Because we want to limit the spread of invasive weeds -- namely diversity destroyers like knapweed and cheatgrass -- we encourage all visitors to brush seeds off of boots, shoes, and socks when entering and leaving CCC trails. Every effort to limit the spread of noxious weeds helps to keep habitat healthier and more diverse.
Birds: Many bird species fly south for the winter. But some especially hardy ones stick around through the cold. You might be able to catch Western Meadowlark singing on the sagebrush at Konnowac Pass. Smart and curious corvids like Scrub Jays, Crows, Ravens, and Magpies will screech, croak, caw, and cluck along trails and roads. Also look out for Northern Shrike, adorable Ruby-Crowned Kinglets, the nomadic and regal Bohemian Waxwing, or their smooth-feathered cousin, Cedar Waxwing. Both Waxwings have beautifully smooth feather coats and will sometimes flock together.
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