2204_1122 Porcupine - a photo on Flickriver

            I often see Porcupines in April, and I think I know why. All winter, they've been stripping bark from branches, eating the tender ends of twigs and nutrient-packed buds found on shrubs such as buffaloberry. 

Suddenly, spring is here (or maybe gradually, depending on the year and the random turns of weather). New leaves of grass and other low growing plants develop before the shrubs produce leaves, and they must contain nutrients that the spiny rodents crave. All the Porcupines I've seen recently have been on the ground. Sometimes their muzzles are pressed directly against the ground, clipping new growth, possibly pulling up roots, evidently enjoying their expanded diet. 

I learned about Porcupines early in my backpacking days, in the 1970s. Porcupines chewed holes in my pack one night in Kootenay National Park, after which I found room for it inside my tent. The next day I met a group of four hikers who were bivouacking under plastic sheeting instead of carrying tents; they had spent the whole night chasing off Porcupines that were trying to use them as a salt lick. Porcupines crave sodium. And I've heard horror stories of backpackers returning to their vehicles to find their tires shredded by Porcupines, maybe for the road salt, maybe just for the joy of chewing rubber.

I have to admit they're cute. 

I've been surprised at how Porcupines have adapted to prairie habitat, as I always have associated them with mountains and forests. But here they are. I surprised this one in the open, made several dozen shots from the rolling red Toyota blind before it waddled away across a prairie dog town. 

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.

Taken in: Canada / Saskatchewan / Rosefield (show map)

Taken on: April 21, 2022

Tags:

Porcupine

Erethizon dorsatum

animal

mammal

rodent

quills

cute

wild

prairie

Grasslands National Park

Saskatchewan

Canada

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James R. Page « less

Sets appears in: • Best 2022 • Rodents more » • Saskatchewan Wildlife « less

Groups appears in: • Wildlife Photography • wildlife photographers more » • Wild About Wildlife • North American Nature & Wildlife Photography • Capture Nature / No human elements / No zoo or people shots • Living Life Through A Lens • Earth Images Nature Photography • Wildlife, KEEP IT WILD!!! • The Prairie Enthusiasts « less

Camera: Nikon D850, f/5.6, 1/1600 sec, 500mm, ISO 640 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D850
Lens:	500.0 mm f/5.6
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/1600)
Focal Length:	500mm
ISO:	640
Exposure Bias:	+0.33 EV
Exposure Program:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop 22.5 (Macintosh)
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