A few months ago I saw a rare melanistic, or black, woodchuck. He was probably scouting out female woodchucks, as the males come out of hibernation earlier to do just that, and I saw him a quarter mile away another day.

In the first location I spotted him that time, there now lives a mother and at least five babies.

They scattered when I approached with my camera. The mother gave a loud whistle, which wound down to a quavering whistling chirp. Over and over again. Most of the babies had dived into a tunnel on one side of the mound. One little guy jumped into a different tunnel entrance, but then came out and stood at the entrance looking back at the mother, not very obedient at all!

The mother woodchuck glared at me.