Field Note: July 2000

         On a busy road just outside of New Cumberland, PA, Deputy Fox watched as two male mallards fought over a female.  Finally, one male was driven away; however, the victorious male then had to keep the female from following the loser.  Although traffic was heavy, the ducks paid no attention to what was going on around them.

          While answering a beaver complaint, Deputy Fox and I saw a tree swallow take a butterfly out of mid-air and fly away with it.  The  butterfly escaped, but the bird banked and caught it again.  This happened several times.  Then, another swallow appeared and caught the butterfly when dropped again by the first swallow.  This caused a big chase and when the second bird dropped the butterfly, the first bird caught it.  Soon, a third swallow appeared and drove the second swallow off, while the first swallow flew away with the butterfly. 

           Jerry Ross of Laurel Lake was looking out the window one day and saw a cat chasing a small rabbit.  He opened the door to chase the cat away, only to have the rabbit run inside his house.  After telling me the story, Jerry said, “Do you know how many places a rabbit can hide inside your home?”

           I’m sure that Scott Denkenberger, of Granville Summit, set a record in the area using a live trap when he caught five skunks in fifteen minutes.  However, later in the same week, Deputy Bill Angove shattered the record by catching three skunks in a live trap at the same time.