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fishers in some places specifically to reduce tree damage .
Fishers will feed on carrion when opportunity presents . They ’ ll also eat fruits and nuts when prey is hard to find . And despite their success in hunting large porcupines , they are not often a threat to small dogs or cats . While they tend to avoid people and dwellings , they can be a risk to chickens if the coop and run aren ’ t sturdy enough to keep them out .
If you Google fishers , you ’ ll soon find yourself reading accounts of their supposed eerie , spine-tingling scream . Despite many claims , these are most likely vocalizations of other animals . Even when witnesses have seen fishers , they never report seeing them actually scream , but hear the sound either before or after actually seeing them . What people are probably hearing are the spooky , alarming vocalizations of red foxes . Rabbits do scream when predators capture them , so that ’ s another possible source of the cries . Fishers are definitely known to hiss and snarl , and there is some evidence that they will vocalize loudly during matings , so if you ’ ve heard some odd sounds in the early spring …
While the Maryland DNR recognizes that there are breeding populations of fishers only in counties west of us , there have nevertheless been confirmed sightings of individuals closer to us . The Frederick County forestry board shared a photo in 2019 of a fisher crossing a field in Dickerson , on the Frederick County side , and in 2017 , an early morning runner on Sugarloaf Mountain sat down at the top to enjoy the view , when one walked out of the woods before noticing him , then promptly climbed a tree and remained there for several minutes .
Although it seems dubious that these animals could live in urban or suburban areas , a photo was taken by a cop in the Bronx of a fisher that was running under parked cars before darting out onto the sidewalk . A study currently ongoing in southern Minnesota is looking at a population that exists in and near the Twin Cities . Somehow an animal that ’ s been known to need large contiguous forests with a lot of canopy has , at least in a few instances , learned to cope with more developed settings .
So might there be a fisher or three here in the Ag Reserve ? Although our woodlands seem large , they are fragmented , divided by big , open fields . With their outsized territories , fishers would often be forced to cross the many country roads that span our open space — a dangerous undertaking for them . But as they easily cover long distances , it ’ s not impossible that dispersing individuals might find themselves in the Reserve . Tabora suggested that it ’ s unlikely we have a breeding population in our county , but he also pointed out that , “ Wildlife has a way of surprising us .” So whenever you ’ re out hiking the Reserve , be sure to keep your eyes — and ears — open !
Ellen Gordon is a long-time civic activist with Sugarloaf Citizens Association , writer , and editor of stories about the ocean and the people who study it . She chooses the outdoors whenever she can — in the fields and woods , the ocean , the mountains , and her yard .
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Pizza Nights at Calleva Farm Starts May 6
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Guided kayaking experiences Great for beginners !
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Tastes of Calleva One Night Only : July 29
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Calleva Trough Outfitters Canoe the Upper Potomac
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