Most people, myself included, make sense of the world by looking at what's right in front of their face. We know our own lives, after all. And we know our little slice of the world. I can tell you, with absolute authority, about the forest health on my little woodlot in southern Vermont. I can tell you where the Christmas tree pine grows in dense carpets; where the bobcats go when the deep snow comes... 

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While most common songbirds migrate south for the winter, our part of the world is "south" for several birds of the far north. Snow buntings, common redpolls, and rough-legged hawks, among others, regularly move into our region in the winter months. These northern visitors make cold-weather birding interesting, but one bird - the northern shrike - stands out because of its unusual hunting habits...

The scat here was found in early November. Whose scat is that? (Hint: take a close look at the white flecks.)

Every other week we run a photo of something unusual found in the woods. Guess what it is and you'll be eligible to win a copy of The Outside Story, a paperback collection of our Outside Story newspaper columns. A prize winner will be drawn at random from all the correct entries. The correct answer, and the winner's name, will appear in next week's column. 

Here's a little woodland mystery for you.

Reader Larry Mulligan has been investigating stone chambers in Putnam County, New York. This picture shows one of about 12 chambers on this particular property. Apparently they predate historical records in that area, so nobody knows for sure what they were used for. What's your guess? Since we don't know the answer either, we'll select a winner based on the most creative answer.   

 Visit our What In The Woods Is That? contest archive.