Monday 14 January 2019

Tracks in the Snow (now with answers!)

When I go out my back door to open up the chickens, I often see animal tracks in the snow. I love thinking about what must go on at night when we aren't looking. Take a guess at what made these tracks:




Tracks number one (above).  Quite certain this is mouse. Where snow was deeper, they created marks that looked more like open tunnels.


Tracks number 2 (above). Cottontail rabbit who places his front feet close together.

Tracks number 3 (above)  Squirrel - black squirrel to be exact.

Tracks number 4 (above). Me, wearing my husband's big rubber boots.

Tracks number 5 (above). Chickens!

Sometimes the tracks criss cross over each other. I'm taking a wild guess that the animals weren't actually out there at the same time.


What are the most interesting tracks you've seen on your property? What are the most common?

28 comments:

  1. My Rare One lives in an older, more central Edmonton suburb. A couple of nights ago, a coyote killed and ate a quail in her lilac hedge. Feathers and carnage everywhere! You'd think it was the Wilds of Northern Alberta or something. Oh well, at least it wasn't someone's pet that got eaten.

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    1. More and more animals are learning to live in urban settings. There are coyotes in our area, but I've never seen them close to our property.

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    2. I've heard that more and more wilds are learning to adapt to suburbia as well. It makes sense though.

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  2. That is a lot of wildlife in one night! Number 4 has to be Hubby!

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    1. I will reveal the answers after more people have guessed. Come back tomorrow to find out!

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  3. I'm going to guess: 1) Squirrel, 2) Wabbit, 3) Deer, 4) You!, 5) Chicken, 6) Mouse, and 7) The Rare Winter Snow Python. No?

    The most interesting track we've seen was that of a BIG wolf, and the most common are the deer tracks which are all over the place.

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  4. I'm not sure about IDs for all of the creatures that made those tracks, Jen. My guesses would be rabbits, deer, birds, human and in no specific order.

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  5. I'm with Mama Pea, except the last one. No idea.

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  6. Please just guess #1 to 5. The last two shots are just the same tracks overlapping each other. Stay tuned for the answers. :)

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  7. The second to last picture reminds me of an art project I used to do with 4th graders. I had a handout that showed the tracks of common animals in our area. They had to imagine that animals were in the back yard at night and what kinds of paths they made, and then draw them. It was really a study of line, but it was a fun way for them to learn. I usually let them use a different color for each kind of track. Loved the results! I miss teaching!

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  8. I'm guessing there are cats and squirrels and rabbits in there. And people, too :) But I'm cheating (or being lazy) because I won't assign them to any photos. HAHA

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  9. 1...bird - 2...rabbit 3...coyote - 4...human - 5...turkey

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  10. Good thing I don't have to earn my living as a tracker! 1. mouse 2. deer 3.Rabbit 4. human 5. big bird of some sort......

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  11. That's fascinating. I guess one is a deer and another with big webbed feet. Don't see any bear prints though.

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  12. There are bird prints in an old bit pf concrete near here. They are a bit like dinosaur prints in fossilised mud, but younger.

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  13. Oh my gosh, fun to see all the tracks.

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  14. We occasionally see these tracks that look like HUGE CLAWS. We have recently learned they are owls wing marks. They swoop down and catch dinner, barely touching the ground and they are off again.

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  15. OK, let's see...1) bird of some sort, 2) rabbit, 3)dog or cat, 4) big ol' human, 5) chicken. I guess the most interesting tracks we've seen here are bobcat, followed by raccoon--those aren't unusual, but so cute. Oh, wait--maybe the most interesting is the marks left by a hawk when it swoops to the snow and grabs its prey. The wing prints are beautiful, even though they are centered by a scene of tragedy to the poor mouse or rabbit.

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  16. Wow, that's a lot of wildlife scampering around your property at night! Guessing squirrel, rabbit, coyote, you, and wild turkey! I hate seeing coyotes in the area, we had a bad season two years ago when they were coming right up to my neighbor's door, we were both on high alert as we have dogs. She has 2 larger dogs, and I have my 3 smaller ones. She also has horses, I'm not sure if the coyotes would bother the horses though. I still have a shotgun in my bedroom, should they decide to come back around again....although they've been logging in the woods behind my property, and I think they may have disturbed their den, thank God, because last summer they stayed away!

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  17. We used to see rabbit, squirrel and bird tracks at the house...dog and cat tracks of course....occasionally a raccoon.

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  18. Tracks....
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2tsvR5xFHg

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    1. Oh! I was just reading through your previous post....
      St. Dymphna is known as the patron saint of those suffering from Dementia and Mental Illness. Her feast day is May 15...
      Saint Luke Baanabakintu of Uganda - Patron Saint Against Memory Loss..
      I did find this on uTube...
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR2Eb-sPg1w

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  19. Most common are dog/ horse and chicken. Once we had bear tracks in the snow coming down the hill toward the house.

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  20. Hi Jenn :)) I love those photos! I'm a big fan of tracks. It's fun to identify them. On our property there are just the dog tracks and some squirrels. Recently in the woods though, I've seen a GAZILLION hare tracks. It's so cool, they have such big back feet. I see a lot of deer, various birds, squirrel and raccoon tracks in the woods too.

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  21. Fun seeing all those tracks - great photographs.

    All the best Jan

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  22. Looks like mice to me. Better mice than bear.
    the Ol'Buzzard

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  23. I did get 4 and 5! But I am hopeless at identifying tracks. Good for you with all of them! (Moose? Yikes!)

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  24. Thanks for all the guesses. That was fun! Lots of you got some of them correct. Thankfully, no bear prints around here (or moose, Jeanie!). I shall be on the lookout for something more interesting in the future.

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