Stories in the Snow!

Animals are good at staying hidden from humans but their tracks in the snow tell stories that we might not otherwise witness. Above, a busy runway for a mouse or small rodent!

Mouse tracks leading to a hole under a log. The tail drag is noticeable.

Wing prints in the snow at the edge of a rural property, tell the story of a bird hunting for food. Based upon the size of the wing prints, and the fact that we saw the bird earlier, we believe the prints were likely made by a Northern Shrike. Wing prints are visible on the left and right sides of the photo.

The next day, I found a set of wing prints in the snow in Canatara Park, which were made by a  much larger bird. (Remnant of the prey is in the top left corner)

A closer view of the prey remnant shows that squirrel was on the menu. Based upon the size of the wing print, I considered Great Horned Owl as a possible predator.

However, a nearby Red-tailed Hawk was the likely predator of the squirrel! I saw this hawk about 5 minutes before discovering the wing prints.

Squirrels are part time sleepers and are active during sunny days in the winter. Lots of holes dug into the snow layer were created by squirrels looking for nuts that they had buried in the fall.

A White-tailed Deer stepped into a Cross-country ski track.

Wild Turkey tracks!

The size and shape of this scat is diagnostic of an Eastern Cottontail.

A Raccoon spent the night in the rafters of a pavilion. When I first heard noises as we walked by, I assumed it was a squirrel. He ran away from us in the rafters and then returned to have a look. It was probably hoping for food.