Making Tracks!

The morning following this week’s snowfall, I noticed that an army of nocturnal guests had passed near the caretaker’s cabin during the night.  Footprints left by critters have always been a curiosity of mine and with the recent snow it was two-bit detective work.  Well, sort of.

At first glance, I know what a deer print looks like but trying to distinguish between a dog, a coyote and a fox is often

difficult for me.  Subtle differences are the tell all signs of identifying what you’ve seen.  I often reference my wildlife tracks guide which I have hanging on the kitchen wall. You can purchase a really nice mobile app for this at http://www.itrackwildlife.com.  Oftentimes my success is determined by the medium in which the print is made.  But that too can complicate things.

If the mud is too wet or if the snow is too grainy, each smudge seems less than perfect.  It’s never as cut and dry as what you might find in a guide book.  But what I do love is just knowing that there is so much wildlife around me and that it thrives here at this nature preserve.  I just wish I was better at deciphering the clues. Need more snow!