| David Brown's Wildlife Services 12 Hotel Road Warwick, MA 01378 Tel 978 544 8175 E-mail: info@dbwildlife.com |
| Encounters |
| "Tracking is seeing. Seeing is done with the mind." |
Tracking Problem
Tracking in Other Seasons
Many people feel that tracking can only be done satisfactorily in
the winter with snow on the ground in which to record animal
tracks. However, it can also be done in the other seasons as
well.Not only can prints be found in mud of dirt roads, bog edges
and sand beaches, but a great deal of other wildlife sign can be
discovered as well.
During March and April many animals that have been waiting out
the winter in various degrees of hibernation, rouse themselves
and go abroad in search of food. Bears emerge from their winter
sleep to prowl after skunk cabbage in woodland seeps, leaving
chew marks on the leaves. Skunks and raccoons shake off their
seasonal torpor and leave tracks in spring mud. Scats of
winter-active animals that have been hidden by accumulating
snow all winter devolve to the single plane of the newly bared
ground where they can be found and identified. Deer and moose
shed their winter fur, leaving it in clumps in their beds and along
their travel routes. Bobcats continue to leave not only their scent
marks on overhanging rocks and tree stubs but their scats as
well in gaps in stone walls and in prepared scrapes along trails.
the winter with snow on the ground in which to record animal
tracks. However, it can also be done in the other seasons as
well.Not only can prints be found in mud of dirt roads, bog edges
and sand beaches, but a great deal of other wildlife sign can be
discovered as well.
During March and April many animals that have been waiting out
the winter in various degrees of hibernation, rouse themselves
and go abroad in search of food. Bears emerge from their winter
sleep to prowl after skunk cabbage in woodland seeps, leaving
chew marks on the leaves. Skunks and raccoons shake off their
seasonal torpor and leave tracks in spring mud. Scats of
winter-active animals that have been hidden by accumulating
snow all winter devolve to the single plane of the newly bared
ground where they can be found and identified. Deer and moose
shed their winter fur, leaving it in clumps in their beds and along
their travel routes. Bobcats continue to leave not only their scent
marks on overhanging rocks and tree stubs but their scats as
well in gaps in stone walls and in prepared scrapes along trails.
As spring progresses toward summer, other sign
accumulates such as chews, rubs and digs. Birthing dens of
foxes and coyotes, often in renovated woodchuck dens,
become active with pups as they emerge from underground
for a first look at their new world. As summer ripens, hungry
bears begin rolling logs in old lumber cuts in search of ants
and grubs, leaving claw marks behind on the logs as well as
on mark trees along their favorite routes. Pellets accumulate
under owl roosts in the pines and hemlocks as do whitened
droppings from fledglings under hawk nests.
accumulates such as chews, rubs and digs. Birthing dens of
foxes and coyotes, often in renovated woodchuck dens,
become active with pups as they emerge from underground
for a first look at their new world. As summer ripens, hungry
bears begin rolling logs in old lumber cuts in search of ants
and grubs, leaving claw marks behind on the logs as well as
on mark trees along their favorite routes. Pellets accumulate
under owl roosts in the pines and hemlocks as do whitened
droppings from fledglings under hawk nests.
Animal sign in the other seasons is more subtle and harder
to find than in winter. Instead of black against white, such
sign is now often brown on brown and so requires more
concentration and attentiveness from the observer to locate.
Every tracker has had the experience of looking at a patch
of bare ground that at first seemed to contain nothing of
interest, and then suddenly having animals sign that had
been hiding in plain sight materialize magically before his or
her eyes. This is a delightful and memorable experience that
helps train the eye to see what other less attentive mortals
pass right by. Such experiences represent the education of
the tracker as he or she accumulates skills that cannot be
learned in winter alone.
to find than in winter. Instead of black against white, such
sign is now often brown on brown and so requires more
concentration and attentiveness from the observer to locate.
Every tracker has had the experience of looking at a patch
of bare ground that at first seemed to contain nothing of
interest, and then suddenly having animals sign that had
been hiding in plain sight materialize magically before his or
her eyes. This is a delightful and memorable experience that
helps train the eye to see what other less attentive mortals
pass right by. Such experiences represent the education of
the tracker as he or she accumulates skills that cannot be
learned in winter alone.
Left front print of a black bear in
mud-Princeton, MA
mud-Princeton, MA
Owl pellet revealed after spring
thaw-Stoneham, MA
thaw-Stoneham, MA
Bird of the Month: Blackburnian warbler
This stunning little wood warbler is
much commoner in eastern woodlands
than most people suspect. It inhabits
the upper parts of tree crowns, usually
in conifers, where it broadcasts one
variation or another of a high, thin
song part of which is nearly inaudible.
One song, more easily detected than
the others, is composed of a
monotone series of "nchi-nchi-nchi..."
Once you learn this distinctive sound,
you will realize how common this
hidden warbler actually is. A
semi-colonial nester, I once found
8-10 singing males along a half-mile
stretch of trail in a hemlock stand on
Mt. Grace near my residence. The
bird pictured is pilfering webbing from
a tent caterpillar nest to use in its own.
Alas, it ignored the caterpillars!
much commoner in eastern woodlands
than most people suspect. It inhabits
the upper parts of tree crowns, usually
in conifers, where it broadcasts one
variation or another of a high, thin
song part of which is nearly inaudible.
One song, more easily detected than
the others, is composed of a
monotone series of "nchi-nchi-nchi..."
Once you learn this distinctive sound,
you will realize how common this
hidden warbler actually is. A
semi-colonial nester, I once found
8-10 singing males along a half-mile
stretch of trail in a hemlock stand on
Mt. Grace near my residence. The
bird pictured is pilfering webbing from
a tent caterpillar nest to use in its own.
Alas, it ignored the caterpillars!
The photo at right was taken in a dry wash in the
desert south of Sedona, Arizona. The two prints
were isolated, with no others evident in the
vicinity.
Identify the animal. (Even trackers from
the Northeast should be able to get this down to
genus level.)
Are these front or hind prints?
Why were the prints of the other feet not
evident?
Note the striations in the prints. Why
would an animal in the desert have fur-covered
feet?
What gait was the animal using and why?
desert south of Sedona, Arizona. The two prints
were isolated, with no others evident in the
vicinity.
Identify the animal. (Even trackers from
the Northeast should be able to get this down to
genus level.)
Are these front or hind prints?
Why were the prints of the other feet not
evident?
Note the striations in the prints. Why
would an animal in the desert have fur-covered
feet?
What gait was the animal using and why?