Wildlife Tracking 101: Raccoons, Rabbits, River Otters and More!

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

Winter is the perfect time to search for wildlife tracks. No matter how bold or stealthy the wanderings of a wild creature might be, tracks in the snow expose identities – and sometimes create mysteries. Tracking in snow can be fantastically easy, as in the case of clear raccoon tracks near a bird feeder, or it can be deceptively tricky when tracks distort and expand during snow melt. A bare footprint of a human in snow turns into something that is Sasquatch size, and a house cat track might morph into a mountain lion. One thing is certain, winter wildlife tracks are fun to explore, and many park agencies have winter tracking programs. Check with your nature center or park agency for details! Continue reading

Tracks and Trails – Secrets in the Snow

Exciting mysteries unfold in the ever changing storybook easel we call snow; tales of predator and prey, life and death and the endless search for food by creatures that wander through winter.   Encounters with the natural world await hikers, cross country skiers and those that trod the woods of winter on snowshoes.  The secret to reading these stories in snow is careful observation of the tracks and heading out the day after a fresh snowfall, unless winds masked the new wildlife tracks.

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