Canadians embrace winter by getting outdoors and enjoying the cool fresh air and sunshine.
Recreational activities such as skiing, snowshoeing and ice-fishing are popular in winter, but what about animal tracking?
Animal tracks are easiest to find in mud, sand or snow.
While out hiking or snowshoeing, why not try looking for animal tracks in the snow?
Though you may not see the animals, you will notice evidence of their presence in the blanket of white snow.
In the Kamloops area, tracks can be found from birds, squirrel, hare, weasel, muskrat, otter, beaver, deer, moose, fox, coyote and cats, such as lynx, bobcat, and cougar.
A network of trails can be found made by squirrels and snowshoe hares and, if you take time to follow the trails, you can discover what they are feeding on during the winter months.
You may even see the white winter coat of a snowshoe hare or weasel as you pass through its territory.
Tracks from deer and moose will lead to foraged trees and shrubs.
One will be astonished when comparing the step of a large animal to the step of a human.
Grouse often leave imprints of their feathers in the snow when they are taking off for flight or landing.
Placement of the print can show if the animal is walking, running or jumping, while toe prints indicate the direction of travel.
Claws will help to identify the species of a paw print.
The print of a dog will show claws but, because cats have retractable claws, you will not see their claws in the print.
If you follow the tracks you will sometimes find scat, or animal droppings, which will tell you if the animal is a carnivore or herbivore by the fur or plant fiber in the dropping.
Sometimes the tracks may lead you to where an animal such as an ungulate (deer or moose) has bedded down.
You may also find tracks of beaver or muskrat or the slide of an otter at the water’s edge.
A story appears right before you when you see multiple animal tracks in the snow.
You will wonder and find yourself immersed in detective work to figure out the “who” and the “why” of animal tracks.
Who was here?
What were they doing?
Were they feeding, hunting, resting or just passing through?
What direction were they going?
What was their gait?
Were they predator or prey?
For expert animal trackers, it is a challenge to identify what species they see but, for novice animal trackers, it is an adventure.
Let your imagination create a world we do not often see.
Get yourself a pocket identification guide of animal tracks as a way to learn. Get outside to explore and enjoy winter and the world of our local wildlife.
And, by the way, the track in the photo above is from an otter.
The Kamloops Naturalist Club recently hosted an animal-tracking field trip. For more information on future events, email marggraham@shaw.ca.
This article was written by club member Heather Toles.
