Do a little sleuthing to find out who has been trekking through the woods
Published Saturday February 6th, 2010
I strongly suspect that many New Brunswick Christmas trees found shining new pairs of cross-country skis or snowshoes under them recently.
That means many of you will now be enjoying the many trails in outdoor New Brunswick waiting for a winter visit. Many other mammals (and birds) are travelling the same paths and, when conditions are right, the telltale tracks of what mammal has been there may be very evident.
Without snow, mammal travel can go much undetected. A light layer of snow, however, can make a bit of detective work very productive in deciding who has been there before us.
Those outdoor trails in urban parks will often show lots of evidence of non-human traffic every bit as much as deep woods trails. It's just a matter of taking a second look.
Most wild mammals are very effective at not being seen, however those telltale track imprints can quickly let us know who's been about.
Animal track and scat (poop) observation in the snow is an art unto itself; today, however, let's make a visit to a few animal groups that may make the identification decision a lot easier. This brief tracking/scat lesson will probably cover 80 per cent of the tracks you're most likely to encounter in winter. Being comfortable with that 80 per cent (not all that difficult) may encourage you to want to move up to Level 2 in order to recognize that other 20 per cent that involves many species not frequently seen.
* The dog and cat group: There are many more members of the wild dog and cat family travelling about than we tend to realize. Their tracks provide the evidence. It may seem like there are tracks everywhere, yet we rarely see the makers.
The tracks and the trails of the canines (foxes and coyotes) and cats (bobcats and lynx) are readily identifiable. A trail is simply a series of tracks. That trail of prints can be very intriguing to take a second look at. Check to see where they are going and where they end up.
The canine and feline group make an easily recognized trail when travelling. The characteristic slightly zigzag alternating step pattern is an easy clue. Each footprint represents the print of one hind foot and one front foot.
The wild canine/feline group all practise this method to conserve energy when travelling. We all know that stepping in a previously made track makes for easier more effortless travel in the snow.
To decide whether a trail is made by a fox, coyote, bobcat, or lynx, measure the stride (distance between the trail prints lengthwise) and straddle (distance between the prints in width), with average distances printed in track guide books which are often unchangingly accurate.
It's easy to make those measurements with those great little inexpensive rolled up tape measures available at fabric and hardware stores.
Individual prints of a track need good snow conditions but, when present, telling a canine from a feline track is not difficult. The canine print will tend to be more pointed at the front with the telltale impression of a nail print just in front of some of the toe prints. If an area of snow is left between the front toe pads and the larger heel pad, it will be pyramidal in the canine.
The feline print will be much more round in shape, with no nail print in front of the toe pad impressions. The cat family always keep their nails retracted unless climbing or catching prey. If that snow mound is present between the toe and heel pad of the cat, it will be C-shaped, not pyramidal like the canine.
The domestic dog footprint will appear similar to the wild canines, however the trail pattern will be very different. The domestic dog trail will wander about with abandon, not at all like the characteristic business working alternate stepping trail of the wild canines. The wild canines have little time for play when they know there will be no fresh bowl of food ready when they want it, beside their pet bed.
* The squirrel-hare group: The tracks and trails of the red squirrel and snowshoe hare are commonly seen in the winter snow. The trails of prints of these two mammals are easy to recognize as they both have groups of four prints left by their hopping style of travel.
Each group of four prints are two front feet and two hind feet. The smaller front prints land first, then the larger hind prints land to make a grouping of two smaller prints at the rear with two larger prints in front. Distinguishing the squirrel from the hare is easy. The smaller front prints (at the back of the four print set) are directly opposite one another with the squirrel. If the prints are left by a Snowshoe Hare, the front paw prints are obviously offset, not opposite. The direction of travel of these mammals can easily be decided as the larger hind prints would be in the front indicating travel in that direction.
* The Hoofed Group: The white-tailed deer and moose leave the telltale parted two-point print that is usually easy to recognize. Stride and straddle measurements can readily distinguish the trail of the two mammals, however large deer and small moose can make that inconsistent. The moose and deer also use the energy saving alternate stepping pattern similar to the canine-feline group.
* Those other 20 per cent: Yes, there are lots of other tracks and trails to see in winter that include the mouse group (deer mouse, voles, mole), weasel, mink, raccoon, fisher, otter, marten, etc. These tracks and trails are just as individual and identifiable as the groups we've already visited; however, we simply do not see them as frequently.
If you become familiar with the three groups mentioned today, it's time to use a track guide for further sleuthing.
Winter sleuthing of tracks and trails of wildlife is simply not complete without taking a look around for the telltale scats. Checking out scats may not be everyone's cup of tea, but let's get serious: everyone poops, so is it really taboo?
I assure you it can clinch a track or trail identification very quickly.
The scats of the dog family (fox and coyote) are readily distinguishable. They will have long tapered ends due to their diet that will consist of rodents and small animals with hair that passes right on through.
Domestic pet dog "doos" are easy to rule out, as their dog food diet contains no hair and end up with blunt-ended scats.
The canine family has a habit of leaving their "deposits" right in the middle of trails to tell all the other canines just who's been there. The cat family is very different. They prefer to leave latrine deposits in more private areas, although they don't tend to cover them as the domestic cat does.
The snowshoe hare scat is very familiar to most of us as those very round pellets as single issues. Moose and white-tailed deer poop are again easy to tell apart. Deer poop has a neat dimple in one end, small pointed cone on the other end. Moose poop is bluntly pointed on both ends and larger. Remember these two mammals make larger deposits in one spot.
I assume by now you've learned more about poop than maybe you wanted to or were ready for.
Some track/scat guide books among the many available are:
"* Animal Tracks of Atlantic Canada ISBN # 1-55105-254-7"¦.a good basic inexpensive guide
* Tracking and the Art of Seeing by Paul Rezendes ISBN# 1-55209-357-3. A more complete guide with more information on the animal's behaviour and scat.
* Mammal Tracks and Sign-A Guide to North American Species by Mark Elbroch. ISBN# 0-8117-2626-6. Very complete with awesome illustrations. Most costly of the three but worth it.
* Upcoming events: NB Community College will hold two evening sessions on "Wild bird feeding basics" on Tuesday, Feb. 9, from 6-9 p.m., and another on "Discovering Mother Nature's winter world" on Feb. 17, from 6-9 p.m., both with Nelson Poirier. Bird feeding night content includes setting the best buffet, feeder types, placement, getting to know your guests, surprise visitors, and placing the unwelcome matt for unwanted visitors. Winter world night content includes tracks, trails, wildlife signs, trees in winter, lichens, and more. Phone NBCC at 869-6994 to register or 856-2071 for information.
* Nelson Poirier, from the Moncton area, is a veterinarian by trade and a naturalist by nature. His column appears each Saturday and he can be reached at P.O. Box 25091, Moncton, N.B. E1C 9M9 or e-mail nelson@nb.sympatico.ca.
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