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Monday, February 11, 2013

Tracking Animals at Woodlawn Nature Center

Last week, I took a hike with Fred Flury on the trails at Woodlawn Nature Center. He teaches hunter education courses and knows a lot about tracking animals.


We followed several paths as we tried to figure out what different animals were doing . . .


My preschooler was following the tracks as well!


I started noticing different patterns with the tracks and Fred helped me understand more of what I was seeing.




We followed raccoon tracks out by this tree. I wondered if the raccoon might have been up in this large hole in the tree, but they kept meandering in the woods.


This was the first time the baby was in the backpack carrier. He did fine!




I noticed this brown spot on the snow. Fred mentioned it looked like someone might have urinated in the area. He took a look around to piece things together.


Above the area, he found a drey! The squirrels' nest was just above the brown area. I guess it has to go someplace, right?






Tracking and backpacking success! We saw opossum, raccoon, and squirrel tracks for sure. Fred saw others that I'm not as good at identifying yet. Thanks for the hike! Additionally, I know deer have been seen in the area. The wildlife window is hopping as well. More and more birds have been seen at the feeders!