Abbey, Audrey, and I headed down to Centennial Woods on a gorgeous snowy morning walk, hoping to find fresh animal tracks in the snow. It seemed that most creatures slept in, however, since none of us had much luck finding new tracks besides those left by dogs and their owners on walks, and the tracks we could find were difficult to distinguish with a layer of fresh snowflakes collecting on top. The snowy forest quieted the sounds of the road, and made for a very peaceful scene. I went off the path in the more coniferous area of the woods to try and find tracks, but instead stood and listened to the bird song in the pine canopy far above- at least 4 distinct calls!

On our way back, we saw some tracks that must have been very new since their shape was clear and we hadn’t remembered seeing them earlier, left by a critter with a galloping pattern. We debated for some time about whether it was a Cottontail Rabbit or a Gray Squirrel, but I settled on Grey Squirrel since the size difference between front and back paws was less significant, and the hind paws were on the smaller side- about 5.5 cm. I’m also choosing to include prints I eventually decided were Coyote tracks, but contemplated for a while since they were so close to the trail and may also be a medium-sized dog’s; though they are more oval-shaped and show a more distinct “X” through the middle, like the Coyote’s hind paws have in our track guide.

I hope to get a better sense when I return about the areas animals tend to spend more time in, since I felt sort of like I was wandering aimlessly off the trail once the stream-side was scanned for tracks- the only place I knew critters would probably come to at some point. I think better conditions for identification may be when the snow crusts up a little bit, so the outlines are clearer and remain unchanged for a while.