The icy paths made my return to the Centennial Woods Bridge rather difficult. Under a gloomy Sunday sky, I inched along the frozen mud and slippery snow to check on my site. The snowfall has almost completely blanketed the area, flattening some of the clusters of Phragmites under its weight.
The melting snow has not yet seemed to have an impact on the flow of the stream, and by the time my next assignment is due, the water level will likely have evened out already. I may pay the bridge an extra visit to determine if there are any changes in the stream discharge. As for signs of animal activity, Walt and Chris were right about winter providing tells about wildlife whereabouts. Many tracks were spotted in the snow on this visit.
This natural area is a popular spot for dogs and their owners, so the majority of these tracks along the well-traversed path likely belong to the canines in the neighborhood. However, there is potential for the pawprint in the first photo to be Coyote tracks. This section of the river seems to be a semi-popular spot for animals to stop by the river, but I am hoping to find more evidence to confirm or disprove this theory.
An unfortunate discovery I also made was the carcass of a squirrel near the edge of the pine stand. Although it is unclear exactly what the cause of death was, the insides of the squirrel were partially visible; this leads me to believe whatever end the critter met was most unpleasant.