Hello again all! It’s been over a month since my last visit to Centennial and I came looking with new perspective after our tracking lab! Since the snow is deep, powdery and crystallized, deciphering tracks is nearly impossible. However, I did find urine and feces as well. Their presence indicates there are indeed species that frequent my site. My guesses would be deer, rabbits and squirrels. Using my twig identification guidelines, I could tell there were American beech trees and sugar maples mixed in with the mostly coniferous tree population. Some of the other deciduous trees did not have enough low hanging branches to be able to tell.
Since my last visit, the stream has completely frozen. I know this because I chanced to stand on it and thankfully it did not break! There are many downed branches that have snapped from the weight of the snow littering the forest stand floor. The presence of animal tracks makes me more conscious of the activity around me. I detected a diagonal trail of tracks and a bounder. Unsure of what the specific animals are but I’m excited to try again under the right conditions!
