Where?
For this new adventure, I thought I would make the journey to Centennial Woods. It had been a while since I had visited, and I was really excited to see the woods with a fresh blanket of snow. I also thought the woods would provide me with a wider variety of animals that I would not normally find at salmon hole.
What?
I came across a smaller amount of animals than I was expecting. The snow was littered with imprints from falling snow from trees, so it made it more difficult to discern what was an animal print.
One of the first signs of animal life me and my friends saw were holes in the trees from wood peckers. I was able to figure out they were wood peckers from the lecture in class. The small holes and then the oval shaped ones were just like from the slides, and I know these birds are in the area so I am pretty confident in my id.
Next, I spotted a galloper off the trail. I could tell immediately that it was a land galloper and not a tree dweller because of the uneven front feet. The biggest question on our minds was whether it was a hare or a rabbit. Based on the size of the prints, we concluded that it was too small to be a snowshoe hare, so it was most likely the tracks of a cottontail rabbit.
Next, another observation I made were these trees to the left. Now, I am not entirely sure that what I am looking at is anything, but I remember from lecture that porcupines would climb trees to eat the bark. However, it is hard to be sure cause these trees are dead, so it could also be a result of decay. However, I would like ti think that maybe when the tree was still alive the porcupines made this a tasty snack.
Finally, another unconclusive track I found was the two below here. As we were walking along the trail I noted them and forced everyone around me to stop! I originally wanted to chock it up to being a domesticated dog based on the print on the far right that is visible, however it was the faint track on the left that caught my eye. The print itself is very small and the pads are very oval and uniform. This leads me to think that it is more likely a fox. Between a red and gray fox, I am more partial to say it is more likely a red fox due to the larger middle pad and the size of the print in general. However, I am not confident in my identification.
iNaturalist?
My personal experience with iNaturalist was unimpressive. I found it not very helpful when it came to identifying tracks and other signs of animal life. I have had very positive experience with iNaturalist in the past, and when the species is actually present it does a very good job providing me with possible matches, however when the species is not present I feel it struggles. However animal tracking is not an exact science, and I think it will be a while before AI technology is advanced enough to determine who has left these markings behind, especially when the photos are not clear or there are other markings in the photo.