Observations by Dede Crettol
March is always unpredictable, and today was no exception. The big question was footwear. Recent warm temps had melted the snow and mud flowed in the parking lot, but the trail was still a thick icy slab. Rubber boots? Yaktrax? Another question, would we be able to find animal tracks without snow? Our guide, Jacob Bailey, assured us that mud is as good a medium as snow, and animals leave many other hints to their movements.
As we waited for all to arrive, Jake entertained us with information about flying squirrels. At a recent workshop with other trackers, he found mysterious squirrel tracks that led to an investigation of the differences between Northern and Southern flying squirrels. Both can live in our area, but the Northern dominate because of their larger size and better cold adaptations. Tracks of flying squirrels on the snow often show drag marks between leaps. The membranes between front and back legs that they use to glide, scrape the snow when they make those long 4-6 foot leaps.
After a meet and greet in which we shared our favorite parts of the Krusch Preserve, we set off to the meadow. V-shaped deer prints accompanied us along the path and led to large hollow depressions in the snow along the treeline. Jake explained that small groups of deer bed down in areas that offer shelter, food, and protection from predators. This ridge offered a clear view of potential predators, thickets and tall native grass for food, and evergreen canopy for shelter from heavy weather. Someone suggested we follow the deer, so we left the meadow and continued off trail along the ridge. Jake was comfortable in a t-shirt, but most of us were thankful for heavier layers when we moved into the dense shade of the hemlocks.
Deer tracks of all sizes took us up, down, and around the landscape. We found narrow, serpentine paths through the sparse snow cover. The roofs of rodent tunnels had melted to give us a view of their busy hunting and hiding network. Moles, voles, and mice all use these busy subways, and small weasels follow them for their own purposes – YUM! A nice fat mouse!
The most frequently encountered animal sign was poop – mostly canine. We learned that coyote poop is twisted at the end while fox is straight. Also, fox usually choose a visible spot in the middle of the trail or on top of a rock to announce their presence. Both are mostly full of fur. An unfortunate amount of off-trail dog poop indicated that many dogs are not leashed and many dog owners do not collect their pet’s waste. I wondered what wild animals might think about the foreign smells and textures of our canine friends.
Although we didn’t see signs of large cats, many people in our group had stories of experiences with bobcat and lynx and Jake explained how to identify canine from cat tracks. Also previously seen in the preserve, black bear, also absent today.
The blue sky, warmish weather, and great stories kept us in the field for two hours, but eventually we parted, all looking forward to future visits.
The Peter A. Krusch Nature Preserve - 316 North Cambridge Road, Cambridge, VT 05444 