2 minute read
Become a Winter Wildlife Detective
By Jac Talcott, Watershed Stewardship Coordinator
With the onset of winter, we often think of Walloon’s wildlife going into a slumber. While the seasonal changes appear to slow life down, there is still a lot going on outside. Winter provides an amazing opportunity to learn what our field and forest creatures are up to. Fortunately for us, snow ends up everywhere in Northern Michigan, so let's use it to our advantage and detect some wildlife!
WHY WE SHOULD TRACK ANIMALS?
Tracking in the snow will tell a story about what kinds of animals exist on a particular preserve. Tracking is not just about identifying what creature is there, but also answering questions about the creature's life. From wildlife tracks you can observe when an animal walks, runs, eats, sleeps and many more unique behaviors they exhibit every day. As a management tool, we can use observed track counts to get an estimate of how many deer there are in the nature area or what are their main reasons for residing on a certain property.
WHEN SHOULD I START LOOKING?
While the best trackers out there can follow tracks year-round and in all terrains, most people benefit from tracks existing in mud, sand or snow. Even though it is pretty easy to see tracks in the snow, it still takes practice to identify the ones you find. Start by getting out after every light snowfall and when the forest is safe from storms or dangerous weather-related events. The best tracks are in a thin skim of snow (5-20 mm) over a hard base. New snow on a parking lot or over previously hard packed snow is ideal. Figuring out tracks in deep fluffy snow is a lot trickier and not recommended for the beginner tracker. Prints are distorted and often snow collapses on top. With less snow, you can see every detail and the tracks will look just like the ones in the books.
I FOUND A TRACK, NOW WHAT?
Look at the basic shape of the print and ask:
1 Does the track form a distinct pattern?
2 How many toes do you see?
3 Can you see evidence of claws?
4 What is the length and width of a single track?
These basic questions can help you to begin to identify what type of track you are looking at. Identifying a deer track is easy to pick up, but identifying between different types of squirrel tracks will take practice. Included are several of the most common tracks that exist within our preserves around Walloon Lake. The next time there is an opportunity to snowshoe, it is our hope that this article inspires you to look down and see what life you can find!
