Jan. 25: Intro to Wildlife Tracks in KNP with Lyle Grisedale
On a very cold January 25th morning, I led a small group of enthusiastic folks through the Nature Park to learn how to identify and find wildlife tracks. To start I taught the participants about the four walking styles/modes that wildlife employ: Perfect Walkers, Waddlers, Bounders, and Hoppers. Learning these styles helps with identification of tracks found in the snow.
We then headed up Edge Trail, turning onto Keiver Way to Duck Pond Trail and finally back down Pat Morrow Trail to the Higgins entrance of the Nature Park where we started. Along the way we observed and identified lots of rodent tracks, mostly of deer mice. We also saw weasel tracks, pine marten tracks, squirrel tracks, fox tracks, coyote tracks, grouse tracks and of course lots of ungulate tracks. Although it had not snowed for sometime we were able to find many fresh tracks.
Left to right: Pine marten tracks, grouse tracks, weasel tracks. Photos by Lyle Grisedale
A highlight was observing where grouse had landed, leaving wing marks in the snow before heading off across the snow. We also found a tree where a black-backed woodpecker had been flaking off the bark to find insects and larva. We also observed several trees that have been infected with western gall rust. The group was eager to learn and went away with a greater knowledge of the critters that inhabit our Nature Park.
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