Stories in the Snow

We got a dusting of snow yesterday (maybe half an inch), and today while walking on the nature trail and around the Duck Ponds I noticed that while mine were the only human tracks in the snow around the north pond, there were plenty of other critters who had been wandering around. I guess the water attracts not just the ducks but plenty of other thirsty folk.

Below are some fox tracks (left) and rabbit tracks (right), but luckily for the rabbit the sets of tracks were on opposite ends of the park. There are both Gray and Red foxes in these parts, but I can't tell the difference by the tracks. And the rabbit is an Eastern Cottontail.

Of course, around the pond itself the most prolific tracks were those of the resident Mallards, although there were also some fox tracks there as well. I could well imagine the sly fox circling the pond checking to see if there was a way to get some duck breakfast without getting too wet and cold!

When I crossed one of the bridges farther downstream from the pond I apparently claimed the attention of a Great Blue Heron up by the pond, who then flew off complaining loudly. When I got up to the path around the pond I found the Heron's tracks right next to the water. I guess I disturbed his fishing.

On the same wooden bridge where I found the rabbit tracks I found these mouse tracks. They may look large here in the photo, but they really weren't more than and inch long in total.

And outside the park on the other side of the railroad embankment, I found these Gray Squirrel tracks on that junky old iron-railed bridge I showed you last week. Actually, there were squirrel tracks all over the place, but this was the clearer set.

See what you can learn from looking at the snow?

© 2010 by A. Roy Hilbinger