Okay folks, time to get scatological! A look at the paws and poops of a variety of animals. I will also include bones and other signs of animal presence.
Fox squirrel tracks in snow. Size 12 shoe for scale.
Whitetail deer shed hair. This was seen in March. Deer shed their thick winter coat in early spring, leaving white and brown hairs behind.
A tent caterpillar nest on tree branch. The nest, built by the female moth, contains the eggs and then the larval caterpillars emerge and consume the foliage of the branch they are found on. They can do considerable damage to a branch of a tree.
This is litter. It is a sign of human presence. I’m glad I found this bag. I used it to store other litter that I found while walking along the trail. Don’t litter!
Coyote print. You can see where the claws mark above the toe pads. The overall shape is more oblong than round.
Each bird constructs nests differently. As far as I can tell, this is a nest of a vireo. The nest hangs in a fork of a branch and is built from bark strips, grasses, spider silk, and other materials. Fall is a great time to find nests from birds.
Turkey print in sand. Penny for comaprison. Notice the symmetrical shape and broken toes with a heel spot.
The large print to the left is a Canada Goose. The smaller prints are likely from a killdeer spotted near these tracks.
Songbird tracks in the snow. They seem to enjoy hopping.
Striped skunk print. The long front claws here are most notable.
Raccoon jaw bone.
A turtle nest, most likely from an Eastern Box Turtle. The condition of the nest lead me to believe that it had been found and raided by predators (raccoons, fox, skunk, etc.).
Some bones from a raccoon. Note the jaw bone (top left) and the pelvic bone (bottom left).
Raccoon tracks in mud near a stream. Animal prints are easier to spot and identify in mud or sand near wet stream banks.
House Wren egg. Obtained from a backyard birdhouse.
Frog egg mass, most likely wood frog eggs. This clump of eggs (toads lay eggs in strands) was found in a pool on a road. The wood frog lays eggs in the nearest pool it can find and is the first frog to come out in the spring.
A raccoon skull. If you wander in the woods long enough and take off-beat trails, you can find lots of interesting things. I have seen enough raccoon skulls and bones to last a lifetime.
A spot where squirrels had been cracking acorns on the rock. Man is not the only one to use tools… or dinner tables.
Woodpecker holes can help identify what birds may be in your area. A large, oval-shaped hole like this one is indicative of a pileated woodpecker. This is likely a recently used nesting cavity site.
Print from a black bear. The paw pad print is less identifiable here, but the toe prints are obvious.
Husk from a cicada. Most likely an annual cicada, the periodical cicadas come out in droves and leave husks everywhere. This husk is left after the flightless late nymph emerges from the ground and molts into the winged adult.
Fox squirrel or gray squirrel prints in the snow.
Coyote scat. Likely from a younger coyote moving into new territory. Found near coyote prints. Coyote scat is quite similar to both bobcat and domestic cat scat. The main difference is in clumping and contents of scat.
Goose droppings. These are common in fields and grassy areas near lakes and rivers. The droppings are brown to black and have a white deposit.
A wild turkey egg. A creamy white with brown flecks. Roughly the size of a chicken egg, a large chicken egg. The eggshell was torn open, not sure if the turkey hatched or the egg was taken by a predator.
Deer print in sand. The heel hit, which means the deer was running quite fast.
This is birch wood decaying from the fungus green elfcup (Chlorociboria aeruginascens). For a long time I was puzzled about this blue wood.
More photos to come!
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