Tracks

 

What creature made these?

Winter is a difficult time for many people. The cold. The cloudiness. Being cooped up indoors.

I have had difficult winters. However, the remedy, I have found, is getting outdoors every day. For me, that means taking daily walks.

When I looked at the forecast for this past week (cold, colder and colder still) I thought that habit would be interrupted, especially when they called for winds that would send the wind chill way low.

But I have gear -- heavy work boots, insulated overalls, a down coat, heavy mittens. With a few layers of clothing underneath it all, I ventured out into the bitter cold and found that I could stay warm. The winds didn't manifest, so I had no interruption at all. 

Lots of bird tracks.

While the temperature wasn't as much of a challenge as I'd expected, the snow was. Wearing 10 or more pounds of cold-weather gear and plowing through the snow made each walk an extra workout. My legs should be even stronger by the time it melts, which might be tomorrow... after the ice.

The snow also allows me to see who been wandering around the homestead.

Deer make the most tracks, creating patterns that almost look as if they'd been dancing. We occasionally see them passing through, pausing to nibble what greenery they can find. However, their tracks in the snow provide evidence that they come through far more often than we see them.

I also find plenty of bird tracks in the snow, sometimes with indentations where their small bodies landed, as well as the occasional brush prints of wings. 

Bunny prints.

Rabbit tracks are an occasional find. We don't see many rabbits at any time of year, anymore. In March we often saw two or three rabbits dancing around, chasing each other in a mating dance. As litters were born and grew up the number of rabbit sightings would increase. At times we'd go out in the morning to a crowd of half a dozen bunnies or more. Rabbit sightings here are almost rare now. I am glad to see their tracks in the snow.

Other prints I've seen lately, just a few, were some tiny hand-like prints, probably squirrel. They're too small for raccoon tracks. Then, down on the driveway, I've found both canine and feline paw prints. It's difficult to tell whether the canine prints belong to coyotes or neighborhood dogs. The feline prints are small enough that they're most likely neighborhood cats.

And then finally, I see a lot of footprints like the ones in the photo at the top of this post. I dunno, too small for Sasquatch or an Abominable Snowman. Maybe a young one who traveled too far and got lost.

What do you think?