Tracking Part II: Field trip details
The purpose of this field trip
was to give the boys a chance to find signs of animal activity in a variety of habitats. Tracking is not just about finding animal tracks, or footprints, but a variety of evidence in the details.
Oak Hill Academy is hardly a wild place, but along the edges of the property one can find fence rows, an old apple orchard, mown fields, different sequences of successional growth, branches and a pond.
The first activity for the day
was to find tracks and cast molds. On the driveway there was a story told, with horseshoe tracks accompanied by a canine. Though the drive was graveled and hard, because of recent rains some tracks were deep enough to make decent molds. None of the boys had ever used plaster of Paris, so in that alone existed a learning curve. Discovered after the casts had dried, was how the plaster attracted small bits of gravel and dirt along with the prints. The fellows seen hanging over the dock were cleaning these casts as best as they could.
We learned quickly
that the best medium for tracks is mud. Along some edges of the pond were found many quality deer prints, as well as clear signs of their scat and browsing technique. The freshest green growth was nibbled closely to the ground, while adjacent drier grasses left taller.
Down below the pond and pavilion is an old rock wall, providing hiding places and homes for smaller critters. The boys inspecting the wall discovered one print of a rodent, most likely that of a mouse species.
Many scat samples were found.
The first was about two inches long and ¾ inches in diameter. It looked very much like domestic dog scat, except it was full of hair, not typical for a dog. We surmised, after much discussion, that it could have been left by either a coyote or bobcat. Coyotes are known to be in the area, so it was generally agreed that this scat was most likely a coyote’s.
In a short-leaf pine stand
, three of the guys found a very fresh scat with seeds evident. One boy, who has grown up hunting, was certain it was that of a raccoon. In the same patch of woods, we had a chance to compare relatively dry and round deer droppings with others that were formed in more of a puddle. Thinking about the trails that all led up to the apple orchard, we wondered if that scat was the result of filling up on the ready fruit.
Horse scat gave the scouts a chance to compare herbivores with carnivores in terms of scat content and form.
Along the many trails
we found tufts of hair that were determined to be that of a deer. One scout suggested, given the currency of wind, that both samples were recent. And, in fact, we stirred up a couple of deer that were bedding down in the early afternoon sun.
Near a marshy area below the pond
, the scouts discovered mounds of freshly piled sand in a linear grouping of four or five along the edge of the path. One boy said ‘mole’ and we discussed the possible mole options.
Though he did not know the name, another scout said that some moles don’t typically dig very deep, and guessed this was that kind of mole. Star-nosed mole was then introduced to the conversation and as it turned out, several of the kids knew this critter. Star-nosed moles depend on wet ground for their excavating techniques, so we generally agreed that this was indeed the culprit.
The Stalking Game:
After lunch and some general discussion, Buddy Halsey, parent and scout leader, offered a stalking game, which turned out to be the highlight of the day. The idea here was for Buddy to position himself on top of a hill, in full view, while three groups of scouts attempted to get as close to him as possible before he spotted them. The three groups designed their own strategies and all took different paths. What made this especially challenging was how open most of the area was between Buddy and the scouts’ starting points. All three groups put great effort into this challenge, suffering the barbs of blackberry thickets, barbed wire and other indignities, but the older group won by skirting a wide arc and coming up behind Buddy. They used the more civilized but longer path, including campus buildings for shields.
And lastly, all 11 boys participated in a version of hide and seek known as Snake Pit, where one boy is given a four minute lead, finds a hiding place and stays put. Then, at four-minute intervals, and one at a time, another boy was released to find the hiding place, and if successful, stayed as well…and so on.
Tracking Part I: Boy Scouts and BRDC
-Story and Photographs by Scott Jackson-Ricketts
A woodland hike...MST to Alligator back, NC
Today (May 2, 2010) I decided not to join my friends on their discovery hike in Virginia because my dog really needed an outing and may have been disruptive in a large group. So we went by ourselves this morning up to the Parkway where we walked on the MST (in the complete open, with 360-degree vistas) to Alligator Back, and returned. Then we took a shorter woodland hike nearby.
Here's what we discovered:
Coyote scat plentiful: I noticed it often here in the winter. I'm quite sure it was from Coyote as it was full of fur and we do have plenty of these critters around.
Bluets EVERYWHERE. Lovely.
Very young Rabbit Tobacco (I think).
Hawthorn trees blooming. I usually break off a thorn to use as my favorite toothpick. When I tried to do this today it was resistant, felt more green than brittle, so I left it alone. Perhaps the thorn starts off soft in the Spring.
Ant hills in close proximity to each other like black polka dots the whole mowed trail. I'm wondering if it's one colony. I heard E.O. Wilson recently speaking on his speciality, ants, as conducting great wars ("the most warlike of the whole animal kingdom.") This makes me think perhaps this was one colony. I'll see what more I can find on this. I saw no ants and didn't want to disturb the settlement so I don't know their size. May Apples in bloom.
One Flame Azalea in full bloom.
One Locust sapling in bloom (@ 1' tall). Perhaps Black Locust.
Young Pine Cones developing. Perhaps Pitch Pine (3-needle bundles) My husband has our camera in Mississippi or I could have better documented my finds. I looked in my flower books and online for something that looked like the "Young Rabbit Tobacco" but could find nothing.
I enjoy the Buddhist teachings, including "Signlessness"-- stepping fresh into each moment without the need to name ("sign")/compare/judge etc. I used to always run to books and maps to identify everything I saw. Then I tried to modify this habit. Today I felt I reached a happy medium and enjoyed noticing in preparation for sharing on this blog.
-Martha Magroski