NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
January 7, 2024
Nature Moncton members as well as
any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond are invited to share their photos and
descriptions of recent nature sightings to build a fresh (almost) daily edition
of Nature News
To respond by e-mail, please address
your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .
Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or photo
labelling.
For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .
Proofreading
courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
(Editor’s
note: it is that time of year when it is more likely to see a Bobcat during the
day as Louise’s video shows. Many of us are not preparing for spring yet but
wildlife is!)
**Reading the story in snow has been an interest of Brian Coyle's since he was 10 years old.
In this case, he could see some relatively fresh Coyote
tracks in the snow, out on the frozen Beaver pond. He didn’t dare go out on the
ice to get a closer look as conditions are still unsafe. He then traveled
across the Beaver dam and just downstream of the dam was a disturbance of some
thin ice with chunks of ice on top and refrozen. As he examined the scene,
Brian saw tracks that came from the refrozen spot, but it was difficult to
determine what had come out of the water. Following them,
the tracks lead through some brush and then out onto the frozen Beaver pond. No
tracks were leading from the other side to the break in the ice, which threw
him off. Eventually, he could see clear tracks of a Coyote, dripping with
water. The Coyote had come up the small creek on the ice, leaving no tracks,
then broke through the ice and got a good soaking, before climbing out and
carrying on. It didn’t skip a beat and trotted off. The photo series is in today’s
photo line-up.
Brian shares more tracks of animals that he found Saturday while
out to his trail cameras.
Weasel
tracks are easy to identify, even in deep snow, as they tend to bound, and when
all 4 feet come together, they are at an angle from side to side, unlike the
Red Squirrel, which is square and even. The Weasel's bounds are approximately
12 in. apart.
There was some very fresh Coyote sign as
well, with a pair of Coyotes traveling together, scent marking and digging in
with their hind feet to further mark the spot. In a month or so, they will be
in full mating season and are readily seen in broad daylight.
(Editor's note: note the oblong shape of the canine track where that of the feline would be rounded with no nail imprint. The feline print would leave a C impression between the toe and heel pads whereas the canine, as can be seen in the photo, leaves a cone shape in that position.)
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
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