McPick
03-01-2008, 16:38
I took a hike on a snow covered, 5-mile trail near my home in northern Missouri last week. Several days prior to my hike, extremely cold temperatures throughout the Midwest were accompanied by a 4 to 6-inch snowfall. Then the temperature rose to the 40s and most of the snow melted. Along the trail, melting snow pooled in some areas, creating small ponds, which froze as the temperatures dipped again. That night, Missouri got a quick one-inch dusting of very light snow.
When I awoke the next morning to brilliant sunshine and a "Colorado" blue sky I decided to hit the trail. I was trekking along (as much as one can "trek" in Missouri) kicking up the light snow when I noticed numerous turkey tracks on and around the trail. In addition to the large footprints, there were pairs of multiple, parallel, one-inch-wide lines in the snow, sometimes 4 to 6 feet in length... a foot or so apart. At first I wondered if small deer had crossed the trail, causing these unusual lines by dragging their feet in the snow. Then, it dawned on me that the lines in the snow were actually made by the prominent feathers on the tips of the turkeys' wings.
Ah yes, a sunny "warm" day hinting at the promise of spring. Heck, who wouldn't dance after the miserable winter we've endured? No question about it... These guys were strutting their stuff. Showing off to what I'm sure must have been a completely captivated audience of adoring hens. (Don't you just bet they were SO impressed.) It occurred to me that in addition to the male birds likely deciding whose who was whose along the trail, they were also working out which bird would receive this year's designation of the flock's "big tom."
I returned to my hike, smiling, and noticed a set of turkey tracks headed down the trail, kinda 'goin' my way.' It appeared to me that this turkeys was running because its stride was as long as mine. (An escapee, I mused?) Further along I saw that the feet of this running turkey had slipped out from under it as it dashed across one of the small frozen pools, then hidden under the light snow.
As it slid, the bird quickly stretched out a wing to catch itself from falling. Remarkably, the large wing's imprint, embedded in the snow, was absolutely perfect. I could see feathers prominently outlined and even see the strands of individual feathers. The wing print sparkled as sunlight reflected off of individual frozen crystals within. I was completely mesmerized by this stunning and dazzling image displayed in the snow. Somewhat sadly though, I realized that within the hour rising temperatures would surely melt the snow causing this splendid, yet fleeting example of nature's enchantment to vanish.
That image of the turkey's wing print in the snow caused me to remember another animal track I'd seen displayed along the AT during my 2006 hike. Obviously though, this track was not imprinted in snow. Rather, it was perfectly displayed in mud.
Well east of Hawk Mt in Pennsylvania (and in and amongst the rocks) I came upon a depression of mud. The area was small and raggedy only about five feet in diameter. The upper layer of mud was wet, slick and creamy, like a potter's slip. Worm tracks criss-crossed the area in all directions. Several small, nondescript birds had landed on the mud, leaving footprints as they hopped about, perhaps grabbing a tasty treat before taking off. A raccoon had tentatively started into the muck, but, I suppose it instinctively realized the potential depth of the mud and quickly backed out. There were various other types of imprints and an assortment of sticks and leaves protruding from and on top of the mud which ultimately caused its surface to appear like a gooey, saturated mosaic. (I'm sure this mosaic-like feature became more pronounced as the mud dried.)
However, what caught my eye was the imprint of a bear's paw in the center of the muck. I think the bear may have been running because there was only the one footprint in the goo. Wet mud had squished up and out slightly from the weight of the bear, but other than that it was a pristine print. It's thick, curved claws and calloused pads left near-perfect impressions about 2 inches into the mud. The shape in the print was more oblong than round (forward motion?) and the entire print was probably in the 6 to 8-inch long range and maybe 4 inches or so wide. There was no water in the print which caused me to wonder if I'd just missed my 8th bear encounter along the trail.
Yeah, that's the stuff...
How about you? Any interesting stories about wildlife tracks along the AT, or elsewhere?
When I awoke the next morning to brilliant sunshine and a "Colorado" blue sky I decided to hit the trail. I was trekking along (as much as one can "trek" in Missouri) kicking up the light snow when I noticed numerous turkey tracks on and around the trail. In addition to the large footprints, there were pairs of multiple, parallel, one-inch-wide lines in the snow, sometimes 4 to 6 feet in length... a foot or so apart. At first I wondered if small deer had crossed the trail, causing these unusual lines by dragging their feet in the snow. Then, it dawned on me that the lines in the snow were actually made by the prominent feathers on the tips of the turkeys' wings.
Ah yes, a sunny "warm" day hinting at the promise of spring. Heck, who wouldn't dance after the miserable winter we've endured? No question about it... These guys were strutting their stuff. Showing off to what I'm sure must have been a completely captivated audience of adoring hens. (Don't you just bet they were SO impressed.) It occurred to me that in addition to the male birds likely deciding whose who was whose along the trail, they were also working out which bird would receive this year's designation of the flock's "big tom."
I returned to my hike, smiling, and noticed a set of turkey tracks headed down the trail, kinda 'goin' my way.' It appeared to me that this turkeys was running because its stride was as long as mine. (An escapee, I mused?) Further along I saw that the feet of this running turkey had slipped out from under it as it dashed across one of the small frozen pools, then hidden under the light snow.
As it slid, the bird quickly stretched out a wing to catch itself from falling. Remarkably, the large wing's imprint, embedded in the snow, was absolutely perfect. I could see feathers prominently outlined and even see the strands of individual feathers. The wing print sparkled as sunlight reflected off of individual frozen crystals within. I was completely mesmerized by this stunning and dazzling image displayed in the snow. Somewhat sadly though, I realized that within the hour rising temperatures would surely melt the snow causing this splendid, yet fleeting example of nature's enchantment to vanish.
That image of the turkey's wing print in the snow caused me to remember another animal track I'd seen displayed along the AT during my 2006 hike. Obviously though, this track was not imprinted in snow. Rather, it was perfectly displayed in mud.
Well east of Hawk Mt in Pennsylvania (and in and amongst the rocks) I came upon a depression of mud. The area was small and raggedy only about five feet in diameter. The upper layer of mud was wet, slick and creamy, like a potter's slip. Worm tracks criss-crossed the area in all directions. Several small, nondescript birds had landed on the mud, leaving footprints as they hopped about, perhaps grabbing a tasty treat before taking off. A raccoon had tentatively started into the muck, but, I suppose it instinctively realized the potential depth of the mud and quickly backed out. There were various other types of imprints and an assortment of sticks and leaves protruding from and on top of the mud which ultimately caused its surface to appear like a gooey, saturated mosaic. (I'm sure this mosaic-like feature became more pronounced as the mud dried.)
However, what caught my eye was the imprint of a bear's paw in the center of the muck. I think the bear may have been running because there was only the one footprint in the goo. Wet mud had squished up and out slightly from the weight of the bear, but other than that it was a pristine print. It's thick, curved claws and calloused pads left near-perfect impressions about 2 inches into the mud. The shape in the print was more oblong than round (forward motion?) and the entire print was probably in the 6 to 8-inch long range and maybe 4 inches or so wide. There was no water in the print which caused me to wonder if I'd just missed my 8th bear encounter along the trail.
Yeah, that's the stuff...
How about you? Any interesting stories about wildlife tracks along the AT, or elsewhere?