Last week we had a rare (thank heavens!) snowfall here, 2" and it stayed on the ground for over 24 hours. As I was going out early in the morning, I noticed tracks on the snow. A hare had visited the flower garden, but did no damage. I think the rabbit was seeking shelter near the trunk of our big ashe juniper. We also had lots of bird tracks around the ornamental grasses--maybe they spent the night there when the evergreen trees got too crowded? There were opossum tracks leading out of and into the barn--but that was no surprise since he/she has lived there for a while and been spotted early on other mornings. We walked down to the pond when it was full daylight to see how thick the ice was (not very) and saw bobcat tracks. A bobcat's track is larger than a domestic cat's, and also there were small feathery marks around the tracks, made by the bobcat's fur. We have a resident bob that we've seen two or three times near the pond, but these are the first tracks. Seeing evidence of our fellow residents was about the only good thing about the snowfall!
It is always interesting after a new snowfall to look for animal tracks. Sometimes they tell you things you did not know like, where they live or what they are eating. Sometimes you find "mystery tracks" :-o Jerry
I enjoy looking at tracks in the snow....One year when we were in the country a large hawk flew into one of our windows on the side of the house...I watched it for a while so nothing disturbed it until he got his head cleared. He had such a beautiful snow print that I went into the garage to find something to cover the print up with until my husband got home from work to look at it...it was a large hawk. It is just fun trying to figure who makes the tracks...
We have about 7 or 8 inches of snow here on the ground and its about -13 degree temp.I do not like the cold at all.I think most know how I feel about that.
Glenda, we are birds of a feather! I hate cold, I loathe snow, and right now we are on the leading edge of another "winter event" which means cold, high winds, and the threat of sleet. Sheesh! I told my husband that if it didn't mean leaving the gardens, the farm, the barn, the bees and the hens, I'd move south! Seeing as we are in Central Texas, south isn't all that far away. Keep warm, stay well, and we are all so glad you are back home and feeling better.
WOW! That must have been really fun to see all the tracks and think about all that goes on around your place at night! It's another world out there when we're not looking! I know there is activity in my little yard at night because the cat runs from window to window in a very focused manner but nothing as exotic as a bobcat... maybe an opossum, probably some bun-buns.
I like looking at tracks in the snow too. This year I have a whole other kind of tracks on my front lawn ... snowmobile tracks! Someone, I don't know who, has twice now come driving down the road on their snowmobile and driven a hug circle on my lawn. Both times they have missed a few of my saplings literally by an inch. I am NOT impressed with THESE tracks!
Netty, how awful! I would hope that the snowmobile fool gets on thin ice! Could you borrow a couple of those spike strips from the local police? Daisybeans, nighttime is playtime for our critters, isn't it? On moonlight nights we've sat on the patio and watched rabbits examine the ornamental grasses, and even saw a coyote cross the pasture. Sure is exciting around here (if you're simple-minded!).
MG--You must have been so intrigued to see those tracks. It is one of the plusses of snowfall...and of course you guys get so many (for us over here) exotic animals. great stuff, this posting of yours.
