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Home > Blogs > Birds and Butterflies > Archives > 2009 > January > 21 > Entry
Tiny Tracks in the Snow
Guest Entry by Skip Layman: Naturalist Germantown MetroPark Nature Center.
It is typical to think of birds as flying creatures or creatures sitting in trees and bushes but our local winter weather has provided a great chance to see birds in a different role. The recent cold spell has left snow on the ground for over a week now and the world is full of animal tracks. One of the places where you will see a lot of these tracks is under the trees, particularly those trees with berries, like the junipers. Almost all of these tracks are quite small, being those of birds and mice. The fluffy snow doesn’t make really distinct tracks, but you can tell the mice from the birds easily by following them for a bit. If the tracks end suddenly, and especially if you can see the faint traces of feathers in the snow, you know they tracks were made by a bird. Where the tracks are more distinct, the mouse tracks will look like they are made by tiny rabbits, since they tend to hop the same way. They sometimes leave a streak in the snow with their tail also. Bird tracks will leave the distinct three toes forward and one toe back pattern. Here is picture (below) of one of our winter birds, the tree sparrow, who will leave us for the far north when the weather gets warmer and who we often observe walking around our local areas.
So go to your local parks or back yard and see the many tracks these flying creatures leave behind. We are especially lucky with all the robin and sparrow tracks around the many trails and successional areas of the Germantown MetroPark to see these footprints. You are welcome to visit the nature center to warm up with a cup of hot chocolate at the end of your adventure. Call 937-855-7717 for more information on programs and hours of operation or visit www.metroparks.org
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