Raccoons are fun animals to track and one of the most useful skills I ever learned to help me do that is finding and identifying raccoon scat. Raccoon scat is fairly common but it’s also commonly misidentified because it has similar characteristics to the droppings of other animals. Many people don’t know how to tell raccoon scat from dog, coyote, fox or even otter scat.There are also some … [Read more...] about Raccoon Scat: How To Identify & Find Latrines + Possible Dangers To Know
Learn Animal Tracking
This page is all about animal tracking. The ability to track animals is a really fun skill to develop that teaches us to pay close attention to nature.
How To Tell If Animal Tracks Are Fresh (in sand, mud & snow)
One of the big challenges whenever we find tracks outside is knowing just how long ago that animal was here. If your goal is to eventually find the animal, it really helps to know whether a trail was freshly made or if you’re still quite far behind. Luckily there is a bit of a science behind aging tracks. If you know what to look for you can gain a practical accuracy at knowing which tracks … [Read more...] about How To Tell If Animal Tracks Are Fresh (in sand, mud & snow)
Do Squirrels Eat Bird Eggs? (How And Why They Do It)
One year during the spring nesting season, I noticed a sparrow making soft alarm calls and following a squirrel around the forest. Of course, I became instantly fascinated as to why this was happening, and it got me wondering whether squirrels ever steal and eat bird eggs. As it turns out, squirrels do eat bird eggs when they have the opportunity. If a squirrel locates an active nest, they … [Read more...] about Do Squirrels Eat Bird Eggs? (How And Why They Do It)
How Do Animals Help Plants? (4 symbiotic interactions)
Everyone knows that plants play an important role for the survival of wild animals by providing essential food and shelter. What’s less obvious is that animals also help plants in crucial ways that form a sensitive and beautiful symbiotic relationship. Animals help plants pollinate their flowers and spread seeds. Their droppings fertilize the soil, while grazing & browsing animals help … [Read more...] about How Do Animals Help Plants? (4 symbiotic interactions)
How Do Animals Find Water? (includes mammals, birds, reptiles & differences in the desert)
A key factor in every animal’s survival is finding enough water to keep their bodies strong & healthy. For this reason, animals have many different strategies for finding & using water from the environment, and it’s a great way to gain insight into their behavior. Most modern humans would have no clue where to find enough clean water in a survival situation… so how do animals do … [Read more...] about How Do Animals Find Water? (includes mammals, birds, reptiles & differences in the desert)
How Do Hawks Hunt? (7 different methods & how to observe)
One of the amazing things about hawks is their huge variety of different strategies for hunting and catching prey. Some hawks hunt by soaring high over open landscapes as they watch for unsuspecting prey animals below. Others will choose a silent perch at the edge of a meadow, then swoop down at just the right moment. There are even hawks that specialize in hunting birds on the fly, … [Read more...] about How Do Hawks Hunt? (7 different methods & how to observe)
How Does Weather Affect Animal Behavior?
I’ve been interested in the relationship between weather and animal behavior since I first started studying nature as a teen. Wild animals are constantly outside, being affected by changes in cold, heat, rain, snow, wind & dry conditions. This presents a great opportunity to gain deeper insight into the lives of local wildlife, and learn some amazing things about our … [Read more...] about How Does Weather Affect Animal Behavior?
What Do Raccoon Tracks Look Like? (Photos & ID vs Look-Alikes)
Raccoon tracks are extremely common, but telling them apart from other animals can be surprisingly tricky depending on the conditions (sand vs mud vs snow). Part of the challenge is their front and hind tracks look quite different, which means even telling their own front feet from hind feet isn't always easy. To illustrate this difference, take a look at this example showing both tracks … [Read more...] about What Do Raccoon Tracks Look Like? (Photos & ID vs Look-Alikes)
How To Find Owls Living Near You (The Easy Way)
Owls are extremely common predators in almost every type of habitat from forests to fields & farmlands, even city parks, backyards & deserts. But despite their universal presence, people often still struggle to see them in the wild. You might wonder - is it really possible to find owls living near me? So here's the method I've used to find literally hundreds of owls from coast to … [Read more...] about How To Find Owls Living Near You (The Easy Way)
What Do Animal Tracks Tell Us?
Animal tracking is a lot like being a detective. Every track and sign is another clue that tells us valuable information we can use to read the fascinating stories of local wildlife. Most trackers primarily focus on what kind of animal left a track, and while this is definitely a valuable skill, it’s really just the beginning of what’s possible. With good observation & critical … [Read more...] about What Do Animal Tracks Tell Us?