Tracks in the Snow

I've been seeing lots of tracks in the snow this week, 

but I haven't seen lots of animals!  

Where are all the animals?  

Animals can be so elusive in the woods!  

I'm always surprised by all the animal tracks that appear after a snowfall!  

Like all of a sudden a bunch of animals just moved into the neighborhood!

I obviously haven't been spending enough time out in the woods, watching and waiting for animals to appear! 

So for a start I'm focusing on three of the most common animals in the area!  

If I'm lucky, maybe I'll get some photos of the actual animals, 

but right now I only have photos of their tracks!

Columbian Black-tailed Deer
Odocoileus hemionus columbianus


I've seen many Columbian Black-tailed Deer, in daytime and nighttime, in all the years I've lived here.  Apparently, in the winter they conserve energy by limiting their movement, thus becoming less visible!

To withstand the cold and wet of winter, Black-tailed Deer grow thick shaggy coats, 
which help retain body heat.  They gain extra body fat in the Fall, which is used in the winter.  Some of them will migrate to lower snow-free elevations for the winter.

  

However, some will stay all winter and survive on the newer tips of trees and shrubs, as well as fungi, acorns, and berries.  Like cows, they are ruminants, and have four separate stomachs, that make it possible to digest this tough plant material!

 The first stomach is called a "rumen", and it is where the plants, a deer has swallowed, are initially fermented.  This fermented plant material is then regurgitated, re-chewed, and re-swallowed into the second stomach!  This partially digested material is then processed through the third and fourth stomachs, before it is passed to the small intestine and digested some more!

Black-tailed Deer weigh from 100 to 400 lbs!  They are approximately 5 feet tall.  
Their tracks are 63-82 mm long.  

Mountain Lion or Cougar
Puma concolor

I have only seen one Mountain Lion, in all the years I've lived here!  
That's because they're active at night, and I'm not! 

The main food of our local Mountain Lions is Mule Deer.  
They will also eat mice, rabbits, hares, raccoons, and domestic animals.  
They are most active from dusk to dawn, 
and can travel long distances looking for prey, up to 15 miles in one night!  
They have a poor sense of smell, but have excellent vision and hearing. 
They rely on surprise to catch their prey, and can leap 40 to 45 feet in one jump!  
They usually kill one deer every 9-12 days.  They will eat up to 20 lbs at one time.  
They will cover the remaining carcass with leaves, dirt, and/or pine needles, 
and feed from it over a period of several days.

Mountain Lions weigh from 140-180 lbs., and are 7'-8' in length.  
The foot print of a Mountain Lion is 101 mm, about the size of a baseball.  They keep their claws retracted, and are not usually visible in their tracks.

Douglas Squirrel or Chickaree
Tamiasciurus douglasii

Douglas Squirrels are common visitors to our bird feeder in the summer.  
They spend more time in their nests in the winter, to conserve energy, 
and therefore they are harder to see right now.

Douglas Squirrels store cones, seeds, acorns, and berries in hollow logs, 

or abandoned burrows, for their winter meals.  

Their nests are in old woodpecker holes or hollow logs if available.  

A cup or ball shaped nest is sometimes made of twigs, leaves, and moss, 

about 15-20 feet off the ground, on the branch of a tree. 

Their hind legs are double jointed, which makes them agile tree climbers!

  Douglas Squirrels weigh about 5-11 oz., and are about 13" long.  
One hind footprint is about 50-55 mm wide.

What other animals are out there in the winter woods?  

Check back next week to find out!