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Algonquin Winter Tracking Expedition 2007 |
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Tuesday (Day 3) |
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On Tuesday we split into two
groups. This page documents one group's day. We parked at
the end of the Opeongo Road (at least, what is the end of it
in the winter - it's closed just a couple of miles from the
highway). Here we examined the myriad of bird tracks that
littered the ground.
We ID'd this nice set of tracks as being those of a Crow
(not a Blue Jay as we first thought). |
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Right nearby a Pileated
Woodpecker flew out of the bush and away. We went to look
and found its freshly chiseled holes, complete with
carpenter ant heads! |
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We also examined a nice set of
tracks along the road. We decided to follow them to get a
positive ID on what they were. This occupied us till after
lunch - the following, not the ID! |
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Off they led into the woods! |
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After following the tracks for
a while and taking some measurements we determined them to
be those of a Fisher. |
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Nice tail drag mark! If you
can't see it, it's the mark extending out to the right a
little bit, below the person on the right. |
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We followed the tracks all the
way to the den where it was holed up. We didn't actually
see the fisher, though. But we knew it was in there because
no tracks led away from the rock pile. And the tracks
leading into it (that we had followed) were fairly fresh. |
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Under the rock we found a pile
of porcupine and vole scat. |
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As we headed back to the
Opeongo Road, we came upon some moose beds and farther on,
some very fresh wolf beds in a thicket of Balsam Fir - eight
of them. Quite
an exciting discovery! |
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That evening we went back to the Opeongo Road to try our hand (voice) at
calling the wolves. But to no avail. Although a Barred Owl and a Sawhet
Owl both "answered". A beautiful, clear and cold night! |
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