Wildwood Tracking website

Techniques
Tracks & Sign
Mammals
Birds
Others
Sign tracking
Compressions
Measurements
Aging
Gaits
Limb/Eye Dominance
Skulls
Awareness
Quizzes
Teams
Search & Rescue
Way of the Scout
Algonquin Winter
   Tracking
Stories
Humour
Booklist
Contributors
Sitemap
About this site
Use of material
Privacy Policy
HomeAlgonquin Winter Tracking

Algonquin Winter Tracking Expedition 2007

Tuesday (Day 3)

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).

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!

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!

Off they led into the woods!

After following the tracks for a while and taking some measurements we determined them to be those of a Fisher.

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.

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.

Under the rock we found a pile of porcupine and vole scat.

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!
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!
 

Previous      Next