Tracks in the snow

DLJeffs

DLJeffs

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Found some interesting tracks passing behind the house this morning. There's a little snow in the tracks so probably sometime after midnight when we got a second dusting. Pretty sure they're feline but if they're a house cat, it's one big house cat. The prints are 2.5 - 3 inches long. But the cool thing is the way it registered it's tread pattern. Exactly parallel, and each paw exactly in the one before it. Almost like it was hopping. We abut BLM land and the Deschutes River so plenty of open space. We have plenty of coyotes and skunks and raccoons so I'm kind of leaning toward this being a bobcat that passed through. snow tracks feb 21.webp snow tracks feb 21 parallel.webp snow tracks feb 21 b.webp
 
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A buddy of mine who is team leader for the biologist at Lawrence Livermore Lab in CA sent me these:
trot copy.webp

So this is exactly what the tracks behind my house looked like.

bobcat trot copy.webp

The tracks behind my house weren't super clear, but if you look close you can see they are different, which supports the theory they're a front paw and a rear paw, even though they're side-by-side. So I'm back to the conclusion this was a trotting bobcat. The weasel theory works but the tracks just are too big for any weasel we'd have around.
 
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That bottom photo is from some other site. But I think (if I'm looking at it correctly), the left print was placed on top of the right print. In other words, as the bobcat trotted, it's front paw made the print. They alternate legs as they trot, so with the next gallop, the rear paw landed right next to the previous print left by the front paw. That's why they are exactly parallel to each other and it looks like the animal was hopping on both feet, side by side like a weasel or otter. I think that also means the distance between the pairs of prints give you an estimate of the size of the critter, the prints being more or less about the same distance apart as the critter's body length. If the critter starts running, the track pattern changes. Unfortunately, the prints at my house weren't that clear and had some secondary snow fall in them so I can't tell for certain. I put my trail cam out last night and hopefully it'll trot by again.
 
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I've always thought that was really cool. Watch some videos of a cat (lion, leopard, bobcat etc) stalking its prey. Where it steps with its front paw the back paw will step in the same place. This helps to keep it very quiet on the stalk, if the front paw made no noise in that spot neither will the back paw
 
When I read the post there was no way in the world that I thought I would ever be able to contribut to a conversation about tracks and snow. But for the first time in 70 years we got 6 inches Monday here in Austin. So now able to contribute my own pics. Not a cat but through my amazing ability to determine tracks in snow I offer these tracks. Definitely a grey fox. You can tell by the gait, the size but mostly when you see the little guy make them you know for sure. In the second pic he was close to the house. Sorry not as clear as yours.

1613492018261.webp
1613492338827.webp
 
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Nice. Foxes, like coyotes, skunks and raccoons, seem to be able to adapt to living around people. I put up my trail cam beneath the house and got 40+ pictures of dark eyed juncos, two pics of deer walking past, and 5 videos of juncos flittering around. Filled up the 16GB card in less than 2 days. I didn't even capture the cottontail that I know was hopping around because I could see the tracks. Might have to rethink my trail cam idea. Either that or empty the darn memory card every day. Too many juncos triggering it and the little buggers go everywhere.
 
We have all of those but hardly ever to to see their tracks. Can’t hide anything from the snow. I keep waiting to see juncos but none so far. Plenty of gold finch, titmouse, chickadees, wrens, cardinals and one that I don’t see often a spotted Towhee.
 
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Ha, you have all our usual birds with the exception of the cardinal (we don't see those here). The mountain chickadees, nuthatches, goldfinches, northern flickers, and house finches hang around all winter. But the spotted towhees migrate along with most everything else. The juncos get more common in winter and become the primary bird at the feeders. Early spring the white and gold crowned sparrows will be the first to return.
 
Yes Mike. I love just seeing what it wants to tell us. Makes me want to live where it snows all the tim..... Not I’ll just look at you guys photos. Jim ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
 
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