The winter sun sparkled across Laudholm Farm’s snowpack as the Maine Young Birders Club gathered on a crisp morning with our guest trip leader, tracking expert Dan Gardoqui. With more than a foot of snow blanketing the landscape, conditions were perfect for our wildlife detective work.
Nature began writing its stories for us immediately. Just steps into our journey, we discovered a crime scene: scattered feathers along the trail’s edge told the tale of an aerial ambush. As if reading our minds, a Red-tailed Hawk swooped low overhead, giving us a dramatic demonstration of these skilled hunters in action.
The morning unfolded like a wilderness scavenger hunt, with each set of tracks revealing new mysteries. We followed the distinctive prints of a Bobcat, learning to spot the telltale signs of its feline nature — a wide pad and the absence of claw marks that distinguished it from its canine neighbors. The local Cottontail rabbits, we learned, have inadvertently created a perfect hunting ground for these stealthy predators, and their tracks were plentiful everywhere we went. Nearby, the distinctive wide-set pattern of Porcupine tracks told us where one of these spiny residents had recently ambled through the snow.
Dan’s enthusiasm was contagious, especially when he dropped to all fours to demonstrate a ‘direct register’ trail — showing us how animals can place their back feet precisely where their front feet landed. We decoded the secret language of gaits, learning to read whether an animal was cautiously walking, purposefully trotting, or racing through the landscape.
Our tracking tally grew impressive: Red Fox prints meandering across a field, delicate Mouse trails in the snow, the bold stamps of Deer, and the purposeful path of what appeared to be a petite female Fisher. By morning’s end, we had uncovered evidence of 10 different mammal species.
The birds, not to be outdone, put on their own show. Six Wild Turkeys delayed our arrival with their unhurried road crossing, and the woods resonated with the calls of resident winter birds. Blue Jays announced our presence, while Black-capped Chickadees and Eastern Bluebirds flitted through the branches. The Little River estuary hosted a waterbird convention, with Buffleheads diving among the Canada Geese, Mallards and American Black Ducks. As if orchestrating a grand finale, four Bald Eagles soared overhead as we returned to our cars, capping our list at 17 species.
For the complete list of our avian encounters, check our eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S215050007
A heartfelt thank you to Dan for making the winter wilderness come alive for us today! Stay tuned for news about our upcoming Woodcock Walk in March — another chance to witness nature’s hidden dramas unfold. Until then, happy birding… and tracking!
